Saturday, December 26, 2009

Walking in the Streets of Chennai

They tell me that it is one of the great cities of India, a hub of commerce, having the status of a Metropolis...

You can tell my disappointment when I trod the streets of Pondi Bazaar...
true, there are definitely more shops and larger too compared to Vellore, more people, more traffic.... but then again, more rubbish, more pollution, and no less slums sitting by a toxic river...

Of course I was amazed at the huge jewellery and gold stores lining both sides of the street, the whole length of the street (india is the largest gold consumer in the world, i am told)...
I really liked the (claimed to be) widest beach in the world -- marina beach...
I was wowed by the architecture of one of the oldest and one of the only three catholic basilica claimed to be built over the tomb of the apostle of Christ -- st Thomas Basilica...
Intrigued by the Kashmiri hand woven carpets and the intricate designs of branze idols...

but then, there was so much poverty, so basely portrayed...
and religion so cheaply peddled...
art so socially detached....

where lies the heart of the city??

i see it in the efforts of the government initiating one of the most efficient public transport systems..
i see it in the hard work of auto drivers renting their vehicles for 200rps a day...
i see it in the serious face of the policewoman guarding the order of the streets...
i see it in the excited school children going for a hockey match...
i see it in the laughter of the kids sitting on a hand powered Ferris wheel...

as i enjoy myself at marina beach, talking to my friends, flying a kite, eating bhaji, feeling the Bengal bay wind, watching the lighthouse in a distance, hearing the screams of happy children around... i am happy to leave all the unsolvable problems to God, and enjoy every moment of life He blesses me with.

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