Exploring Chennai Part 2:
Cholamandalam Artists Village, Abyssinian, Chennai Metro Rail
In the second edition of our “Exploring Chennai” series, we took our time to choose the places we visited. We wanted to go to some places that were truly off the beaten path, and were not the Snake Park.
We ended up checking out the fascinating pieces of local art at Cholamandalam Village, sipping hot Ethiopian coffee with popcorn at Abyssinian, and riding on Chennai’s latest public transit project, the Metro Rail! We had a great time at all three places, so continue reading if you want to know more about what we thought of them.
Cholamandalam Artists Village
Established in 1966 by K.C.S Panicker, the former principal of Government College of Fine Arts (initially known as the Madras School of Art), the Cholamandalam Artists Village sits quietly in between the serene Bay of Bengal and the bustling East Coast Road. This place is a haven for artists and art lovers. Its concept of a secluded dwelling for artists was borrowed from the West and adapted to Injambakkam, Chennai. More than 20 families reside in the village where studios, residential houses, a permanent museum of paintings and sculptures, outdoor theatres, and workshops for batik and metal works coexist.

The artists at the Village have created a variety of personal styles across traditional and modern art, and are unafraid to experiment in their work. Even people with little or no interest in art will find this place fascinating. Cholamandalam Artists Village certainly deserves a place on your Chennai sightseeing list, and don’t forget to take a Vroom ride to get there!

Abyssinian
While looking into the Chennai food scene for a unique place to have a meal, my colleague, Nikhil Venkatesa, told me about this Ethiopian restaurant in Abiramapuram that he had visited recently. I was immediately curious to see what it looked like, and so I Vroomed there last week. Abyssinian shares space with two other restaurants: Batlivala & Khanabhoy, which offers Parsi cuisine, and Meena Tai’s, which offers Marathi cuisine.

The restaurant’s ambience reflects its cuisine; every piece of its furniture and decor has been imported from Ethiopia, giving it a level of authenticity absent in other themed restaurants in the city. In line with this, the chairs and tables in the restaurant were set at a low height, which forced me to focus on my balance after I sat down on one of them. One look at the menu and the prices of the dishes listed robbed me of my appetite, and so I ordered an Ethiopian Coffee with Spiced Butter instead. While I waited for my coffee to arrive, the restaurant’s manager, Mr. Naresh, regaled me with a tale about how the natives usually consumed their coffee. Since the women are mostly alone at home during weekdays, they call their relatives and neighbours, and organize a community dinner once a week. These dinners usually conclude with an Ethiopian Coffee mixed with either salt or sugar. This historical context stirred my excitement for the drink and I was also surprised to see it arrive with a huge bowl of fresh and buttery popcorn. The bitter drink and it’s salty accompaniment made for a perfect savory blend. As I sat there, munching on the popcorn and gingerly sipping the coffee, gazing at the African masks and statues that lined the walls of the restaurant, I reached some sort of Ethiopian euphoric high. It took me a few minutes to settle down, gather my things, and leave the restaurant. While it might not have the most economical menu, Abyssinian is a place that truly transports you out of Chennai and right into the African continent.
Chennai Metro
After having taken rides on the Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai metros, I decided to try out the Chennai metro and see if it compared with its metropolitan predecessors. I Vroomed to the Alandur metro station to take my first ride. Since there is still a long way for the metro project to go, many people have to take other modes of transport to get to and from their nearest stations, and Vroom offers the most cost-effective option for this purpose. Vroom connects a radius of 450 kms in the city and has already become a reliable commuting option for Chennai’s commuters.

The metro ride was unexpectedly smooth, and the ticket rates were quite nominal; I was able to cover 10 kms with less than 40 rupees. The trains themselves have been kept clean by the Metro Rail staff, and service announcements are made both in English and Tamil. As I traced the Metro’s network, from its functioning stations to its upcoming ones, I felt a sense of excitement for Chennai. While I might not be from here, I am a Tamizhan, and someone who is always proud of my culture. Chennai is not plagued by the kind of traffic that ails cities like Bangalore and Mumbai, and the Metro Rail could prevent such a plague from ever taking place. It certainly looks like it will be a game changer in Chennai’s urban transportation landscape.

That brings us to the end of our second set of explorations in Chennai. We hope you learned a little bit more about the wonders that Chennai holds for its residents and visitors, and we highly recommend visiting Cholamandalam Village, Abyssinian, and Chennai’s own Metro Rail!. We once again call out to all our readers to write to us about their traveling experiences in and around Chennai to get featured on our blog. Have a great week, and don’t forget to catch the next edition of this series next month!
Aravind
