Missing Mylapore...

As I type these words, I have moved away from a place they say is the cultural heart of Chennai to a place which they say is the commercial heart of Chennai. Yes indeed, the departure from Myalpore and my arrival at T.Nagar has been complete and I am now a resident of T.Nagar. In announcing all of this, there is a lot of joy and pain that goes hand in hand...the pain of missing Mylapore where we stayed for about 7 years (we lived in Mandaveli before that, which borders Mylapore)...

People believe that one doesnt realize the worth of something or someone until or unless they are far away or have lost it. I certainly believe in that philosophy and I felt it when I shifted out of Mylapore with a heavy heart. I dint feel it until I stepped into our new home in T.Nagar. Emptiness is a hollow wind blowing cold and heavy which is what exactly I felt when I stood in my home in Mylapore and I could hear the echoes of the past and my blurry eyes recalled every moment which is etched in my memory. A single bedroom house and five of us (My parents, brother, grandpa and me) used to stay...smaller walls making people closer and more tightly knit. We have been through it all...good times and bad times (ala Led Zeppelin) in that old place and it brings a smile and a tear whenever I sit back and reflect.

I will not talk about the cultural significances of Mylapore because its the most over-written subjects in recent times and it would only be an overdose of what not! Instead Ill touch upon certain aspects that have been memorable in my pages...the good, the bad and the ugly.

The proximity to everything is what keeps this place in top demand for any resident who wishes to settle in the suburbans. Everything is a stone's throw away...even the street dogs! What amazes me the most of this place is the diversity and the festive mood of the market even on a normal day, leave alone the ceremonial festivals and the recitals. Colorful people, plenty of them, draped in their best in any given moment and little boys with pig-tailed priests chanting the morning verses roaming from door to door for bhikshaam. Religion is the core that binds Mylapore...be it any entity or form, its all there and in every street there is either a temple or a mosque or a church that keeps people in the right and moral frame of mind. There is some sanity amidst the chaos that surrounds this bustling settlement.

Let me describe T.Nagar now...a commercial hub (and what a shift from a religious hub!) and shopping is the word that comes to ones mind and this attracts people from all over the 'state' and this is one helluva crowd puller. There is something for everybody and nothing for nobody...well, you can figure that one out now. A husbands nightmare and a wife's paradise...a guys sight seeing zone and a girl's holiday spot...a foodies heaven and pedestrians challenge. A complete residential area where Pondy Bazaar forms the spine from head to tail. What keeps people coming is the affordability and the markets galore. Colour, lights, people and money...its all here and whoever comes to Chennai from wherever in India doesnt miss Pondy Bazaar. Well sadly, im not far away from this place...just a stone's throw...(like I said earlier)!

But there is an ugly side to this all...people are so cold here. When we shifted to our new place, not a soul from the neighbours to even say a Hi! People keep tellin me that its the same wherever we go but Id like to differ with them. This was the worst welcome we had ever recieved...like we werent welcome...there wasnt any anyways!!! Even a nod of the head and a pleasant smile is like a rare sight...I really dont know why people are so scared of even acknowledging neighbours. Guess they knew I was coming (ahem ahem!). But on a serious note...its an apartment but with no one around. The only way I think I can get people talkin or waking up might be by blasting my music which is the best medicine Id reckon.

But hey, this is something Im looking forward to. Its a new place, new people and new dreams and hopes lying ahead of me. Its a tough world and Im willing to face it eye to eye and I hope its fun...else theres nothing worth fighting for. My writing hopefully should take a new direction with all the new things in life and this is very exciting to me especially. The breeze is something that keeps us calm (this is better than Mylapore for sure). But what the hell...isnt change the only constant. Well, time in Mylapore was certainly memorable and it was a good start and a sad end. Its been a little dull for a start here...hopefully things should look up in a few days when the apartment knows that the darkknight is just around the corner!!!