chennai « Selective Amnesia

5Jan/101

Original Sound Track

Posted by Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan

It’s 6:28 AM, and it is my third night running that I’ve stayed up, un-sleeping-ly, reading, researching, note-jotting for my 5000 word essay. Make that two essays, minimum length 3000 words each. While I am no stranger to late nights, (*) what makes this bloody difficult is that I miss the unique sounds of a Chennai night.
There were no dogs barking/howling. No watchman thumped the platform with his stick. No creaking cots. No sudden blare of a car horn as a late night reveler/worker sped past. No mosquitoes. In short, nothing familiar about this bout of insomnia.
As morning approaches, and as the skies pink at the horizon, Madras’ many temples wake up. December/January is devoted to LR Easwari, SP Balasubramaniam and Seergazhi Sivachidambaram and their multiple gods. Tinny speakers on temporary poles borrowing electricity from the closest apartment, out-shouting the other shrine not more than 20-30 feet away.

Suprabhatam or Bhaja Govindam plays, and in the rare case of absence of that particular tape, any MS offering. Not cliches, not perpetuating blind stereotypes. Even in August 2009, I assure you, early morning Kelly’s performed to this particular mix.

Like Kamal in Pushpak/Pesum Padam, I think I should get me a tape of these sounds.

(* Aargh. The Brits have got me. The line – no stranger to late nights – HAS to be understatement of the decade past, and the decade present.)

Filed under: General/Unclassified 1 Comment

14Dec/096

Hyderabad, Telengana and Andhra Pradesh

Posted by Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan

Dear people of Andhra. Fear not. Let Telengana be ruled from Hyderabad. As the truest Madras boy of them all, I offer to share my city with you. Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh shall once more be united under Madras.

Filed under: General/Unclassified 6 Comments

2Dec/093

The twentysixth Chennai PhotoWalk/Mylapore Festival Walk

Posted by Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan

The PhotoWalkers, particularly me, like Mylapore. Which’s why, 5 photowalks have happened there. In fact, the very first Chennai Photowalk in, um, Chennai, began at Mylapore. Vincent D’Souza of Mylapore Times has long been a Chennai PhotoWalk enthusiast and supporter. He is also one of the principal agents behind Madras Week and Mylapore Festival, two events I cannot stop gushing of, like a high-school boy on his first crush.

So, it was only natural that at some point the two (not the high school boy and the crush. PhotoWalk and Mylapore Times) would come together. And that is now.

Announcing the first ever Mylapore Festival PhotoWalk/Exhibition and the 26th Chennai PhotoWalk.

The idea is simple. This December, the PhotoWalk gang will grossly invade privacy of home owners in Mylapore by taking photographs of classic Mylapore houses. Once we shoot the houses (with the permission of the houseowners, of course.) we will exhibit these photos as part of the Mylapore Festival, to be held in January.
This promises loads of fun and the only official chance to walk into a random house and shoot the owner. With Cannons.
And Nikons and Sonys and Pentaxes and Olympuses, as well. This also promises good fame and popularity and press mentions and a chance at becoming the future prime minister of India.
So anyway, that’s the big picture idea. Now to the details.

Since I am here, in Bristol, and slaving over a presentation I have to give in two days and have no solid material to work with, Vatsan is organising the walks and doing the routes. He’s come up with the following.

Walk #1 will be on the 13th of December, starting from the 16 Pillar Mandapam of Kapaleeshwar Kovil at 7 am

Walk #2 will be on the 20th of December, starting from the Kutchery Road Police station. at 7 am

Further information on exactly which houses to photograph etc will be provided soon. All you have to do now is mark your diaries and your calendars and your best aperture number, and wait. With breath bated or otherwise.

Filed under: Photos, Travel 3 Comments

23Nov/092

The first Chennai PhotoWalk?

Posted by Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan

Reasons yes: Super cool, twin-lens reflex camera, and Photowalk former regular, Anand K.
Reasons no: They are in a car. Lame!

Filed under: Travel 2 Comments

20Nov/092

The twentyfifth Chennai PhotoWalk updates and other things

Posted by Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan

In a recently resurrected annual performance, the rains, and roaring rivers running on roads, ravished Madras. So Vatsan et. al had to reschedule the 25th Chennai PhotoWalk. The new dates to mark on calendars and diaries: 29th November 2009. For details and to generally pester the brains out of Vatsan, call 9444999456.

(Don’t you just lurrrve the way the Rs roll?)

On to other things. I wrote this a while ago. Since then, I’ve learnt that I cannot perform poetry for shit. Or any incentives whatsoever. At best I can hem and haw and glare mightily at scraps of papers. But I do know I can do one thing – recognize good poetry when I read it, and put critique on bad ones. I also know I can do Dennis Leary in ways even Dennis L cannot do. I really am an asshole.

On the other hand, I am not. Or how else would you explain why people dub me the perennial brother? If a group of people (namely most women) were asked to reduce me to an abstract of my best qualities, I’d be a statue entirely broad shoulder and listening ears.

Not having much to do in Bristol (except climb hills, chase credit points and provide brotherly services) and having too much time to do it in, I have discovered many ways of keeping up with what other people are blogging about. Pity is, save for three, nobody is really writing anything worth repeating. In fact, the more pitying is that most people are purely repeating, without the rinsing.

Therefore, I am currently reading (besides the much treacly and academic essays as part of my course) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. Yes, yes. I know. Behind the times and all. And not exactly highbrow stuff. Plead guilty. But in my defense, I should note that I never had a brow, its position on my face, therefore, does not enter the debate.

Drafts are still fishes behind glass.

Filed under: General/Unclassified 2 Comments

2Sep/085

Not a burning issue yet- Ranganathan Street, T.Nagar

Posted by Karthik

Fire broke out at Saravana Stores in Ranganathan Street this week (no, not the one opposite Panagal Park). This had to happen at some point of time and I refer to my previous post on this. Luckily it happened early in the morning thereby preventing any loss of life.

We hope that atleast now the Government would wake up, take stock of the situation and put an end to these violations. Assuming this had happened during peak shopping hours (Aadi sale!!), the loss in terms of both life and property would have been phenomenal. It could have ended up being catastrophic.

Filed under: General/Unclassified 5 Comments

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About

Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan is a copywriter, photographer and goofball from Chennai. He is also an archaeologist, historian and a city lover. He is currently a documentary film-maker and desk-monkey for a film production house.