Some memories from my recent trip to Chennai .. My brother-in-law and sister put together a fantastic plan to make it great fun !!
1) Cholamandal artists' village - There wasn't much happening in the village when we arrived, but there was an interesting paintings-gallery to explore, with a good deal of 'modern art' .. Another delightful discovery from this trip was that my sister has taken her painting skills to a whole new level ! :-)
1) Dakshina Chitra was definitely the highlight of this trip ! Founded by Deborah Thiagarajan, it recreates various architectural styles in South Indian traditional homes with painstaking attention to detail - the kind of houses your grandparents might have lived in if you hail from a traditional family. I was blown away by the extent to which they've committed themselves to this venture, and the rustic charm is truly authentic ! My parents would've loved Dakshina chitra, and I will revisit this place with them at some point. Exploring this place fully would take atleast four hours ! ...A few clicks, including that of a person weaving a silk sari, and a shadow puppet performance.
Last year I had returned with the Melodica. True to tradition, this time my sis got me an instrument called 'tic tac'. Tic -tac is meant to be operated somewhat like a yo-yo, except that you've got to keep swinging it in a circular fashion, an act that will induce it to sound like frog with a sore throat earnestly crooning away to glory...:-) My bro-in-law and I took turns in operating this not-so-melodious instrument with much enthusiasm, causing much embarrassment to my sister :P
3) Cholayil Sanjeevanam - We stopped here for lunch. Before I describe this is more detail, I've got a confession to make- I am a person who skips all the food related descriptions when I'm reading a book..:-) I enjoy good food (though I'm not really a foodie), but I operate on a simple principle - If you're going to talk about a certain recipe, I am willing to listen patiently, but only if you're going to give me some of that to taste once you're done with the descrition :P Not surprisingly, I have no patience for cookery shows .. :-)
The meal begins with a few juices in varying colours, presumably Getafix's handiwork, after which follow several courses. That you end the heavy meal without feeling particularly sleepy is a testimony to their methods of food preparation involving naturopathic methods. I would recommend trying this place if you're into health-food; actually even if you're not ..:-)
4) No trip to Chennai is complete without a visit to the beach .. An image of the Kovalam beach ..the one aspect in which Chennai beats Bangalore .. :P
In all, it was a fantastic trip with a different kind of 'Chennai-experience' ... :-)
1) Cholamandal artists' village - There wasn't much happening in the village when we arrived, but there was an interesting paintings-gallery to explore, with a good deal of 'modern art' .. Another delightful discovery from this trip was that my sister has taken her painting skills to a whole new level ! :-)
1) Dakshina Chitra was definitely the highlight of this trip ! Founded by Deborah Thiagarajan, it recreates various architectural styles in South Indian traditional homes with painstaking attention to detail - the kind of houses your grandparents might have lived in if you hail from a traditional family. I was blown away by the extent to which they've committed themselves to this venture, and the rustic charm is truly authentic ! My parents would've loved Dakshina chitra, and I will revisit this place with them at some point. Exploring this place fully would take atleast four hours ! ...A few clicks, including that of a person weaving a silk sari, and a shadow puppet performance.
Last year I had returned with the Melodica. True to tradition, this time my sis got me an instrument called 'tic tac'. Tic -tac is meant to be operated somewhat like a yo-yo, except that you've got to keep swinging it in a circular fashion, an act that will induce it to sound like frog with a sore throat earnestly crooning away to glory...:-) My bro-in-law and I took turns in operating this not-so-melodious instrument with much enthusiasm, causing much embarrassment to my sister :P
3) Cholayil Sanjeevanam - We stopped here for lunch. Before I describe this is more detail, I've got a confession to make- I am a person who skips all the food related descriptions when I'm reading a book..:-) I enjoy good food (though I'm not really a foodie), but I operate on a simple principle - If you're going to talk about a certain recipe, I am willing to listen patiently, but only if you're going to give me some of that to taste once you're done with the descrition :P Not surprisingly, I have no patience for cookery shows .. :-)
The meal begins with a few juices in varying colours, presumably Getafix's handiwork, after which follow several courses. That you end the heavy meal without feeling particularly sleepy is a testimony to their methods of food preparation involving naturopathic methods. I would recommend trying this place if you're into health-food; actually even if you're not ..:-)
4) No trip to Chennai is complete without a visit to the beach .. An image of the Kovalam beach ..the one aspect in which Chennai beats Bangalore .. :P
In all, it was a fantastic trip with a different kind of 'Chennai-experience' ... :-)
3 comments:
Sounds like a fantastic trip! I will surely visit the artists' village, Dakshina Chitra and the awesome-sounding Cholayil Sanjeevanam! :)
Very interesting places . Never heard of any of these hidden gems before. My next visit to chennai will finally extend beyond the walls of the US consulate :))
Neeraja , yes, these places are surely worth a visit !:-)
swat, haha , they're much more fun than the consulate for sure ;) Before this trip, I also hadn't heard of these...
Thanks Madhu !
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