before you guys start reading, lemme tell you that I had written this post LONG LONG back but got a chance only today to put it on the blog! :)
Life has been on a roller coaster ride…I know its’ been a long long time I have put anything on the blog…really sorry to all my readers not that I was not writing stuff, but nothing worth putting on the blog…
Something or the other has been happening around…good or bad, I dunno, but for a reason for sure! I am still pondering over the reasons though…I came back to India a month back…not to my home, not to Mumbai…but to Chennai!! Packing my bags from USA and coming back happened pretty suddenly…most of my friends may still be unaware of this event! J coming back to India always feels good, but I was sad too…for leaving US, for leaving my home out there…this is one aspect I strongly dislike about my job…you are on a constant move! You go to a place, get a house, try turning it to a home and then its’ time for you to leave…its’ doesn’t let you get attached…as for me, it has just turned out in making me all the more detached…this one was just one of the few events that have happened in the past that has turned me to a pretty detached person…from things, people, places…I guess that’s the best way to avoid getting hurt…I always say this after getting hurt because of an attachment…learning the lesson and repeating the same mistake again!! But that’s the way it happens with me…I learn the hard way! But then its’ only because of my job that I was able to see all these places, go somewhere outside my country, live there, know the people and culture. That’s the flip side and I love my job for that! :D
Being in Chennai has been an experience in itself...No offence meant, but its’ not the first choice of most of the people who belong to any place above AP to live in Chennai. I had my friends, colleagues telling me all sorts of scary stories about the place and cribbing about almost everything here!! For me, I am not the “cribbing” kind, it just doesn’t come to me…maybe that’s one of the reasons I stand here in life, because I could not crib about something or I could not just go ahead and demand something…. So back to the point, anything and everything is fine with Ritu! J As for Chennai, I am not able to call it bad…its’ just very different from the places I am used to. I am pretty sure the Chennai people would be feeling the same when they move out of Chennai to some other place. Its’ just a matter of habits and trends that you are used to…nothing more, nothing less. I am not sure whether to get surprised or shocked about me not feeling bad for living in a place that’s full of strangers and rather finding it nice to be among complete strangers!! I get scared of myself at times…but then I guess it was something that was much needed. Chennai is completely different in all respects: the place, people, food, language, everything. As for the difference, its’ pretty huge as compared to the places I have been before. From Mumbai to US, coming back to Chennai is a big event in itself!
To start with, the biggest barrier over here is the language! Believe me, if you know Tamil, it won’t be that bad a place…though supposedly, I am living in the better parts of the city. So I do have people replying back to me in English In the workplace too, you’ll find people mumbling in some language that sounds like a tongue twister! I am trying my hands on Tamil these days!! Not much, only kunchum kunchum! ;)
Then comes the weather, its’ not that bad right now, again supposedly, I am visiting Chennai in one the best seasons! As for the humidity and heat, I have experienced that in Mumbai too My loyal friends, my blisters have started visiting me more frequently now:-s
Next is the crowd…the crowd here is strictly absolutely traditional. You actually won’t get a feel of being in a Metro when you look at the crowd here. But then that’s the way it is. The “style” element is somewhat missing from the crowd; though it can be found scattered around, but the sight is very rare. The appearance is purely traditional and simplistic in nature. Tradition and Simplicity are a BIG YES for me, just that it seems to go overboard in this place. The parameter of a lady wearing saree, salwar kameez or a pair of jeans as a basis to judge how “modern” she is or how “independent” she is or how “educated” she is seems very unreasonable and somewhat moronish! No offense meant to any place or group of people, but come to think of a lady belonging to the so called “high elite class” living in a “posh” area of delhi who is capable of carrying a designer wear with loads of style but is not educated enough or independent enough to do a job on her own or travel in a state transport bus!! At the same time there’ll be a lady in Chennai wearing a simple cotton saree or salwar kameez who’s highly educated and independent enough to face the world. I always feel that there should be a balance in all the elements; despite of the place you belong to, your personality should have flavors of education, independence, confidence, tradition with a pinch of style, attitude and presentability. Thinking of a person to be better than the other based only on the “style” seems immature to me. I found the people over here very simple…simple to the core and I absolutely loved it! Maybe, they just need to capture a bit of style depending on the situation. At the end of day, its’ all about what’s in your mind and how open your thoughts are…even while I am writing this, I figure out how debatable this topic can be! J so lets close it here for now! ;)
Last but not the least, the food! For a foodie like me, its’ somewhat a pain area…I like South Indian cuisine, but I am having an overdose here…having spent a decent amount of time in USA gave me chance to try out different cuisines from different parts of the world and I absolutely loved the experience! Over here in Chennai, I do not have that many choices…or maybe I am not aware of the right places…so the IDLIs, DOSAs, VADAs, Rice are just getting onto me! I’ve had my share of funny experiences with the way food is ordered/ eaten here…!! I never knew the concept of “meals” till I ordered one; and there comes a big thali with a big heap of plain rice along with tamarind rice, lemon rice, curd rice and tomato rice on the sides!! Rasam, Sambhar and a veggie with the “oh-so-necessary-in-every-veggie” coconut were the accompaniments! For a person like me who’s not very fond of rice, that came as a major shock! My dislike for rice has nothing but grown after coming here! ;)
