madras
A very hesitant me got down onto the platform after a 5 hour long train journey. The numerous stories about this city and the fact that I am a hard core Bangalorean forbade me to like anything about it. And yet, I had to be there and I was. As I stepped out, the first thing that hit me was the humidity. With no sign of the sun, I expected it to be a lot cooler than 31 degrees Celsius at 11 in the morning(Being Bangalorean I guess!!!). Inspite of the rough beginning, there is something that took me by surprise. In the short, very cramped auto ride from the railway station to my hotel, I saw something mesmerising. Despite the stink(Yes...!! It's true!!) and the innumerable "Amma" posters, I saw a city so rich in culture and architecture that I was caught off guard. Suddenly, I saw Madras, not Chennai: a culturally enriched, architecturally wealthy city. The transitions from red stoned arched buildings to the neatly laid, stoned English architecture, the names of the lanes...