Reposting one of my old posts from 2008
A sliver of land, where the Fort. St. George and the secretariat now exist in Madras - now called Chennai, was sold to the East India Company. Madras is 369 years old today.
I’m frantically attached to Chennai/Madras. Actually, it’s much more than that. A lot of em love Madras, Its indescribable as to how much i miss chennai these days. I left at a pretty young age; but realization occurred much later :) It’s the most lovable place in the world. I’ve been badly missing Chennai for quiet sometimes now and it was only last week, I was intending to ramble here on that. I was planning to list down the things that I miss in Madras.
A walk along the sea shore in Marina Beach, Elliots Beach. Watching the waves, getting drenched on the salty sea water in the beach. Short walk by Kapaleeswarar Kovil and seeing the ubiquitous Ganesha ‘temples’ at every other street in the city. The Gulmohar, pink-coloured flowers in Thoongumoonji maram and the red fire tree. One of the prominent things is the kaapi, 10 paisa kuchi icecream (which i secretly bought), the sneaking out in the afternoons to go buy soanpapdi by the street side, kai yendhi bhavan, walks by the crowded beaches, watching kids play cricket with their handmade bats, gettin yelled by mom for using moms account at the nearby store to get a 5-star, hearing the poo-karis having their petty fights in the local madras thamizh and as the festival season fast approaches the crowd on T.Nagar streets, the diwali shopping and above all that the friends and folks out there.
Visiting the many small shops in the ever-crowded Ranganathan Street. Eating out at Saravana Bhavan, Eden, Gangotri. Ice creams at Freeze Zone, Milky World. :D Sweets at Grand Sweets, Sri Krishna Sweets,, Collect the beautiful bundance of flowers and fruis from koyambedu market while all you get a big smile from them for being the vendors 1st customer. Platform kadaikaran with whom we bargain endlessly and finally no doubt he wins, the road-side Romeos who stare and shamelessly sing loudly whenever a girl passes by. :|. Fighting with the auto drivers for asking "meterku mela kaasu". Watching footboard parties in the pallavan bus hanging to one side making it look like the bus mite topple anytime. As the evening goes by hearing the maamis in the colony gossipping about the kids in the block and boasting about their US settled kids.
Even today, while driving to work, I was listening to this fusion bit by mandolin srinivas and felt so nostalgic. Reminded me of the times, i sit by the beautiful Oonjal in my paati's porch sipping her filter coffee, listening to the beautiful instrumental music thats being aired in the radio during the afternoons. Going to to some of the margahzi kutcheris at the music academy, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan; Times when i used to pull a big act to bunk music class, Watching movies at the satyam and hanging out with those long lost friends whom i shared my cherished childhood at amethyst.
This is Madras for me, i am sure i missed lots more; I simply love the city. Whatever it maybe. Madras nalla Madras. Whoever says, I love Madras, raise your hands !! Here’s mine.
