3 Loves of my life

ALERT!!!! LONG POST AHEAD.

Obviously the post has been titled this way to misguide you and to draw more hits to my blog :D But yeah..true to the title this post is about the 3 lovely maidens who have traced through my entire lifespan till date.

"Singara" Chennai:

I would be lying if i speak up for the whole of chennai. Let me be precise here and stick to MYLAPORE. Whenever i think of that place, Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven on earth" song plays in the background. Its not that i get goose pimples the moment i step down there :D but something similar to that effect i should say :). A sense of security..a feeling that.."YES..i am in a place where i can manage come what may"...a place which really makes me feel at home. Whats there that make me hold it in such high esteem?? In early 90's.. for close to 5 years it went through acute water shortage..with people where running helter skelter to "procure" a bucket of water in the middle of the night. Residents of the houses where water was coming became instant friends and for a brief period caste, religion everything was forgotten when survival became the issue. Still..the point was..no one left the place!!! Rents didnt come down. Square feet rate kept on increasing!!! Plots got sold even before the existing houses where demolished. The amazing thing about that place is, people think of Kapaleeswara temple at the mention of Myalpore or Santhome church which form the 2 extremes and sandwiched in between are 2 mosques!! Touchwood ..till date there are no issues of any tension between any of the communities. Every sect of christian church can be found dotting the line towards Marina beach and we evenhave a jain temple also for that matter close by to Kapali temple. The entire place is such a close knit family. Every house will have atleast one person who would've spent 50 or more years in Myalpore and would be knowing every single building with its history!! My family has been there for 4 generations and part of one of the oldest families still in the locality. I did all of my schooling..colleging and for 2 decades it was the center of the universe for me. And then came Banglore.

The beauty called Bengalooru:

During my school days..my friends who went to Bangalore for vacation used to say so much about the climate of Bangalore that in my imagination that place was akin to switzerland with lot more snow :) so much for my geo knowledge :) I might still have million miles to go.. but when i get time to turn back and view my journey called life (ajcl madam pls excuse :D )..the starting milestone would definitely be here only. My world expanded with a big Bang(lore) :) lot of very good friends and acquaintances...over night life changed and everything for the better. I was lucky to join the best ever workplace, filled with so many lovely people that it hardly felt like office :). I got the best managers to work under who were more like mentors to me than managers. My team was/is more close to my heart than even most of my relatives. I can put my neck on the block and say they are the best ever colleagues one can ever get :) a lot of them became friends for life. Bangalore, to me, is the most romantic city i've ever been. Its hard not to fall in love being in Bangalore :) oh yeah. I fell in love with that city :) It may not have the same charm now, getting overcrowded, loosing its greens and maddening traffic. But i remember only the good things about it :) I thought i could never ever settle in any other place apart from Banglore or chennai. Then i met Mumbai- the maximum city.

Mummmmbaaaaaaiiii- The city of dreams:

My love affair with Mumbai began in typical filmy fashion. Hated this city at first sight. Had horrible experiences one after another. Slowly reconciled and now it feels like home :) Till i came here, i used to wonder in disbelief how can one eat vada with bread!!! And now its almost my staple diet!! :D Have fallen in love mouth over paav :) For a city which is known for its traffic snarls and crowds, i manage to commute around 12 kms in under half hour!! The place where i am located is strategically placed from my office and has the maximum bus routes and share autos plying in that area!!! I got the most devoted group of roomies here (soru podra deivangala muraichika koodathula) who take such good care of me. At times i wish, given no choice, i might even settle here. But my first love's tug is bit too much of a pull to neglect.

So.. here i am.. completing my circle of life and going back to chennai. In all probability.. next week, this time, it would be Chennai time.. again :) New adventure beckons. So long folks. Catch you all from chennai :)