25th Aug - 5:30 am: Waiting at the Domestic Airport for my flight to Chennai
6:00 am: Flight takes off...and in seconds we are in the clouds
9:00 am: Flight lands at the Chennai Airport...my brother is waiting to receive me
9:15 am: We give each other a tight HUG!!!
That was the moment that took me into the clouds. It was a experience that I feel short in words to explain.
We (me, my bro and dad) spent the weekend in Chennai. Probably three of us had never had such a wonderful time together. Sadly aaee (my mom) was not able to be with us...we definitely missed her. On Saturday we went to my bro's campus (the L&T) and a mall where we did some shopping and eating and a lot of chatting. On Sunday we went to the beach called as the Marina beach. This was the first time I had seen the east coast of India (and first time tasted the fish from the Bay)
Chennai is a wonderful place...the statement can be generalized to say "the place where one's bro stays" is a wonderful place. About an unbiased opinion, I would say, the people are warm and helpful. Communication stands a problem as they don't understand Hindi and English is a bit of problem. And yet they seem to do their bit to see that strangers are not stranded. Locals are similar to the ones in Mumbai (they have 3 lines as well)...just that they are not so crowded. The major reason is bus transport being the favourite mode of commuting. Bus fares are amazingly low and buses reach to every corner of the city. The rickshaws have digital meters installed...none of them work and fares are to be bargained. Verie simblee (very simply) if you are a stranger to Chennai, buy a map and opt for the locals. Salted banana chips are worth it...so do buy a packet when you are there. For those who love fish, if you are accustomed to the sea fish...best recommended is don't try, very likely you would not like it. Chapatis and rotis are luxury items, rice is all yours. Chennai, though a metro, does not seem to be brand crazy. Fashion is slow to come. We did see a KFC and a SUBWAY, but for bakeries...no Monginis, no Birdies...just local sweet shops. People still go by "Early to bed and early to rise". Don't know when they get up, but the city closes near to 9! At 11, it is like 2 AM in Mumbai. Cool place to be. Finally those who like (buying or gifting) sarees, Kanchipuram silk is worth buying here.
Though I noted all this about Chennai, the best part was the "jadoo ki jhappi" when I reached and all the time that we spent together till the last minute. I was in Chennai for approx. 46 hrs and we spent all that time together. With him, time has always been special...but now that the distance has increased, that we know we would be meeting less often...the value of every minute in such occasions is worth a lot more than words can express. Probably the only way to feel the preciousness is to experience it! It's truly said, distances bring relations closer.
6:00 am: Flight takes off...and in seconds we are in the clouds
9:00 am: Flight lands at the Chennai Airport...my brother is waiting to receive me
9:15 am: We give each other a tight HUG!!!
That was the moment that took me into the clouds. It was a experience that I feel short in words to explain.
We (me, my bro and dad) spent the weekend in Chennai. Probably three of us had never had such a wonderful time together. Sadly aaee (my mom) was not able to be with us...we definitely missed her. On Saturday we went to my bro's campus (the L&T) and a mall where we did some shopping and eating and a lot of chatting. On Sunday we went to the beach called as the Marina beach. This was the first time I had seen the east coast of India (and first time tasted the fish from the Bay)
Chennai is a wonderful place...the statement can be generalized to say "the place where one's bro stays" is a wonderful place. About an unbiased opinion, I would say, the people are warm and helpful. Communication stands a problem as they don't understand Hindi and English is a bit of problem. And yet they seem to do their bit to see that strangers are not stranded. Locals are similar to the ones in Mumbai (they have 3 lines as well)...just that they are not so crowded. The major reason is bus transport being the favourite mode of commuting. Bus fares are amazingly low and buses reach to every corner of the city. The rickshaws have digital meters installed...none of them work and fares are to be bargained. Verie simblee (very simply) if you are a stranger to Chennai, buy a map and opt for the locals. Salted banana chips are worth it...so do buy a packet when you are there. For those who love fish, if you are accustomed to the sea fish...best recommended is don't try, very likely you would not like it. Chapatis and rotis are luxury items, rice is all yours. Chennai, though a metro, does not seem to be brand crazy. Fashion is slow to come. We did see a KFC and a SUBWAY, but for bakeries...no Monginis, no Birdies...just local sweet shops. People still go by "Early to bed and early to rise". Don't know when they get up, but the city closes near to 9! At 11, it is like 2 AM in Mumbai. Cool place to be. Finally those who like (buying or gifting) sarees, Kanchipuram silk is worth buying here.
Though I noted all this about Chennai, the best part was the "jadoo ki jhappi" when I reached and all the time that we spent together till the last minute. I was in Chennai for approx. 46 hrs and we spent all that time together. With him, time has always been special...but now that the distance has increased, that we know we would be meeting less often...the value of every minute in such occasions is worth a lot more than words can express. Probably the only way to feel the preciousness is to experience it! It's truly said, distances bring relations closer.
Dear bro...miss you a lot!!!
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