Well continuing my You Know You Are In series, this time on Chennai, a city which is special to me, as it gave me the first break in my career. And like any other place where I spent more than a year, this place also has memories, good, bad and ugly.
So you know you are in Chennai when
- You have your "kaapi" filtered, strong and in steel tumblers( no cups please).
You start the day with "kaapi" and the Hindu newspaper.
The conductor in the bus sits at one end, and you have to go all the way to get the ticket.
You smash pumpkins right on the road to ward off the evil eye.
You say "Soopero", whenever you totally admire something.
You have 3 kinds of weather- hot, hotter and hottest.
When your relatives come visiting, you begin to plan for water supply and usage.
Your surprised when the otherwise simple Maami next door, turns up for a wedding in a collection of jewellrey, that would make a Queen feel like a pauper.
Every slum has a flag either of the DMK or the AIADMK.
At the crack of the dawn, you smell the incense and the aroma of the dishes from the nearby hotel, along with MS Subbalaxmi's Suprabhatham.
The traffic cops quite often resemble those you see in the villian's den of any Indian movie.
When you find Saravana, Sangeethas, Woodlands at every nook and corner of the city.
When Burma Bazaar is a place where you buy counterfeit goods.
When you ask the autowallah to put on the meter, and he looks at you as if you are a Martian.
When you do travel in auto by meter, and you find that it is double the amount you have to pay for what you would have after bargaining.
When during a music concert, the women are more interested in knowing about which store offers sarees and jewellrey at the least discount.
When you hang out near Ethiraj College for the females.
When the best option to beat the heat is to hang out in Spencer's Plaza.
When you drive down all the way to Pondicherry during the weekends for booze.
When you know a heroine is a superstar, if she has a temple in her name.
When you hit it out to T.Nagar for any purchase of textiles or jewellrey.
And yeah some more in pipeline. So any Chennaities here, can add to this list.