Namma Chennai

Its been almost two and a half years in IIT Madras, Chennai.
I still recall those days in the beginning when we used to say (& sometimes even now we say) that Chennai Sucks Man!
But, its a very strange relationship between a city and its people. A city, like a recipe, consists of its people as the main ingredients. And they significantly affect the way, a city tastes to them, to outsiders , to everyone.
Two n half years back, we had all those problems while travelling from A to B. All jam packed buses, high fare autos, ignorance about the locations, and not to mention the inability to speak Tamil.
Well, all these things still persist, but its like the city has changed a little and we have changed a little. Thats how it works, isnt it?? We evolve and the city evolves with us. We adapt the city and the city adapts us. Now, we know much more than what we knew then. Now, we know the locations for many places. Now we know, what to catch, from where to catch and where to land. Extension on this local train route near Madhya Kailash, for example, has made our journeys on that route much easier. Now we know, how to bargain with autos. Now we know what to speak in Tamil to get better bargains.Now, we know whom to ask and how to reach.

There are times, when you would say "I hate Chennai, Man!" But surely, there are times, when I say, " I love Chennai". Not everywhere in India, you get to enjoy Murugan Idli or Marina Beach or pleasant winter and many more things. There are times when people dont like the weather. Summers, the HOT summers of Chennai, they are so unbearable, but still I have faced them in both of my summer vacations ( though I live in IIT M campuse which is slightly cooler than outside). We dont feel cold here. Winters are awesome here. Such a pleasant weather it is.
And not to mention the heavy rains. They are simply amazing. It feels great when it rains.

There was a time, when we didnt like idlis n dosas n vadais. But now, I dont have anything like that in mind. I have adapted to Chennai. I love eating idlis n dosas. We used to say, we wouldnt like to get placed in Chennai after IIT. But now I say, It doesnt matter for me...infact I would love to stay here, learn more tamil n njoy this place. Now, I feel the affection ...the attachment with it.....
See how proudly we used relate our spirits when Chennai Super Kings were there in IPL.
We used to crib about tamil movies , songs, etc etc etc. Well, ofcourse they havent changed much, but surely I have accepted all these things as they are. Things are globalised as they say. Thats how a metro is...perhaps a new experience for a person like me ( who didnt get to live in such a big city earlier). People are helpful in general. Things are costly in general. People dont care much about others, in general. All of them are busy in their works, as usual. Well, thats how a city is. Millions of people living together serving each others' needs.
Compared to other cities, say Delhi or Bombay, we have less extravaganza here. Less show off. more conservation. Yeah, that sound a little odd...but thats how it is. They have still preserved those traditions so well. And I really admire those beautifully designed dravidian style temples. Such intricate details in the scriptures simply leaves you jaw dropped.
And not to mention,
One of the most peaceful cities in the country with no terror threats so far.
This is so wonderful, man!
Just like they say Hamari Dilli, Aamchi Mumbai, ...
I feel proud to say NAMMA CHENNAI.
I love chennai. The music, the food, the weather, the people and so many things....

Technically, someone would say, all this affection is the result of my two n half yrs stay at Chennai and it will be same with any other city. Well, in that case, how wonderful it is to realise that wherever you go, you start loving that place. Just like you start loving your new house and after some time you call it HOME.
But I love all this. Things become much simpler as the time continues. The city as adopted us and we have adapted to the city.
I love Chennai.