Indulge in Chennai is turning 15, a milestone worth celebrating and it’s been my pleasure to be a part of this journey. A much-deserved shout-out to our wonderful team. It goes without saying that it’s been a rollercoaster of a year, with all of us fighting hard to get things back to normal and I love how Chennai has really shown its mettle in this regard. No surprises then that our city has become a destination for all things cultural, sports, cinema and food. With the world arriving at our doorstep, I decided to give you a reverse take on things, so to speak, and talk about how our Chennaiites like to travel, now that most of the doors are finally open.
Picture perfect: With the rise and all-out domination of Instagram, it’s all about those fabulous photos. As a meme once said, ‘Did it even happen if there weren’t any pictures on Instagram? And it’s not just the influencer brigade I’m talking about. Sometimes, it’s great to just sit back and watch the hilarity that ensues at all the touristy locations, as people strive to get that perfect shot. Chatting with travel influencers Rebecca and Gowtham, better known as Odyssey of Two, we learn a bit about all that goes into making those frame-worthy pictures. “We love the chance to be able to spend time with each other and focus on our relationship,” says Rebecca, something we don’t get to do in Chennai because of our busy professions. They’re not full-time travellers by the way. Goutham is an ENT surgeon and Rebecca, is a healthcare manager.
Mark those milestones: Move over destination weddings, because here come the milestone birthday celebrations, not complete without a trip somewhere. A trip within India usually means a safari, with Indians exploring the jungles in the past year like we never have before (myself included). The big cats are probably more than fed up of us by now. Our once favourite Thailand has now been swapped for Azerbaijan, Turkey and Croatia. It’s also great to see all-girls trips, solo trips, yoga retreat holidays and more. Divya Pandurangam of Save The Date event décor recently took a long solo trip to Sri Lanka to help refresh, reset and rejuvenate, and meet other talented people, in turn helping with her own creative process.
Work meets play: Making the most of it are the category of travellers, especially those in the creative professions who use the stunning visuals of their vacations to create new work. Designer Sruthi Kannath, on her recent trip to Paris, had some of her famous sari blouses modelled by French muses. She shared how it adds a whole new dimension to the look and who doesn’t love the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. Nandini Varshnei Rishi on the other hand often turns her hubby’s work trips into a chance to explore. “It’s a solo trip during the day and a couples trip at night,” she says with a laugh. What does she get up to in the day? Well, on her current trip to Canada: “Whale watching in the Pacific Ocean, where I was lucky enough to spot four humpback whales and trail a mother and calf for nearly 30 minutes, saw grizzly bears at Grouse Mountain, sea kayaked with harbour seals and moon jellyfish, did a 25k cycle tour of Vancouver city and took a day trip to the winter Olympic town of Whistler!”
I have a few places I have my sights set on, but the year isn’t over yet! I’ll sign off wishing all of you happy travels and exploring, and thank you Chennai for joining us on this amazing ride. Here’s to more!