Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu. A coastal hub also known as the gateway of South India. A city that takes pride in its rich cultural heritage. One of the four Metropolitan cities of India. These are a few well known facts about Chennai city. In this article, I am going to reiterate why Chennai city is also one of the very vibrant cities of India. I am going to give my thoughts on what makes Chennai City a city of life and colors.
I am a resident of Hyderabad and the first time I had gone to Chennai city was via Train. The train journey takes about 14 hours from Hyderabad station to the Central station of Chennai. The first thing you notice after de-boarding is the red building which houses about 12 long distance platforms and 5 suburban platforms. This building is the Chennai Central station. The structure is simple, efficient and consumer friendly. A person who loves architectural structure would not be disappointed by the magnificent Chennai City Central Railway Station.
What I next took notice of were the people. The railway station, like any other, was full of people. Plethora of people. Women wearing Sarees of different colors, of different materials, a lot of them with hair full of flowers, some with children, some lugging their bags about. This color just added beauty to Chennai city in my mind.
Chennai city welcomes everyone like it’s their home and that is probably why people say Namma Chennai (Roughly translated to our Chennai city), whenever they speak about this
city.
One of the most talked about places in Chennai city has to be its beaches. A city on the coast-side would account to people visiting the beaches whenever the opportunity presents itself. The largest and famous beach is the Chennai city Marina beach.
One would find that apart from the soothing water of the Bay of Bengal, the beach houses a lot of fast food and variety of entertainment for people of all ages. The best time to visit beaches is usually during Dusk and Dawn. Visit Marina beach during Sunrise and one would feel blessed to witness the Sunrise with the soothing sound of waves on an almost quiet beach. I say almost here because one would also find children training on the sand at that time of the hour.
The feeling of quietude and serenity would bear a semblance to heaven on Earth. And a visit during sunset would make one stand at the interjection of the chitter chatter of people on one side and crashing of waves on the other. As any photography enthusiast would agree (reluctantly or with open arms), Golden light is the best for photography. Just the correct angles and the right shot would be yours.
Once I speak about the beaches, it would be unfair if I don’t speak about Chennai city’s food. For an authentic experience of any place, eating their native food is a must. And what better than eating Chennai city’s authentic south Indian food?
For breakfast, one has many options to explore like Pongal, Dosa, Wada, Idly, Utappam. And let me tell you, these dishes come with the side of Coconut chutney which would leave you licking your fingers long after
eating. My personal favorite is Pongal at Adyar Ananda Bhavan. And don’t miss out on chilly parotta for snacks.
While food forms one wing of a city, architecture forms another. When it comes to architecture, Chennai city will show you different sides of it. The city is a fusion of ancient and modern architecture. One would find ancient architecture in the temples, Churches and some of the older institutions. Chennai city also houses multiple malls, offices and restaurants with modern architecture. Chennai city airport is one such modern structure. Kapaleeswaran temple would give one a glimpse of ancient architectural marvel. This fusion of the modern and the ancient make Chennai City aesthetically vibrant and full of life.
A city can be understood thoroughly only if you understand the roads of the city. And when it comes to Chennai city’s roads, one would find all kinds of vehicles on the road. The public transport of Chennai City is well connected which makes it easier for a traveler on budget or a student to commute through the city. The local Railway stations are usually buzzing with
people adding to the liveliness of Chennai city.
So far, everything has added to the dynamic nature of the city. To add a little more color, I want to speak about shopping in Chennai city. Chennai city has its fair share of malls which are beautiful but are familiar with the layout of most malls. While malls form a good part of Chennai city’s economy, I now want to concentrate on the street shopping in Chennai.
Chennai is famous for its Silk Sarees. Let’s talk about the Shopping district of Chennai – T. Nagar. Buzzing with people, T Nagar is a beautiful exhibition of different stores for anything ranging from clothes to shoes to bags. And for people who are not interested in shopping, there are food stalls to while away some time.
As I write about the different experiences that make Chennai city what it is – a city of life, I am sat reminiscing. Chennai city is truly an experience to be had. With an open mind and an intention to find beauty, every city is breathtaking and Chennai city has given me many such breathtaking moments to live and cherish. Maybe that’s why people in Chennai call it Namma Singara Chennai – Our beautiful Chennai city.
Chennai DynaCity 
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