Observations of Chennai, India

I returned to the country of my birth after 35 years of becoming totally assimilated in American life. Here are a few observations and thoughts about Chennai life.

In most of the US we definitely move life along too fast. There is always an urgency to finish something, to get to the next meeting quickly, to start the meeting on time, or just to cram in one more activity. We are always in a rush. My albeit brief stay in Chennai showed me there is considerable difference in how we handle daily life.

People in Chennai saunter -- I believe it is not just a style of walking but rather an attitude. Like what seems with everything else, the attitude is born out the practical reality. Many of the poor are bare footed throughout the day. Walking barefoot in the heat and amongst the debris on the street must require a careful and slow stride. Many people wear chappals (slippers) and you simply can’t walk fast in them. Most other people wear shoes and it is impossible to walk fast even in them. There is a thick layer of dust everywhere and feels a *little* like walking on ice. So, try as you might, you have to slow down.

Then you have what I call “people pockets”. No matter where you look at almost all times of the day, you will see 2 to 8 people just standing together. At times they are talking to each other and at other times they are simply looking around with comfort. It is as if there is nothing more important then just standing there and having a social moment. I tried it for 10 seconds once and then rushed off to a meeting.

If I were to ask you who in society should generally be alert and ready, you would probably answer the police, right? Well even they have a Laissez-faire attitude. Many were usually sitting or napping at check points. Others simply wave traffic along lazily and as if they were making an impact. The few dedicated police are usually extracting fines (bribes?) from tourists, foreigners, and young males with girlfriends. The latter is an interesting story I heard during my trip. Police at check points usually target young males on motorcycles with female passengers. The theory being the male in question is not going to argue about a fine in front of the female.

With a country with population of some 1.2 billion people, the concept of personal space simply does not exist. Everywhere you go there is just a mass of humanity going about their daily business -- whether it is urinating on the sidewalk during rush hour (yes I did unfortunately see this and others simply walked around the guy) or otherwise. I witnessed the lack of personal space at many times but none more memorable then when checking out at a bookstore. Let me tell you, the concept of lines (or queues as the British call them) does not exist despite previous British rule. So I am in line happily paying my bill when all the sudden I felt hot breathing on my neck. Unfortunately for me, I was certain it was not Aishwarya as the hot breath was accompanied with a distinct odor of Chaat and Idly/Sambar – two tasty dishes of South India. If you are not sure who is Aishwarya click here -- you will see why I was disappointed. Nevertheless, I quickly paid and left without a word to my space invader.

That is it for now...do you agree with my observations?