Want a Tasty Parantha? Visit Chennai
By Swati Kakodkar
Educator, Founder & Storyteller – STORY KI BORY, Bangalore
Introduction by Venkat
Every place has its signature experiences, the ones uniquely their own. Strange or humorous as they may be, it makes it worth while to remember, talk and visit for the difference it represents from us. India is thus blessed with such diversity and beautiful reasons to visit various towns and cities – each in their own world – making for a wonderful tapestry of experiences from one end to the other. Swati, a seasoned storyteller, brings Chennai to life in all its idiosyncrasies and wonders one could envelop oneself in. The writing style is joyous and refined in humor. Thankful to her for this light-hearted article for readers.
Swati Kakodkar is the Founder & Storyteller at “Story ki Bory®” – an initiative with a vision to make a definite difference, and create a positive change through the transforming energy of stories and storytelling. Swati believes in destiny, and at the same time strongly believes that it’s up to each person to make it a reality – like when she stumbled upon storytelling in the US libraries where she participated in the parent-child sessions with her son. She herself was so awed by the story time program that she decided to try her hand at it.
Website: http://www.storykibory.co.in
Want a Tasty Parantha? Visit Chennai
Amazed? Really? Do not be…. life has this uncanny habit of springing up surprises where you least expect. But coming back to the parantha…Being a lover of North-Indian food and particularly a parantha, I am totally over the moon when I can feast upon a good one! And wonder of wonders, I found some of the best paranthas I have ever eaten in……. Chennai.
I mean is not Chennai or Madras as it was once proudly called, supposed to be widely acclaimed for its sambar and dosas? But many years ago, I frequented a restaurant called Pathankot and was pleasantly surprised! The eatery had quite a variety – you could start with the good old aloo (potato) or mooli (radish), and then proceed to various amazing combos – tomato and spring onion, chilly paneer, you got the drift, I am sure.
While we are on Chennai, the parantha is not the only discovery that I made in the one and half years that I lived there. Let me share with you some more – but before I begin, I add a ‘claimer’, (opposite of a disclaimer if you will) – in no way are these amusing stories meant to ridicule the place or its people. I consider each of these discoveries as memories that continue to amaze and make me nostalgic…. and so here goes-
“You mean we will have to buy water? As in spend on everyday water for drinking and cooking?” I could not believe my ears.
Here we were, newly married, planning our finances, and wanting to save, and my husband says we have to pay for water…this was my second encounter in Chennai with something extraordinary.
My first was with…well we will come to that later.
Let me assure you this buying of water not only meant coughing up money every few days, but also required me to keep track of the water level in the transparent Bisleri bubble top, estimate how many more hours it would suffice (taking into account variables like amount and type of cooking, level of thirst for that week, number of guests entertained, etc, etc.) and decide whether we needed to order another one – all this while juggling a hectic job which hardly gave me some four hours at home (excluding the seven hours of sleep of course). But I did well on the water estimation and management front. Hey what am I doing here writing? Perhaps I could be one of those analysts, you know – observing, estimating, predicting and all that. And considering that I went wrong only on two occasions, maybe I should apply for a Six Sigma. What say?
I remember my conversation with the water vendor – “Hello Bisleri? Oru, one 25 litre bubble top, Aishwarya Apts, Sadullah Street, Old number 18, New number 14.” Surprised again? This is the first outlandish encounter I was talking about earlier. I mean why would anyone have an old as well as a new number. Isn’t the logic simple? If you have a new system, please discard the old one, just like they replaced Madras with Chennai. But anyway, life goes on with more numbers to remember.
In Chennai, as in many other Indian cities, you would think the various utilities have a strategic tie-up with the orthopedics in the city. Just when you thought, let us say G N Chetty Road is in perfect condition on Monday, come Tuesday and it is dug up. The ride now is on a treacherous terrain, almost giving you an off-roading experience. This means on Wednesday you must visit the orthopaedician before reporting to work. And it is the same story with every other road. Why cannot all the people responsible come together (over kapi and vadais if they wish) and decide in unison about the road digging? But no, sorry, you must go through a roller coaster ride and learn to live with a back breaking experience.
Ok fine, after having endured the grueling ‘road’ experience you finally reach your destination – the movie theatre and what do you find? Public dressed in heavy silk, with sweet smelling flowers and decked in solid gold. Wait a minute. Did we come to a wedding by mistake? Do not be surprised. See I told you about this city and its ability to churn up surprises. We have come to the theatre alright. But some people are happy in their very best finery. ‘Live and let live’ I say and go enjoy the movie (after you get through the huge crowds, be it any day of the week).
It is several years now that I have been away from Chennai. But these ‘unique’ discoveries compel me to revisit the place in my thoughts. While each discovery may be amusing, they offer a few lessons. After having paid for every drop of water consumed,
I just cannot waste water, and I severely protest when others do. And the ‘dressed up’ experience at the movies? Well, it has made me realize how much pride some people take in their culture. And people like these perhaps are instrumental in keeping traditions and culture alive- not people like me who have so easily adopted jeans and T-shirt as a way of life.
By Swati Kakodkar
Educator, Founder & Storyteller – STORY KI BORY, Bangalore