Sunday Mass, Degree Coffee and Harley Davidsons

Attending Holy Mass on Sundays at different churches is an experience. Many Catholics do so nowadays.

The concept of parish community broke down some time ago - of people in an area attending services at the designated church in the parish zone.

The change happened for various reasons. Some for convenience, others out of an attachment to a place or the nature of services. And some others to undertake a pilgrimage or keep a vow.

Last Sunday, I made a pit stop at a church dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes in Muttukkadu, metres before the boating yard on the ECR.

A small congregation was at the Mass in Thamizh and through the hour-long service the power went off and on and off and on. Priests use the Sunday service platform to also talk to the community and this Sunday, before the final blessing the young priest here told his flock how families could go about calling him over when they required him and how he could be of help to them.

It was past 9.30 and I was hungry. Yards away we located a new joint - Kumbakonam Degree Coffee.

The Degree Coffee outlets have popped up on all our highways, seemingly in a hurry to beat the Café Coffee Days at its own game. This one opposite the Kanathur Police Station even had its logo registered.

There was a Dosa Hut next door. As we feasted on onion uthappam, the spectacle on the ECR changed before us.

Waves of bikers and cyclists swept down the road. All of them in heavy gear, enjoying their Sunday drive. They drove in groups, some very determined and mostly cautious, respecting the rules of the road.

ECR is not the best highway for these outdoor enthusiasts. With mounting accidents, the local police have installed dividers every 50 metres and no biker would like those hurdles as he revs up on a scenic highway.

The community of bikers and cyclists is growing in this city. Even the Harley Davidson tribe is big. Thanks to social media the communities form fast and grow well.

Some do the Madras-Pondy lap once a month. Some prefer a run to Mahabs and back.

All of them though make good use of the ECR. And some have found the Degree Coffee joints welcome pit-stops.

IPL, Amma Unavagam and seniors!

Are you a IPL fan and is your April about to change?

I watch the IPL matches on TV when I find time. And I hope to get to Chepauk one of these April days to watch  Chennai Super Kings on the field.

I haven't been at the new look stadium ever since a section was renovated and redesigned though recently, friend Venkat took us to the 'D' stand one night.

Venkat runs a cricket coaching academy inside the campus of the Madrasa-e-Azam School off Mount Road, at the Spencer's Roundabout and has turned out some good talent among the juniors.

He  will be our host when we decide to make it to a T20 this month.

Some hardcore packaging and marketing is going on by the owners of the Chennai Super Kings. And one unconfirmed plan which was in the buzz was its idea to host seniors at Chepauk for a fee.

The idea seems to have taken shape after some seniors said that getting to the stadium and finding a seat was not as easy and cool as it used to be when they were young and Tests were the staple games of the day.

I think this is a good idea. And will work.

There are lots of young people who live abroad who want to reserve tickets and give their parents here the opportunity to have a good time or even relive their young days at Chepauk. A CSK offer and the online facility makes these things so simple.

Yes, everybody in business is looking at the huge young India.

But don't forget the seniors who also form a huge community today.

I am trying to imagine the key services that ought to have been in place in all our neighborhoods.

I recall a time when Adyar-based sabha, Hamsadhwani's founder late RR ( Ramachandran), wanted to set up a Community Kitchen and Health service for seniors.

Is this a facility that a NGO or a commun ity body can execute?

A fortnight ago, a couple who run a 'mess' in Mylapore had a story to share - there was a time not so long ago when they used to supply 'sapad' at the doorstep of 200 seniors. They suspended it recently because they could not get delivery people to stay with the job.

Now, the couple host 30 plus seniors for lunch at the 'mess'.

Is there an idea to take from the ' Amma Unavagam' in each ward of this city? An idea that is for seniors only and starts with food and health?

Who is your neighbour?

In the old days, Mount Road was the theatre of the city.

Processions, VIP motorcades, dramatic events and demonstrations - these and more had to be held on this road which is now called Anna Salai.

Our home atop one of the buildings on this road gave us a grand stand seat, much like a seat in the ‘D’ gallery at Chepauk.

So we could watch all that took place on the road from the India Silk House end to the Round Tana end - the Wallajah Road-Ellis Road-Mount Road junction where the statue of our former chief minister C N Annadurai stands today.

I vaguely remember American astronauts ( perhaps the guys who first landed on the moon in 1969?) being taken out in a procession on this road. The scene was fascinating enough for me to choose this as a theme for my drawing class at school!

Much later, in 1977 when MGR went on to win the state elections and became chief minister, the celebrations on this road were of epic proportions. And though we had moved out of Mount Road in the 80s, the funeral of MGR in 1987 that took this road was also an event that cannot be easily described.

The historic anti-Hindi agitation had also spilled on to this road but I really do not have memories of that event.

These images roll back now as I read about the agitation and campaigns that are being undertaken by the student community across the state and in our city.

I do not want to go into the merits or demerits of this move by our young people.

But I wish our young people begin to take serious interest in our local, local affairs.
Affairs that concern civic budgets and civic projects, neighbourhood schemes and the environment, local politics and ward development.
If they do, we may witness some dramatic changes and responses locally.

Sadly, our seniors have given up the fight. And the rest are busy with their 9-to-9 lives.

I am convinced our young people, guided by our seniors can do a world of good locally.

They have the strength, they have the adventurism, they have the talent.

Sri Lanka is our neighbour. What about our own neighbourhoods?