What I really love about Chennai is the food and the fabrics that it has to offer. Silk fabric or saree shopping can be done in the big shopping hubs of Chennai such as T. Nagar, but at the same time, you can buy cotton fabrics from Cotton Street (Pantheon Street).
Some of my favourite memories of Chennai from my childhood are during the months of November and December, when Christmas celebrations begin. Chennai comes alive with carol singing, and the city has so many carol competitions. It would begin at the Madras Christian College School, where different choirs from all over the city would come and perform. Then we would go Christmas tree shopping in Purasawalkam, buy some hay, and set up our decorations. We also participated in Golu hopping during Navarathri. This is a subculture in the city, but it is very much part of the culture that I grew up in.
The quintessential soul of Chennai remains unchanged — where we are conservative yet modern. We are a hub of progress in healthcare, education and other sectors. That beautiful dichotomy is what we have managed to keep through all these years.
(As told to Meghna M.)
