Dear Chennai We Miss You! – Times of India

Chennai News
As a part of the Times of India’s Namma Chennai Chance-eyilla initiative we asked Chennaites how much they missed the city during the lock down and we got a phenomenal response in the form of stories, poetry and pictures. As a part of the Madras Week Celebration which we believe is throughout the year. As we slowly limp back to normal here are some of the best ones out of the 100’s we received,hope you enjoy the stories as much as we did and there are more to come.
Memories of Madras
By – SR Raghu Ram
In the mid-1950s, when I arrived in Madras, I took a rickshaw from Central Station to Mylapore as I did not know which tram route to take. I paid the rickshaw puller 12 annas. Today, the rickshaw, the tram and the annas have all disappeared.
To reach Mambalam to catch the electric train to Tambaram (I was studying in Madras Christian College), I had to go through a deserted Ranganathan Street dotted with tiled houses resembling an agraharam. Nagewswara Rao Park was a pond that was being filled to create a recreational area.

Buhari Hotel cropped up offering dishes like Ceylon egg parotta, Chicken 65 and the unique ice cream – Coupe Jacque. They also installed the only jukebox in Madras. Hotel Dasaprakash opened with its roof garden offering its signature masala dosai with a blob of white butter under its folds, and a coffee shop offering mouth-watering chutney sandwich, green peas masala and bread kurma. To finish the meal, we had peach melba and four-scoop ice cream sundae. Their piece-de-resistance was the hot idlis served at midnight with molagai podi and chutneys. Woodlands drive-in never increased the masala dosai price. Somehow, over a period of time, the plates kept getting smaller though. Jaffer’s at Elphinstone theatre offered a falooda that was to die for.
The face and features of Madras were as different from today’s Chennai, as chalk and cheese. Postal codes and bus route numbers did not cross 25. Besant, Indra, Shastri, Anna and Ashok Nagars were still the distant dreams for the city planners.
The Buckingham Canal was navigable. Boats plied with cargo from Nellore and beyond via Madras up to Pondicherry. Roads were tree-lined avenues with bungalows on either side. Multi-storeyed apartment complexes were unheard of. No traffic jams, no pollution.
Unlike today, life then was precious, but living was cheap. My fees for the three-year course at the Madras Christian College did not exceed four figures. Hostel room cost Rs 20 per month while a meal in the canteen cost Rs 1. Taxi fare started at 12 annas and the balcony seat in the cinema theatre was Rs 1.50.
In those halcyon days, we enjoyed the simple pleasures of life and led happy and contented lives. Madras was both our haven and our heaven. Madras has been renamed Chennai but nothing can displace the city from our hearts and our memories. Forgetting Namma Chennai or forsaking Namma Chennai – Chancey Illa!

There were a lot of things I missed doing in the last few months. I have been fond of early morning drives along the beach and on some days, we were lucky enough to catch the sunrise. Of course, the magic of watching movies at Sathyam cinemas has been absent for now. I also miss visiting several temples, where I would go regularly, such as the Sai Baba temple and the Kaligambal temple. The madness of midnight cricket, whistles and the rush that came with it. And yes, the dinner experiences I would undertake in disguise. I have been missing all of that during these months.

Vignesh Shivan, Filmmaker

Memories galore
By – Agnes Salome Jaison
The most happening places in the state are now in quiet. The hustle and bustle at the malls and marketplace, the daily commute to the workplace, brisk morning walks at Tower Park, bargaining with vendors around Panangal Park, school children’s outings at Guindy Par, moonlit strolls on Marina beach after dark, all these memories of my city will never lose its spark. The peak hour traffic on Mount Road, bumper to bumper vehicles waiting on NM road, corporate buses and cabs lined up on GST road, weekend drives on ECR road, all of these have disappeared.

I can’t wait to step out for a drive; at home I’m getting bored. The jam-packed share-autos and city buses, the metro that is slowly picking up steam, cabs dropping us at our destinations, haggling with auto annas before giving in to their schemes, Ethiraj and Loyola students standing at the bus stop, staring at each other non-stop, ignorant of the hours that fly by, everything has taken a break. But not to worry, the lockdown hasn’t put a full stop on us. We have tackled the tsunami together, and the Chennai floods too. We have been battling this pandemic together, even while standing physically apart, united in the ‘Chennai spirit’, we’ll see Corona depart!

I am not a person who ventures out a lot so in that sense I did not miss going out much. In fact, the only regular outing I have is to meet my mother who lives 5 km away. What is wonderful is there was less traffic on the roads and it was quite peaceful. I have been interacting with the rasikas online. Social media is on a high now and that is the only way to be in touch with them. I wish for the fear that surrounds us to go and things to become normal. And more than anything else, I wish we become better human beings when we come out of this.

