Happy Onam!

Onam is Kerala’s own festival, and also one of the most celebrated in the state. Onam, celebrates the arrival of the Mahabali, the mythical Asura king, and is celebrated with pomp. I’ve completed a year and 3 months in Chennai, and this is my second Onam here. Its nice to see that Onam is celebrated with as much fervour here in Chennai (its also been declared as a government holiday).Here are some pictures I took of the Onam decorations in my office, and from Coconut Lagoon (the restaurant), where we had a grand Onam Sadhya (feast).

Tags: Chennai, Onam

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Rickshaw Fare Unfair - The Naysayers of Chennai

If you have been to Chennai, you know by now what this post is going to be about. For all its progress, and stride forward amongst the southern Indian states, this is one issue that hangs like an albatross on the city’s neck.

For the uninitiated, its never a pleasant experience traveling by an auto rickshaw in Chennai. And why?, well they never go by the meter (which seems to be some old decaying relic); they quote the most ridiculous rates - even if the destination is just a kilometre away; and worse, they are uncouth and abusive.

When designing those attractive and  poetic tourism posters there should also be a disclaimer warning the tourists of these rogues.

To sum it up in the words of a colleague who left the city after 6 months of work, “I’m glad I wont have to deal with the rickshaws any more!”

Tags: Chennai, City, India

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