Chennai!!!

I am leaving for Chennai tomorrow, for another close friend's wedding. but tis gonna be a very short trip, just 3 days. I will back before I know it. But I have a very tight schedule since I have relatives to meet in between the wedding functions.

Chennai, a city I have never felt comfortable in. I don't know why. As a child I spent nearly 4 months a year in Chennai. I loved the 2 day train journey because Amma would never say no to anything on the train, be it comic books or snacks or frooti. (Of course that was when it was just her and me.) I would look forward to meeting my cousins, because in Mumbai I was the only one. Most of my cousins were in Chennai and USA. But every trip, I would feel left out, cos my cousins would b busy w their school and I will be alone at home. I would be constantly shuttling around the different houses. Worse part was I would be made to wake up at 4-5am and do the times table! I would protest that being on vacation gave you freedom from school, but no one will listen. I would be forced to sleep by 8pm.

Then we moved to Singapore, the visits to Chennai became less frequent. Even then, I would be told off for wearing jeans and tshirt. I wasnt allowed to go out in the afternoons, even though I was a teenager who was super independent in Singapore. I opted to spend more time in Bombay during my India trips. In Bombay I would take the local train and bus and jus go whereever I wanted. In Chennai I hated to haggle with the auto and then have to hear my aunties that I spend way too much money on the auto.

Nothing has changed to date. Last time I was there I nearly went crazy. I am sure by the time I return to Singapore on saturday, I would have cried a zillion times to mom about how much I hate Chennai, as I always do.