I introduce myself
A Kerala Brahmin,now retired,age 73 years,staying with family in Chennai. I would say "Hi" to all the members and would like to post my first blog as under;
MORNING STREET WALKING!!(SORRY)MORNING WALKS IN CHENNAI DURING THE RAINY SEASON
As a compulsive morning walker for long long years,in places like Palghat,Kolkatta,
Bangalore, and now in Chennai for the last 8 years, during all seasons, I have found walking on the streets during Rainy Season,the most satisfying and exhilarating experience. As a matter of practice,I always like to walk the streets,(rather than use the parks) and explore the various places and important buildings,shopping malls,cinema theatres,vegetable markets,etc., situated on the streets,.You will be amazed to know the number of banks in CP Ramaswamy Road,where I stay.Starting from down TTK bridge to CPR Road,you have,Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank,Canara Bank,HDFC Bank,IDBI Bank,City Bank,State Bank of Mysore,Punjab National Bank,Indian Bank,ICICI Bank,and State bank of India.
In Chennai,during my younger days,(I have seen 73 summers in this world)we were staying in Nungambakkam Lake area,and I used to jog from lake area to the beach and back(a matter of 18 to 20 kilometers I suppose),starting from Lake area,through Nungambakkam high road, on to Gemini flyover,through RK Salai,straight to the beach and back. During the last 8 years we have been staying in Abhiramapuram,and as age caught up with me,I had to reduce the duration of my morning walks,and drastically that too,during the last one year as I had an angioplasty done in 2008,and my cardiologist restricted my walking hours to maximum 45 to 60 minutes a day.
Before my angioplasty,from R.A.puram I used to walk to the beach(not jog)through
Ab”puram 3rd street,turn to Warren road,then to Dr.Ranga road, then to RK Mutt road,cut across to Mada street,round the temple to Kutchery Road,Santhome High Road, then to beach road,upto Anna Square.From this Junction I used to catch a 21G bus back home, and get down at Kaliappa hospital and back to my house.But now my sojourn takes me from CP R.road,RApuram,Mandevli,
RK Mutt road,Lus Corner,Nageswara Rao park, East Abhiramapuram,DR.Ranga road and back to 3rd street.Sometimes I go straight from CPR road,to Kamarajar
Street,Greenways road,come to RA puram main road,visit boat club road, and then back to my house.
Somehow walking on the foot paths of Parks,I feel stifled,and less enthusiastic,
particularly in Nageswara Rao park,where the attendance is maximum during morning hours. Here you are restricted in your speed while walking,that too when a group of 4 or 5 friends walk abreast on the limited space available on the footpath in their leisurely pace!! One way which I have found to avoid this bottleneck,is to walk anti- clock-wise in the park,as almost 99% of the walkers do their steps clockwise.There is also an advantage in walking anti-clock-wise as you can see the expressions in the faces of various walkers and a mind reader can have a field day looking and studying their faces.Since I walk alone,I always hum my favourite hindi/tamil/kannada film songs and enjoy my walks.
Now talking about walk through rainy days,last 4 or 5 days have given me the maximum joy and satisfaction during my morning walks.When I start in the early morning, always there is incessant light to heavy rains,and with an umbrella,and rubber slippers(I use Bata slippers with bubbles),(avoid using jogging shoes during rains)which enables you to get a good footing and balance while your feet splashes on the watery road,it is amazing to see how wide awake Chennai is even during the early morning(compared to Bangalore).During the last 4 rainy days our milk maid has delivered the aavin satchets early morning, I have got my paper in time,our watchman has marked his attendance early in the morning(of course the perennial problem with absentee servant maid continues).On the roads the tea stalls are open,you see cyclists going on their duties with one hand on the handlebar and the other one holding the umbrella,the two wheeler riders with pillion riders holding the umbrella to get as much protection as possible for self and driver,you can also see the sight of the umbrella held by the pillion rider opening outward against the wind,and the rider loosing his balance,which at times may prove dangerous.Invariably the pillion riders are the wives or girl friends,and during such acrobatic movements they are advised to take care of their valets,bags and gold chains.I know during the early morning rains,where I can get an hardware item or paint,an electric bulb or wire,medicines,snacks,tea,coffee,vegetables etc.,in and around RA puram,Mylapore areas,as the shops and traders are awake in such early hours,even when it rains cats and dogs!
