Being @ Chennai

I have been meaning to write this blog for a while now but somehow got caught into a series of events. Anyways, about a month ago one of my roomies, Swati left for her hometown for good. Over dinner, a common friend of ours who has been struggling to get a transfer out of Chennai, congratulated her and jokingly said “Tere paap dhul gaye aur tu Chennai se ja rahi hai” meaning that your sins have got erased and so you are leaving Chennai. We all laughed at this statement, but I quietly wondered if Chennai is really that bad. I distinctly remember how scandalized my friends were I broke the news that I had got my posting in Chennai. Some of them actually told me that I was out of my mind that I agreed to go to Chennai. Most of their concerns were actually revolved around the fact that after living all my life in a city like Mumbai, it would be exceedingly unimaginable to stay in Chennai and suspected that the place and its culture would be harsh on me. Honestly, in a way it scared me a bit & was equally skeptical. But yet I was excited to live on my own and that too in a different city, that I went ahead with moving to Chennai. Now once in Chennai, after about 5 odd months here, I can safely say that I am actually having a good time here and there are zero regrets about my decision to move here. This place is probably diametrically opposite to Mumbai, but I guess that is the beauty of living in different cities in India, where each city has its own distinct flavor. There are many people who will totally disagree with my views on Chennai and may also think that I am out of my mind. I feel they may be right only for the former part of the previous sentence, as living in Chennai comes with a baggage like language problems, the horrible rickshaws, and an absolutely dead night life. But on the good side of it, its place very safe for girl to stay alone in, has some very good food joints and no am not talking about south Indian food here. Now, isn’t that the story of every city,even say for a city like Bombay oops, I mean Mumbai, which has its own set of plusses and minuses to live in? The truth is, that it’s not the place but the people there who make the place for you. Honestly had I not met the friends I have here, my amazingly awesome 4 and half roomies, my brilliant yet totally crazy colleagues, Chennai wouldn’t have been what I perceive it be now. I cannot imagine how my life would have been had it not been for my really fun loving, super chilled, non-hassled and extremely sweet roomies, who actually make each other feel so at home that at the end of day you feel happy returning back. Then colleagues, I spend almost 80 % of my life in there, no matter how stressful, you know after a coffee break you will be all rejuvenated, where there is someone to talk gibberish, someone to play silly jokes on, some intellectual bunch for some heated group discussions, some whose collection of sad P.Js never gets exhausted, a girl gang to have your girlie talks with and where we all fight like kids to get a biggest share in sweets, chocolates and everything and anything that can be eaten.

So about a few ago when I came across a survey listing worst cities in the world to live in, I was so surprised to find the only Indian entry was Chennai and boy oh boy, I was mighty infuriated. May be the expats who conducted the survey should see the city through my friends and the people I am spending time here with and then check if they still feel the same about the city. As after all, I feel the house will stay a house but when filled with the right people, it becomes a home!!