They say Chennai has changed a lot in the last 10 years. For proof, they point to the glittering glass skyscrapers that have sprouted up in its once uncared-for suburbs, the jazzy life style of the new workforce and the high standard of life of Chennaiites.
But do all these truly count as change? I wanted to find out and gather some proof of my own. Armed with a digicam, I set out to explore the changing city. This is the saga of my short journey around the city and the 10 things that (I found) refuse to change in this fast-growing and changing city.
Ten years ago, sewage was flowing through the roads in many parts of the city. We protested. We got rid of it in many places with underground sewages. A great change, indeed.
But what will happen when there is a blockage in the underground sewage? Do we have some kind of machinery to eliminate the blockage? No we donÂ’t. Some poor bloke has to enter the dirt and remove the blockage manually. And we get people like him in the picture who would do this menial job, stripped to their underwear in full public view, to make a living.
Tailpiece: The man let me take his pic, expecting it will bring about a change. After all he is living in a city which, as they say, is fast changing.
Text: Salil Jose
