First time back in Madras after two years, and yessir, this city really is growing. We landed today and had to wait for 5 minutes on the tarmac before we could get to a gate. Once inside, the airport has been renovated, though still lacks the aesthetic consideration you find in so many other buildings all over the country.
While waiting for my ride outside the arrivals area, little swallows swooped down low and skimmed over our heads, like Tom Cruise in Top Gun.
Construction of flyovers going on, traffic now accounting for a good 45-50 minutes drive from the airport to town. New buildings up all over.
And most telling, in the hotel, where we used to see channel after channel of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayallam movie music videos, now, there are some 10 Hindi channels on offer, plus RAI, and DW, some French channel, and of course BBC and CNN, but only one channel each of Vijay and Jaya. As one of the staff said “All the world is here now.”
So, while doing some work, I’m enjoying a salute to Rajni (punctuated by ads with Amitabh in Tamil, for Himani Fast Relief). Interestingly, political posters of local politician Stalin have him portrayed in such a way that he bears a striking resemblance to the Southern fillum hero…
Up now, a Dakshin version of Nach Baliye.
Gautham, I was remarking on the shift in ratio of channels on offer.
I’ve been there 4 times since 2000 and this is the first time that the hotel’s satellite offerings included the variety of (non-British) European channels, and the first time that they reduced the TV channels from the neighboring states. To be sure, there was always a good number of Hindi channels too (news and music channels), but there were matched in total by the noteworthy amount of southern content, which I missed this time around.
and before you start, yes I grew up with it as Madras, but if the people who live or grew up there can make the change, I think you should respect it as well.
Umm, not sure where you’ve been going, but my family is from Chennai (which is what it’s called now btw) and they have had hindi and international TV for over ten years, as have most of the people we know.
“Mind it!”
Have a great time there, Filmi. I miss you!