Short Vacation in Chennai

I am here in Chennai on a very short one week vacation. We have our Easter holidays during this week and this was a good opportunity to take a break from the monotony of work. Two years back, we had been to London during the Easter break, last year we went to Dubai. This time, we couldn't finalise on any destination and hence we decided to head to home, sweet home. Since it is a short vacation, we are not embarking on the usual pilgrimage tours which happen in India.

Few things that i love about being in Chennai:

• Going around in an auto. Such a trip would be a realisation for any individual in terms of the the laws of physics. The western world talks about packing as many silicon chips as possible into a very small area. If they come to chennai, they would probably get more ideas from the way we pack as many vehicles as possible in the narrowest of lanes.
• Aavin Flavoured Milk and Pocket More (It is actually a buttermilk packet, but for the shopkeepers to understand, you would have to pronounce it as "pocket more"). Throw away the Pepsis and the cokes, there is nothing better to quench your thirst than these two!
• Sweat! Yes, sweat feels great, especially after gruelling sessions of non-stop badminton. Wish we had badminton courts back in Cyprus too.
• Composing Music on the car horn. Back in Cyprus, you horn only to convey your displeasure at other drivers, but here in Chennai, you have the liberty to horn even where there is no other vehicle or human being in sight. Of course, you have to warn the oncoming stray dog to stay away from your path. So, i always tend to "try" to play the tune of the latest song i have heard on the horn. Musical bliss!
• Saravana Bhavan. Agreed that it has become costly recently to the extent that Ganesh calls it Saravena Bhavan, but it still is the hallmark for quality vegetarian food in Chennai. There is nothing that can match the taste of Saravana Bhavan's tiffin items!
• Home-made Murungakkai Sambhar. My mom has been unfailingly making Murungakkai Sambhar on the first day of every trip i make to chennai. Unfortunately, drumsticks are something unheard of, in Cyprus.

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