I recently met with a chennai veteran who told me this interesting backdrop to the Burma Bazaar of Chennai, which accounts for most of our media hightlights, that I thought I’d share it with y’all.

So, here’s how the story apparently goes. Back in the days, around the time when we had just gotten our independence, there were quite a few people from the region who were working in plantations in Burma. There was a sizeable working population that was from India, and life went on. When a new emperor/king took over Burma, as a means of doing what Srilanka started off to do as well, the government wanted to increase the chances of locals getting employed, so kicked out all the non-burmese population out of the country. Quite a few countries interfered and so did India, especially TamilNadu.

Out of humanitarian concern, the govt of tamilnadu setup a strip of land, where the refugees could sell whatever posessions they had - most of them were plantation equipment, so that with that money they could start a living. This was around 1962. The selling still goes on :)

How much of this is true, I am not sure, but it certainly rings true from whatever research I’ve done. Have you heard any other story? Can someone add to this, if they do more?

This city has such a rich heritage of the past. Would love to dig up more stories like this.

Photo Credit: The Hindu.

This is the first time I am watching a live cricket match in the Chennai stadium and I am no sports reporter. So I hope the readers of this blog will be lenient should this fall short of an actual coverage.

The game was to start at 4pm today, but the ticket said that folks would be expected there a good two hours beforehand. Knowing how our folks have no sense of time these days - or are just enjoying an extra hour or so lazing on a saturday - we decided to play the first mover advantage and head to the stadium early. We reached there at around 2:45. The sun was still out. It was fairly hot, but a couple of folks - Mirchi Suchi, Benny Dayal etc were trying to keep a few people occupied and entertained with their live music.

At around, 3:30, the teams started coming in, and were going about their routine of stretches and excercises, and ten minutes before the game, the coin was tossed and Kolkata won it, preferring to bat.

As I said, I had no interest in this. IPL felt like this lavish noble of Rome buying and selling away gladiators to prove a point. I didn’t even know who all were having whom under their arsenal, except for the news-making Dhoni whose price-tag made headlines. For one, I was pleasantly surprised that there were quite a few new faces on the turf, and the Chennai team looked quite decent with a mix of batters and bowlers. I mean, do you need anyone else for bowling when you have Murali on the team? Sheesh. Nope, Me thinks.

So, skipping through the ball-by-ball acount, the Knight riders scored 147 losing all wickets, and it was upto the Super Kings to chase them. They won the match with Dhoni removing his helmet and blasting the last ball flying to the boundary when all we needed was one run to Win. Our man sure has style when it comes to granting the death knell I must say.

There were a couple of pretty interesting moments in the game. For one, the energy level of the audience was amazing.The audience was extremely engaged with the game. I mean, they managed to go on a few tides of the mexican wave and were absolutely interacting with the players. The game was very well organized that whenever the “noise level” went down, there was always a drum beat by Sivamani or a rajini track which would jolt the spectators to a rupture of support.

Some of the golden moments in the game was when Ponting got out. He walked in, took the batting end and gave a clean catch on the first ball. Walked out even before asking anyone. Gotta love players with a fabulous spirit of sportsmanship. On the other hand, the so-called Run-out of Shukla was quite interesting.

I guess there was a fair bit of expectations from the crowd hoping for Shah Rukh. The entire excitement would have been atleast a few times higher if he was there. It seems he didnt make it. Contrary to popular belief that the locals are totally backing their teams, there was more than a fair share of support for the knight riders and especially for Ganguly. He did walk out with with less than 20 runs and a lot of wasted balls, but I personally know of a few who lost their cheers post that.

I doubt a post on the IPL is barely complete without a comment on the so-called Cheerleaders. Well, I have to say that the Knight riders were pushing it a bit. They did have a wee bit over-excited and scantily dressed women going at it, but knowing Shah rukh, and the glitsy world that he comes from, its almost his signature on it - just as much the kingfisher airhostesses are Mallya’s signature.

The Chennai “Cheerleaders” are definitely on the conservative side, and i doubt that being on home town the crowd needed cheering. All said and done, and for the initial skeptism that I was brooding on, this match was one to remember!

