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| CONSERVATISM |
| Sunday, May 07, 2006 |
I was watching the special discussion programme "Battle for TamilNadu" in CNN IBN.The issue discussed was "What hampers tamilnadu from becoming India's no.1 state?"One sub-topic that was discussed was "Is Chennai conservative?"
Now this question has bothered many a Chennaiite who really cares for the city,who really loves the city.Now how exactly would you define the term "conservative".The Oxford lexcion says "not averse to rapid changes".If this definition is anything to go by,then the term "changes" has to be analysed.What changes has Chennai faced?
As far as I know during the period from 1995 to 1998,when I first set foot in this city,there was not a single day when the mercury crossed 40 degrees.But now the sun's blazing away at 44 degrees.This is one change that the city has witnessed but it is up to the people to acclimatize.
The population has been constantly increasing.More industries have mushroomed.To keep pace with the changes,flyovers have been built,roads widened,national highways through the city improved and grade separators are coming up.
The above are only a few cases to illustrate the progress that chennai has made.I'd be grateful if you readers quote many more instances in the comment box.
From a personal viewpoint I have come across many people quoting weird reasons why the city is conservative.One cousin of mine in Bengaluru says "The heat's terrible in Chennai".So what?Your immune system is equipped to resist temperatures upto 50 degrees.Why can't you endure 43 degrees.70 lakh people in the city endure the heat.They havent died of it.
Another guy whom I met about a year ago on a return trip from the "garden city" of Bengaluru remarked,"There are no good shopping malls in Chennai".From his accent I could easily make out that he was a north Indian who was accustomed to shopping in the malls of the Northern Capital Region.
A girl,whom I met online,quoted a news article she had read which threw light of the hostility of south Indians towards north Indians.It quoted an instance of how a Marwari family searched for a house in north Chennai only to be driven out by a group of youngsters who sang "Enga area ulla varaathey...."The linguistic bias is the root cause of this.
Other claims for conservatism that I witnessed in newspapers and by word of mouth include bad roads,non-cosmopolitan nature,absence of famous people etc.
Contrary to all this,I feel that Chennai's making steady progress in its bid to establish itself a top city in India.And I have this to say to those who still feel,the city is conservative:If we are conservative,it means you are blind. |
Property of Sheks @ 12:19 am   |
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Name: Sheks
Home: Madras, TamilNadu, India
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