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15Jan/107

The sight of Madras and the Sound of Music

Posted by Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan

So, here are a few of my favourite Madras things.

5 AM filter coffee (sugary, but good) at Udipi Welcome
6 AM Sambar iddli at same Welcome
Filter Coffee and Real Vanilla ice-cream at Peter’s road Saravana Bhavan. (Ice-cream first, then Filter Coffee.)
Walking from Nilgiris/Radhakrishnan Salai to Ranjith hotel in Nungambakkam High Road at 7 in the evening.
Doing the same walk the next day, but with two friends for company.
Walking along Thanikachalam Road, Dr. Nair road, TP Road, Valluvar Kottam and Village road because you were bored of riding your bike.

Bored, so you take your bike out and go everywhere, without getting anywhere, and enjoy traffic for what it is – a huge affirmation that the city is still alive, is worth living in. Powercuts between 6 and 9 in the evenings, so you walk out and gossip with cousins and uncles and neighbours, catching up on old family scandals while the air cools down, mosquitoes warm up. Those 2-3 hours spent doing nothing, but sitting on the steps out your home.
Mint Street, Parry’s Corner, Fort St. George, Mandavelli-Mylapore markets, P.T Rajan salai, Natesan Salai and 9th Sector, KK Nagar, Sardar Patel Road, Mount. Road, Chamier’s Road and TTK Road, GN Chetty Road, Jeeva Park, Bazullah Road, Rangarajapuram/Samiyar Madam, Besant Avenue, Besant Lane, Besant Road, Peter’s Road, Gen. Patter’s Road, Pattulo’s Road, White’s Road, Greame’s Road. Tambaram via Velachery, GST Road from Airport to Tambaram, Irumbuliyur Road/NH45/NH4 to Poonamallee.
Thalankuppam, Water, Beach, Sand. Sitting with your feet at the edge of the wave at 11 AM in Thiruvanmiyur, after a night spent at the office, working with bosses who’ve become friends. Foggy mornings on Napier bridge, clear skies over Broken bridge, evenings and sunsets at Muthuswamy Bridge/Zero point, Watching red taillights of cars diminishing in size while standing on Anna Flyover. 5 minutes later, another motorcyclist stops and the two of you watch taillights of disappearing cars on NH road.

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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.)

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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.