Pushing a Bus

Ever seen people trying to push a bus to get it to start, right in the middle of the road? I’m guessing not! I was driving past the Santhome Cathedral Basilica and was wondering what all the traffic was about. As I turned to my left, I noticed the bus. It had broken down and the passengers and the conductor were pushing it so they could restart it and get moving so they can reach their homes on time. I saw the same scene a few hours late near Ega Theater again.

The METROPOLITAN TRANSPORT CORPORATION (CHENNAI) LTD, we refer to it as the MTC, though is know as one of the best services in India. With round the clock service, 26 Bus Depots, a fleet of 2845 busses, 551 routes and employee strength of 18,000 people it covers an area of 1166 square kilometers around Chennai City. It serves an average of 4 million people everyday, but the collection are just Rs.12.2 Million (USD 297,560), which works out to a paltry sum of 7.5 United States Cents per passenger. Fares are calculated based on stages, with each stage being approximately 2 kilometers, for one stage the fare is Rs.2 (4.8 cents) and for 23 stages the fare is just Rs.7 (17 cents). A small little fact that not many people know, all MTC busses have the registration code of TN-01-N-xxxx. The service, though very poor now, is constantly improving with services going up and fares too!

Is he the son ?

This boy, I presume, is the son of the lady in yesterday’s picture. The boy came up to me after his mother had, and stretched his hand out. I rolled down the window this time and asked him why he was begging, first in Tamil and then in Hindi. He didn’t open his mouth. I asked him if I could take a picture of his, he didn’t reply to that either. I then clicked this picture and he then put his hand out again, and I paid him ten rupees for it. I wanted to tell him that he should go to school and become smart, and that the ten rupees were not alms but just fees for modeling, just like the people in the hoarding behind him and maybe he would someday be a big film star. Just words of encouragement. But alas, he wouldn’t listen; the moment money exchanged hands he walked away towards the next car, leaving me think about the things that I wanted to tell him.

I am saying that that ladies son, but I couldn’t be sure about it at all. Beggars here generally don’t have any family. They just tag along together to earn pity. Father and daughter, mother and son. Man with old crumbled parents. More time than not, its all just a set up. They can change their families and blood relatives just for the sake of a few rupees, but if what I hear is true, it’s just not a few rupees. Begging is a multi million dollar industry.

A beggar and her son

Begging for alms, I presume, is the world’s oldest profession. I was driving from Egmore to Kilpauk via Ega Bridge, and while I was on the bridge waiting for the signal to turn green, I noticed this lady. She walked towards my car and asked for alms. I’m a little soft inside so I thought id give her a rupee or two. But my friend, who was sitting beside me started lecturing me on how I shouldn’t be encouraging these sort of people. I only had time to click a picture, and by the time I rolled down my glasses, the lady had moved on to the car behind mine.

Begging here in Chennai is like a disease. So many people do it. Some do it genuinely because they are incapable of doing anything else. Some people do it to specify a particular need; some lost travelers do it because they have been robbed or have lost their belonging and just need enough money to buy a ticket back home. Some do it, just because their parents did. Some are even forced to do it by the begging mafia i.e. their hands and legs are cut of and they are put on the street to beg. In a society like ours, people generally give to beggars so they will be rewarded in the hereafter and not out of pity for the beggars and their living standards. It’s quite common to see one person from a group giving a beggar alms, even when another from the same group has refused and tried chasing the beggar away. This is due to the fear of being cursed. Tomorrow I will show you a picture of this ladies son; or at least I think he is.

Special Meetha Paan!

Paan is an ethnic North Indian chew; usually consumed at the end of meals because it helps in digestion and also acts as a mouth freshener. Paan is available in nearly every street corner in India, but more so in Chennai because of the huge north Indian population here consisting of Kutchi Memons, Marwaris, Jains, Bohras etc. Paan is also served during important functions like weddings, receptions and other ceremonies. The history of Paan can’t be traced but I read somewhere that it was popularized by King Shahjehan’s (of Taj Mahal fame) mother; Queen Noorjehan.
Paan is generally of two types; Sadha (Ordinary)and Meetha. (Sweet) The person at the Paan shop generally asks the customer what he would like in the paan. Tastes differ from person to person; but generally its betel leaf that’s washed and dried and then inside there is masala; spices like cardamom, saffron, anise and katha, small fruits, coconut, lime paste and small candy. Sometimes, the paan is wrapped inside delicate silver leaf.
The Sadha version will have betel nuts and tobacco as well. Keep in mind; both betel nuts and tobacco are carcinogens. I generally prefer the Meetha paan. Paan is nearly always made for immediate consumption, but sometimes, like the paan in the picture, it can be frozen.
If you are in Chennai sometime and want to try out a Paan, I would recommend you go to the paan place Hotel Blue Diamond or the one on Nungambakam High Road after the haddows road turning. If you can’t find it, you can always call me and I’ll be happy to buy you a paan! Do you get paan in your city? I would like to know.

