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‘Chennai Is A Word, Madras Is An Emotion’: 16 Reasons Why Chennai Is A Loved City!

Chennai is one of those cities in South India that have a right balance of tradition and urbanization. The city is diverse with culture, heritage, and tradition that would make you want to say, “Chennai is a city but Madras is an emotion.” In a recent quora answer, an individual from another state who resided in Chennai talks about the 10 best things the people of Chennai hold dear to them. Here is what he had to say:

 

1) The Culture – Dramatics, Classical music concerts, Bharatnatyam shows, Quizzes, Spelling Bee contests, Art movies, Painting exhibitions – You can find at least one of these almost every single day, in any of the many auditoriums.

 

 

2) Madras Filter Kaapi is the best thing one can have early in the morning, with a plate of hot Pongal. Do try the Karpagambal mess in Mylapore. YUM!


3) Cycling at 4 am to Besant Nagar or Marina Beach beach to catch the sunrise, and then to grab breakfast in Mash or Murugan Idli (Or Pupil in the evening) at Elliot’s beach is the best way to spend a Sunday morning.

 

4) Rs.120 per Movie – Any day, any show. For class movies, go watch Ajith. For method acting, go watch Vikram. For mass movies, go watch Vijay. For epicness, go watch T Rajendar. But, to witness divinity, one must watch only Thalaiva. Rajini, the Boss.

 

5) Rajinikanth. ARR. Ilaiyaraaja. Maniratnam. P C Sreeram. K Balachander. Kamal Hassan. Enough said.

 

6) Shopping on a Sunday evening in T.Nagar would teach you survival skills. Also, finding a thousand jewelry showrooms in a single lane does not make any sense to me at all.

 

7) An evening date on the sands of Marina beach, eating fresh fried fish and prawns, and then going to City Centre nearby to watch a movie, would be next to epicness.

 

8) One can find Beef Fried Rice, Mutton bone soup, Thalapakattu chicken biryani, Ambur biryani, Chettinad chicken, Saravana Bhavan on almost every other street!

 

9) Autos? Nope. Buses? Nope. Trains? YUP!!! Traveling in the local trains, standing next to the door, with Chennai humid wind on your face, is much better than the AC metros in Delhi.

 

10) One can be a pro in Classical Carnatic music, a maestro in Veena playing, and at the same time, be a true heavy metalhead, head-banging to Hammerfall or Opeth. The rock and metal culture of Chennai can be only paralleled by Bangalore. South India is the shizz!

 

11) The 50km East Coast Road stretch, with the view of the sea on one side, and a bike ride on an amazing highway is exhilarating. Going to Mahabalipuram or Pondicherry on this road is one of the best road trips one can take.

 

12) CSK at Chepauk.  One MUST whistle podu for the yellow stars macha.

 

13) The unlimited sweet shops of Sowcarpet, mainly due to the Marwaris living there, will attract the sweet-tooth in you. And, one must visit Agarwal Bhojanalaya near Chennai Central for some authentic Rajasthani cuisine.

 

14) The British-era architecture, with its large sophisticated buildings, is worth a watch. And just within 70km, you can enjoy the French culture too! British mixed with Tamil mixed with French is truly an amazing combo.

 

15) Temples! Oh God, how did I forget to include this! Large temples are literally present everywhere. And if you go to Mylapore, you can see three-four large temples in a single street! Huge gopurams, tall shikharas, unstoppable aunties adorned in silk and gold can be seen throughout the day, especially if it is an auspicious day.

 

16) Peace! I don’t think I have ever heard of a terrorist attack or a bomb explosion in Chennai. Even though it is a melting pot of almost all cultures, religions, castes, regions and races. I have seen almost all kinds of people in Chennai, but not a single terrorist attack. (Yes, Dalit vs Brahmin issues are there in TN, but violence is negligible in Chennai)