My Happy Place

Do you remember the Friends episode where Phoebe tries to make Monica feel better through some meditation and relaxation techniques? Of course it is hilarious, I mean come on which Friends episode isn't, right? But apart from being funny (“listen to the plinky-plunky music"), she mentions something about her “happy place”. And I wondered if I had one. A happy place… a place to retreat to when you need some cheering up; a place you would go to gather strength and succor when you feel down in the dumps. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

Yes I do have a happy place and it happens to be the quaint little chapel in my school. Whenever I feel sad or depressed, I can just close my eyes and be virtually transported to this spot. I can vividly recall every detail - the quiet that envelops you as you step in, the coolness of the mosaic when you lay your cheek on it, the framed photograph of Mary Of Perpetual Help, the smooth hardness of the wooden benches, the gentle sunlight that filters in, the far-away sounds of carefree children’s laughter, the soothing cooing of the mynahs…. It is truly a beautiful place that calms me and restores tranquility deep within me. I don’t think I chose this place for its religious significance. But, rather, it feels like a mother’s womb – safe and protected.

I haven’t actually visited this chapel for many years now. I have no clue if it is still the same. But in my heart and mind, it will forever be a little slice of serenity. Do you have a happy place?

What Does Chennai Mean To Me?

This post is part of the blog tag titled, The CBC Tablog where CBC stands for Chennai Bloggers Club. About 35 bloggers from Chennai are participating in this blog tag; everyone will write about their favourite city Chennai and what it means to them. So here's my post for the CBC tablog titled, What Chennai Means To Me. Thanks for passing the baton to me Susan!

If I can describe Chennai in one word, it would be home. Indeed, that’s exactly what Chennai means to me. I was born here, I grew up here, studied here, worked here – and in fact, have even married here. 

I’ve lived almost my entire life here. Most of my special memories have been formed in Chennai. After spending more than 2 decades here, it is only reasonable that anyone would think that I would know Chennai like the back of my hand. Unfortunately, that is not so. I am not familiar with too many routes – and most definitely cannot claim to have visited every nook and cranny of this city. I am no expert on Chennai – I am still discovering the myriad delights it offers.

I think that one either loves Chennai or hates it – there are no inbetweens. Actually there is lot to dislike in Chennai – the hot and humid weather of course topping the list. When outsiders say that they don’t prefer Chennai I can totally understand their reasons. I don’t jump immediately to Chennai’s defense and deny any of its shortcomings. 

Sure, Chennai has many drawbacks, yes Chennai has its dark side. But so what? I don’t claim that Chennai is perfect. Rather, we Chennaities have simply learnt to accept its faults. We have chosen to look beyond the flaws. Afterall what is life without a few imperfections, right?

For the past 5 years or so, I’ve been living abroad mostly. Whenever I think of Chennai, I get this warm and fuzzy feeling inside me. Every time my flight hovers over Chennai, I look down eagerly at the glimmering lights, winking at me from far below and try to guess which area we are flying over (even though I'm mostly clueless!). And as we touchdown, I think, “I’m home”. Yes. Chennai is home. Home is Chennai. Yesterday, today and always.

This post will be succeeded by Aravind Kumar, who says, "Too many blogs kill the blogging spirit atleast it did mine! Crazy Traveller, Flour Miller, Lover of Food Politics."

*Photo credit: nanda_uforians (Used under the Creative Commons Attribution License.)