The T.Nagar experience

I am not much of a shopping person. For years, I have worn clothes that my parents or my bro has got me. It is only after I came to work I started taking interest in shopping esp. girlish shopping. But even now I don't take all that time to shop for things for myself. I go out for shopping for no particular festival or reason. I see some thing good I pick it up. Now any Madrasite will know the place synonymous with the word shopping: T.Nagar.

T.Nagar is a place full of people at any time of the day and any day of the week and any week of the year. Like my grandmother says you will see discounts or sale announced for practically every month of the year extending for periods of one or two months. Starting from New Year, Pongal, Tamil New year, Summer, Aadi thallupadi, Dussehra, Diwali with Ramzan, Christmas, School Reopening all months are covered. And T.Nagar has shops for all kind of people. Saris are available from 80-100 onwards to 55,000 to a lakh.Time pass shopping to wedding shopping everything can be done here. The Usman Road and Panagal park stretch is dotted with shops on the platforms selling practically everything. and you have the huge multi storied shops with each floor dedicated to a specific type of clothing.

Any mention of T.Nagar does not stop without referring to the world famous Ranganathan street. You will find that the number of people in this street will outnumber the number of people in a cricket stadium or in a theatre on the day a movie releases(OK may be barring a Rajini or a Kamal release.) You just need to start near the juice shops and people will take you in with the flow and will drop you right in front of the shop they want!!..ha ha.. You will go crazy looking for things here and most probably end up getting things that you didn't intend to shop in the first place.

Like I said T.Nagar is always full of people. But this number increases according to an inexplicable formula that even Einstein can't find out during the Diwali and Aadi season. People actually say that if 1 person wants to buy something they'll come with 10 people to T.Nagar to do it. Shopping in T.Nagar becomes a distant dream during the festival season. An aerial view will show you an ant like infestation during these times. The Tamil saying "Ellu potta keezha vizhathu" is so true during these times. and Ranganathan street is best avoided unless of course your idea of suicide is to be squashed or trampled by people.

Another important thing about T.Nagar is that the auto drivers here only use multiplication for quoting rates and not addition. The rate will be from T.Nagar to a destination at least 3 km away from your actual destination to the power of number of shopping bags you have in your hands. So if you want to go to Adyar you will get to listen to the rates to Thiruvanmiyur or further. and they will look at you as if you cursed them if you say "this rate is too much". If you are thinking who is going to depend on these people I'll take my own vehicle then you better be ready to walk long stretches since getting a parking space here is like the acid test to your patience.

So, loony challenge of the day: Go for shopping to T.Nagar a day or on the weekend before Diwali, get into Ranganathan street, get what you wanted and come back home by auto at a so-called reasonable rate.