Bombay jayashri ramnath, Carnatic Vocalist

Heart and soul
By – Akshaya Ramesh
I watch these city lights burn into the night, trying to see dawn arise with all its might. Here life flows with tremendous heart and soul. Precisely why the living here are proud to call this home. Certainly not glamorous, but we own our humble style, an almost modern-traditionalist remix of a vibe. Horizons where towering buildings meet holy shrines, prayers echo through this fierce city along the coastline.

Sport driven like rest of the country – no doubt, we roar with our yellow-hued teams, KO’ing all our bouts. Not taking care of just players our own, these stadiums stand up for any visitor who puts on a cracking show. We get bad mouthed when the traffic goes haywire, sure, and we aren’t gonna win any prizes for the city with the most green abode. But in times of crisis, floods and cyclones, we help each other out, and that we do in droves. Our films don’t have to be flashy like those kinds up north, the sheer passion that fans bleed here, never fails. Where land meets sea, stars meet governance and make leaders, politics and movies coming together, asphalt steaming in summers that always make us swelter, and moody rains that either drizzle or pour, making us run helter skelter, the winds carry along rich language, culture and lore. This is home or Madras as it is better known.
Chennai Memories!
By – Deepa Ravi
Chennai is like mustard sputtering on a skillet
Popping with controlled energy
like a lady in madisar, riding a Bullet
Cookers whistle at 4 o’clock
Suprabhatam blares right after
And early risers head out for a walk
Then the sound of water splashing comes
As ladies clean their front yard
Adorning it with rice flour kolams
Soon the city is bursting with many sounds
Milk and paper vendors
And corporation cleaners do their rounds
By seven, sleepy kids are off to school
They wait in street corners for their vans,
autos or daily car pool

There’s a bigger rush on by eight
autos, bikes, scooters and cars honk away
Stressing about getting to work on time, not late
The buzz settles down by eleven
As the sun beats down,
And everyone believes staying indoor is heaven
Kids head back by 3:30 or 4
and the city comes alive again
bikes honk, autos sputter and buses roar
By 5:30, evening peak hour begins
tired folks head home
and stop at bajji stalls for a quick evening tiffin
By eight calm descends in the city
Television sets blare as families settle in for the day
with a sense of serendipity
On weekends the city has a different vibe
Malls come alive as do the beaches
Families throng eateries to share a meal with their tribe
Chennai’s cinema halls are another story
The plush seats, buttery popcorn and yummy snacks
Go there and you’ll forget all your worry!
Chennai is a feeling. An emotion…
What do I miss most during this lockdown?
I miss it all! The buzz, arguments and commotion
The popcorn, the mysore pak, the spicy potato chips
The breakfast treat of Pongal vada,
And the feeling of spice burning my lips
The smell of camphor and temple bells
Jasmine flowers, buttery dosa, frying bajjis
and all of Chennai’s myriad smells
It’s a tough time for us all, but it won’t last
Stay strong Chennai, keep your spirits up
We’ll beat this and go back to having a blast!
So typical a love story
By – K Jaithri
Dear Chennai,
When I first had to decide, I was not sure at all. I did not really want to move in to the city. You did have a fierce reputation of being congested, polluted, a bit rough and really melting. After all, we still say Kaanji Karuvaad avarthu in the hot days over here. We were fed with horror stories about your public transport and tales of accidents on potholed roads. To live in Chennai seemed a brave and award worthy task by itself. Thus, when I arrived at Chennai Central, I was quite sceptical and full of qualms.
It was the slang that hit me first. Tamil but not quite the same. You were such a bustling big city that it was so easy to start feeling lost. But to my pleasant surprise, I felt right at home in your yellow chirpy autos which till date lull me to sleep. Your streets were so chaotically charismatic. Filled with blaring horns, booming hawkers who follow a set rhyme scheme, clamour filled chat stalls, buses famed for their screeching halts and roller coaster rides, schools vans abounding with frenzied, vociferous children, the presser, or ironkaaran, in every street with boxes filled with smoking red coal, local Bhai kadais or magical mini provision stores, the flower seller with her distinct calls, the ice creamwallahs with tinkling bells leaving us with tingling taste buds, the pani puri sellers in front of whom we all became cajoling diplomats, the verkadalai vendors whose consistent clanging reminded of the childhood times when we used to play with those alluring kitchen utensils, the juice shops with awnings that provided the much needed respite from your scorching energy sipping sun and the list just goes on infinitely.
You house not only people but also a wide range of animals starting from sassy stray dogs and crows to the ever-unperturbed cows. Chennai just charmed its way into my heart from day one. But I realised it only when I ended up fighting vigorously with my Coimbatore bred brother about it three years later. Just like Aditi from the book ‘ It ‘s All About Smiles ‘ by Ranjani Arumugam, I turned overnight into a proud Madraasi. My truly ineffable Chennai, I’m waiting!
Madras mystique
By – Dr C Mohan
After an arduous travel back from the office , having a cup of filter coffee , taking a shower and leaving with family to Kapaleeswarar temple, listening to the holy chanting of Devaram or sometimes a music or dance concert were all that I enjoyed. Bargaining with the vendors and buying grocery and vegetables hopping from store to store used to give me immense pleasure and keep me energetic. Just dropping by at Giri Traders to look for a new spiritual book is a pleasure in itself. I remember going with daughter to select the costumes for her Bharathanatyam dance recitals and taking her to the sabhas for her performances. Taking children for their practices, waiting to bring them back, visiting the small snack shop and munch on his deliciously made sweets and savories while chatting the owner, and finish with a filter coffee remain unfading memories. The occasional visit to sabhas to enjoy the dramas of popular artistes, and the discourses of eminent scholars were always enriching. Taking the family to the nearby Marina beach to enjoy the cool breeze while sharing some thenga, manga pattani sundal, taking a stroll along the shore was a healthy and memorable experience. All these little things are blessings from god and should be enjoyed as may not get an opportunity again.
None of the above can be experienced now. Corona, the invisible killer has driven fear in the hearts of everyone as it’s impossible to tell who and when it will infect. The day is not far off when Corona will be trounced and Namma Chennai will spring back.
My Chennai
By – Yaamini Gayathri
Chennai, just the name gives you a lot of excitement. I really miss my temple visits, shopping, street food, outing with friends and yoga classes. Though everything is available online there is a sort of emptiness and stillness deep inside. My Fridays usually end with a temple visit. Nearby temple there is a Palamudhir Nilayam where I used to drink my favourite avocado shake. Sometimes visit the corner bakery where I used to relish hot boli. Vada pav from Goli was another yummy snack which I used to taste. Now everything is gone in thin air.

