Had a very loong day at work today..I actually wanted to leave work-place a liitle early , but exactly how things turn out the opposite whenever I voice out any of my plans, the pattern followed today and I left only after 7PM!
So, I crashed on the bed on reaching home and as I opened the laptop to check emails and stuff, I was finding myself very tired and had nothing to post...Just while I was about to just close blogger, S took out a print out of driving directions on a map, and lo behold, my eyes caught the name of the town I grew up in in the crowded sheet of paper and it felt like as if I have been given some rejuvenated drink and the eyes woke up from sleep right away..and here I'm typing..
I was born at the capital of TamilNadu and we migrated to a nice little town in the center of TN when I was about 8 years old and all my memories of growing up, of being a family , of making friends happened at this place.In fact I lived there continuously for about 8 years and thereafter, college happened, so had to move out of the town , then , work happened and marriage happened,..so never got to live in the place at a stretch for a longer duration, though I regularly visit my parents there. Whenever people ask which is my native, I never have any second thought in answering the place I come from. When the level of questions go from where your native is to "do all your relatives stay close by? are your grandparents too from the same place etc", I answer in the negative, but cant think of any other place to call my "sontha oor" other than this one..Cant point a finger on one reason or the other, but my "sontha oor" is this textile city..Inspite of S teasing many a times that there are only four roads at my place(dont believe him, Ok, I can proudly say that roads in our town are well maintained all round the year and there are more than 4 roads at a stretch than what S claims :)), and that if people travel via bullock carts and since the railway station is maintained neat and tidy, he claims there is no reason to rejoice or be proud of it as there is hardly one or two trains everyday and passengers alighting and boarding the trains from this station and few..
Even at college, I've had friends make fun of me by calling me a "oor ponnu" and asking various questions ranging from "do people brush their tooth using neem stems". Sometimes, I've come across people from cities who cant even begin to imagine how life is like in a town , down south..They were stunned to figure out that there were certain "unsaid and not-printed" rules both at school and at home for both boys and girls , if they have to mingle ..I have a friend from school-days who didnt and still doesnt refer to me in singular..They have also surprised to hear that even elders give respect to toddlers and little children while interacting with them.
The roots are firmly ingrained and I never give up my "ooru" at any point during any conversation.."Entha naadu endraalum , adhu nam oora pola varuma". Many of us will cherish one place or the other and will have a special corner in our hearts and minds for the place..S, for one has a special love for Chennai .Though he has lived there only for about 10 years or so, and though he doesnt visit now-a-days , his eyes light up at the very mention of Chennai..To each , his own..Places, like people also attract us and place(s) also become lovable and the soil also loves us back ! Happy weekend!
So, I crashed on the bed on reaching home and as I opened the laptop to check emails and stuff, I was finding myself very tired and had nothing to post...Just while I was about to just close blogger, S took out a print out of driving directions on a map, and lo behold, my eyes caught the name of the town I grew up in in the crowded sheet of paper and it felt like as if I have been given some rejuvenated drink and the eyes woke up from sleep right away..and here I'm typing..
I was born at the capital of TamilNadu and we migrated to a nice little town in the center of TN when I was about 8 years old and all my memories of growing up, of being a family , of making friends happened at this place.In fact I lived there continuously for about 8 years and thereafter, college happened, so had to move out of the town , then , work happened and marriage happened,..so never got to live in the place at a stretch for a longer duration, though I regularly visit my parents there. Whenever people ask which is my native, I never have any second thought in answering the place I come from. When the level of questions go from where your native is to "do all your relatives stay close by? are your grandparents too from the same place etc", I answer in the negative, but cant think of any other place to call my "sontha oor" other than this one..Cant point a finger on one reason or the other, but my "sontha oor" is this textile city..Inspite of S teasing many a times that there are only four roads at my place(dont believe him, Ok, I can proudly say that roads in our town are well maintained all round the year and there are more than 4 roads at a stretch than what S claims :)), and that if people travel via bullock carts and since the railway station is maintained neat and tidy, he claims there is no reason to rejoice or be proud of it as there is hardly one or two trains everyday and passengers alighting and boarding the trains from this station and few..
Even at college, I've had friends make fun of me by calling me a "oor ponnu" and asking various questions ranging from "do people brush their tooth using neem stems". Sometimes, I've come across people from cities who cant even begin to imagine how life is like in a town , down south..They were stunned to figure out that there were certain "unsaid and not-printed" rules both at school and at home for both boys and girls , if they have to mingle ..I have a friend from school-days who didnt and still doesnt refer to me in singular..They have also surprised to hear that even elders give respect to toddlers and little children while interacting with them.
The roots are firmly ingrained and I never give up my "ooru" at any point during any conversation.."Entha naadu endraalum , adhu nam oora pola varuma". Many of us will cherish one place or the other and will have a special corner in our hearts and minds for the place..S, for one has a special love for Chennai .Though he has lived there only for about 10 years or so, and though he doesnt visit now-a-days , his eyes light up at the very mention of Chennai..To each , his own..Places, like people also attract us and place(s) also become lovable and the soil also loves us back ! Happy weekend!
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