Heat and Dust served with Love

Summer is terrible and always scorching in Chennai especially because of the high levels of humidity which makes one sweat profusely. In the process you become tired and exhausted in no time. You feel dreary and just don’t want to step out of the air conditioned comfy luxuries of your home or office. And especially, the worst place to be is the Kitchen and that too cooking in front of the hot stove. And when you step out of the house either by walk, two wheeler or by auto, you have to encounter the gas guzzling mechanical vehicles in all forms, shapes and sizes. The dust and the sand comes in free supply when the vehicles dip in and out of the broken roads and pot holes. Mercury starts to soar from March and reaches a peak in the month of May and continues until end of September. As everyone funnily or rather wearily remarks about Chennai, there is only one type of climate that exists here. It’s hot, hotter and hottest. And trust me when I say this, to live here either you have to be born and brought up here or settled here due to forced circumstances. Else, no one would like to be a part of this City, just because of its wretched climatic condition.

So much negativity about my hometown is indeed not good. But that’s just about it as far as Chennai is concerned. If you can manage this, then you would certainly fall in love with this place, people, culture, life. It’s neither too cosmopolitan nor too docile and steeped in old moral values. It’s got a healthy mix of modern and tradition commingled into one. People by and large are friendly and willing to help. Neither are they too obtrusive nor very intrusive. It’s got a calmness and peace all around that you generally don’t see anywhere else in India, at least in all the major metropolis. It’s got one of the longest beaches in the world, The Marina and then it extends all the way from there to down south. People from all walks of life, culture, religion, race mix freely and uninhibitedly. You don’t generally see any undercurrent of tension, anxiety or stress that’s so much visible in other parts of the cities. While the infrastructure needs a lot of improvement and development, people take it in their stride and move on. In a way, I honestly wish the Government does a bit more to the people that it usually does with the speed and alacrity so that the common man leads a much better life. Water source becomes a scarcity in peak summer and so does Electricity when all the air conditioners buzz to life. In short, this is yet another City with its own pluses and minuses. It again depends on the individual persona who needs to decide and opt for the plus or the minus as they are two sides of the same coin. One comes freely along with the other and you have to balance it out and look for the right fit and make the coin stand.

I wasn’t born here but I was entirely brought up here. So do I like the City, yes, it’s but obvious that I love this city but for the terrible heat and humidity. It’s got everything going for it from its old world charm to the eclectic mix of the modern. People are simple and down to earth. They are just humility personified. Predators and marauders notwithstanding, the City by and large is peaceful. In terms of comparison, you can only compare with other metropolitan Cities either in India or outside of it. You cannot compare this with the little towns and villages which could be more natural and beautiful personified, purely because of the simplicity of life. As the coinage goes, you realize the importance and value of trees when you stand under the scorching sun. You dearly wish the entire city has complete green cover. When you look out of the house from the 9th floor or from the office 8th floor and see patches of greenery around, it looks fabulous and soothing to the heart and the eyes. You wish that the flora and fauna was in sheer abundance everywhere and the foliage thick as a banyan tree. As they say, you should have a lovely life that’s verdant with pleasing thoughts that can nourish, spruce up and grow nimble minds into wonderful humans. And what better place than Chennai...

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