If you have seen the scrolling LEDs and the fancy new volvos, thats the face of the chennai transport system. Pretty slick I must say.

I had personally met the new Cheif Operating Officer sometime back and he is quite a fabulous guy. I have a good sense of feeling that the new volvos that are rolling, the ticketing machines and all, are just the beginning of what Chennai will see.

During our conversation with the COO, we finally reached the main reason why I had gone to meet him. A friend of mine, Arun Ganesh, has a fabulous interest in wanting to map the bus routes of the city so that the 73%, along with the new folks who come to the city can know which route will take them to which part of the city.

The unfortunate part is that there is no digital data available with the chennai transport department on this. One suggestion was to go talk to the drivers and conductors with a map and get the routes drawn on a blank chennai map. Hmm… 540 routes+ in that methodology is definitely going to take its time. But I think its an effort worth the time, and something that the city and the office will greatly benefit from.

I know I am proud to see the strides that the public transport is making and the uplift that it provides to the city, and I would love to do more to enhance that. I wish that we could get some GPS loggers and if people who do travel certain routes could contribute, we could have the data required in less than a months’ time. This will be the first time a city in India would have a schematic map. Anyone game?

If so, leave your name and contact details as a comment.

While at a friendly get-together yesterday evening, it seemed like all the conversations revolved around the changing landscape of Chennai. I whispered under my breathe to a friend that it seems real-estate is the hot topic for the day, to which he made a public announcement that its always a topic, because either we bought it and are hoping the prices will remain this way (or better yet keep rising), or we cant afford and we are just jealous. I am wondering if there is truth to it - there might be.

So the truth of the matter is this. To buy a house or land in Chennai right now is more expensive that buying property in Dubai or singapore. You can buy a luxury condomonium in Malaysia for 40 lakhs. In chennai, for that same style and comfort, you will be spending atleast 2 crores and upwards. The funnier part was when a friend asked “So whats the fun in having a luxury condominium right in the middle of nowhere without any infrastructural amenities around?”. Well, I dont think we have options. We are all speculating and trusting the voices of the real estate agents and seeing their pretty visualizations that eventually, someday, this place too can be turned into a buzzing hub with a stone throw access to every amenity possible. Not every one of those wishes might come true, but most of them probably will.For example, I hear that there is a mega mall that is coming up on OMR road. And there was also talks that there is a new golf course which is either close to being opened or has already started in OMR.

But Lets get down to the dilemma of the common man. Most houses today are financed by banks. I don’t think people are sitting on ready cash piles of 40 - 60 lakhs for a good house. I am not sure people are in a hurry to buy houses. Then why are land prices escalating so much? There certainly must be hoards of people who are driving up the demand and prices right? For one, the culprit seems to be the land lords. If there is one such union which brings them all together, they need to be visited and looked after. Rental prices have gone up, that in my own case, the price will be jumping to 100% by the end of this year, compared to what i paid last year. It has left me sitting here and wondering that if I had paid all the money that I paid as rent as a down payment, the monthly mortgage that I have to pay the bank would be still lower than the rent that I am asked to pay. That is the main reason why most folks are looking to buy as of now.

The good news is that there are lessons to learn from around us. Mumbai used to be this way sometime back, followed by Bangalore. The landprices, I am told, have come down by 30% in bangalore in some pockets, especially now that there are major infrastructure overhauls happening, such as the moving away of the airport to some remote destination.Matters as such will eventually happen in Chennai as well, and will be followed by a drop in land prices.

I am sure most of you who are reading this and do have any interest in real estate have heard that MARG has announced apartments from 10 Lakhs and upwards. I am doing the math backwards and wondering if its a 20 year loan and they have to payback close to 50 thousand (without the interest) a year, there are going to be quite a lot of significant takers and it probably would also have the risk of being over-crowded. I also hear of a project by DLF where they are building 4000 apartments in a complex, with three layers of parking alone. Imagine that!

