I have arrived in my hometown of Chennai after 3 long years. It is bang in the middle of summer and getting really hot. The humid weather hits you as soon as you step out of the airport. The drive back from the airport was like browsing through a old picture book with some new photos in them.
In many ways the city has not changed much. The roads are still the same but much more congested with traffic. The potholes seem to be present exactly at the same place they were 3 years back. The air is still dusty and it leaves a layer of grime by the time one gets back home. The auto drivers are still a mafia of their own who choose to charge whatever fare comes to their mind. Oh yeah the good old Adyar Bakery is still in the same place though it seems a touch more dilapidated since i saw it the last time.
But wait there are changes. Mobile phones are no longer the preserve of the rich. It has truly trickled down to the masses as one can see everyone talking on the mobile phone. In the midst of my journey in an auto the driver whips out a mobile phone and and talks to someone who requests his services later. The new middle class wealth is visible everywhere in the form of expensive cars, posh apartments and branded clothes.
What irks me the most is that there is very little change in the basic things we take for granted in Singapore such as good pedestrian pathways, efficient public transport, and good roads. The construction of new flyovers, metro stations and expansion of roads all moving at snail's pace. But one is hopeful that all these small changes snowball into something bigger that will be really change the landscape of India.
No comments:
Post a Comment