to chennai with love
dear chennai,
you had me at hello. from the time that your name flashed upon my eyes until my flight took off two days later, you kept me charmed in entirety. here, i attempt to do justice to some of the wonderful moments we shared.
i had only a day (less than, in fact) to spend with you, and wondered if i could do justice. the morning began with a lovely view from the 6th floor windows of hotel savera on r.k. salai and the sound of the namaz being read in the distance. after a sumptuous breakfast downstairs with dad, i waited for s to come. she (and her infinite kindness) had offered to take me around for the day.
[a called me while i waited for s, and in my presumption that any call that came had to be from s (since she was the one i was waiting to hear from), i asked immediately if i should "come down" :). few people are more entertaining when surprised, and i still laugh at the way a repeated with surprise, "come down?".]
delayed in our departure from the hotel, the driver of our cab told us that our first stop - kapaleswarar temple in mylapore - would close at 11 (it was 10.40 already). hoping to catch a 10 minute darshan, we arrived there to discover that it would close instead at 1, unlike most days. today was apparently a most auspicious day - first, because it was a friday; second, because it was the first friday after pongal; and third, because it was the day of the pradosham puja. i cannot describe the aura of the temple and do it justice. that i spent nearly two hours within may speak for itself. s showed me around the temple beautifully well, while i listened intently, understood, and followed in her steps. i pray that the pradosham puja helped wash away some of my sins as well (as is its objective).
after offering our prayers to each of the deities, s and i visited the kapaleswarar tank facing the west gopuram and bought some puffed rice to feed the fishes. it was blissful to simply watch every grain of rice disappear within seconds, as the fishes kept their mouths hungrily open (almost) the entire time. we then went back into the temple, did namaskaram, and left the temple complex from the main gopuram in the east. this is when it struck me to take some pictures, and as soon as i had taken the camera out of the car, the temple gates were closed. no doubt our visit had been perfectly timed.
having bought some postcards and a picture of the deities, we left the temple grounds. while i lamented over not getting a picture of the beautiful tank, i found that our car was passing through the tank on our way out, and i was able to stop and get out again. as a bonus, s bought me a tender coconut as well. nectar, indeed.
i was supposed to have called a a while ago, but within the temple i could not, so i called now. she had stepped out though, and the meeting was not to be. incidentally, s complimented me here by asking if i had lived in chennai before, since my pronunciations were so good. i confessed i hadn't, but it felt good nonetheless :). and in a previous birth, perhaps.
from the temple then, we headed to the theosophical society across the adyar river. the campus was stunning - green, peaceful, and perfect. while at the entrance gate, i walked around taking some pictures, only to be attacked on the back of the head by a crow in flight. a first experience, and as i was told, it was to scare me away from the tree i was photographing, because that was where the crow had its nest. a gentle and touching encounter :). (it reminded me of ramana's verse on the hornet's nest.)
we went deeper into the campus and visited, first, the buddha temple. inscribed on the walls was "there is no religion greater than truth", and all the major religions of the world found representation here. the architecture was ancient but western, reminiscent of british india. we proceeded to see the famed banyan tree. indeed, what a tree. unfortunately, the core of the tree had found its demise 7 years ago, but the roots had extended a vast distance. it was a sight. the security guard there engaged s in a long conversation, as he told her (and she me) about the society, its visitors, the tree, the laws he tried to enforce, what we were missing out on, etc. after spending a long and peaceful moment in the quiet and serenity, the coolness and warmth, and nature and its bounty, we headed to the library (alas, it was closed), and then back out.
as we were near the olcott memorial high school, where my friend's mother is principal, we decided to stop by to say hello. this was certainly the longest hello in my experience. we could not escape a full-fledged and entirely perspective-granting tour of the school, its people, and its activities. more on this later, when i fulfill my promise of writing a site visit report on a surprise visit (for the school and me!). i'd like to add however that the glass of cow's milk we were served here was the sweetest-tasting glass of milk i've ever had (sans sugar, naturally).
time was short, or in the negative, rather, but we headed onward to the ashtalakshmi temple anyway (note that lunch bore no mention). i had thought i'd have to sacrifice this darshan, but luck favored me. the darshan was neither rushed nor less than perfect. surprisingly, i even remember the eight lakshmis (adi, vidya, vijaya, dhana, dhanya, dhairya, gaja, and santhana).
when we exited the temple, it really was time to go. i had been looking longingly at the beach for the while, and when the driver was not to be found, s let me run to touch the waters (of the great bay of bengal). i cannot describe the sheer joy this ignited within, but perhaps the photos that s was kind to take will do the honor. bliss defined itself in those cherished moments.
in all this time, lunch had been entirely forgotten. there wasn't even time to eat a decent meal at woodlands, as we had hoped. but once we were back at the conference venue, we were given some bread, jam, and papaya. perhaps nothing like woodlands, but a memorable lunch indeed :).
the ride to the airport through the traffic of chennai was a breeze. among all the metropolitan cities of india that i have visited, chennai, your traffic conditions are indeed superior. later, in the flight, when i looked for my cellphone to switch it off, i found there was no phone. somewhere along the day, it had been left behind. i pray that it fell in good hands and to good use.
thank you, dear city, for a lovely day. it was immersed in the four i's through and through. the lords have been kind, indeed, in plenty. i do hope to see you again. and soon.