And apart from everything else, beware of the autowallas here!! They are a unique group!! Meters in autos exist as showpieces here. Meters are strictly “not-to-be-used” accessory for the auto. The fare from one place is the soul choice of the autowalla; and if your face and language is good enough to show that you are not from this place, you are in deep deep trouble. The fares coming up can be as high as 200 bucks for a distance close to 1.5KM!! I tried my hands on bargaining for this deal and to my absolute surprise I finally travelled that distance in 30 bucks!! Never knew I was so good in bargaining! ;)) though I am not really sure if those 30 bucks was more than the actual cost! J
Its’ close to one month for me in this place and I am just getting a feel of the place…its’ always better to gather some new experiences rather than crib about it! lets’ see what new comes up in Chennai in the days to come…
Something or the other has been happening around…good or bad, I dunno, but for a reason for sure! I am still pondering over the reasons though…I came back to India a month back…not to my home, not to Mumbai…but to Chennai!! Packing my bags from USA and coming back happened pretty suddenly…most of my friends may still be unaware of this event! J coming back to India always feels good, but I was sad too…for leaving US, for leaving my home out there…this is one aspect I strongly dislike about my job…you are on a constant move! You go to a place, get a house, try turning it to a home and then its’ time for you to leave…its’ doesn’t let you get attached…as for me, it has just turned out in making me all the more detached…this one was just one of the few events that have happened in the past that has turned me to a pretty detached person…from things, people, places…I guess that’s the best way to avoid getting hurt…I always say this after getting hurt because of an attachment…learning the lesson and repeating the same mistake again!! But that’s the way it happens with me…I learn the hard way! But then its’ only because of my job that I was able to see all these places, go somewhere outside my country, live there, know the people and culture. That’s the flip side and I love my job for that! :D
Being in Chennai has been an experience in itself...No offence meant, but its’ not the first choice of most of the people who belong to any place above AP to live in Chennai. I had my friends, colleagues telling me all sorts of scary stories about the place and cribbing about almost everything here!! For me, I am not the “cribbing” kind, it just doesn’t come to me…maybe that’s one of the reasons I stand here in life, because I could not crib about something or I could not just go ahead and demand something…
To start with, the biggest barrier over here is the language! Believe me, if you know Tamil, it won’t be that bad a place…though supposedly, I am living in the better parts of the city
Then comes the weather, its’ not that bad right now, again supposedly, I am visiting Chennai in one the best seasons! As for the humidity and heat, I have experienced that in Mumbai too
Next is the crowd…the crowd here is strictly absolutely traditional. You actually won’t get a feel of being in a Metro when you look at the crowd here. But then that’s the way it is. The “style” element is somewhat missing from the crowd; though it can be found scattered around, but the sight is very rare. The appearance is purely traditional and simplistic in nature. Tradition and Simplicity are a BIG YES for me, just that it seems to go overboard in this place. The parameter of a lady wearing saree, salwar kameez or a pair of jeans as a basis to judge how “modern” she is or how “independent” she is or how “educated” she is seems very unreasonable and somewhat moronish! No offense meant to any place or group of people, but come to think of a lady belonging to the so called “high elite class” living in a “posh” area of delhi who is capable of carrying a designer wear with loads of style but is not educated enough or independent enough to do a job on her own or travel in a state transport bus!! At the same time there’ll be a lady in Chennai wearing a simple cotton saree or salwar kameez who’s highly educated and independent enough to face the world. I always feel that there should be a balance in all the elements; despite of the place you belong to, your personality should have flavors of education, independence, confidence, tradition with a pinch of style, attitude and presentability. Thinking of a person to be better than the other based only on the “style” seems immature to me. I found the people over here very simple…simple to the core and I absolutely loved it! Maybe, they just need to capture a bit of style depending on the situation. At the end of day, its’ all about what’s in your mind and how open your thoughts are…even while I am writing this, I figure out how debatable this topic can be! J so lets close it here for now! ;)
Last but not the least, the food! For a foodie like me, its’ somewhat a pain area…I like South Indian cuisine, but I am having an overdose here…having spent a decent amount of time in USA gave me chance to try out different cuisines from different parts of the world and I absolutely loved the experience! Over here in Chennai, I do not have that many choices…or maybe I am not aware of the right places…so the IDLIs, DOSAs, VADAs, Rice
And apart from everything else, beware of the autowallas here!! They are a unique group!! Meters in autos exist as showpieces here. Meters are strictly “not-to-be-used” accessory for the auto. The fare from one place is the soul choice of the autowalla; and if your face and language is good
Its’ close to one month for me in this place and I am just getting a feel of the place…its’ always better to gather some new experiences rather than crib about it! lets’ see what new comes up in Chennai in the days to come…
2 comments:
to find good places to eat in chennai.. u can chek out chennai.burrp.com i write reviews on it.. i also a food blog chennaifoodreviews.blogspot.com
dont worry .. u ll have a treat for ur tongue soon.. n hey write reviews too after u visit these places ok?
u will scare people going to chennai with this post.. :)
r u still having trouble? let me know..
who is "J" to whom you refer in the blog? :)
thankfully i m in hyd and the experience is not that bad.. infact its wonderful here.. :)
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