Chennai So Far

Most of the travelogues on Chennai start with a description of how horrible the weather is. Irony of the situation is that I am pointing it out too, so that leaves me no different than others who have written about this city. They say Chennai is a city, Madras is an emotion. It's been over a year but I am still not so well acquainted with either that emotion or the city so I will go with Chennai.

Aerial View of Chennai. PC: Google

In my experience of about about a year and a quarter, however, Chennai has turned out to be nothing like they told me when I decided to move and pursue my PGDM here. I was warned about everything being different here: the people, the language, the food, the music, the weather (the starting point for virtually every article on the city). None of them seemed legit even before I came here. Why? My best friends in Baroda were south Indians, and I have loved masala dosa more and longer than I have loved any person. I don't hate what I don't understand so that made me pretty much indifferent to the music here. The weather indeed is a bit of a problem in the months of April and May, but God bless the 21st century, we have air conditioners! And contrary to the popular belief, you can manage to get around in the city with English and Hindi; Tamil has not been a necessity. So all the people telling me that the city would be hostile has proven ridiculous. Like any other city, this one comes with its own set of flaws: auto rickshaws that charge you meter "plus" Rs 10-30 depending on the driver's mood and your level of desperation, a name for each nook and cranny to confuse the hell out of you, road blocks because the celebration demands that the stage be set up in the middle of the road, vadas and only vadas for street food, etc. All said and done, I think Chennai has grown on me. 

Unlike the Marine Drive or the Bandra bandstand in Mumbai, Chennai offers you the Marina and Elliot's beaches where you can sit on the beach without the traffic snarls from behind. Marina has a serious cleanliness issue but Elliot's is a good option for those who like the sea. I am not a "let's go to the mall" person but Express Avenue and Phoenix I guess would make up for a good sight for those who are. Movie tickets are sold for Rs 120 perennially. That perhaps is the reason why it's so difficult to get one but when you get it you are a happy man. I have not been able to bring myself to liking the tea that we get on the road side tea stalls but I am a big time fan of the filter kaapi. Perhaps the best thing about the city for me has been finding joints that sell dosas in just about every corner of the city. Unlike a lot of people who come from the Northern states, I have liked the south Indian food. For those who couldn't, there are plenty of other options available. The people here are as ridiculous and as nice as anywhere else in the country where I have lived. The transportation and conveyance is convenient if you are lucky not to bump into that one auto driver who is having a bad day. Chennai basically gives you all the comforts and opportunities of a metro without the pace of a metro city. The people here are not always rushing, the kind you see in a Mumbai or a New Delhi or even Kolkata for that matter.

I have had complaints about the city in terms of lack of places to eat and hang out for students, the language has also been an issue in talking to people at times but my overall experience with the city has been just fine. Chennai, if nothing else, has reinforced my belief that everyone has a story to tell but to know a place you have to experience it on your own, and  I plan to explore more of both - Chennai and Madras. Until next time!