Nurungukal...contd...

      It was August 1970. My bachelor days were coming to an end. Mother had informed that the marriage had been fixed on 3^rd September. As per the wish of the bride’s family it had to be solemnised at Guruvayoor Temple. Somehow I managed to hire a small portion of a house near to the warehouse. Proximity to my office and availability of potable water were my priorities. My leave was sanctioned. I took a stock of the days I spent in Madras as a free bird. I had a good time. Madras had facilities for the rich to be lavish and the poor to be frugal and satisfied and the extravagant to be popper in no time.

      Very often I used to  enjoy an evening with my friend Rajappan  to have a dinner in Bhuhari hotel. They served food during night in your car . Crisply uniformed waiters would be ready at your service no sooner the car is parked. A hot plait of biriyani or aappam with varuval  was any gourmets choice. To top up a few sips of sulaimani tea. Then a Hollywood movie in Saphire was our usual routine. Very rarely if  I had stayed back in the lodge for some reason we would take a lunch in MLA hostel  canteen which was very famous for Chetinad preparations. Rajappan had kept some of the waiters there in his good books by offering lavish tips and we always received a special attention. The excitement you attain by squeezing through the street in front of Mambalam electric train station to make a purchase of choice mangos or rasthali plantain fruits is beyond description. It is were your bargaining capacity is tested. The  call of the hawkers had a strange rhythm when shouting the price of their goods[ pathu rupaik ettu, ettu pathurupaiku, alternatively shouted by a pair of sales men] The entire stretch of the street would be like a busy bee hotel , where many would be wandering up and down just to derive a pleasure of innocent or intentional collisions, while others, mainly commuters and house wives, were engaged in choosing their articles. Baniyans and hand kerchiefs from Thirupur mills were another popular items sold here.

               Once in a way I used to spent a few hours to loiter around Spencer’s, British council library and St. Theresa’s college. Spencer’s was a favourite shopping centre for the elite where select products at premium price were sold. But their baked items were the best choice even for the middle income groups. They used to be sold like hot cakes. St. Theresa’s of course represented the tradition and culture of Tamil Nadu. British Council library provided everything for a connoisseur, whether it is literature or art. The towering LIC building always amazed me and I used to wonder the farsightedness of its original builder. There were many more things about Madras which lay close to my heart. The politicians with great literary acumen and their capacity to hold a huge crowd spellbound for hours at the tip of their tongue, deliberating in chaste Tamil. The movie stars who could attract thousands as their fans.The industrial advancement  built up on the sweat and blood of a committed work force and the efforts of intelligent entrepreneurs. But in spite of all these I used to worry why Kuvam river and the slums on her banks remained as an eye sore on a land scape which had all the potential for a heaven on earth. I hope it might have all changed by now........contd.........