The waves lashed on the Bessy shore in unison, as soft rays of sunshine broke out from the horizon. I drenched my feet in the salty water of the sea and dug my toes deeper into the slipping sand. I looked out to in front of me an enormous billion litre symphony orchestra performing in tandem. As the stomach grumbled and my mind was having second guesses between Ratna’s cafe and Karpagambal’s mess, I settled for the latter. Doused in copious amounts of Sambar, fluffy idlies and crisp vadais satiated my hunger. Quickly hopping across the street making my way into the Parthasarathy Kovil my inner child beat against the wall of my ribcage for another serving of the prasadham that was served in a humble dhonnai. City of love might be Paris, but for every Chennaite, Parrys is the paradise of dreams. Godown street with its shine, glitz and glamour, Devaraja mudali street with its gleaming glasswares and eye-catching display of dyes and colours, Kasi chetty street for my retail therapy, Nainiappan Naicken street for my fitness fix, Avudiappa Naicken street to increase my healthy calorie count, Anderson street for every type of invitation, Cute, simple, chic and even cheeky and my favorite Bunder street for the stationery hoarder within me. After multiple rounds in the maze, the stomach grumbles as all types of flavours come wafting in air from the adjacent Sowcarpet. Kachodi, Samosa, Jalebi, aloo chaat, pani puri, murukku sandwich and atho shops. My diet plans are now fed up with me as I stand in line for my turn at the Kakada Ramprasad shop. As I exit Parrys and get the perfect filter coffee brew mix from the hole in a wall Narasu’s shop my eyes fall on the Aggarwal sweets shop. After downing another 700-800 calories in the form of full fat basundhis and rasamalai my stomach and heart become heavy to leave this haven. I walked past the huge buildings the famous “jouli” kadais of Chennai in T.Nagar. After being carried away by the crowds I stopped to catch my breath in front of the shops where the AC breeze caressed my sweat soaked face. Taking a detour, I settled for a Jigarthanda from Murugan Idly kadai. A melange of orange, white and thread like strands it instantly made me forget the commotion that I had just been through. As I was rather impatiently wedged between people in the share auto I saw a bus full of school kids going on their very first to Mahabalipuram. To work my fogged mind I perused through various magazines in the shops opposite to the Egmore station I picked up a few. Crossing all the statues at the Anna square and paying a mental note of gratitude to all the great leaders I dug into a bowl full of sinful goodness from the Titanic fast food shop – Ah! That Gobi rice! There it was. The lighthouse aping the Statue of Liberty and watching us all over. On my return home I packed hot paruppu polis from the Venkateshwara Boli stall. I rushed through the scanners as I hurried to catch the last metro home. As the glass doors closed behind me and the tube whirred into motion my mind calmed down. Women returning from work, children falling asleep on their parents laps, lovers bidding goodbye to each other and perennial happiness seekers like me thanking the stars for another day with you.
Oh Chennai! When will we be able to indulge in you like this again?
To grow old and wiser with you, infuse oursleves with all that you have to offer. You are a melting pot of cultures. From the vendors in the Koyambedu market to the millionaires trading in diamonds, is there any one you haven’t welcomed with open arms? Your sultry sea breeze and searing temperatures might unsettle a few but for many like me. It is home. It is where we belong.