Entertainment and Shopping ~ The past and present of Chennai India

In the last decade, the Chennai’s entertainment scene has transformed unbelievably to the delight of those thirsting for some action. While the 80’s and early 90’s meant just the Marina and Elliots beaches, the mid-nineties saw the mushrooming of Pool Parlours and later Bowling Centres in Chennai. Of course, the Resorts on the erstwhile New Mahabalipuram Road were always there.

Changes in the average spending power, a re-look at lifestyle, and the trend in leisure activity soon saw Chennaiites gleefully get into parasailing, parajumping, go-karting and equestrian. But, somehow, there’s nothing like the allure of water sports. The young and the old are delighted to ride on it and have a splash.

Who can forget Muttukadu? Located 36 kms from Chennai on the ECR, this tranquil backwaters of the Bay of Bengal has charmed us all for years. The shallow waters amidst the idyllic surroundings make boating an ideal pastime. While the less adventurous can get onto the boat house, row, pedal or motor boats, the daring types can jump onto water scooters and, perhaps, catch up on wind surfing. Come February and Muttukadu will host a wind surfing regatta together with other water sports.

Tarsha Water Sports is a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life. A water sports enthusiast’s delight, it offers myriad opportunities – skiing, windsurfing, parasailing, wake and knee- boarding, speed boating and kayaking. Get the cool wind blowing in your as you have splash around here.

Another family getaway is situated 30 kms from Chennai on the Chennai-Bangalore highway, close to the Hyundai Factory, goes by the name Dash ‘n’ splash.

Kishkinta with its five large lakes is a popular destination for water-based leisure activity. Apart from the usual boating and water rides, the star attraction is the fast-paced water scooting. Yeah, the ones you see in the movies. The two-seater water scooters can get your adrenalin pumping, touching speeds of upto 60 kms per hour. Quite incomparable, you can have the thrill of your lives. Don’t worry; if you’re knocked off the zipping scooter, rescue is at hand.

Any visitor to the city, a few decades ago, would be charmed by its broad roads, neat streets, round tanas and striking architectural marvels of the Indo Saracenic style. One can’t forget the Presidency College the peculiar Ice House building, not to forget the Senate House, Egmore Museum, Rippon Buildings and Fort St George.

Old timers fondly remember the Marina Beach, a cheap entertainment those days but with much more space to walk around and, certainly, cleaner. There were days when cinema meant ‘touring talkies’ (Jayanthi and Thegaraya theatres in Thiruvanmiyur included). No permanent structures and the caravan would move on every six months or so. One could squat on the sands or sit on wooden benches. Action scenes were greeted with cat calls and whistles, sometimes even spontaneous dances. The influential cinema gear could even get a scene re-run in the theatres.

Roxy, New Elphinstone, Eros, Minerva and Globe theaters drew large crowds. Infact, there was an Electirc theatre (in Chindaripet) built in 1913, by Warwick Major to screens silent movies.

The majesty of Mount Road was for all to see. Spencers, India’s first supermarket, is a landmark, then and now. Higginbothams was a book-lover’s paradise, showcasing all and sundry. There was one other place where you could get the same books for a song Moore Market. Where the railway reservation building is now located stood Madras second hand book buzaar. And, my professor used to say, “I could carry a sack full of literary works for less than hundred rupees.

Amazingly the early 20th century Madras had tram’s running through its busy thorugh fares. And boats went down the cooum, even beside the Central Railways Station and Egmore. The next time you pass by Co-optex at Egmore, stop by at the cooum and spot the boat bays. A standing testimony to the good old days of the cooum.

Cycle rickshaws, and earlier hand-pulled rickshaws, ruled the roads even till the 1970s. Baby taxis were for the affordable class. Till autos came on the scene, and now we have call taxis share autos and of course, the flamboyant modern cars.

In the 1970s I remember watching cricket matches from the terrace of m grandma’s home on Bells’s Road. Chepauk didn’t have its stadium and one could watch all the sters from close quarters.

So much for the charm of Old Madras Chennai, since 1996, is now a concrete jungle where madness seems to prevail and every old structure, not to speak of trees, is brought down to raise large commercial complexes. Of course, changing times has ushered in better entertainment for the citizens, bowling, billiards, parasailing and water scooting.

Chennai is now a quaint mix of tradition and modernity, Chennai though continues to charm in other ways. The malls being one of them. Spencers has come out with its third phase, Nungambakkam has Ispahani Centre, Purasawalkam prides on the new Abirami Mega Mall and Alsa Mall still survives in Egmore. Shopping seems t be a favourite pastime what with Lifestyle, Globus, Shopper’s Stop, Stori and Hi-style.

Though one longs for the steaming hot idlis and mouth-watering sambars in Udupi Bhavans and Rathna Café’s, the city today offers much more. From Italian, Mexican, Lebanese, Korean to the ubiquitous Chinese and the recent Chettinad, delectable dishes from across the globe await to tickle your palates.

Surely, there’s no dearth for entertainment in this metropolis…. pool parlous and bowling centers dot the neighbourhoods. However, for more adventure head to the Kishkinta, MGM Dizee World, VGP and the like. Bored of them, try equestrian, para jumping wind, surfing or water scooting.

Thankfully you can still take a breath taking view of the city from the window of MRTS, India’s first elevated railways. Or catch a different perspective of the Chennai city from the double decker buses on Mount Road.