Words : Sherin Chandran
Photos : © Travelbird

Confessions of a Shopaholic in Chennai

The cradle of the Tamil film industry…hotbed of political dramas... home of classical music and dance... call it whatever you want, Chennai is a kaleidoscope of colours, aromas and sounds. Sherin Chandran dares the blistering sun of May to find what the city has in store for a chronic shopaholic.

What comes to mind when you think about Chennai? I picture Rajnikanth, the thespian of the Tamil Film Industry, the big dance festivals, silk saris, hot idlis, dosas and steaming cups of filter coffee. What an odd and eclectic combination for a city!! Being the fourth largest city in India, Chennai is known for its diverse mix of tradition and modernity.

' its colonial buildings of the British era and traditional houses that speaks of a distinctly embedded Tamil culture 'It welcomed us with gargantuan cut-outs of film stars and politicians all along the roads. Flower sellers in their bright multi-coloured clothes squatted by the streets with their baskets full of fresh jasmine and roses. Tall gleaming glass and steel structures gave the impression that the capital of Tamil Nadu is fast on track to become a classy new-age metropolis. Even then the city will not lose its old world charm with its colonial buildings of the British era and traditional houses that speaks of a distinctly embedded Tamil culture.

The city was bustling in the morning rush. Office goers, students and street vendors all mixed up and slipped their way through the crowd with routine ease. Revived after a cup of steaming coffee or 'Kafi' as it is called in Chennai it was time for some heavy duty shopping. Our first stop was T Nagar. I decided to check out Pondy Bazaar which included a cluster of makeshift shops that were crowded on either side of the road. There were other retail shops and boutiques throughout the street too. You can get branded clothes anywhere so I was more interested in the small tarpaulin shops. I selected Pondy Bazaar, the you-can-find-anything-here street, it being a veritable treasure trove of all kinds of goodies. There were clothes, sandals, shoes, bags, funky jewellery, steel kitchen-ware, soft toys... all at great bargains. Ladies' sandals and shoes can be bought from Rs 80 onwards!

Panagal Park also located in the same area, is famous for its large textile showrooms that specialises in silk saris. Chennai Silks, Nallis, Pothys, RMKV, Jayachandran, Saravana Store... all are shops that house not only exquisite silk saris but also clothing for all age groups. You wouldn't have to go anywhere else to fill your wardrobe. In some of the shops, beautifully dressed women received and directed us to the sections that we wanted to go. Next to these shops were a number of famous jewellery shops making this an ideal spot for wedding shoppers.

By the time we finished traipsing round T Nagar it was noon. After a hot vegetarian meal from Hotel Saravana Bhavan we decided to take a walk in the Marina beach. We walked and walked but could not reach the sea or relax in peace. There was a large crowd and people were milling around tiny crude stalls. And then there were the hawkers... They were cajoling, requesting, praising and even invoking pity to sell their wares. There were beads, artefacts, curios made out of shells, fake peacock feathers and a lot more. Though they could not be classified as objet d'art, some were truly well-crafted. There were tiny food stalls selling cooked groundnuts, chaat, hot vadai and so on.

The Spencer Plaza is not hard to locate in Anna Salai. It is huge, about the size of three big malls put together displaying everything from modern fashion boutiques to tiny shops. There are brand stores like Westside, Landmark, Music World, Adidas, and Louis Philippe next to scores of small scale retailers catering everyone from the budget customer and the spendthrift to even the window shopper.

We found shops like Health and Glow in the ground floor which stocked all kinds of lotions, beauty products, Ayurvedic medicines and herbal cosmetics. There were also electronic equipments like hair straighteners, curlers and tummy trimmers here. A surprise was the Tiffany house of Antiques which had a lot of stuff like beautifully crafted grandfather clocks, gramophones, old-fashioned telephones, antique lampshades, artefacts and other knick knacks for antique lovers. There were also a number of little shops selling T-shirts, jeans and ladies' tops.

If you are planning a romantic evening, then Innerlight- the Candleshop is the place to go. Here an array of candles, big, small and aromatic, stood lined up radiant with exotic colours. These candles are made by mentally ill patients of the Bethel Rehabilitation Centre at Kilpauk, Chennai. Another reason to buy some.

Kashmiri shops selling Pashmina shawls and scarves with exquisite embroideries are in plenty and they sell a lot of genuine handicrafts too. We found the Faizan gift shop which specialised in Pashmina shawls, chain stitch rugs and embroidered bags, which were tasteful and very ethnic. The shopkeeper Mr Ahmed showed us some of them. They were really beautiful but I couldn't quite agree with the price.

Wandering around Spencer Plaza may take a bit of time if you don't have a clear idea as to what you want. We were moving from shop to shop like bees to flowers. The advantage is that you get everything under one roof and the centrally air-conditioned building is an escape from the blistering heat outside.

Fast food chains like Subway, Cookie Man and little shops selling coffee and juice are there in every nook and corner. I was eager to check out the food courts and popped into one for a Dahi Puri Chaat. By the time we were finished it was almost evening. We had spent the whole day there!

The next day we walked around the Cathedral Road, another place to find exclusive boutiques known for trendy fusion clothes and high-end fashion. At Nungambakkam High Road also you can find posh shops for textiles and shoes. The Karishma Boutique offered a good collection of salwars, duppattas and saris all stitched in cotton, silk and raw silk.

We got dropped of at the wrong place in Parrys while searching for the infamous Burma Bazaar. This happens often when the communication lines between you and the auto rickshaw driver are not up to the mark. We walked past a large vegetable market where greens and tubers were spread out like a feast right on the road and plump orange marigolds were crammed in huge baskets. The cloying fragrance of jasmine clung to our nostrils. The vendors were busy wooing the customers by yelling out their goods and prices. Since I am not an expert on vegetables all I can say is that they looked colourful and good.

It was almost dark as we got out of the hustle and bustle of the vegetable market. Parrys was sparkling with a million lights. We finally found the Burma Bazaar with its cubicle sized shops laid out along the road. This is the place to go for some cheap thrills: foreign goods, movie CDs, DVDs and sports gear are all sold here. Most of the stuff appeared to be fakes but you can get a good collection of pirated DVDs of old, new and rare world movies including classics. It's easy to get international perfumes, soaps etc at amazing prices but you have to sift through everything to find good things. It was quite a long walk from one end to another and it was time to go.

Although there seemed to be no dearth of good quality stuff, Chennai also has these tiny nooks with unexpected treasures. There was a man selling bags right on the road near the Chennai central. They were beautiful with colourful prints and dirt cheap. Although there is no guarantee on the quality they were quite stylish. We bought a large one to fill in all the stuff that we bought over two days. I am surprised that we were able to stuff all the products of our shopping spree in it.

While on the way back home we complained about all the places which we didn't visit and those which we didn't see enough off. But we did manage to soak up a bit of Chennai... except for those squalid corners and revolting piles of garbage in dark lanes. As for all the complaints on not seeing enough, they are a superb excuse for coming back!

If you have two or three days at your disposal while in Chennai, make sure you visit Mahabalipuram just 60 km away from the city. The seaside archaeological site offers a grand show of old temples and the rock cut relief. You can also visit the St Thomas Mount to see the beautiful church and the cave where the apostle attained martyrdom.

Chennai has a sweltering summer in April and May, and in July and August it will be raining. So the best time to visit the city would be the months of December, January and February before it gets too hot.

© travelbird