Midnight in Chennai
Last Wednesday marked my 100th day in Chennai and it has been a journey of self-realization, exploration, and experiences. Marking the very occasion, I have written this blog post on how things have been shaping up off late.

When the gentle night waves at you
I stay in a house at the back of a quiet apartment which is not far from the Tambaram Sanatorium train station. The buildings in the vicinity look as if they are straight out of Pa.Ranjith’s Madras script and are not as old as they appear. Incidentally, my house is one of the recently furbished ones and the only one I visited in the entire city before opting to move in.
As I arrive home every evening, I see quite households watching Biggboss, few elderly women carrying water and a regular set of boys playing carrom. But, it’s the street lamps on that lane that interests me the most.
Let me say why.
When I open the window of my room, I sense magic. The golden light soaks me, the window’s grid-like shadow makes art and the gentle night introduces itself every day as if it is my first night in the city.
That’s where I slip into a world of my own every night. Conversations with self and thoughts on rain, love, life and what not! Speaking of which, I have written about the midnight musings later in this post.
When it pitter patters all night
It was a fine Tuesday afternoon and I was on my way to Velachery when the sky turned grey. I didn’t want to get caught in rain and I blew the horn more than I normally do in an attempt to reach earlier. As I climbed up the Pallikarani bridge, it started pouring and I was completely drenched by the time I drove down the other end. Consequently, I was caught at the entrance of an electrical appliances store for an hour and then the Velachery traffic welcomed me with much love.
Even though I have witnessed Chennai rains prior to moving in here in May, this is the first time I am experiencing the season as a whole and witnessing how life in a city revolves around rain.
Having lived in towns all life, the monsoons were a fine treat to watch and it slowed down the everyday life. But what I have experienced here so far is something contradictory.
When it rains in the evening, I often see a city dragging itself through the traffic, past the chaos. It wants nothing but to be home. It sleeps with much tranquility on those nights. Surprisingly, the next morning, it doesn’t complain. It goes to school, it does its work as if nothing happened the previous night.
This city and its character. Makes me fall in love all over again!
When the dreams slip in
I carry a notebook (with a damaged wrapper) wherever I go. I try being organized and when I come home after a long day at work, I almost always have plans — finishing off work, reading a book or writing a blog post. But despite all this outlining, I sometimes end up lying down and do nothing but stare out of the window. Especially, when it drizzles outside.
It’s when I dream how I can end up having a house in the hills with my friends around for vacation. I imagine how I can run a cafe few years down the lane when I have the money to start the same. I think about initiating a conversation with a friend who had a fight with me for no apparent reason. Sometimes, out of the blue, I recall a random memory or a conversation.
And this makes me wonder whether there are people who dream this frequently? If not, why waste the magic of dreams? If yes, do they record the same?
Do you dream? What do you dream about? Do let me know ;)
P.s If you think that I have gone mad, you can order me a pizza and I am sure that will make me feel better.
Featured Image from Chin Shin Art
Originally published at www.divakarks.com on August 25, 2017.
