Chennai- Confluence of Tradition and Modernity

                                    Chennai- Confluence of Tradition and Modernity

I have just returned to Delhi from Chennai after a three day stay in the city. I had not visited Chennai for the last fifty years during the Marghazi Music festival season as all my visits have been during summer holidays when Chennai is at its hottest with temperatures upwards of 40°C. The hottest part of the year is late May to early June, known regionally as Agni Nakshatram ("fire star") or as Kathiri Veyyil, with maximum temperatures around 35–40 °C. But December – January are the coolest months with minimum temperatures around 15–22 °C. Hence this year’s visit in December was pleasant- in fact doubly pleasant as Delhi temperatures had already plummeted to less than 10°C. So it was from freezing pan to cool warmth that made Chennai visit all the more enjoyable. One could swing one’s arms freely and walk about, unshackled by jackets and cardigans. One could display Kanchipuram sarees without hiding their rich colours and their intricacy of work, lovely pattern and their distinctive wide contrast borders in zari and gold thread. Chennai people don’t think twice spending on silk sarees.  The Bridal silk sarees range from Rs 7000 to a little less than a lakh and give a king – rather a queen size complex when anyone wears anything in a lesser range.  This is not singularly a Chennai phenomenon; it is also prevalent in Delhi and other parts of India. But what is of significance is Chennai has continued the tradition of silk sarees to be worn round the year. Unlike the Delhi culture where Diwali heralds the packing of cotton sarees and the unpacking of the silk wardrobe, Chennai revels in high quality silk sarees even during the Kathiri Veyyil period. While the older generation still swears by the Kanchipuram variety, the younger ones go for designer silk sarees.  After all silk is silk is silk.

I discovered a noticeable change in the sartorial preference in Chennai- the invasion of salwar-kameez. This is not limited to young college girls and office goers, but has spread among middle aged ladies who have discarded the pride of Chennai saree. One is reminded of Carlyle’s Sartor Resartus that discusses imaginary ‘Philosophy of Clothes’ to state that cultures reconstruct themselves in changing fashions, power-structures, and faith-systems. The Madrasi’s

(Chennai-ite is a more appropriate term as in the North anyone below the Vindhyas is called a Madrasi) acceptance of the Punjabi sartorial elegance is similar to their acceptance of Hindi and Bollywood despite their humungous pride in saree, in Kollywood and in Tamil, the 2000 year old classical language. This adoption of the Northern wear is typical of the Tamilian culture of kow-towing to the fairer race from the North, who Tamils think set the fashion trend for the entire nation. The real Chennai Express is seen here where the journey is from Chennai to Delhi, absorbing new trends in sartorial elegance even while holding firmly to the native saree that is a must for all celebratory occasions. The middle aged Mamis(aunties) whose sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, cousins and pussy cats are US based Indian Born American Desis have made a nice balance of Long Kurtas and Jeans(kurtis are only for the younger generation) for daily wear and shimmering silk sarees with diamond necklaces and bracelets( though it is difficult to make out if they are real diamonds or American diamonds) for weddings and other festival days. They have trimmed their hair to shoulder length that is normally left open, but on festive occasions they make a pony tail entwined with jasmine flower- an artful and intelligent fusion of tradition and modernity. As for the gents, weddings and such festive functions are grand occasions to be bare- chested though no one has a six pack to show. The Tambrahms, in particular are smug to display a rotund stomach –almost like a beer belly-though they would not have tasted a drop of the harmless beer in their life.

Chennai is a city of restaurants (often written in Tamil ’cabe’(café), hotels and hospitals. This is not to disparage the food served in these eating joints, but the proximity of hotels and hospitals on every street  is an index of Chennai-ites obsession with ‘tififin’ and obsession with health. It is interesting to listen to the small talk of Chennai people which will always be a detailed account of some minor illness and the covert pride in going through innumerable tests and consuming a huge pile of tablets daily. I listened to a Tamil explaining to his American friend in his halting English that ‘idlis are harmless as they are entirely made of steam’. The restaurants and other small food joints are crowded all through the day from early morning till ten at night. I was told that many housewives after seeing off their husbands to the office and children to schools and colleges enjoy a tete-a-tete brunch in these eating joints. For them it is a refreshing change from their own dull and prosaic cooking and an opportunity to get out in search of innocent entertainment. I saw groups of 4-5 Mamis at different ‘cabe’s  enjoying being served  and waited upon- the chores they had been doing ever since their marriage and the chores they will continue till they take their final retirement. This is yet another instance of traditional Mamis’ approach to modern life style.

