Apart from imagining Batman living in Chennai, we at Put Chutney have always viewed ourselves as hometown folks who go around the globe (or try to) explaining the many Chennai quirks to the world. Obviously, we wouldn’t want to talk about the usual suspects, considering that’s what we hear or see in any PowerPoint presentation about Chennai. Phrases like ‘traditional yet modern’ do no justice to the city’s soul.
Did we tell you, our office is in Perungudi? For some folks that make us residents of greater Chennai, but hey, it still has Chennai in it! We love Chennai because of its ability to remain calm even in the face of pressure. A city that is always welcoming, always calm and most importantly, ready to listen.
Don’t get me started on how people are in a hurry all the time and they don’t want to talk to you in the middle of the road. What do you expect at 6.30 am on Marina Beach from people on their morning jog?
Jokes apart, as much as we’ve had enough opportunities to go and define what Chennai is to us to the entire world, the city has proved itself at important times. The Decembers of 2015 and 2016 will remain etched in our memories, as what the city is capable of doing and overcoming.
Never has this city seen such a manner of active community service from the citizens, who were willing to do their part to help this gem of a city get back on its feet. So much so that anytime a disaster happens anywhere in the country, we hear people talking about getting together like how folks in Chennai did. If you said this to anyone in Chennai before 2015, we would’ve happily quoted the famous prophecy, “When the sun rises in the West and sets in the East, when the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves, when the traffic quickens again, and you bear that irritating horn — then it will happen and not before."
Of course, things can be better in the city. We wish all those Metro constructions magically vanished. We wish we had a good waste management system. We hope Ennore remains in tact. We wish we had more parking spaces in T Nagar.
After all, the things the city has been through in the past two years, what makes Chennai different from other cities? Well, in Chennai, we actually listen to people. We listen to each other and we are willing to understand and work towards solving our problems. Till then, we will continue with our old traditions, create new ones in the process — don’t ask which one, we are always evolving. And once in a while, just once in a while, we will try to set an example for the nation, or probably to the entire world. Because there is nothing in the world that can knock Chennai out.
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Rajiv Rajaram, Creative Director:
Rajiv is the brain behind ‘Put Chutney’ - one of Culture Machine’s digital brand that caters to the Tamil speaking audience. Rajiv has a vast experience in Advertising and Radio industry in the areas of Writing, Conceptual Development, Programming Strategies and People management