There is a character to every city. Now whether it comes from its people or imbibes in the people from the city is debatable, but a debate for another day. When it comes to Chennai there are many perspectives that we hear. One you don’t have to hear but form yourself is the moment you land, you realise is it’s probably the hottest city you have been to and it might find you at a lack of words, especially if you are travelling from the Northern part of the country. However these things only become inconsequential when you embrace the city and that you do immediately on your way when you cross the Marina Beach. Its sheer length puts you in awe! Of all the perspectives, for me Chennai became “the city that rebuilds” in less than a year’s time.

On 24th November, 2015 people went to bed with no warning at 10pm and woke up drowning in the middle of the night. Marina beach, world’s second longest beach was entirely flooded in one night! It usually pours and the city gets slightly flooded for a couple of hours. Back then this was normal, Chennai has a history for minor floods so nobody took it too seriously until 60% of the city’s power supply was cut off the next day and there was barely any cell phone network to communicate. There is no underplaying the panic this created especially for the relatives from outside the city trying to figure out if everything is good and safe. However, in the moment the biggest problem for me seemed that I did not have a gas connection just an induction and without electricity I would starve. My society was flooded and there was no rescue for days. But I wasn’t hungry for a one either. There was always help from the people of the city (residents and the ones who had settled in the city).
There was food thanks to the friends, there was shelter thanks to the acquaintances, there was transport thanks to the strangers and there was respect at the end of the struggle. There was struggle for a single girl as her first taste of independence!

In such catastrophes the general norm is blame the government for not handling the situation, opportunists make it their life’s aim to become rich in the shortest time frame but that’s where this city proved to be different. Months later there was accountability and changes in the city planning of course. As prepared as Chennai could be for flooding what happened on 26th December, 2016 was being hit by the cyclone Vardah.
A massive destruction of about ₹22,573 crore was caused by the cyclone.
But for an already hot city can you imagine 1 lakh trees being uprooted overnight? The number of birds being sighted were already becoming fewer and fewer in the past couple of winters, as Otteri lake inched toward a slow death. Battered by Cyclone Vardah in 2016, followed by consecutive summers of severe drought, the large lake dried up almost entirely. The extreme drought of 2018 did not help. No birds came anymore because the lake had completely dried up. For a city that flooded every now and then this was unbelievable. However, work started in full swing in February 2019 and eight months later, in October 2019, the lake was brimming with water and by December 2019 the birds were back!
So natural disasters every year can wreak havoc to the morale of the city and its inhabitants, right? What about the city that rebuilds faster than the disasters? It takes purpose and unity to make a stronger comeback. Taking a flash back, On 20th January 2017, 20 Lakh people gathered on Marina Beach to silently contribute to the Pro-Jallikattu protests! There was no defined political opinion or demographic – these were students, working professionals, men, women, old, young, residents, people from other states working in Chennai.

It was a silent protest that brought the whole city together on Asia’s longest beach, Marina Beach! Chennai even stood together cheering for Chennai Super Kings despite the cricket ban as a token of their loyalty and unison seconded by the whole nation. It was always CSK for the entire country and if we can believe Instagram posts then even for MS Dhoni! These incidents only stand proof to the beautiful saying:
“Vandharai vazhavaikum Chennai”, translating to “Chennai gives life to everyone who enters it”

Since the early 2000’a Chennai seen faced natural disasters(Tsunami, cyclones, floods), political turmoil, social reforms, a global pandemic but instead of reducing its glory and being forgotten the city has only risen to be rebuilt slightly better each time into “Namma Singaara Chennai”
Author
Rishika Chawla
Feature blog from Chennai DynaCity blogger contest

Leave a comment