Homecoming

The last couple of months that I have spent in Chennai have truly been eventful to say the least. After all, the 8 and half years that I spent away from my hometown has indeed been a long time. I should admit that Chennai has prsented me with a fair share of troubles in the last two months,

I have definite issues in figuring out routes, remembering names of roads (my sense of direction is probably the worst one could ever have) and curse the crazy traffic jams at flyover construction points.

I hate the city’s extremely humid weather (and its winter here!!!) and invariably get into fights with the city’s famed auto rickshaw guys (A 3km ride costs 40-50 bucks- that is if you speak fluent Tamil!!!!).

Rains leave the roads with more water than Cauvery ever had (the area in which I stay apparently had a ferry boat service during last year's floods), yet ‘Metro Water’ tankers routinely rumble around supplying water to apartments and establishments (…also routinely knocking down poor pedestrians on the roads).

Most of the New Year bashes insisted on couple entry (Huh lets not get into that) and Rotis even in the best restaurants have more maida than atta

...........But homecoming has beyond doubt been a great pleasure.

Chennai for me has its own charm that I have failed to experience in the three other places that I have stayed in and I would be the first one to accept that the feeling its more because of the ‘hometown emotion’ that I carry. The city has changed a lot in these years but somehow there are elements that have stood still to retain their character. And interestingly those unchanged traits are just the ones that seem to provide me with a sense of elation. It might sound odd though but I even feel safer in the prosperous presence of the old ‘Madras’ characteristics that are on offer. To be frank most of these are trivial and some actually aren’t even aspects that have perceptible implications in day to day life (definitely not in my life) but are quaintly beautiful in their essence.

Marina, Santhome, Elliott’s and the likes – This one undoubtedly tops the list - the beaches. They are definitely not the Goa or even the Vizag types in terms of beauty but the beaches are a proud possession and something that I have missed in other cities. Bustling crowds, thousands of peddlers, secretive lovers next to discarded boats, the really long walk in the sand……

Old Tam Songs in Chai Stalls blaring out of FM Radios– Ilayaraja’s 80s’ classics wafting along with the smell of sugar and the boiling milk. The spontaneous hum that sets off from the heart and a hint of a curve that the lips form to smile, memories about getting ready to go to school in the good old “AIR Akashavani” days……

Saravana Bhavan et al. - The choicest of South Indian food at incorrigibly affordable prices (at least compared to eat outs in Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad). These places do have their Family/Leisure dining rooms but the fun is eating in the Non-A/C and sometimes “stand and eat enclosures”…Order, eat, relish and leave, all in 15 minutes……

Suburban Trains – The most underrated mass public transport system among the 4 metros. High on reliability (A train every 5 minutes, 4AM to Midnight), Low on cost (a first class season ticket comes at 440 bucks per month for a 50 km daily ride), the resting place of the “astro-technical” wonder – the weighing machines, excited chatter amongst aging parents about how their kid just got picked by Infosys (“the campus has all facilities” ,”she has been told that she should have her passport ready”). A massive conclave of humans all of whom have this binding hope ……getting one of those elusive seats in the cramped compartments..

Maargazhi Maasam Prayers - Maargazhi is the month in the Tamil calendar that is dedicated to religious activities. Temples are decked up, early morning prayers and ceremonies are arranged, loudspeakers blare out devotional songs played from aging cassettes, crowds throng the temples……. honest attempts to get quick-fix solutions to the moral dilemmas they face in an increasingly unscrupulous world.

Music Season – 10 prestigious and 100 also ran Sabhas, 25 “hot in the circuit” and 250 wannabe vidhvaans, 30 days and thousands of concerts. The high pitched chatter amongst eager music lovers, full families decked up to attend the social gathering called a katcheri and also by the way enjoy the Thodis and the Kambodhis, Moms and grandmas from various families exchanging notes about prospective grooms and brides for their kids…..Life for a month is this beautiful musical.

I haven’t gone to the beach even once in the last two months, I frequent the Mochas’ and the Amethysts’ than the Saravana Bhavans, I haven’t gone to the temples since Maargazhi started and same is the case with the Music concerts ( I travel by the suburban train twice daily). But it hardly matters……..The spirit these things signify are all pervasive. You can feel it in the city. Typical of old times’ Madras……it got changed to Chennai much after 1998 when I first left my hometown