Srirangam Vs Bangalore/Chennai

All said and done, the hip metro lifestyle can never match the laid back small town’s charm. Especially, if it the place where you grew up. I love Srirangam for just that reason. The small pleasures I get there I never am able to find in Bangalore or Chennai.

No matter how many ever times I go to A2B (Adayar Ananda Bhavan) or Nalas, the only acknowledge I get is a smile from the cleaning boy and few servers that’s it. They never seem to remember what I like what I dislike, How I like my dosa made etc. No one seems to even care about it. It’s a like a big culinary assembly line. Cut to Srirangam, I go to Iyer Coffee shop near rajagopuram @ 4.30-5 in the morning, straight out of the train. Although the owner Murali has not seen me in months, he recognizes me. He remembers that I like my coffee extra strong with 2 ½ spoons of sugar. If my dad and mom are with me in the auto, they get their regular coffees too. All this without exchanging a single word. That gives me a sense of belonging or pride. The feeling that I am important enough that someone remembers me. Same with Venkatesa Bhavan. Although my trysts with this fabulous restaurant have lessened considerably due to my mid afternoon naps which stretch till the evenings, the people there still remember me. I go there maybe once is two months. But again, I need not speak a word, he (I guess his name is sudharshan) orders the key items , by shouting 'Onnu' right away on seeing me. These small pleasures you can never expect in big towns I guess.

Again take the example of our family’s longtime travel partner (nice phrase) Thayar cabs and its owner Selvam. Not only he offers us cabs@ specially subsidized fare, he has never even once turned down our request, even if it is in the last minute. He collects the money from us usually after a week or two. In fact once when my parents took a cab to Chennai to fly to UK for 6 months, the cab driver refused to take the payment as he is not authorized to. When contacted later, Selvam told them to pay the bills once they come back. 6 months credit for nothing. Can you imagine something like that happening in a big town?? I can keep naming such people from the rice merchant in East Ady St to pick and pack store in Thillai Nagar. The customer association that’s developed in a small town is simply amazing. But the sad thing is that such an association is now gradually being eroded my pseudo-metro lifestyle and culture being embraced by the residents. It will be just a matter of time before I am asked to order by food, get by tokens and eat food standing in my favorite Venkatesa Bhavan ;-)