My ramblings through new places were always short swift and crazy.After the small stint in Coimbatore during my training days with the well planned roads, the always brushed pavements and the blanket of mist that reminds us that Ooty is always around the corner, Chennai looked like a concrete jungle to my small-town accustomed eyes. From all the various feedback from family and friends one description screams throughout- “It’s Hot!!!” For a moment I wished that they were not talking about the climate ;)
Chennai may not be the “In” place for a large majority of the crowd, but then again each city has its share of quirks I suppose. Unlike cities where the streets are jammed with pubs, discs and God knows what else to rob us of our hard earned cash, we can always resort to the beaches, where the waves always have that power to beckon us towards her (and also a whole range of fresh fish to pamper our always rumbling tummies at pretty reasonable prices!! :P).
So there I was with my three bulky travel bags and three of my friends all ready (actually dazed) to create wonders for our projects (whether we did it or not is a totally different story!). We stuffed our bags into the boot and got into the cab. All the way through I was gorging Chennai as much as I could for new places always peaked up my curiosity and I was the happiest person ever! The cab driver, a gentle and chatty soul, was showing us the landmarks of his beloved Chennai peppered up with a few pages from his own life. That day was the only time I wasn’t irritated of being caught up in traffic for two hours.
But alas the joy was short lived when I incidentally saw a small innocent looking white milestone peeping out from the side lane and trust me it wasn’t a pretty sight that my eyes beheld. “CHENNAI” and just underneath it “25”. :O :O My soul that was overflowing with excitement till then broke like a soap bubble “PLONK!!”….. That’s when I gave my whereabouts a bit more attention and realized, I won’t be living in the hustle and bustle of Madraspattennam, but would be confined to the stretch of Old Mahabalipuram Road aka OMR to be lost in the voids of dust, concrete and work! :’(
If you ask me to define OMR the first thing that would cross my mind is dust! Due to all the buildings that seem to pop out from nowhere and the never ending paving of the sidewalks OMR is engulfed in a thick blanket of dust, and with all the traffic and mob to help, has brewed up a never receding sandstorm that could give the sandstorms of Sahara a run for their money (or so I think). Each day draped in scarves and equipped with shades we can venture out. I seriously feel like I‘m one of the Spartans and the OMR the sea of scary Persian army!! . The outcome, being blackened faces and parched lips and all that would be lacking to make it look like a 300 movie would be the chant- “HA-ROO HA-ROO HAROO!!”
The moment we hit our offices everybody would scamper off to the restrooms to clear off the grime. Though the thought has crossed my mind a few times, to scrub my face with dishwashing liquid and a metal scrub, unfortunately we are not dishes and are doomed with soft supple skins, so I have to make do with face-washes. :P When I mean getting lost on the OMR, it’s no joke. On a working day the probability of being jostled and trampled by a faceless crowd, or being run down by a random auto rickshaw or bus is highly likely! There were times when I felt I would rather take a sleeping bag to office and camp there than tackle the monster called OMR.
Keeping all my cribbing aside, the OMR isn’t that bad after all. Peppered with numerous restaurants and cafes that can satiate the palate; varying from Chinese cuisine to American, from Kerala to Bengali; what more can one ask! My all time favorite is Café Coffee Day and thankfully all across the OMR one can’t miss the purple and red logo at regular intervals. The occasional whiff of coffee and overdoses of chocolate is a life saver to ward off any unwanted thoughts of work, corruption and economic crisis (especially when our wallets get slimmer and slimmer) .But the main highlight for me is the night walks on the broad sidewalks (though incomplete in many places), it’s worth all the troubles of a hectic strenuous day.
I used to see the OMR with dread, but that all changes once the whole of Chennai wears its night cap. At the stroke of 11pm, the traffic would have lulled to a trickle, in the warm darkness of night, the harsh lines of OMR softens down a few strokes and transforms into a never wavering beacon that guides all wayward souls. The wide straight road crowned with the street lamps seem to stretch off into infinity on both directions is a very soothing feeling to the lone traveler. I sometimes feel when looking at the expanse of asphalt, it’s not just a road, it is a journey to meet the Maker with all the street lights of Joy, path holes of Sorrow and the road barriers of our very own selves and not to forget all the sidetracks that sometimes make us deviate from our paths.
2 years traversing the length of the OMR, each day has been so full of new landmarks, new memories and lots and lots of new people .Nowadays I feel more at ease with the OMR. After a long day rambling through the sprawling city it’s always a relief to see the OMR beckoning me like a good friend waiting to embrace me. OMR is no more a stranger to me, it’s my road; full of traffic jams, surprises and the show called life!
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