Slaves to routine – Thou Name is Human

After the 2 week Chennai trip, I am back to routine or grind as people call it.  But come to think of it, this is what makes us and gives an identity to us. Every thing that we handle in our routine life, be it the smallest of things gives us that sense of connect.  The kitchen utensils that I handle, the feel of my gas burner, the lighter, the water flowing from my kitchen tap, the kitchen towel everything has a personal touch.

The morning chants –the ‘OM’ that lingers in the atmosphere, the agarbatti that I light up – everything combined has a beautiful effect on what makes ME.

My Chennai trip (rather I would call it our Chennai trip – this includes me and Maddy) was a mix of those magnificent temples from the Maangadu Devi temple to Kancheepuram to Pondicherry to visiting the Marina beach.  Beautiful memories of the visit and unforgettable memories of the time spent with my sister.  It completed our trip.   We enjoyed all the places, eating out at Saravana bhavan, Anand Bhavan and the authentic South Indian restaurants of Chennai and Kancheepuram. Initially, I was a bit skeptical of the bus travel, especially the long distance visits – the reasons for my thinking were definitely logical.

l was not quite comfortable with the thought of travelling continuously for three to four hours in the bus, more so because in Mumbai we are so much used to travel by trains. But things were different. I must admit that Chennai has excellent transport, especially when it comes to buses.  What about autos?  This is the next question?  Make sure you have done your pranayama and meditation first thing in the morning and have religiously taken your ATEN 50 (for your information – these are blood pressure tablets).  Arguing and debating with the autowallahs to even drop you to nearby places is going to take a toll on your health and that’s period.  Many of the rickshaw wallahs will clearly read from your face that you are not from Chennai and they know they can take you for a ride. Chennai being a round city, you will be driven round and round (without your even realizing)- the closest of the auto fares is anything between 100 to 120 Rs.  So guys, get ready to loosen your purse strings, if you are not ready to board the bus.

The bus travel was really comfortable thanks to the beautiful weather of Chennai (Chennai is beautiful between January to February) and quite pleasant.   We saw lush green fields on the way and the cool breeze blowing made me think that yehhhh, travel is something that is truly pleasurable.  The announcements at the bus stop and the fleet of buses that continuously ply on different routes are amazing and wonderful managed and definitely worth documenting. Chennai is known for its excellent point to point bus services.  Our trip to Chennai would not have been complete without getting the sweets and savouries from Adayar Anand Bhavan, Surya Sweets. Beautiful memories, lovely vacation!!!

Luv

Rekha