Fruitshop on Greams Road

The Fruitshop on Greams Road is something that most of us people from Chennai are in love with. A juice shop that sells only fresh, unadulterated juices and also has a drive in facility is certainly a unique concept, at least in India. The prices are a tad bit over the top, but it’s defiantly worth it because the quality is assured. I generally have a pineapple juice without ice for my dinner! I also like the Jughead Special, which is an ice-cream based drink and the Sheik Shake which is a date milkshake. The Fruit Shop on Greams Road gets its name from its first branch that was located on Greams Road, but now they have plenty of branches; Greams Road, Harleys Road Kilpauk, Besant Nagar, Spencer Plaza, Nungambakam, Meenambakam and East Cost Road are the ones that I am aware of and have visited. But the one I frequent is the one on Harleys Road mainly because the location is convenient and the service is extraordinary. Hats off to the boys there. Another added advantage is the fact that my hairdresser is on the floor above it and I like to have a nice head massage along with a Lemon Mint Cooler, generally referred to as the LMC! I hear they are opening a branch in Dubai sometime this month, maybe Chuckeroon or DBluey from the Dubai Daily Photo could get us a picture of the Fruit Shop on Greams Road in Dubai?

July Theme Day : The Color Red

This is my first theme day, and in fact my first picture after restarting Chennai Daily Photo. The red light at a traffic signal is something common all over the world, but what’s unique, I think, about Chennai and other places in India, is that you have traffic lights but you also have cops standing around to make sure that the lights are obeyed. Problem is, a few people here generally don’t respect traffic lights mostly because it’s easy to get away because there are no cameras to record it and get them another day. I was told by a friend in the know though, that cameras are on the way. There are other cities participating in today’s theme day as well, here they are.

Shanghai, China - Mumbai, India - New York City (NY), USA - Manila, Philippines - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Hamburg, Germany - Stayton (OR), USA - Los Angeles (CA), USA - Hyde, UK - Oslo, Norway - Brookville (OH), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Stavanger, Norway - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Joplin (MO), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Selma (AL), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Chandler (AZ), USA - Stockholm, Sweden - Seattle (WA), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Arradon, France - Evry, France - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Boston (MA), USA - Grenoble, France - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Hilo (HI), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - La Antigua, Guatemala - Brisbane (QLD), Australia - Singapore, Singapore - Tel Aviv, Israel - Hong Kong, China - Sequim (WA), USA - Paderborn, Germany - Saarbrücken, GermanyRotterdam, Netherlands - Tenerife, Spain - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Sydney, Australia - Naples (FL), USA - Cologne (NRW), Germany - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Mainz, Germany - Toruń, Poland - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Singapore, Singapore - North Bay (ON), Canada - Jakarta, Indonesia - Montréal (QC), Canada - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Baziège, France - San Diego (CA), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - New York (NY), USA - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Sharon (CT), USA - Newcastle (NSW), Australia - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Nottingham, UK - Villigen, Switzerland - Chicago (IL), USA - Torquay, UK - Brussels, Belgium - San Diego (CA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Paris, France - Seoul, Korea - Manila, Philippines - Milano, Italy - Austin (TX), USA - Chennai, India - Madrid, Spain - Seoul, South Korea - Wailea (HI), USA - Toronto (ON), Canada - Ajaccio, France - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Zurich, Switzerland - Sydney, Australia - Budapest, Hungary - Moscow, Russia - Auckland, New Zealand - Torino, Italy

Restarting

This is a sincere apology to everyone around the world who kept coming back to my site to check my work, but I couldn’t be around to post pictures. I had a few personal problems, but they are all sorted now and I’m back for good and plan to do a really good job at it. If you have any requests or if you have a photograph of madras city that you want me to publish on this site (with credit to you) or if you want to contact me for any other reason, you could do so by emailing me at admin@chennaidailyphoto.com

Monday Madness

Driving in the city on a monday evening is one of the most hectic things to do. After the relaxed weekend off, all that people can think about is getting home to thier couches where they can lie down and watch some television! The city is getting brighter as well , the old painted hoardings replaces with multi-colour vinyl ones and they are brightly lit as well. It does cause a distraction while driving, but I'm not going to complain about it !

Chennai Central

Chennai Central : the main hub for the Chennai suburban railway trains and trains to other parts of India. One of the buisiest Railway Stations in India, and probably Asia. A train comes and leaves every ten minutes from here. I was at the station to pick up an aunt of mine, and took this picture wile waiting for the train. I got into trouble with the crowd when I took out my phone to click a picture, so had to do it discretly. Everything moves so fast around here, that you could just get lost looking at thigns moving.

Police Station

The Tamil Nadu goverment under Dr.J.Jayalalithaa aka Amma , has done a lot for the Tamil Nadu Police, to keep them under control and to keep them happy. Housing Quaters, Extra Pay, More pension and new, better equiped work places. This is the Egmore F2 Police Station, this place was a shack about six months ago, but now its a complete building with the best facilities inside it. I'm not sure about this, but I've heard theres a fully equiped gym inside! Now thats a change for the better, especially since the Cops have a reputaion for having Big Mustaches and Bigger Belly's !