Live from Chennai - Part 5

By some strange and rare alignment of planets, elections are taking place in Chennai on the day I'm supposed to be leaving for the US. And I was dumb founded when my name actually showed up in the voter's list and the card was delivered to my house. Since I've been away fom home ever since I finished my schooling, I've never had the opportunity to vote. And I've always assumed that my identity has been safely and surely taken over and is in the pool of kalla votes. But as it turns out, all's well with the Indian democratic process, and I proudly cast my vote for the first time and came back with a smug smile and an ink mark that many say will never leave the finger. My dad thinks that my brother and I wasted our votes because we cast them for a party that had high ideals but nary a chance of winning. Isn't that what democracy is all about?

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Everyone has given up predicting the result of this election and have decided its too close to call. The most common word I hear in association with this election is that it is a 'watershed' in TamilNadu politics. Since MGR, no incumbent party has won the elections, and we have a long history of alternating DMK and AIADMK rule. I've been striking conversations with auto drivers wherever I go (for fun ofcourse, not for any serious intelligence gathering!), and the word on the street has nothing new to offer as well. We'll just have to wait and watch.

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I've been enjoying riding my motorcycle again and weaving through the Chennai traffic. The first few days, I was being polite and yielding to pedestrians and all that stuff. Now I find myself squeezing in between 2 cars at the traffic signal so I can be the first one to take off when the count down reaches 7 (If you wait till zero, even bullock carts would have left you behind). But I never got the guts to drive our new car, and my brother Chandru has been moonlighting as the resident driver and car DJ.

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Plenty of new and high-rise office buildings and lavish apartment complexes, improving roads, increasing number of cars (quite a few imported ones) and plenty of people willing to go out, spend a bit and have fun - Madras has slowly and surely turned the corner from Conservative street to Fast Life Hwy. But roam the streets of Mylapore, Mandaveli or Triplicane and the old world charm is still there. Its a delicate mix that not many cities can pull off.

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Can't believe my 3 week sojourn in Chennai got over this fast. Although I'll be glad to get out of this heat and humidity, I'll still miss this city. Not just because of friends and family, but I'll miss the city for the city's sake. Madras has a pace and personality of its own, just like any other city you might say. But for any long-time Madras-vasi, its tough to imagine settling down anywhere else. And despite all the short comings, the people here have always been extremely smart and cosmopolitan. I believe we're just seeing the beginning of the great Chennai boom. Its been fun blogging about my city. Adios!

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