Pranav had come to the airport with his driver who is called Saravan
We jumped into his car and we set off toward the city centre.
Apart from the heat and humidity, the first thing I really noticed about Chennai was the traffic.
It makes Piccadilly Circus seem like a quiet country lane. Literally Millions, no make that BILIONS of cars, motorbikes, and auto rickshaws, all packed 5/6/7 to a lane, and all constantly beeping their horns, and weaving around each other trying to gain some sort of competitive edge!
Saravan was obviously an experienced Chennai driver, and did as much weaving and beeping as his competitors. On the way Pranav kept up an excited commentary about how Chennai was an up and coming Indian city in the midst of great growth and change. 'Soon the New Metro will open!" he said.
"This will be REALLY great achievement!"
He said it with such pride that you would have thought he had built it himself. (As it turns out his dad was a Railway engineer. so maybe that explains it.)
Unfortunately my jet lag was beginning to really make itself felt by this stage, and I was fighting to stay awake and appear interested, but I suspect my drooping eyelids and nodding dog head told a different story.
To change the subject & stay awake I enquired about the sort of little religious shrine on Saravan's dashboard with what appeared to me like a little fat Golden Buddha, and a golden sort of elephant creature with lots of arms, and two little Indian flags, all surrounded by a flower garland.
Saravan saw me looking at it, and said
"This for Ganesh sir!"
"Very Big Festival!"
"Yes! Pranav agreed excitedly.
"You have just missed it! It was the birthday of Lord Ganesh!
"He is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. he has the head of an elephant but the body of human. Lord Ganesh is the symbol of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune!"
He smiled all through this sentence and nodded his head in little side to side movements all the while as he said this as if agreeing with himself.
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Hmm I thought to myself, I wonder if he's seen that film 'The Elephant Man'
Having an elephantine head and human body didn't bring John Merrick much prosperity and good fortune did it? No! He was nabbed by the circus and paraded round the ring for the amusement of the punters like, well an elephant really. He ended up screaming "I HAM not a HANIMAL!" at them which only caused further hilarity, and then choked to death on his own tongue( or was it ears ?) by going to sleep without a pillow. But all things considered I thought it best not to mention this, and just said that I was sorry I had missed the festival.
"Don't worry!" Pranav smiled and nodded. There are many many festivals here in Tamil Nadu!
"You will see them all!"
Finally we reached the hotel which was/is to be my new home for the next week or so.
It was called NPL's Nest, and so once they had shown me to my room I pretended to be a cuckoo, and moved in next door! (That was a joke Che!)
Actually it was pretty basic but clean and comfortable place, with a simple single bed with clean white sheets, but it wouldn't have mattered if it had been an actual real straw/twiggy like nest;
I lay down and instantly fell asleep.
When I awoke a few hours later I didn't know where the hell I was.
It was very hot and I could hear lots of beeping horns outside somewhere, and apparently a helicopter was just landing in my room. But then I remembered & realised the helicopter was a ceiling fan, and that it was in fact me who had just landed.
For a few minutes I just lay there enacting my own personal 'Apocalypse Now'*' scenario.
"Chennai!" I said to myself
"S**T!
I'm still only in Chennai.
I wanted a mission, and for my sins they gave me one.."
*Apocalypse Now is a War Film with MASSIVE explosions that you will love when your old enough to watch it Che Che.
We jumped into his car and we set off toward the city centre.
Apart from the heat and humidity, the first thing I really noticed about Chennai was the traffic.
It makes Piccadilly Circus seem like a quiet country lane. Literally Millions, no make that BILIONS of cars, motorbikes, and auto rickshaws, all packed 5/6/7 to a lane, and all constantly beeping their horns, and weaving around each other trying to gain some sort of competitive edge!
Saravan was obviously an experienced Chennai driver, and did as much weaving and beeping as his competitors. On the way Pranav kept up an excited commentary about how Chennai was an up and coming Indian city in the midst of great growth and change. 'Soon the New Metro will open!" he said.
"This will be REALLY great achievement!"
He said it with such pride that you would have thought he had built it himself. (As it turns out his dad was a Railway engineer. so maybe that explains it.)
Unfortunately my jet lag was beginning to really make itself felt by this stage, and I was fighting to stay awake and appear interested, but I suspect my drooping eyelids and nodding dog head told a different story.
To change the subject & stay awake I enquired about the sort of little religious shrine on Saravan's dashboard with what appeared to me like a little fat Golden Buddha, and a golden sort of elephant creature with lots of arms, and two little Indian flags, all surrounded by a flower garland.
Saravan saw me looking at it, and said
"This for Ganesh sir!"
"Very Big Festival!"
"Yes! Pranav agreed excitedly.
"You have just missed it! It was the birthday of Lord Ganesh!
"He is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. he has the head of an elephant but the body of human. Lord Ganesh is the symbol of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune!"
He smiled all through this sentence and nodded his head in little side to side movements all the while as he said this as if agreeing with himself.
Hmm I thought to myself, I wonder if he's seen that film 'The Elephant Man'
Having an elephantine head and human body didn't bring John Merrick much prosperity and good fortune did it? No! He was nabbed by the circus and paraded round the ring for the amusement of the punters like, well an elephant really. He ended up screaming "I HAM not a HANIMAL!" at them which only caused further hilarity, and then choked to death on his own tongue( or was it ears ?) by going to sleep without a pillow. But all things considered I thought it best not to mention this, and just said that I was sorry I had missed the festival.
"Don't worry!" Pranav smiled and nodded. There are many many festivals here in Tamil Nadu!
"You will see them all!"
Finally we reached the hotel which was/is to be my new home for the next week or so.
It was called NPL's Nest, and so once they had shown me to my room I pretended to be a cuckoo, and moved in next door! (That was a joke Che!)
Actually it was pretty basic but clean and comfortable place, with a simple single bed with clean white sheets, but it wouldn't have mattered if it had been an actual real straw/twiggy like nest;
I lay down and instantly fell asleep.
When I awoke a few hours later I didn't know where the hell I was.
It was very hot and I could hear lots of beeping horns outside somewhere, and apparently a helicopter was just landing in my room. But then I remembered & realised the helicopter was a ceiling fan, and that it was in fact me who had just landed.
For a few minutes I just lay there enacting my own personal 'Apocalypse Now'*' scenario.
"Chennai!" I said to myself
"S**T!
I'm still only in Chennai.
I wanted a mission, and for my sins they gave me one.."
*Apocalypse Now is a War Film with MASSIVE explosions that you will love when your old enough to watch it Che Che.
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