Travelling by bus at 7:00 in the morning through the roads of T.Nagar, which, by the way, is where I stay now, I pass by some of the once-very-familiar streets and roads. My memories go back in time to when, as a kid, I travelled on the same roads on a rickshaw to go to school. North Usman Road, Habibullah Road, Periyar Road, Thirumalai Pillai Road, G.N.Chetty Road, Jeeva Park, Dr. Nair Road, cutting across Pondy Bazaar to reach Thanikachalam Road. The roads would be as empty back then as they are at 7 in the morning now. I used to commute in a non-motorized rickshaw when I was studying in kindergarten and later in a motor rickshaw, that too in what was called a ‘kooNDu rickshaw’. Today, rickshaws are almost extinct.
It is only when you are walking on a road or when there is not much traffic on the road that you can pause to see the buildings by the side of the roads. Our family paediatrician’s clinic, the bakery where my sister and I used to regularly buy cakes from when we were kids, the building where a provision store used to be there, the shop from where, after passing by and seeing a set of building blocks on display, we pestered our parents and got it for playing 🙂 , the street where we lived, Vivek & Co., Hotel Residency which seemed pretty huge to me back then… Nostalgia strikes!
And what else can make you more nostalgic than seeing the house where you lived when you were a kid! My husband and I had gone to a street that is next to the one where we used to live. Having come this far, I wanted to see the house. As I was busy recounting the names of people who lived in each house, I missed seeing the house properly and we again drove through the street once again so that I could see the house! I realized that in my mind I had imagined the street to be much longer than it actually is and that was one of the reasons why I had missed seeing the house in the first place.
Even as I am in the process of getting settled into a new routine, I am happy that it is only to an area that is familiar to me that I have now moved to.
back with a nostalgic post soon after marriage?
Hmm..some memories are truly sweet when one re-lives them..nice to read a post like this after a while..
Sathej
I took the same route to my school – which was in Dr. Nair Road ! I guess you lived in Unnamalayammal street or one of its parallel streets- from all the descriptions you. provide.
Since we are separated by at least a decade in age, I suspect we never played with each other, but I am sure I had friends in your childhood neighbourhood that I routinely visited when you were a baby !
Nice to see my childhood haunts in someone else’s nostalgia as well.
Hi Aparna, I know you are probably busy as its the first month of your married life. I wish the best in life. I have been totally inspired by you to write my own blog, especially the Q&A sessions. Congratulations on that as you have driven the most lazy person to write something which keeps her brain functioning. I would like you to visit my blog and let me know how you feel about the same by leaving a comment. I am so new to this and want you blog gurus help to get it done the right way for me. My blog is http://www.jananisings.wordpress.com
P.S. I am sorry to write this unrelated stuff under the Chennai post.
Wow..Congrats! And happy married life 🙂 I didnt know about it until I read through your blogs now! 😀
And Yeah, sometimes even I would wanna just go back 2 those good old days 🙁
Cheers
PK!
Dear Aparna!!
Wow…. got married??? Good to hear that!! All the very best in life to you and your husband!!!
Sometimes past is better than present!!
Anyways take care!!
Regards
Saravanan!!
Hi aparna, let me first introduce myself as Nanditha Balaji. I happened to read the blog only now. I am part of Naidu Hall Family Store, which is run by G.Venugopal. I am extremely happy to know that you were our customer from very young. At the same time, I also feel sad you are not one now. I don’t know which store you went to. Though both stores nhfs and naihaa are separate, it is wrong on our part to have allowed bad customer service.I personally disapprove of poor customer service as an individual.we have been periodically having staff meetings on the service of customers and also concentrating on having better choices.it is our duty to serve your ll,our customers. And at the same time we would appreciate it if you bring it to our notice immediately,as there are individual floor managers, who are always on their respective floors. Aparna you are our valued customer. Please help us serve you better. And please visit our stores. Our branches are at pondy bazaar, Annanagar, velachery,mogappair, tambaram, ambattur, Salem, trichy, Coimbatore. Visit our stores and please give us your feedback.we hope to help you continue the tradition that your mother started. Thank you.
Nanditha Balaji
Hi Aparna,
Am new here to your blog.
Glad I stopped here.
You’ve gotta good blog, esp. I loved your temple posts.
Do visit mine when you find time.
My Travelogue
You have a FANTASTIC blog here, Aparna! I lived in Madras for a decade. Then got married and moved to the US and parents left Madras for Mysore. I went back after a very long time and could barely recognize Usman Road, Pondy Bazaar and Mahalingapuram. These were our constants. We used to buy a saree in Nallis or Kumarans and then walk over to Pondy Bazaar and right in front of the ration shop (you may be too young to know what a ration shop is) there used to be a sugar-cane juice stall. Drink juice there, find matching blouse in Pondy Bazaar Nallis and then walk over to Ambikas buy some kai-murukku and then take the auto home. I think my parents still have the bedsheets from the Bombay Dyeing that used to be there :). Nice blog. I will read it as time permits. Naidu Hall in my time was a small store then it became a big two-storey kadai. Now you are saying it is huge. I loved Sundari when I was there 6 years ago. Who knows maybe one of these days, I will be in Madras and can go shopping. My parent’s friends used to stay close to present day Sundari in one of those bungalows. We called them Horlicks Aunty and Uncle :). Best wishes on your kalyanam
My3