My friends would suddenly plan and call out for a beach or mall visit. Missing those fun chit chats with friends sitting in beach, watching the waves kissing the shore. Hot bajjis served with spicy chutneys in beach has been really forgotten and gone now. My last beach visit with friends still remains a cherishable memory. Our dinner was at Superstar pizza at Besant nagar. Eating pizza hearing super star hits was a feel good experience. Mint street aloo tiki chat and pani poori is now out of sight. How long? That is the question that repeats in mind of everyone. There should be light at the end of tunnel so let us all hope to see the light soon. Stay safe. Stay Home.
Revisiting Chennai
By – Varun Balamurugan
A city that redefines life for everyone. That’s Chennai for you! Every day, the sun will rise on time only to relish the aroma of hot tea or coffee and the butter biscuits being dipped in it. The mornings on the weekdays would witness a busy populace rushing to schools, colleges and work. They would pause at the scent of delicious idlis and vadais soaking them with its flavours — a colourful medley of flavours and colours. I would just gobble them all even when late and they were as gratifying as ever.

The joy of being in college is matchless as we added some spice to the dreary lectures interrupting with unnecessary doubts. At times, our lecturers would also join us in our comments and fun escapades to break out of their mundane routine. The return journey home is an adventure as almost twenty of us would rush to invade a compartment in the local train and spend the entire journey time singing gaana songs and sharing jokes. We would start planning for movies, to gaze at our favourite stars and celebrate it with hundreds of others in the theatre.
If I wanted a budget outing, I would explore the vast shopping malls of Chennai along with my friends, walking in and out of all the stores empty-handed. Our alternate outing option would be visiting their locales such as the N4 beach and the Nettukuppam Pier. At times, we would organise a reunion, now that being a trend, catching up with old friends at parks or beaches and having uraiyaadals with them.
Then there were weddings invitations from my relatives of friends where they would witness my calm and yielding side and while my friends would get to see the active and celebratory side of mine. Waiting for our turn in the kalyana bandhi might look despicable yet adorable.
I’ve saved the best for last. IPL. That’s when the division occurs. Most of us were CSK fans engaging in the buzzing messages about scores and celebratory moments to annoy the rival MI and RCB fans. As an ardent fan of thala, I would wait with huge expectations to watch his performance. He’s the permanent captain of all my Dream 11 teams regardless of his form.
The city that gave me these moments is now in lockdown. I’m missing them now, but I believe it won’t be for long as my Singara Chennai will rise again with all its might and we will cherish it as always.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/dear-chennai-we-miss-you/articleshow/77832671.cms