Young Madras, old memories

A quiet city, with blue strips of beaches lying at the heart of it, free roads punctuated with sights of a few sprinting wheels and occasional thuds of carriages. The aroma of piping hot coffee fills the streets, known and unknown, as the cityscape is interspersed with the contours of time-worn heritage buildings. While holding on to the pride in diversity, our city has also bestowed each visitor with a sense of belonging, a home they could call their own. Is the essence of Madras layered under the folds of the waves, in the noise of advancements? Is the old charm washed away by the passing of time? While people who have seen the city grow with them rue the inevitable transformations, they find solace in indulging in nostalgia. Theatre director Gowri Ramnarayan has numerous stories to share about her childhood in the 1950s and beyond. Birds chirping, paddy fields on the roadsides, women on bicycles, horse carriages on the roads this is how she recounts her life in Adyar. She narrates, I studied in the Western Theosophical High School and in Kalakshetra, which were both on the Theosophical Societys campus. In the school, there were little groves and woods. She reminiscesabout her fondest memory of reading books under a banyan tree inside the Theosophical Society. The voracious reader says that was her happiest and safest place. Sharing her favourite moment that is etched in her memory like a painting, she says, Golden orioles used to build their nests in the banyan tree, and they would feel like a flash of gold against the backdrop of the green emerald leaves and coral red berries. The song of the oriole is so haunting. Under the night sky, Gowri used to have moonlight picnics at the Elliots beach, where families connected to the Kalakshetra and Theosophical Society would gather. She recalls having dinner on the silvery sands and the rustling sounds of the Casuarina groves gently breaking the silence of the place. While girls in those times were bound by restrictions, Gowri observed the trend of romantic outings when she was a college-goer in the 60s. Buhari Hotel on Mount Road and Ratna Caf in Triplicane were some of the settings young couples would prefer for sips of coffee. She adds, Movie theatres were an absoluterefuge for people who wanted to be together. Waves of nostalgia The city was still less noisy in the 60s and 70s. R Balasubramanian, proprietor of a pharmaceutical company, who came to Chennai from Chidambaram in 1977, recalls the city as less crammed. He often went out seeking the taste of home. While he was staying in T Nagar, he would visit the Indian Coffee House, whose goodness stays in his memory as freshly brewed even almost five decades later. While friends and coffee were intrinsic to his life away from home, Panagal Parks placidity aligned with his solitude time. He notes income was meager then, and lavish outings were rare. But this didnt keep him entirely from hanging around with his close ones. During his PG Diploma course in Human Resource Management at the University of Madras, his days marked an end with jaunts with his friends to the beach. He describes it as cheapest entertainment. On the wide stretch of sands with scattered petty shops fencing in the outlines, he would sit with his friends, relaxing after his evening classes. With time, he drifted away with his classmates, but treasures those friendships even at the age of 73. The freeing breeze of Marina, and the toast of Buhari Hotel after that, became one of the most relished activities, breaking from the weariness of studies, for Muthukumaran V, a trustee with an NGO Hearts for Hearts, who was born in Chennai. A music lover, he used to make the best use of the jukebox at Buhari; he would drop 25 paise into it to listen to music at length. His short expeditions to beaches and beyond were also about knowing new people. He recalls that his meet-ups with music enthusiasts were a turning point in his life, a real escape from the mundane routine of life. The beach, for decades, has indeed been a witness to millions of friendships and love stories. Krishnakumar TK, a historian and heritage enthusiast, notes that the people hung out near the Gandhi Statue with family, friends, or classmates. We used to relish the crunch of snacks like murukku or mango slices, and the aroma of sundal wrapped in newspaper that was a different kind of cultural experience, he describes. Meanwhile, Raju S, a retired businessman, shares his ritual of gathering at the Santhome Beach every day at 7.15 pm to listen to the All India Radios news broadcast, and mentions his admiration for the way the newsreader would deliver it. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, Woodlands Drive-In, near the Gemini flyover, was another favourite. Krishnakumar says, In those days, it was the hangout place for everybody be it college students, celebrities, or people like us who used to work for corporate companies. Areas like Nungambakkam and Kodambakkam used to be corporate hubs, and this was a spot where one could drive in, roll the windows down and, immediately, a server would walk over with the menu. The visits were also secretly about finding out which celebrity would pay a visit there. He recalls meeting stars and famous Tamil playback singers, there. Safire theatre Love beyond the screen The city, a haven for South Indian cinema, had only standalone theatres. Safire on the Mount Road was Indias first multiplex with three theatres Safire, Blue Diamond, and Emerald. Krishnakumar recalls, I would go to Safire with my friends to watch Hollywood movies, especially on the 70 mm screen, which used to be a gigantic screen in those days. A common sight outside the theatre was people standing in a long queue to get tickets at the Blue Diamond theatre that would screen movies throughout the day. Raju remarks that none of the theatre experiences were a luxury until the 90s because of the low ticket prices. The theatre shut down in 1994, and so did the feasibility for movie enthusiasts. He also mentions Pilot Theatre, which was the first panoramic screen in Chennai; it also became a best-loved spot for Hollywood fans. Besides the beaches, theatres, and food joints, bookstores were considered hangout places too. The wafting scents of new and old pages, running fingers through bookbinds, and leafing through the subtle sheets are now a thing of the past. Krishnakumar, who loved visiting The Landmark bookstores in Nungambakkam, says, Be it going to libraries or a bookstore, just to browse through the books, whether we buy them or not, is a different experience. Not only books and magazines, but the place also used to have a huge collection of cassettes and CDs. Beyond leisure, these were spaces where love blossomed. Anna Nagar Tower Park was a place of bike rides and infatuations for Krishnakumar. I still remember sitting in the park for hours along with my friends. I used to write poems in Tamil, and I would make my friends listen. His fondness for the place is also that his first crush happened to be working in Anna Nagar! Anna Nagar Tower Park While for the residents and non-natives, Chennai gave them everything from books and movies to cafes and beaches, for Suneetha Y, a dentist, who has been staying since 2002, goes back to her college times in the 80s, when she would visit Chennai from Chidambaram. The trip would be incomplete without going to Fountain Plaza, on the Pantheon Road, which she says was a very happening joint for youngsters. She gives a special mention to Ajnabee chat joint, which was a food hub for the nearby college students. Despite many shops springing up, she still sticks to her old spot. Once thronged with her friends, this oldest mall in Chennai is now her familys go-to spot for shopping too. Revisiting the old times was like opening the cherished boxes of treasures of Rajus love life, too. A spot close to his heart was the amphitheatre inside the Museum Theatre campus, where he and his partner would hang out. While he would read out paragraphs, his partner would practise shorthand. An Arts student himself, he recalls architectural places attracted many like him some would try to sketch the places, while others would smoke and chat. It is probably impossible to imagine that the city was once free from the fetters of hustle culture and was untouched by the harsh waves of development. In retrospect, it is important to look at the beauty in the stories that are silenced by the loud noises of modern transformations, that are somehow sunk under the quaintness of the old Chennai, Madras.