Oh dear. It has to be said. “Yo boys I am singing song / soup song / flop song.” (Boys pronounced with a ‘z' in true Chennai style. And punctuation unnecessary, of course.) You know the next line, whether you like it or not, by now. “Why this kolaveri kolaveri kolaveri di.” Namma Chennai — you have to be an insider to get all its eccentricities, quirks and jokes. And, from the looks of it, you have to be an outsider to point out just how funny the city can be.
At the recent Stand Up Comedy Event by Evam, as part of the ‘Namma Chennai' series, organised by The Hindu MetroPlus and Sheraton Park Hotel and Towers, two ‘outsiders turned insiders' had the crowd captivated by their sharp, but affectionate, routines centred around all the things that make Chennai unique. The evening began with a welcome from General Manager of the hotel Virender Razdan.
In the background there was wine, with an unexpected pairing — an array of crisp, sizzling bajjis reminiscent of evenings on Marina beach.
Yudhishtir ‘Yudi' Rana, who moved here from Nepal (“But please. That doesn't mean I'm a watchman. Or a waiter”) talked of his struggle to find a home in Chennai when he first moved here. Thanks to ‘Just Dial' and some luck, he was finally rescued by an unexpected angel: a gold-watch wearing, gold chain laden, gold-ringed broker with a list of 20 apartments. Which was all very well, till it turned out Goldfinger couldn't help him either because Yudi had two fatal flaws. “Unmarried. Non-vegetarian.” Yet, he's learnt to love this city with a “temperature like an idli-maker.”
Rajiv Rajaram, on the other hand, found it slightly more difficult to adjust when he moved in. “Every time I tell someone I'm from Madurai, they say ‘Oh' and the conversation ends.” He proudly extolled the virtues of Madurai nonetheless. “We have Jil Jil Jigardanda. It's world famous in Madurai.” And, he added, they love fights. “We like fights, we love watching fights.” Yet, despite his home town's many draws, including “Authentic Tamil-Mexican food. Don't ask what it is — I myself don't know,” he moved to Grand Old Chennai, all agog about finally seeing Chennai Central station. “But, since I came from Madurai, I landed in Egmore station.” Fortunately there was a fight in progress. Sometimes there's nothing quite like some kolaveri to make you feel right at home.
