it Co-incidence or surprise, most of my favourite things are in 'C' e.g, Computers, Camera, Cooking, Cinema, Coimbatore are few to name but there is one 'C', which I hate to core, but still couldn't escape it. It is a 'C'ity called 'Chennai'. I had lived in & seen many places, but I never felt that 'C'omfort in Chennai. I tried to recall my days with Chennai, but still couldn't fathom one pleasant / comfortable moment in Chennai. I have just tried to find out various aspects of 'C' in Chennai. I make no bones in admitting that I am very much uncomfortable in Chennai
It took two weeks for me to realise that I have become a 'Chennai-ite' finally. Chennai was not a new city to me but my interactions with Chennai were purely a few day affairs. At the maximum I have stayed in Chennai for 5-6 days, not even a week complete at stretch, except my last summer. Also I never had any sweet memories associated with Chennai still. I am not in talking terms with my cousin who lives here even though I have to come to his home whenever I come for any interview or boarding flights. But I was closer to my Anni (bhabi) and his kids than him. So Chennai was never a favourite place for me even to think of settling down with a job here. Atlast I had become a Chennai-ite against my wishes.
May '06 - 'Its the time we want you to get settled down in a family and we all should live together' said my mother. My prompt rejoinder was 'I would rather beg in the streets of Abu Dhabi or Coimbatore than working in Chennai, even if paid in 'lakhs'. Chennai had taught me never to make such tall claims else I might have to eat it in future. When I had to join Technosoft, I just threw all those claims in air.
C- Culture Shock
Really Chennai now had grown be leaps and bounds than what I had seen even 3 years ago. The population, mobie penetration, traffic, life style and ofcourse the paychecks had increased exponentially. I had a cultural shock when I saw a buch of girls smoking in the lawns of Ascendas IT Park's lawn. 'C' in Chennai no longer means 'C'onservative. When I am moving to Chennai, I decided to fulfill my unfulfilled childhood dreams like learning music, go for gym. I got to find so many Salsa and Jazz classes than Carnatic music. I find more number of Pizza shops and North Indian Hotels than the typical South Indian Hotels.
C - Costly
Also there is a hi-tech 'C'onspiracy going on the food courts of IT Parks. It was not to let the employers take money home what they earned all the month. A simple meal starts from Rs. 45/- while a Chicken Noodle costs me Rs. 90/-. Surprisingly there is a virtual stampede in those shops. The simple Chennai which I had seen is now a distant past. With spiralling rents and skyrocketting living costs, I wonder how the people from lower strata have their loose ends meeting? Now the only 'C'heap thing in Chennai is the mobile tariffs.
As I went to Fitness One work outs center in the ground floor of my office, he quoted me a startling price of Rs. 4000/- p.m. Sluggishly I walked out, I saw Tamil actor Sarath Kumar walking in with his track suits on, I realised why this gym is costly. Another down town gym in Velachery offered me his service for Rs. 1500/- p.m. I am still looking for a reasonably priced gym.
When I watched 'Dhoom' for the first time a couple of days back, all I could do when I saw John Abraham was just to give a deep sigh.... Actually John happens to be my inspiration, not on figure or talent, he was the oldest new comer (31 years) when he debuted 5-6 years back. So I have some more time to get back to a good shape. HA! HA!
C- Crowd
If you want to kill somebody passively, do give them a wrong address in Chennai and ask them to find out. So much is the pollution and the pressures of cruising in the peak hours. I avoid driving in the mornings as I don't want to enter the office with a tension. Almost every second day somebody bumps on my vehicle. The irritating part is that they are not apologetic about it. Have you heard of having a driver for two wheeler? I have one in form of my room mate. Whenever Suhail drives to office (sometimes my vehicle, sometimes his') with me in the pavilion, I'm sure to have the best part of heaven alloted for me, when I die. Because when I keep praying continuously at stretch for 30-40 minutes in the morning (travelling period), why won't GOD allot me the best place in heaven?
Even if I get down to streets for a stroll in the evening, somebody bumps on me or to escape from the spiralling traffic, I am pushed to the stinky edges of the street.
C - Courteous (lack of it)
When you at look somebody who bumped your vehicle, they stare the sky as if nothing happened. Chennai 'C'onditions you with qualities like grabbing the seat even if you had seen a senior citizen eyeing it for a longer time and you were swift enough to occupy the seat because of your age and agility. This doesn't stop here.... you turn 'magnanimous' enough to behave that you never noticed them.
C - Competitive
This is the word every Chennai kid was taught and brought up with, so every kid grows with the attitude of pushing others to race ahead. Now you understand why life is simple, beautiful and above all - lively & lovely in smaller towns. In the pretext of being 'C'autious, they were brought in such a way that they don't believe others and lose their innocence at an very early age.
C - Closed limits
I have seen many second generation Chennai-ites who hadn't seen anything of Tamil Nadu / India other than Tambaram and Ennore. Most of the kids have seen meadows and brooks in the 'C'artoon channel only. Chennai-ites are the most indifferent creatures towards nature and environment. Even though educated, they never know to 'C'onserve nature or keep their surroundings clean. 'C'ouvum river is the best example for their apathy towards nature.
Coming back to Chennai, still that 'link' is missing and I seriously pray God everyday I must get a good project abroad and move there. Even if the savings potential is of not much different from what I do in Chennai, I want to relocate to some town abroad where there are lesser people and more peace. I thought being closer to home brings a sort of peace, but now I realised that more the distance, stronger the bonds of love... ha! ha!. Going home for weekends (why IT companies give 2 days holidays a week?) is the dreadful thought at this juncture of life. It is like jumping to fire to escape from fry pan.
