Tamland

2011 has been the most eventful year of my life. Yet, it's been the year with the least number of posts on this blog. What is worse, I have not even managed to summarise my experience at RSM adequately, barring the 2 terms. I choose to lay that aside for a while and proceed with one of my resolutions for 2012 - writing more.

I have spent the last one month in Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu (or Tamland, my attempt at making it sound more contemporary). To be honest, I wasn't exactly looking forward to the stay, given that most of my friends didn't live in Madras anymore. The ones who do are now married and have moved on. I have had enough time to observe where the city is now compared to what it was a year ago, or even four years ago. I am sad to say that the way I see it, Madras has taken a step backward. The condition of the roads are at their worst and the city now has no effective waste management mechanism in place. What used to be clean and beautiful streets for morning walk, have now become breeding ground for communicable diseases. Besant Nagar Beach - my favourite spot for the rare walk/jog is now a chamber-pot-in-making. Fortunately the state of public transport has improved, with newer and more durable buses. Thiruvanmiyur beach remains clean enough for walks and jogs on the sand, something that I did on a regular basis during my stay here, in an effort to get some physical activity. Nonetheless, overall, the old man and his family have literally destroyed the city. Let's see what the fat lady sings. Why am I giving such a hard time to my birthplace and hometown? For one, Bengaluru, a city that Chennaites don't like to live in, due to it's apparent sub-standard infrastructure (given the revenue it generates), is racing ahead in all the aspects that I have mentioned so far. While there is no direct information reported by the media, could it be due to the presence of a Lok Ayukta? That will be as close as I will get to covering India's biggest debate of 2011, at least on this post.

Having said all that, I did have quite a bit of fun, mostly in a way only my hypergeeky 18-21 year old self could have had - perhaps for the last time in many years. Thank God for the fact that my closest friend in Madras hasn't tied the knot (yet). It wasn't all rosy with him though. He obviously couldn't connect with everything that I was trying to tell him about Netherlands and Europe in general. It appeared as though I would lose the link with him as well. Fortunately for mankind, there's always Johnny Walker Black Label. Reconnecting with many old acquaintances proved great, as we met up regularly at the local pub/bar, as our 21 year old selves. The trip to Ritchie Street was probably the icing on the cake. Ritchie Street, arguably the most overcrowded street with 99% of the population being male, is the haven of all tech savvy geeks in Madras, with all computer parts, circuit boards and electronic equipment available at near-wholesale prices. After purchasing a headphone for my sis, I proceeded to raid all of the eating joints along the street. The Samosa Channa stall at the end of the street and Balaji Stall's Rasam Vadai haven't lost their taste. Speaking of taste, Vishranti Hotpoint's Sambar tastes as good as it did four, or even ten years ago!

More on my India stay later. I have to catch a flight to Netherlands in a while!