Disclaimer: I am grossly generalising here and I know that each of you can think of thousands of examples countering what I am about to say! Also, thanks to The Girl for the idea.
Chennai, culturally, can be divided into two - the two sides of Mount road. The Tenampet/Poes Garden/Besant Nagar etc.. side(lets call them side A), which are more westernized than the Nungambakkam/Egmore/T Nagar/Kilpauk side(lets call them side B).
A person from side A would probably take life more casually and adopt a "life life one day at a time" attitude. They would be more open to casual relationships, pre-marital sex and the works. They are way more likely to take an arts/humanties course in college and adopt a variety of hobbies which potray that. They are more westenised in their way of dressing and thinking.
A person from side B on the other hand are way serious about their life and career choices. They stick to traditional choices such as engineering or science. They prefer long term relationships and dress more conservately (except for the oh-so-occasional night of clubbing). They derive more fun out of hanging out with small groups of friends or being along rather than wild large parties.
Which isn't weird at all when you thing about it. I know it's still just one city but the people of side A probably schooled together, just like side B did. And if you see the friends you grew up with doing something, you think it's okay for you to do it too and it becomes who you are, if you get my drift.
Anyway, it was just a thought and Ess said I should post it, so I am. He also pointed out that people in Kilpauk quite make up for the presence of a certain hospital by being super-serious and thinking many-a-time before they make any decisions - whether it be which college they attend or how much money they spend this weekend. I thought about it and realised that, weirdly, it isn't about schools anymore, because all my friends in school who weren't flighty weren't from Kilpauk!
Weirdness.
But, remember, both side A and side B worship thalaivar.
P.S: For those who do not know me or are not from the city and are curious about this fact, I'm from side B.
We don't talk anymore
4 weeks ago
23 comments:
Funny take. The disclaimer in the beginning is the sole saviour of the article. Incidentally, I always thought it was the other way around. What with PS Senior, DAV on 'side A' of your divide. And PSBB, Lady Andal on 'side B'.
But assuming you're right, could proximity to the beach have anything to do with the pseud-factor you discussed?
Yeah.
It's definitely a funny take but Kilpauk especially your side - belongs to side A, please!.
And I suppose we are liminal creatures because I stay in a street that is classified as Kilpauk and Pursawalkam!!
:D
Bharat: I agree with the Lady Andal part, but not so much PSBB. After all, you're from PSBB and you like abstract algebra, for God's sake!
Vasu: We so do not!!!! :-P
Such slander. People here are certainly not more open to casual relationships (though we are open to causal relationships. ha. ha ha. ha ha ha) and pre-marital sex and 'the works'. Slander. And libel.
P.S. Teynampet's where it's at. All the cool people hang out at the Kamaraj Memorial Hall, partying like it's 1969 bay-beh.
LOL.
Abstract algebra has precious little to do with being "more open to casual relationships, pre-marital sex and the works"
Roshan: How can I forget Teynampet? After all, that is where the king used to reside!
Bharat: It simply means you're a geek!
ah, neat . but does anna nagar fit into any of these two sides ?? I don't quite think so .. Side C maybe ?
Anna nagar.. Hmmm. Tough one. Yeah, it does deserve a whole new side! Too complex. But I'd say it tends to side B, no? After all, it does have SBOA!
I didn't think you'd actually take the "mental hospital to super seriousness" thing seriously.
And I so do not worship thalaivar. I watch his movies to laugh at them only :P
@ Roshan: Causal relationships? *blink blink*
Ess: Thou darest speak thus!! Entry into the town thou hast been denied!
Even I always thought it was the other way around. The guys from chennai in my college were mostly from side A. And Side A has IIT and Anna and all the IIT coachings and what not. Bledy Naansense.
I know nothing of your city, but that looks like an interesting and insightful take. And now that you have mentioned it, I realise too that the choices of arts over sciences are hugely driven by lifestyle and what section of society you belong to. Surprising yet true!
@ Vinod: IIT is not part of Chennai. I refuse to acknowledge it as such! And side B has Johnson/Pillai/Focus, etc.. Remember?
@ Nikita: Thanks! And yeah, few people can afford to take up arts/humanities. Sadly.
You know about johnson, pillai etc because you lived in this part of the city. That part had satyamurthi coaching. By that i mean the iit one. oh, and balaji. They were way more popular. Focus and Johnson were in annanagar, so that is side C.
What (or who) exactly are focus, pillai and john????
Vinod: Yeah, and no one from the other parts went there?
Bharat: Famous tuition centres in this part of town..
Sathyamurthi. Who went to Sathyamurthi? This is important to me.
Roshan: You went, didn't you?! Ah-ha. Finally. The truth. Btw, Vinod, Focus had a branch in Kilpauk.
Heh yes, I went for a year, but I quit way before the test. I just couldn't keep up. It was nice to see all those smug CBSE fellows not make the screening test. Very gratifying. :P
The smugness of it all!
Well... I am from side A... and though I dont agree on the 'Humanities' part, I do agree on most other things...
Personally, I think the divide is between the central chennai vs. the peripherals, then north and south...
And yeah, I like Rajni :)
Oh the Peripherals vs Central is too obvious. A vs B is more subtle.
i think this has to do with ppl rather than school r nething.. Side A's fathers would have been different to Side B's and may be the tradition followed.. or if we look at it historically, well to do ppl settled down in side A (which is supposedly older madras) and the immigrants :) to the city and working population settled in Side B..
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