Horoscopes (they are horrorscopes) matching and other family problems.... parents doesn't seem to understand the kids. May be GOD wants to show me how blissful was my single life in UAE.
Sometimes we hate somebody and when we come to know the sweet side of theirs', we tend to like them more. This is what happened in my life earlier. When I went to Abu Dhabi there was a fear of new place and other factors, but I fell in love with Abu Dhabi, because it was more like Coimbatore - modern yet calm, ideal for peace lovers like me (HA! HA!). But I see no such possibilities in Chennai.
May '06 - 'Its the time we want you to get settled down in a family and we all should live together' said my mother. My prompt rejoinder was 'I would rather beg in the streets of Abu Dhabi or Coimbatore than working in Chennai, even if paid in 'lakhs'. Chennai had taught me never to make such tall claims else I might have to eat it in future. When I had to join Technosoft, I just threw all those claims in air.
C- Culture Shock
Really Chennai now had grown be leaps and bounds than what I had seen even 3 years ago. The population, mobie penetration, traffic, life style and ofcourse the paychecks had increased exponentially. I had a cultural shock when I saw a buch of girls smoking in the lawns of Ascendas IT Park's lawn. 'C' in Chennai no longer means 'C'onservative. When I am moving to Chennai, I decided to fulfill my unfulfilled childhood dreams like learning music, go for gym. I got to find so many Salsa and Jazz classes than Carnatic music. I find more number of Pizza shops and North Indian Hotels than the typical South Indian Hotels.
C - Costly
Also there is a hi-tech 'C'onspiracy going on the food courts of IT Parks. It was not to let the employers take money home what they earned all the month. A simple meal starts from Rs. 45/- while a Chicken Noodle costs me Rs. 90/-. Surprisingly there is a virtual stampede in those shops. The simple Chennai which I had seen is now a distant past. With spiralling rents and skyrocketting living costs, I wonder how the people from lower strata have their loose ends meeting? Now the only 'C'heap thing in Chennai is the mobile tariffs.
As I went to Fitness One work outs center in the ground floor of my office, he quoted me a startling price of Rs. 4000/- p.m. Sluggishly I walked out, I saw Tamil actor Sarath Kumar walking in with his track suits on, I realised why this gym is costly. Another down town gym in Velachery offered me his service for Rs. 1500/- p.m. I am still looking for a reasonably priced gym.
When I watched 'Dhoom' for the first time a couple of days back, all I could do when I saw John Abraham was just to give a deep sigh.... Actually John happens to be my inspiration, not on figure or talent, he was the oldest new comer (31 years) when he debuted 5-6 years back. So I have some more time to get back to a good shape. HA! HA!
C- Crowd
If you want to kill somebody passively, do give them a wrong address in Chennai and ask them to find out. So much is the pollution and the pressures of cruising in the peak hours. I avoid driving in the mornings as I don't want to enter the office with a tension. Almost every second day somebody bumps on my vehicle. The irritating part is that they are not apologetic about it. Have you heard of having a driver for two wheeler? I have one in form of my room mate. Whenever Suhail drives to office (sometimes my vehicle, sometimes his') with me in the pavilion, I'm sure to have the best part of heaven alloted for me, when I die. Because when I keep praying continuously at stretch for 30-40 minutes in the morning (travelling period), why won't GOD allot me the best place in heaven?
Even if I get down to streets for a stroll in the evening, somebody bumps on me or to escape from the spiralling traffic, I am pushed to the stinky edges of the street.
C - Courteous (lack of it)
When you at look somebody who bumped your vehicle, they stare the sky as if nothing happened. Chennai 'C'onditions you with qualities like grabbing the seat even if you had seen a senior citizen eyeing it for a longer time and you were swift enough to occupy the seat because of your age and agility. This doesn't stop here.... you turn 'magnanimous' enough to behave that you never noticed them.
C - Competitive
This is the word every Chennai kid was taught and brought up with, so every kid grows with the attitude of pushing others to race ahead. Now you understand why life is simple, beautiful and above all - lively & lovely in smaller towns. In the pretext of being 'C'autious, they were brought in such a way that they don't believe others and lose their innocence at an very early age.
C - Closed limits
I have seen many second generation Chennai-ites who hadn't seen anything of Tamil Nadu / India other than Tambaram and Ennore. Most of the kids have seen meadows and brooks in the 'C'artoon channel only. Chennai-ites are the most indifferent creatures towards nature and environment. Even though educated, they never know to 'C'onserve nature or keep their surroundings clean. 'C'ouvum river is the best example for their apathy towards nature.
Coming back to Chennai, still that 'link' is missing and I seriously pray God everyday I must get a good project abroad and move there. Even if the savings potential is of not much different from what I do in Chennai, I want to relocate to some town abroad where there are lesser people and more peace. I thought being closer to home brings a sort of peace, but now I realised that more the distance, stronger the bonds of love... ha! ha!. Going home for weekends (why IT companies give 2 days holidays a week?) is the dreadful thought at this juncture of life. It is like jumping to fire to escape from fry pan.
Horoscopes (they are horrorscopes) matching and other family problems.... parents doesn't seem to understand the kids. May be GOD wants to show me how blissful was my single life in UAE.
Sometimes we hate somebody and when we come to know the sweet side of theirs', we tend to like them more. This is what happened in my life earlier. When I went to Abu Dhabi there was a fear of new place and other factors, but I fell in love with Abu Dhabi, because it was more like Coimbatore - modern yet calm, ideal for peace lovers like me (HA! HA!). But I see no such possibilities in Chennai.