I feel the following guidelines might be of use to pedestrians while walking on the roads:
1.I always walk on the right hand side of the road(instead the thumb rule of “keep to the left”).This enables one to see the on coming traffic,and save yourself from any untoward happenings.While walking on the left hand side,you don’t know what traffic is coming behind you.I have seen many a buses and other vehicles,overtaking a pedestrian or cyclyist,dangerously close.Pedestrians can avoid this by walking on the right hand side of the road.
2.I see many people particularly young girls,walking on the road immersed in talk with their friends on their mobiles,blissfully ignorant of the traffic behind them.This is very very dangerous.Mobile talkers should stand somewhere on the road and finish their talk and proceed.Of course we know the young girls like to have their private talks freely avoiding the watchful eyes of their elders in their houses,and what better times for these sweet talks, than while they are proceeding to their destinations!! Of course I don”t grudge the sight of these young lassies talking sweet nothings on to their beloved ones through the mobile,as I AM A ROMANTIST IN MY HEART!!.
3.Ladies,and young girls with their mobile phones,while walking on the streets are easy targets for chain and purse snatchers.Please beware of these anti social elements.
4.When you walk with your child on the roads,make it a point to walk the child on to your left side(if you are walking on the left side of the road),or to your right side(if you are walking on the right side of the road),so that they get protection from the ongoing traffic.
5.While walking on the streets,beware of the snapped cables on the foot paths.You don’t know whether they are live electric cables, or the tv cables.In particular during rainy season,electric cable snapping is very very common.Last week I read in the papers a Laundry owner ,because of the rains,closed the shop,and went to inform his employee about the holiday,and while climbing the stairs of the house,his wet umbrella touched a snapped live wire,and the poor man lost his life.
6.While walking on the roads,avoid foot paths where multi storied residential buildings are situated,because our” CIVIC SENSE IS SUCH THAT’ the residents of these buildings might drop any thing from their balconies on to the roads and target you as the proverbial dust bin!
A Kerala Brahmin,now retired,age 73 years,staying with family in Chennai. I would say "Hi" to all the members and would like to post my first blog as under;
MORNING STREET WALKING!!(SORRY)MORNING WALKS IN CHENNAI DURING THE RAINY SEASON
As a compulsive morning walker for long long years,in places like Palghat,Kolkatta,
Bangalore, and now in Chennai for the last 8 years, during all seasons, I have found walking on the streets during Rainy Season,the most satisfying and exhilarating experience. As a matter of practice,I always like to walk the streets,(rather than use the parks) and explore the various places and important buildings,shopping malls,cinema theatres,vegetable markets,etc., situated on the streets,.You will be amazed to know the number of banks in CP Ramaswamy Road,where I stay.Starting from down TTK bridge to CPR Road,you have,Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank,Canara Bank,HDFC Bank,IDBI Bank,City Bank,State Bank of Mysore,Punjab National Bank,Indian Bank,ICICI Bank,and State bank of India.
In Chennai,during my younger days,(I have seen 73 summers in this world)we were staying in Nungambakkam Lake area,and I used to jog from lake area to the beach and back(a matter of 18 to 20 kilometers I suppose),starting from Lake area,through Nungambakkam high road, on to Gemini flyover,through RK Salai,straight to the beach and back. During the last 8 years we have been staying in Abhiramapuram,and as age caught up with me,I had to reduce the duration of my morning walks,and drastically that too,during the last one year as I had an angioplasty done in 2008,and my cardiologist restricted my walking hours to maximum 45 to 60 minutes a day.
Before my angioplasty,from R.A.puram I used to walk to the beach(not jog)through
Ab”puram 3rd street,turn to Warren road,then to Dr.Ranga road, then to RK Mutt road,cut across to Mada street,round the temple to Kutchery Road,Santhome High Road, then to beach road,upto Anna Square.From this Junction I used to catch a 21G bus back home, and get down at Kaliappa hospital and back to my house.But now my sojourn takes me from CP R.road,RApuram,Mandevli,
RK Mutt road,Lus Corner,Nageswara Rao park, East Abhiramapuram,DR.Ranga road and back to 3rd street.Sometimes I go straight from CPR road,to Kamarajar
Street,Greenways road,come to RA puram main road,visit boat club road, and then back to my house.
