This year I was not excited about the Madras Week celebrations. Well, I cannot claim to have been super excited about the celebrations in all the past few years that the city has celebrated its birthday......I am definitely proud of the long history of the city and even prouder of the zealous citizens that celebrate the city.
However, this year was different......I was indifferent to the announcements about the Madras Week programmes. My mind was distracted by all that I did not want my city to be but has become...... How could I celebrate the city which did not stay true to the image that I had of it? Let me tell you what bothers me so much about the city these days......
1) Mounds of garbage: Every street, especially in the locality that I live in, is a street of garbage. The garbage bins are overflowing. The space around the bins are full of waste. And, in most cases, garbage encroaches on the roads, leaving little space for vehicles and pedestrians. Garbage has not been cleared from the streets for many days now. I sometimes feel that I live in a city that is defined by the heaps of garbage.
2) Potholed roads: There was a short period earlier this year when we praised the road surface in the city. Most of the roads were relaid and the roads took on extra width. The medians were covered with lush vegetation and it was a pleasure to drive on the roads. Then, all of a sudden, potholes appeared and the roads are back to being hellish for any driver. Add to that the rains that we have been experiencing, I do not have to describe the nightmare of navigating through the city's main arteries. Why can we not make durable roads? Why cannot our roads remain good?
3) Chaotic traffic: Well, haphazard and chaotic traffic is the hallmark of any Indian city. Till recently, I believed that the road user in Chennai was a bit more conscious of road rules than his fellow citizen in other parts of our country. Not any longer.....I am appalled that Chennai is now witness to the same road sense that I see in a place like Gurgaon. Cutting traffic lights, driving the wrong way along one way streets, weaving dangerously across lanes, insensitive honking, focussed on your eyes headlights - you name it, we have it. Can we ever reclaim good road sense or is it only going to get worse? I wonder.......
4) Airport: A city's airport is said to be its gateway, bringing visitors in. I have not been able to figure out what our airport is going to look like when it is ready. And, most importantly, I do not have a clue when the airport will be ready after all the makeover. Cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad have modern airports. Will Chennai ever have one? Will Chennai be able to maintain them like they do at the private airports? We will have to live with a bad sarkari airport and even worse sarkari service.
What's the use of celebrating a city's past when the future looks bleak, I argue to myself.....I see the city losing its status amongst the major metros of the country. Bangalore and Hyderabad are gnawing away at our position. Pune is undergoing a major transformation that could leave us behind. And, I believe, Ahmedabad is a secret waiting to reveal itself.......We will find ourselves playing the catch up game always.....with the expectations and needs of our citizens galloping away faster than the government can act. And, when the government acts, we will be lumped with facilities and infrastructure which will be outdated.......
So, can we celebrate a Madras Week that will serve as a wake up call? If this city needs my loyalty, it better.....
However, this year was different......I was indifferent to the announcements about the Madras Week programmes. My mind was distracted by all that I did not want my city to be but has become...... How could I celebrate the city which did not stay true to the image that I had of it? Let me tell you what bothers me so much about the city these days......
1) Mounds of garbage: Every street, especially in the locality that I live in, is a street of garbage. The garbage bins are overflowing. The space around the bins are full of waste. And, in most cases, garbage encroaches on the roads, leaving little space for vehicles and pedestrians. Garbage has not been cleared from the streets for many days now. I sometimes feel that I live in a city that is defined by the heaps of garbage.
2) Potholed roads: There was a short period earlier this year when we praised the road surface in the city. Most of the roads were relaid and the roads took on extra width. The medians were covered with lush vegetation and it was a pleasure to drive on the roads. Then, all of a sudden, potholes appeared and the roads are back to being hellish for any driver. Add to that the rains that we have been experiencing, I do not have to describe the nightmare of navigating through the city's main arteries. Why can we not make durable roads? Why cannot our roads remain good?
3) Chaotic traffic: Well, haphazard and chaotic traffic is the hallmark of any Indian city. Till recently, I believed that the road user in Chennai was a bit more conscious of road rules than his fellow citizen in other parts of our country. Not any longer.....I am appalled that Chennai is now witness to the same road sense that I see in a place like Gurgaon. Cutting traffic lights, driving the wrong way along one way streets, weaving dangerously across lanes, insensitive honking, focussed on your eyes headlights - you name it, we have it. Can we ever reclaim good road sense or is it only going to get worse? I wonder.......
4) Airport: A city's airport is said to be its gateway, bringing visitors in. I have not been able to figure out what our airport is going to look like when it is ready. And, most importantly, I do not have a clue when the airport will be ready after all the makeover. Cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad have modern airports. Will Chennai ever have one? Will Chennai be able to maintain them like they do at the private airports? We will have to live with a bad sarkari airport and even worse sarkari service.
What's the use of celebrating a city's past when the future looks bleak, I argue to myself.....I see the city losing its status amongst the major metros of the country. Bangalore and Hyderabad are gnawing away at our position. Pune is undergoing a major transformation that could leave us behind. And, I believe, Ahmedabad is a secret waiting to reveal itself.......We will find ourselves playing the catch up game always.....with the expectations and needs of our citizens galloping away faster than the government can act. And, when the government acts, we will be lumped with facilities and infrastructure which will be outdated.......
So, can we celebrate a Madras Week that will serve as a wake up call? If this city needs my loyalty, it better.....
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