They come from Kilpauk. They come from T. Nagar. They come from Adyar.
They come from many other neighbourhoods just for the pleasure of walking down Boat Club Road. Walking here may be a fashionable thing to do, but that is part of the reason why they head here every morning or evening. For these walkers, Boat Club Road is an addiction.
On an average, around 400 fitness enthusiasts turn up every day at the tree-shaded Boat Club and a good number of them are members of Friends of Boat Club Area Walkers, a group that shuns the rules that go with associations and clubs. They follow certain routines without being rigid about them. They have coffee at Sangeetha restaurant, walk on a particular day wearing yellow or green tracks and walk at an appointed hour. They also have a mental list of landmarks ( keeraikadai, Satyanarayana Avenue) where they meet up.
Interior designer Sadhana Srinivasan, for instance, started walking with her son in the pram more than 15 years ago, when she was a resident of the area. “IIT-Madras, Theosophical Society and Elliots Beach, all are closer than Boat Club Road, but there is something about the atmosphere that gets you hooked on to it,” says Sadhana, now a residewint of Adyar.
On this Road, walkers can expect to connect with the bigwigs in Chennai society. “There’s an huge ‘knowledge bank’ here; you walk with a doctor and get free advice or a chartered accountant, who offers financial tips.”
Another attraction is the lack of time restriction. “It is the only place where you can walk 24 hours,” Selvam says.
There are many more.
R. Velu, the former Union Minister of State for Railway, says birds can be spotted here. For writer Sa. Kandaswamy, a resident of Turn Bulls Road, who has been walking in the area for 20 years, it is during morning walks here that fresh ideas for his work are formed.
These walkers find many other reasons to bond over. They celebrate Book Day, Environment Day, Madras Week and other occasions.
The picture is perfected, marred only be a few complaints. “It was once a litter-free area with no dust bins. We used the Exnora forum to put up street lights and got a wine shop removed. Today, the stretch is getting commercialised,” says Naina Shah, an environmentalist and one of the founding members of the Boat Club Area Walkers Association which is not active anymore. E. Muralidharan, a biomedical engineer, says the footpaths are of little use. “We are planning to make a proposal to remove the pavements so that walkers have more space to walk.”
To spot other walkers, visit their Facebook page at >Chennai Boat Club Area Walkers
