Checklist
Inspired by Ramya’s post, I came up with a checklist. Checklist for a person to be called a Chennai-ite
1. You must have visited atleast one of these. Kapaleeshwarar temple, Parthasarathy Temple, 1000 lights mosque, Santhome Church
2. You must have had mini idly at Saravana Bhavan
3. While travelling in a window seat in MTC, your hand must have accidentally touched the iron rod and felt the soaring heat
4. You must have realised that jetty not necessarily means something to do with the port
5. You must have watched a movie at Sathyam/Devi complex, a play at Rani Seethai Hall/Narada Gana Sabha and a musical at Music Academy
6. Zoomed past 70 on your vehicle on the stretch between foreshore estate and raja annamalai puram (or) the road alongside cooum from chetpet to egmore
7. Shopped for some electronic item at Richie Street
8. Walked from Usman Road to Mambalam station i.e. on the famous ranganathan street
9. Shopped at GR Thanga Maligai
10. If you are a guy, you must have purchased atleast a shirt at Rex Fashions, Mylapore
11. If you are a girl/woman must have visited Nalli/Kumaran cloth store.
12. Visited Marina Beach. Ofcourse
13. Got lost in Anna Nagar/KK Nagar atleast once. Actually these two are well planned areas in Chennai. But Chennaiites have a track record of handling complex stuff with ease, and struggling with simple things ;-)
14. Listened to the best spoken Tamil in world, and also the worst :-)
15. Visited Poes Garden and Gopalapuram atleast once
16. Visited Nilgiris on Radhakrishnan Salai, with atleast one person mentioning to you that it was the 1st supermarket to be established in Madras.
17. Bought Leo Coffee
18. Attended a wedding reception at Palmgrove hotel lawn
19. Bargain with an auto driver, and make him accept to you.
20. Slept on the terrace, when there was a power cut
21. If you have tasted rosemilk anywhere in mylapore
22. Had dosai at Kaiyendhi Bhavan, Masilamani street
23. Watched Gemini/Rambo circus atleast once
24. Watched a cricket match at Chepauk, atleast for a single session.
25. Come up with another 25 items, that are not there in this list like Spencers, LIC, Landmark etc :-)
Prabhu, make that Chennai-vasi :-)
13 & 16 were really funny and totally on target :)
Enga area(Kilpauk) speciality mention-e pannalai :(
1. You were atleast once told ‘Vootle sollitu vandhutiya’ when walking on
the road
2. Somebody told you… ‘Kilpaukkathuku dhan kootitu ponum’
3. You have visited the Annanagar tower and played on MRF tyres a decade earlier
4. You have tasted Aavin chocobar
5. You have visited Milky way opposite Ethiraj
6. You have visited Gangothri opp. Stella Maris
7. You have thought, ‘this is the building that comes in Chandralekha song,
when passing by the museum
8. You must have admired the pink flowers in Rain tree or the yellow
flowers that is in full bloom now
9. You have watched the Amul hoarding at the Spencer’s corner
10. Tried looking for Sivaji Rao’s residence number in Chennai Directory
That’s a great post. Having been a chennai-vasi all my life, I was able to relate whatever I had done with the checklist.
I have just missed item 22. Maybe someday I will do that too.
Should have visited the Pongal trade fair a.k.a Exhibition.
I can totally call myself as a Chennai-ite. Last week as I was driving in Chennai this doubt was there in me and today seeing this give me a kind of assurance that I can still call myself as a Chennai-ite.
How can u miss Elliots and ECR ?
Must have been cursed by an autodriver ‘savu grakki’
must have emptied your bladder at least once in a busy thoroughfare corner
must have gaped at the LIC
visited Ratna Cafe
ogled at the walkers sitting in the marina
Cant empathise with No. 19 (Never been able to bargain an auto-kaaran down)
No 22 – never been to that place. :(
But I’m a Chennai-vasi considering all the other points! :)
1. You must have visited atleast one of these. Kapaleeshwarar temple, Parthasarathy Temple, 1000 lights mosque, Santhome Church — CHECK
2. You must have had mini idly at Saravana Bhavan — CHECK
3. While travelling in a window seat in MTC, your hand must have accidentally touched the iron rod and felt the soaring heat — CHECK
4. You must have realised that jetty not necessarily means something to do with the port
— PURIYALA :D
5. You must have watched a movie at Sathyam/Devi complex, a play at Rani Seethai Hall/Narada Gana Sabha and a musical at Music Academy — Sathyam Theatre CHECK.. Other two NO CHECK!
6. Zoomed past 70 on your vehicle on the stretch between foreshore estate and raja annamalai puram (or) the road alongside cooum from chetpet to egmore — Lets make it ECR –CHECK!
7. Shopped for some electronic item at Richie Street — NO CHECK!
8. Walked from Usman Road to Mambalam station i.e. on the famous ranganathan street — CHECK o CHECK!
9. Shopped at GR Thanga Maligai — AM NOT A GIRL :D
10. If you are a guy, you must have purchased atleast a shirt at Rex Fashions, Mylapore — NOPE! :p
11. If you are a girl/woman must have visited Nalli/Kumaran cloth store. — PASS!
12. Visited Marina Beach. Ofcourse — OFCOURSE!
13. Got lost in Anna Nagar/KK Nagar atleast once. Actually these two are well planned areas in Chennai. But Chennaiites have a track record of handling complex stuff with ease, and struggling with simple things ;-) — Am from Annanagar.. So NO CHECK!
14. Listened to the best spoken Tamil in world, and also the worst :-) — CHECK
15. Visited Poes Garden and Gopalapuram atleast once — CHECK
16. Visited Nilgiris on Radhakrishnan Salai, with atleast one person mentioning to you that it was the 1st supermarket to be established in Madras. — NOPE!
17. Bought Leo Coffee — CHECK
18. Attended a wedding reception at Palmgrove hotel lawn — CHECK
19. Bargain with an auto driver, and make him accept to you. — CHECK
20. Slept on the terrace, when there was a power cut — CHECK
21. If you have tasted rosemilk anywhere in mylapore — NO :(
22. Had dosai at Kaiyendhi Bhavan, Masilamani street — NO :(
23. Watched Gemini/Rambo circus atleast once — CHECK
24. Watched a cricket match at Chepauk, atleast for a single session. — NO :(
25. Come up with another 25 items, that are not there in this list like Spencers, LIC, Landmark etc :-) — CHECK
:D So what does that make me? :D
Do I qualify if I have done a few of them. Considering I spent my high school and college years I am a Madrasi :-)) Chennai came much after I left Madras ;-)
I laughed when I saw Palmgrove and Nalli :-)
It sure brings back memories. Have not visited Madras in a long long time. Maybe one of these days if the Gods want me to visit #1 :-))
lol ive done at least 18 ;p
Killer that was! Going by the checklist, I’m a 100% Chennaivasi. Oh dear. ;)
Or walk down Mount Road and gape at the cinema hoardings opposite Safire.
Or have something to eat at Woodlands drive-in.
Or have shundal at the Marina or Elliots.