Somehow walking on the foot paths of Parks,I feel stifled,and less enthusiastic,
particularly in Nageswara Rao park,where the attendance is maximum during morning hours. Here you are restricted in your speed while walking,that too when a group of 4 or 5 friends walk abreast on the limited space available on the footpath in their leisurely pace!! One way which I have found to avoid this bottleneck,is to walk anti- clock-wise in the park,as almost 99% of the walkers do their steps clockwise.There is also an advantage in walking anti-clock-wise as you can see the expressions in the faces of various walkers and a mind reader can have a field day looking and studying their faces.Since I walk alone,I always hum my favourite hindi/tamil/kannada film songs and enjoy my walks.
Now talking about walk through rainy days,last 4 or 5 days have given me the maximum joy and satisfaction during my morning walks.When I start in the early morning, always there is incessant light to heavy rains,and with an umbrella,and rubber slippers(I use Bata slippers with bubbles),(avoid using jogging shoes during rains)which enables you to get a good footing and balance while your feet splashes on the watery road,it is amazing to see how wide awake Chennai is even during the early morning(compared to Bangalore).During the last 4 rainy days our milk maid has delivered the aavin satchets early morning, I have got my paper in time,our watchman has marked his attendance early in the morning(of course the perennial problem with absentee servant maid continues).On the roads the tea stalls are open,you see cyclists going on their duties with one hand on the handlebar and the other one holding the umbrella,the two wheeler riders with pillion riders holding the umbrella to get as much protection as possible for self and driver,you can also see the sight of the umbrella held by the pillion rider opening outward against the wind,and the rider loosing his balance,which at times may prove dangerous.Invariably the pillion riders are the wives or girl friends,and during such acrobatic movements they are advised to take care of their valets,bags and gold chains.I know during the early morning rains,where I can get an hardware item or paint,an electric bulb or wire,medicines,snacks,tea,coffee,vegetables etc.,in and around RA puram,Mylapore areas,as the shops and traders are awake in such early hours,even when it rains cats and dogs!
I feel the following guidelines might be of use to pedestrians while walking on the roads:
1.I always walk on the right hand side of the road(instead the thumb rule of “keep to the left”).This enables one to see the on coming traffic,and save yourself from any untoward happenings.While walking on the left hand side,you don’t know what traffic is coming behind you.I have seen many a buses and other vehicles,overtaking a pedestrian or cyclyist,dangerously close.Pedestrians can avoid this by walking on the right hand side of the road.
2.I see many people particularly young girls,walking on the road immersed in talk with their friends on their mobiles,blissfully ignorant of the traffic behind them.This is very very dangerous.Mobile talkers should stand somewhere on the road and finish their talk and proceed.Of course we know the young girls like to have their private talks freely avoiding the watchful eyes of their elders in their houses,and what better times for these sweet talks, than while they are proceeding to their destinations!! Of course I don”t grudge the sight of these young lassies talking sweet nothings on to their beloved ones through the mobile,as I AM A ROMANTIST IN MY HEART!!.
3.Ladies,and young girls with their mobile phones,while walking on the streets are easy targets for chain and purse snatchers.Please beware of these anti social elements.
4.When you walk with your child on the roads,make it a point to walk the child on to your left side(if you are walking on the left side of the road),or to your right side(if you are walking on the right side of the road),so that they get protection from the ongoing traffic.
5.While walking on the streets,beware of the snapped cables on the foot paths.You don’t know whether they are live electric cables, or the tv cables.In particular during rainy season,electric cable snapping is very very common.Last week I read in the papers a Laundry owner ,because of the rains,closed the shop,and went to inform his employee about the holiday,and while climbing the stairs of the house,his wet umbrella touched a snapped live wire,and the poor man lost his life.
6.While walking on the roads,avoid foot paths where multi storied residential buildings are situated,because our” CIVIC SENSE IS SUCH THAT’ the residents of these buildings might drop any thing from their balconies on to the roads and target you as the proverbial dust bin!
.. hope you get a chuckle out of this.
