June 13, 2006

Eager to add myself to the 1.5 crore others in ....

...Chennai!
There was a time when I thought why shouldn’t I settle in Pune. Then I went to Chennai!!
I have been there before. I have rubbished the dust, lamented the heat and sweated to dehydration then. This once, I saw them all too. But only to see that my way of looking into it has totally changed. Now I was thinking about how to avoid the scorching sun and the biting dust in Chennai. That apart I started to look at it as a place where I would want myself to be in.

For all those who rubbish Chennai for other Indian cities here are some observations.

1. Chennai is the only city in the country that is capable of extending its breadth after Delhi. Other cities like Bangalore or Mumbai tend to grow lengthwise making it one big mess in terms of Traffic.
2. The hygiene factor. Come on! Be there to see it. It is incomparable to Pune and Mumbai. You can’t see many red spots on the roads and the walls. (Probably Chennaiites don’t prefer Pan, they stick with Gutka!!)
3. Cheaper Place to live in. You get an individual 1BHK in Vadapalani (It is not a Hiranandani or something) Rs 3000, whereas a normal 1BHK in Nigdi Pune, Thane (Mumbai) costs as much as Rs5000!!!
Electricity: rs1.5 per unit as to 3.5 in Maharashtra.
Transportation a ticket for an approx 20 kms costs Rs 5.50 in Chennai as to Rs 12 in Pune.
Movie tickets Satyam (chennai) Rs 80 as to Rs130 in Inox (Pune)
4. Language Problem...being a software bug myself, I can tell that all software engineers should speak a decent English. And if you are just that, language should not be a problem in Chennai. Everyone (to your class) speaks English (to a decent extent). Here I am leaving the politics and aversion towards learning Hindi aside of course!!

See my opinions are biased. But having visited these cities, I can tell you one thing for sure.
Going to Chennai is by no means a compromise of leaving the metropolitan atmosphere that these cities provide. And I am prepared to do just that!!!!
Now it’s a matter of time.

Smiles,
Bala