And since Nxg amputated most of it and A wanted me to send her the whole article... It's easier this way, and a specimen of unwarranted sappiness can only cut the acidity a little bit, right? Here goes.
The thing I miss the most is not calling it Madras anymore! To call it by any other name sounds wrong and forced. I frantically whip out my Digicam on the rare instances I see an old board or building which still has Madras in the place of Chennai.
Seriously, though, I miss the people I grew up with; they made Madras what it is for me.. we discovered the Beach, Sathyam Cinemas, Sports Day at Nehru stadium, Apartment parties and multi-cultural festivals together.
The ones who forced you to go along to plays, French classes at L'Alliance Francais, hole-in-the-wall eateries/posh restaurants (pooling all our money for two cups of coffee), swimming classes, summer camps, entrance coaching (the horror!), birthdays, shopping at the July sales, convocations and weddings. Living in every nook and cranny of Madras, half my allowance spent on fuel/transport.
The ones who've migrated in search of greener pastures, who inevitably shed tears each time they leave, taking bits of Madras in their within-allowed-limits luggage and leaving people-shaped holes behind. What I don’t miss are the goodbyes at the airport. And entrance coaching. Can do without them.
-Seyed Rabia
(Recently finished M.B.B.S. at Sree Balaji Medical College & Hospital)
They printed the first paragraph and the bit about recently finishing MBBS. Yeah, not embarrassing at all.