I am thinking that it is the twitchy middle class that is making most of the noise. Most of the folks on the lower spectrum, or lower middle class are happy living in not-so-hip places. The traditionally wealthy ones do own their bungalows in Adyar, Nungambakkam, Boat club area and the likes. Its the newly rich, as always, that is making a ruckus. There is no place to buy, that would suit “the lifestyle”, and OMR right now seems to be the haven for them.

OMR eventually does have the prospect of becoming the new and modern wing of Chennai, if the traffic on that road will remain sensible.

So to the question that is nagging all of us. The market is driven by speculation and ofcourse I plan to fuel and extinguish atleast a part of it. *drums roll* “Will the market prices for houses come down?” Most probably, Yes. But we dont know when and by the time the market prices do come down, your rent might have gone up by 500%. Time is running out, and that’s the problem. It’s this very dilemma which is driving prices through the roof. Can anyone do something about it?

Where was I? Oh yes, the Turtle Trail…

If you aren’t aware, the Turtle Trail season starts in December and Ends in February. Yep, you have roughly about 15 more days of it, if it hasnt ended already. It’s always much more fun, or so I am told, anytime after January, since the turtles that have laid their eggs before start hatching and you also get to spot an occasional turtle hatchling or two while on the trail.

If you are in Chennai this season, this would be something, you might want to do. It’s part of the luxury, and privilege in living here, and a chance to play out our role in preserving the natural and the wild - which means you need to stop having thoughts of wanting to play with little turtles and adoring how cute they are and let them swim into the wild :)

Edit: The turtle walking continues well into March and into April. In March they find some nests and in April its more to release the hatchlings.

Photo Credit: The Hindu.

Inspired by one of Mr.S.Muthiah’s lecture on Madras, the plan is to organize a walk around Fort.St.George, one of the earliest symbols of the British era in India. She has been in touch with Dr. Suresh, an eminent archaeologist in Chennai and he has agreed to guide a small group (minimum 15 people) on this walk around the fort.

This walk is organized usually on a saturday or sunday and permission for the group is required since the building is used as the secretariat by the TN Government. The walk will start at 7am in the morning and end by 10 am max…depending on walking speed of the group etc.

Tentatively the dates are march 1 or march 8 (saturday). Those interested in joining for this walk are requested to get back to her by the 25th of Feb so that she can start the planning.

You can RSVP to : Harini

For More, Here’s the Wikipedia Link to the Monument

This is essentially going to be a post to “seendify”, all those who didn’t make it :)

First of all, my disappointments. I am not all that impressed with the stage and light settings. They made up for it eventually with the music and all, but It was less than impressive of a stage. Or I donno If I am being too demanding here. I’ve been to concerts where I’ve seen Yanni, and the likes of Sheryl Crow etc and a few others perform, and the sound and light settings, let alone the stage have been amazing. I have always associated live music to be part of that fulfilling experience, of being emerged in an expression of scintillating light and sound, but I guess you gotta make do with being able to see the artist on the stage on miniature (though I was on the VIP row) and for a better glimpse the screen.

Now that the whining bit is over, I have one word to describe the entire evening. Awesome.

They tried quite a few things from adding dynamic prop and such on screen, which didn’t quite gel with whatever else they were trying to do. But the selection of music was simply breath-taking. When it started off with “Kadhal Rojave” from Roja, One couldnt expect anything less.

There are quite a few blog posts around the web, including Chinmayi (one of the singers) post on the same. So I’ll not bore you too much with repetitious phrases.

One of the surprising and pleasant ones at that was the opening by Prasanna. I first heard his guitaring skills quite a few years back. But the man was totally in his form. It was quite evident that he is one of those rare souls who finds blissful moments just being drenched in music. It was way too evident.

I have been quite curious as to why not too many concerts happen here in Chennai. I think I have some answers. I was excited to finally get a chance to make that observation during this show.

1. I think Chennai-ites, really do stick to the old way of Courtyard Jester form. For some reason it felt like all those on stage, whoever they might be were the court jesters. As much as there is the respectful clap and encouraging, thats where it ended. Very few got carried away, atleast till “Oru Arabi Kadal Oram” kicked in. Interesting, I thought to myself.

