The recently released “Vada Chennai” movie has stirred a long-standing debate with regards to the lifestyle of North Chennai people. The debate has always been between a section which labels North Chennai as a hub of rowdyism and poverty, and the other that clearly disagrees. Coming to Vada Chennai, many local inhabitants have shown a black flag stating that like many other movies, this too has depicted the region in a bad light.
But, to be honest, it didn't. The movie is materialised upon real events that took place centralizing a small community of fishermen, say, like, a few decades back. Which means it has not followed the familiar route of dishing out an illusionary rowdyism story around North Chennai. Perhaps, in retrospect, it's the trend of showcasing only knife-brandishing stories which have irked the people. Why show this face alone is what they are asking. And, the exasperation has a lot to do with the misconception that exists concerning North Madras and its occupants as well.
When the torrential rains hit Chennai in 2015, a majority of places in the northern territory of the city stood tall in terms of relatively less or no damage. The exception can be attributed with the drainage system constructed by the British during the colonial era, as the north was where the first foundation stone towards transforming Madarasapattinam into Madras was laid. But now, the city's inception point is licking the wounds of the paradigm shift that has happened towards South Chennai. While the south is growing leaps and bounds, the north is confronting pollution, congestion, and poor infrastructure, yet serving the city happily with its labour force.
It's not that the south is completely pristine by any means. Taramani, a locale in South Chennai, which houses a plethora of IT parks, succumbs badly even to a night's rain despite all the money that is parked in. The auto drivers’, who motor around the area and form a vital cog in the wheel of the locale's IT workforce commutation, often grumble the negligence of authorities even in putting into place a proper drainage facility. This situation brings to light the hypocrisy of several people, who don't think twice to walk through the dirt and filth of the pampered Taramani, yet whine about the cleanliness of less polished areas like Vyasarpadi, Tondiarpet, Washermenpet, Ennore, