CHENNAI

 

From Sampath’s Desk:

  

 CHENNAI

22 August - MADRAS DAY

MADRAS, now re-christened Chennai, has always been my favourite city. Its origin could be traced to a small village in the 1600's, gifted exactly on 22.8.1639 to the East India Company by Vijayanagara King, Peda Venkata Raya of Chandragiri. A year later, the British built Fort St. George, which became the nucleus of a growing colonial city as a trade and commercial hub of the then East India Company. Madras Day is celebrated on August 22 every year.

 

Turning into a major urban centre with air and navy bases, Madras became the capital of the then Madras Presidency consisting of almost the whole of the present-day Tamil Nadu state, parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. After independence, when states were formed on a linguistic basis and for administrative convenience, Madras became the capital city of Tamil Nadu state. The city, now renamed as Chennai, has traversed a long way before assuming its present gigantic size and cosmopolitan character.

 

Thiruvallikkeni (Triplicane) was one of the most congested villages of Chennai where I lived for a long time and did my schooling. We could enjoy the breeze of early morning from the nearby world famous Marina beach, twilight of the dawn, gentle air and warm rays of the rising sun permeating all over, bubbly sea waves fondling and cleansing the shore with its richness of lather, roads with a moderate traffic, cattle sluggishly strolling along and across unmindful of and unaffected by anything or any event(s) around, cluttering carts, buses, bicycles, taxis and autos – all amidst the din generated by people – moving around, chatting and altercating. Chennai has always been a cultural citadel, and even now the vestiges are there for all of us to see. The music festivals being held every winter are a pointer. Even with modernity ruling the roost, age-old traditions, beliefs and practices still exist. Who can afford to miss the mouth-watering Madras delicacies like idly-sambar, masal dosa, filter coffee and the like? Though they are still available, the mushrooming of pizza huts/corners, fast food centres and kiosks, etc. cause worry among health-conscious people in general and old-time aficionados in particular.

 

Earlier we had tiled houses with a frontal porch/raised floor (‘Thinnai’ in Tamil) where even passers-by could sit and rest, which is totally missing these days. Now every inch of space is gainfully and commercially used up. Terraced houses were the norm earlier, with more than one floor being rare then. High-rise residential flats dot the skyline today. Earlier, we had houses with attached family and detached bathrooms, but now we have flats with attached bathrooms and detached families with people shunning and spurning the joint family system - a sign of discord, friction and rancour!

 

Days have changed and so are the scenes. Chennai has become a vast and ever-expanding metropolitan city. Machine-like life has taken the toll of good traits among citizens like close friendship, goodwill, co-existence and hospitality, giving way to business-like life. Residential flats are concrete jungles or man-made jails. One doesn't know even his/herneighbours! People mind their own business only and mostly don't interact with others - not even with the neighbours.

 

Ritzy malls and big department stores have sprung all over and changed people’s shopping styles. People are rich in wealth but poor in mutual interaction, health and culture, preferring to be choosy and aloof!

 

 

(R.SAMPATH)

 

(This was published in THE ‘Timeout’ column of ‘The Indian Express’ dated 8.8.2008 under the caption ‘CHANGED FACE OF CHENNAI, ITS LIFESTYLES’.