2. As much as the stage was filled with stars, ranging all the way from Hariharan, Chitra, etc etc, Rahman got the maximum response. In other words, unless its a Rahman concert, I doubt most of these folks would turn up.

3. When Prasanna did his amazing mix of classical, Jazz, Rock fusion and I was wondering to myself how such a fusion would probably create an eclectic wave of shock, awe and roar among audiences in most places, the Chennai audience were… ahem… silent. Was it a silence of respect, or one of not being able to comprehend what it was all about?

Many questions still linger on. I am not sure if Chennai is ready for Pink Floyd and Yanni Concerts, but even amidst a slow and reserved crowd, Rahman had them on their feet. Hat’s off to him!

Apart from the discussions, while he asked me why I still stay in Chennai, I guess the answer was simple, “There is a certain warmth about this city that one can’t deny”.

chennai is blamed and accused of being a traditional lady who just refuses to party with the crowd. But if you ask me, apart from Chennai and Mumbai, there is no other city I would ever live in. Perhaps Pune and Hyderabad in some levels do share the spirit, but they are also a bit behind in terms of the times, the values, the history and all that chennai is uniquely known for.

If you ask me, whats great about this city is that sense of ownership and belonging. Most cities, especially bangalore are having too much of a floating population that it is quite easy to get lost in the sea of immigrants, or perhaps revel in the joy of living among strangers, but for me, I doubt I’d enjoy that.

We dearly love our dosas and idlis, and you know, yet among all the midst of the complaining about the narrow roads, the potholes, and the politicians who take liberty of blocking all the roads just so that they can inaugurate some self-promoting show, this city still has a flair that is hard to resist.

Anyone wanna do something on Jan 26th for this city?

It’s not the cost that astounds or scares me, but its the numbers and the term “flyovers”.

I have unconsciously developed this impression that the entry into chennai is denoted by the ever-going construction of the Kaththipara Junction - which I hope my generation lives to see functioning in full style, and the newer work that has begun in T-nagar and the nearby areas, making driving in Chennai a literal nightmare.

Now, to top all of this, six more. I am almost tempted to spread open a Chennai map and see which area is going to be the next that they are going to sabotage and take over, but I guess these are matters we go through under the name of Infrastructure development right?

I really wish I could fly over the “to-be” flyovers.

I thought I’ll risk it for you all. My journey for the next couple of weeks is to go hunt down all the status and landmarks of chennai and post them here. If anyone wants to join, they are more than welcome to.

Here is all starts, with the statue of Kannagi..


Photo Credit: www.chennainetwork.com

Location: Marina Beach Chennai.

The Story of Kannagi is a well known one. A story of going after injustice that was committed to her not-so-faithful husband, and the wrath of a woman on the city of Madurai because of the unjust ruling of a case.

According to Silapathigaram, Kannagi’s husband Kovalan was beheaded on the orders of the King of Madurai after being accused of stealing the queen’s anklet (with pearls inside) and selling it. Kannagi went to the King’s court to demand justice and proved to him that Kovalan was trying to sell her anklet, which had rubies and not pearls inside it. While the King and queens die of remorse, Kannagi burned down Madurai with a curse.

There are quite a few jokes that have even found their way into movies as to why a matter that was to be resolved within a family resulted in the burning of a city. But the values of the past and traditions do say that the right and wrong of a king, usually reflects on the entire kingdom and perhaps “burning” of the city was symbolically to denote that the reputation of the king was lost. Or perhaps not.

Coming back to the statue, it was apparently one of the 40 statues that were erected in 1968. I wonder how many of those are still standing, as this statue itself went disappearing for a short while owing to reasons of renovation and rumours of prophecies of doom - God knows the true reasons!.

This is probably one of the well known statues around the city. Let me see what other statues are around, hidden away in this city.

Trivia: Apparently the model for this statue was a well known actress and socialite of the 1960s named Kalpana. Hmm.. who knew!