(nb: pictures of you and me have been duly posted.)
you had me at hello. from the time that your name flashed upon my eyes until my flight took off two days later, you kept me charmed in entirety. here, i attempt to do justice to some of the wonderful moments we shared.
i had only a day (less than, in fact) to spend with you, and wondered if i could do justice. the morning began with a lovely view from the 6th floor windows of hotel savera on r.k. salai and the sound of the namaz being read in the distance. after a sumptuous breakfast downstairs with dad, i waited for s to come. she (and her infinite kindness) had offered to take me around for the day.
[a called me while i waited for s, and in my presumption that any call that came had to be from s (since she was the one i was waiting to hear from), i asked immediately if i should "come down" :). few people are more entertaining when surprised, and i still laugh at the way a repeated with surprise, "come down?".]
delayed in our departure from the hotel, the driver of our cab told us that our first stop - kapaleswarar temple in mylapore - would close at 11 (it was 10.40 already). hoping to catch a 10 minute darshan, we arrived there to discover that it would close instead at 1, unlike most days. today was apparently a most auspicious day - first, because it was a friday; second, because it was the first friday after pongal; and third, because it was the day of the pradosham puja. i cannot describe the aura of the temple and do it justice. that i spent nearly two hours within may speak for itself. s showed me around the temple beautifully well, while i listened intently, understood, and followed in her steps. i pray that the pradosham puja helped wash away some of my sins as well (as is its objective).
after offering our prayers to each of the deities, s and i visited the kapaleswarar tank facing the west gopuram and bought some puffed rice to feed the fishes. it was blissful to simply watch every grain of rice disappear within seconds, as the fishes kept their mouths hungrily open (almost) the entire time. we then went back into the temple, did namaskaram, and left the temple complex from the main gopuram in the east. this is when it struck me to take some pictures, and as soon as i had taken the camera out of the car, the temple gates were closed. no doubt our visit had been perfectly timed.
having bought some postcards and a picture of the deities, we left the temple grounds. while i lamented over not getting a picture of the beautiful tank, i found that our car was passing through the tank on our way out, and i was able to stop and get out again. as a bonus, s bought me a tender coconut as well. nectar, indeed.
i was supposed to have called a a while ago, but within the temple i could not, so i called now. she had stepped out though, and the meeting was not to be. incidentally, s complimented me here by asking if i had lived in chennai before, since my pronunciations were so good. i confessed i hadn't, but it felt good nonetheless :). and in a previous birth, perhaps.
from the temple then, we headed to the theosophical society across the adyar river. the campus was stunning - green, peaceful, and perfect. while at the entrance gate, i walked around taking some pictures, only to be attacked on the back of the head by a crow in flight. a first experience, and as i was told, it was to scare me away from the tree i was photographing, because that was where the crow had its nest. a gentle and touching encounter :). (it reminded me of ramana's verse on the hornet's nest.)
we went deeper into the campus and visited, first, the buddha temple. inscribed on the walls was "there is no religion greater than truth", and all the major religions of the world found representation here. the architecture was ancient but western, reminiscent of british india. we proceeded to see the famed banyan tree. indeed, what a tree. unfortunately, the core of the tree had found its demise 7 years ago, but the roots had extended a vast distance. it was a sight. the security guard there engaged s in a long conversation, as he told her (and she me) about the society, its visitors, the tree, the laws he tried to enforce, what we were missing out on, etc. after spending a long and peaceful moment in the quiet and serenity, the coolness and warmth, and nature and its bounty, we headed to the library (alas, it was closed), and then back out.
as we were near the olcott memorial high school, where my friend's mother is principal, we decided to stop by to say hello. this was certainly the longest hello in my experience. we could not escape a full-fledged and entirely perspective-granting tour of the school, its people, and its activities. more on this later, when i fulfill my promise of writing a site visit report on a surprise visit (for the school and me!). i'd like to add however that the glass of cow's milk we were served here was the sweetest-tasting glass of milk i've ever had (sans sugar, naturally).
time was short, or in the negative, rather, but we headed onward to the ashtalakshmi temple anyway (note that lunch bore no mention). i had thought i'd have to sacrifice this darshan, but luck favored me. the darshan was neither rushed nor less than perfect. surprisingly, i even remember the eight lakshmis (adi, vidya, vijaya, dhana, dhanya, dhairya, gaja, and santhana).
when we exited the temple, it really was time to go. i had been looking longingly at the beach for the while, and when the driver was not to be found, s let me run to touch the waters (of the great bay of bengal). i cannot describe the sheer joy this ignited within, but perhaps the photos that s was kind to take will do the honor. bliss defined itself in those cherished moments.
in all this time, lunch had been entirely forgotten. there wasn't even time to eat a decent meal at woodlands, as we had hoped. but once we were back at the conference venue, we were given some bread, jam, and papaya. perhaps nothing like woodlands, but a memorable lunch indeed :).
the ride to the airport through the traffic of chennai was a breeze. among all the metropolitan cities of india that i have visited, chennai, your traffic conditions are indeed superior. later, in the flight, when i looked for my cellphone to switch it off, i found there was no phone. somewhere along the day, it had been left behind. i pray that it fell in good hands and to good use.
thank you, dear city, for a lovely day. it was immersed in the four i's through and through. the lords have been kind, indeed, in plenty. i do hope to see you again. and soon.
(nb: pictures of you and me have been duly posted.)
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