A Morning in Chennai..!

The morning in Chennai was cold after the rain and thunder of the night! There was no sign of any rain in the evening before, but all on a sudden the whole of it started when it was time to go to bed and it sent me straight into deep sleep. The off and on lightning and thunder only had minimal effect on me as I mistook them for possible late comers driving over lose cement slabs of the condominium and their lights. They came in all hours and at times there is a terrific motorcycle maniac shooting off or shooting in after his day's tiring work.

In the dream I dreamt of the book I was reading, a fun book by one Bryson, a humorist, which my son had brought for me to keep me in good humour! A book of humour is always welcome with me. My gratefulness found no bounds. But when I opened the book, the first humour was that the first thirty pages are gone and I had difficulty completing the immediate morning ablutions, in hand. I took it as part of making humour at the beginning of a book, of course, the Author and Publisher do not know about it as it happened with constant use in the library. The book I had inspected well reading the back cover first as always, watching the front cover and the immediate inner page which said many things including the small letters on piracy policy etc. This made me think of a great feast of reading, when I really set to it. And here I am with the first thirty pages missing. The thirty first page onwards did not dishearten me as the writer also seemed to be having all kinds of difficulties which I too had been facing in life. He lived in London and its suburbs and I lived in my place in Chennai. Occasionally I went to Kerala or Delhi to re-enter Chennai or any of the other two places anew!

This gave me a great feeling even though travel is tedious! The author Bryson spoke about parking difficulties, finding street names, the normal to be expected from cabbies etc. Etc. These things change here according to people and climate. We never could enjoy parking difficulties earlier, but now we are progressing and we get good parking difficulties and loss money on that count in most of the places! Scratches, accidents or cruel looks are bonus in this exercise! Earlier there were times we never could enjoy parking difficulties and any body parked any where as only a few possessed the four wheel running machines. In the villages the running machines were only bullock carts which were only walking machines usually. Once in a while when the driver is a youth or youngster and in his mood, he made the cart to run by beating at the bullocks or showing a show off to the bullocks to terrorize them. Not any more, now the animal protection groups are in place, and no driver or assistant would dare to beat a bullock!

Now every body travels light and in cars, not the bullock carts, the four wheel contraptions with fire in side.!

I have no inclination of describing London or 'the underground' as we have our own city and various kinds of stuff to complicate or simplify morning and evening life.! Everybody faces it every day and some of them write it down in news papers which help us in the morning ablutions. Those who do not understand the news are a happy lot and they live life king size and enjoy. Those who understand are always anxious, if the satellite will reach on time, whether the signals will decrease phone charges, a new system of rule will decrease petrol charges etc. Etc. Some even look for the down trend in the vegetable prices, home prices et al. But the only price coming down is the TV price and with every TV it is a new connection for the cable net work which will be another monthly bill..!

Once we come out and catch the OMR life begins in strict earnest.  We are spaced properly by the various red lights, police posts and the ultimate good will of all the road users who generally cooperate and go well with one another. at the Sholinganellur red light one can catch up with the head lines of the newspaper but not the deep news as one has to keep moving to readjust one's position and be ready to move when the red light changes into green. A couple of toll booths on the way re-arrange your speed and have your road test done as one has to pass through the narrow lanes paying the toll booth dues!

After the driving tests at the toll passes you are ready to take on Chennai proper by taking the Adyar road giving a right turn just before Tidel Park and then making a number of lefts and rights.  If one is patient enough and have enough petrol, it would be wise keeping behind a bus going in the direction one wants.  After a number of turns and narrow but well done roads (one has always be careful of pot holes which may creep up in-spite of the best efforts of the authorities) the Marina Beach will welcome you with its nice breeze and you are near the main city.  There after the drive will be better.  The roads are more straight and one has to take occasional turns as one wants.  But still, it will take some time to get acclimatised with the roads and the place.!