MAD ABOUT MADRAS | MADRAS DAY 2020
Madras a.k.a. Chennai is my hometown, the city of joy, heritage, culture and love. We are sitting on a goldmine of heritage, both tangible and intangible and are blissfully unaware of it. Sometimes I question myself – why do I love Chennai so much? I’m that person who hates to live in a busy (around 9AM-5PM people) metro city like Chennai. But CHENNAI is a city that drowns me in ecstasy, time and time again. Here’s a summary of my journey with special love for Chennai.
During evening time, the breeze in Chennai is a bliss. Although
I grossly underestimated the beauty of beaches at 3 am until I turned 20. You
can get the awesome breeze all over the year, where you will be spellbound by
the beauty. The clouds look like a crazy cartoon character’s hair waving around
the sky. The way the horizon forms from overcast purple skies and the soft,
gloomy sand is astonishing. The streetlights illuminate just enough parts of
the surroundings that made you feel safe but also unnoticed. The beach dogs
gallantly paraded around keeping creepy crabs away from our feet. Okay, now don’t
ask me about the scorching sun in the noon and my sweat-drenched churidar suits
over the summer. Today’s Madras Day. Stereotype says I keep summarising only
good things.
One integral part of my Chennai life is the 21G bus travel
to Anna University (OK – This part existed only until I got friends who dropped
me back home) and 21 years of bus travel to almost all places that my mom
emphasises to save money for me to study abroad right now. The magic of getting
inside the always-crowded bus through one doorway and automatically reach the
other side with no efforts of my own; gives me a yogic state of mind that 1
hour of Yoga everyday in Scotland never gave; I get to just hear my own mind
voice amidst the cacophony of disparate sound. (Yes, meditation, on the go!);
plus all the gymnastics I do to safeguard my purse, phone, earphones and myself;
add the unannounced jerks, sudden breaks, sultry space and the congested
traffic outside – the list just goes on, about the bus travels, vintage
journeys, and many more things about Chennai and its very unique flavour of
experiences.
You name a God and Chennai has a Temple for him. Navratri
Golu season is a completely exquisite level of experience every year. Mylapore
Kapaaleswaran Temple is very close to my heart. You could see the richness of
sculpting in its Gopuram. It always gave me the optimism I need throughout my
life. I’m that kid who grew up in Mylapore during my primary school – habitually
called TamBrahm.
Food - Don’t even get me started, South Indian thali
especially with the tamarind curry and different type of chutney’s to go along,
served on a banana leaf, that is stuff to die for. Dosai, Idlis, Uthapams,
Biryanis, Mini Meals, Chapati Kurma bring it on. Street food – Kaalan, pani
puri, fine dining – desserts, smoothies, fast food – burger, pizzas,
international cuisine -Thai, Chinese, Korean; you name it and Chennai has it.
You want beef, pork, sea food, chicken, mutton, fish whatever type of non-vegetarian
you are - come right here, Chennai doesn’t discriminate.
It isn’t as if Chennai is flawless through the social lens.
It has its fair share of grave misogyny, casteism and sexism just like any
other part of India but it’s fight against them is quite strong, too.
Beaches, Movie Theaters, Malls, Parks, Shopping Streets,
Zoo, Theme Parks, Rides. What not. Though Chennai is always Sunny and Hot, every
day is a beautiful Memory EOD.