Chennai is a city of statues. The statue culture commemorating a historical event or the life of an influential person is the distinguishing landmark of Chennai.  On the Marina Beach promenade alone there are eighteen statues of great Tamil poets like Kambar and  Bharathiyar, Thiruvalluvar  and Awaiyar, of saints like Ilango Adigal and Swami Vivekananda , of National leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and   Subhas Chandra Bose,  of Tamil politicians like Kamaraj and  Thanthai Periyar, of  cinema idols like Shivaji Ganesan and  MGR along with the Triumph of Labour , the first statue erected on the Beach with its symbolic significance.  Since Chennai –ites are crazy about films and have a strong temple culture, all politicians and film stars have their large cut-outs  on high raised pedestals as though they are gods and goddesses. While Chennai is like London with huge statues peeking out of important streets, unlike London, the walls and bridges and lamp posts of the city are defaced with posters of living politicians and cine stars. Tamils are genetically wired to legends –both past and present and there is a strong in-built tendency to hero-worship. Chennai and Chennai people have a great fascination for the English language. Notwithstanding their Tamilinglish accent-that hardly keeps any English alphabet silent – and their  use of pidgin incorporating Tamil and English words, they have great pride in  ‘talking English, walking English, laughing English’ a la Amitabh Bachchan in the film Natwarlal. Though they understand Hindi, they will answer only in English in broken sentences.  Even the priests in the Temple love to explain in half English, half Tamil the significance of the deity and the prayers they recite. Never can there be such a delightful co-existence of an ancient and modern language.

This city is known for its music sabhas.  In the early sixties of the last century, there were not many sabhas and unless one purchased season tickets for the December music festival,  it was difficult to attend any of the concerts. There was also a perpetual dilemma as to which concert one should attend as many of the senior music maestros would be performing at the same time in different venues. Those days are gone and one can internet the tickets in advance as Chennai is a computer-savvy city. The sabhas have mushroomed and it is not that difficult to attend a concert of one’s choice. Unlike Delhi where attending a concert without ticket is looked upon as patronizing arts, Chennai-ites are great connossieurs of Carnatic  music who will not mind buying tickets . Shakespeare’s tribute to the loveliness of Cleopatra can well be applied to Carnatic music that is a passion with Chennai-ites.

            Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
                          Her infinite variety: other women cloy
                          The appetites they feed: but she makes hungry
                          Where most she satisfies;” (substitute Cleopatra by Carnatic Music)

                                                            

Young and old, men and women, Hindus, Christians and Muslims, all love Carnatic music in Chennai. Some of the Nadaswara Vidwans are Muslims and they play on their pipes-wind instruments in temples  and also when deities are taken in procession on festival days. Music seems to run in their blood. Despite the crass Kollywood and Bollywood numbers that send them to a tizzy, they love the ragas, swaras and rhythms of Carnatic music. While the four and five star hotels engage top DJs and crooners for their night clubs, the youngsters in Chennai do not let go of Carnatic concerts. It is amazing to find many young engineers and professionals on stage performing full length music concerts. The passion for music is another distinguishing aspect of Chennai culture where paradoxically a great deal of emphasis is given to learning and in particular to information technology.  While the young flock to umpteen engineering colleges in search of a degree that will catapult them to USA, their cerebral power is matched by their love for devotional music. In fact, the Tamils are highly emotional and this is seen in the way they respond to happiness and grief. (When MGR died, many men shaved their head in grief). The NRIs of Tamil origin take their annual vacation during the Music season in December-January. So enterprising are the Tamils- and specially women that during this season, they rent out a couple of rooms to NRI visitors for handsome cash which in any case will be far less than the charges in hotels and inns. They provide the traditional breakfast of idlis and dosas and such a B&B arrangement is better than what the Western countries provide. Can there be a better fusion of tradition and modernity?

The last aspect of Chennai culture is it has borrowed the best of the West and fused it with its native tradition in a seamless fashion. Most of the Chennai homes have distinct modern décor but every home has a separate place for the Gods-almost temple like in structure. The Tamils are god-fearing and devout people. The temples in the evening are crowded and women carry oil with them to light the temple lamps. Whether in US or in India, the Tamils have great faith in astrology and tradition and seldom do they falter on observing practices that have traditionally been handed to them ( especially when they return to Chennai).  Marriage proposals are first vetted by astrologers before they are taken farther. They can have their pizzas and burgers outside, but they cannot be without their rasam and dahi bath(curd rice). They can well adapt to Western ways but at heart they are simple people, satisfied with the simple joys of life. Chennai is a perfect blend of tradition and modernity. It is among the few cities in India that exports brilliant young men and women to the West in large numbers. Often during my visits, I have seen beautiful homes with just two members- the parents who proudly show photographs of their sons and daughters in the West. I used to wonder if Chennai is a city of senior citizens only! But the old parents living alone are cheerful and uncomplaining, waiting for the annual visits of their children. There is of course the i-pad, the skype, and the internet to get connected daily, almost hourly to  chat with their sons and daughters about what they have made for lunch, tiffin and dinner and tell them about all things small and trivial to give their US based children the feeling of Chennai.

Chennai is uniquely catholic in embracing tradition and modernity, following T.S.Eliot’s observation that   “the past should be altered by the present as much as the present is directed by the past.”