A Farewell To Chennai [ i prefer madras though!]

Ive lived my life like a frog in a well. Most of my life has revolved within a 5 km radius of where I sit now…home. I was born in a hospital 3 kms from here. Lived earlier in a house 2 kms from here. Went to school 4 kms from here and college 5 kms from here. I worked in an office in the same building. Ive live the past 17 years in this same house, old friends and great times... A typical frog in a well experience. But today the time has come for me to move on in life. While I move to Delhi I cannot but help going through all the memories have of this city.

The first thing that comes to mind when one mentions Chennai is the weather. One season called summer with three variations during the year – mild, normal and hot. And the humidity is a constant throughout the year…Chennai prepares you for the worst this earth has got to throw at you. And for precisely that reason I’m thankful for this weather!


And yes the Cooum!! This is something only Chennaivasis will now! I used to be pretty ashamed of it till I went to Delhi and discovered that the holy Yamuna was worse!! At least our river of filth is our dirty little secret while the Yamuna is nationally splashed and glorified in history and geography text books!!

And the beaches of Chennai….the pride of the city….i thought the marina was dirty and then saw the beaches of Kochi, Calicut and Mumbai and discovered that I was better off. Besides Marina is only the big one! The real places to take in the fresh air are outside the city, Nothing soothes one better than the
music of the Beatles as one drives down the ECR parallel to the coastline. And another spectacular moment was when we were sitting on the rocks of the Mahabalipuram beach and watched as IAF trainer planes make maneouvres overhead less than 150m up!! Hmmm so much fun on the beaches….Thats something im really gonna miss. Sometimes if one had the petrol and the time one cud stretch that drive to Pondicherry which is a nice lil place in itself. It was a very sad day for me when I realized how vulnerable these beaches were. I saw the destruction there within hours of the Tsunami.

Beasant Nagar…Elliots beach and the eat out joints I shall miss. Not to forget the matchless peanuts on the beach. Hmm though I suspect that I will find better luck at ornithology in Delhi, if I find the time !! The good old pre-teetotaller days at the erstwhile Park Wines behind Taj Coromandel!! Some Beer and Sidees!! [side dish]. Ah also the old days when we used to park behind the Seeranai Arangam on the Marina and sit on the boats there till the cops came to chase us out!

Seeing Amma pass by in her Sierra [now Pajero] every now and then while I seethed stuck in blocked roads. Chatting for hours on end at the Barista on KNK Road till closing time else at the CCD at Ispahani Centre. The 55 buck buffet at the Dhaba Express. And when we were really broke going for our fill of bread omlette either in front of Alsa Mall [the middle stall] or the one near the Nike showroom on Nungambakkam High Road!!

And then used to come the odd day when we would be loaded with cash and our tastes got refined as we headed to Gallopin Gooseberries for our sandwiches, Cascade for the Oriental food or to the many gourmet joints around TTK Road when we were plain confused! And back to Movenpick for some expensive dessert! Then was that day when we rented a beach house on ECR for 3000 bucks for a party….total fun!

I went to school here…I met my closest friends here. We had the best years of our life here. www.unionchristianworldwide.com

And now for the sports culture of Chennai. That is probably what I’ll miss the most. I used to make sure that I had some money on me when any cricket match or the ATP Chennai open was around. Just going and watching these matches was fun. The crowd and the spirit of it was always amazing.. I was there when we beat the aussies 2-1 at Chepauk. Man was that a match!!! I was there through the highs and lows of the Paes-Bhupathi era at the Chennai Open. And the crowd which lived through it.

I never visited the harbour too much but one unfulfilled wish would be that I didn’t try my hand at sailing at the harbour. Though the fun I had at Alliance Francaise de Madras instead of goin sailing was worth it!!

Alas the time has come to move on. New city. Newer routes to learn Shortcuts to master and Gaallis to perfect!! ….Hell….Ladies and gentlemen, This frog is out of this well.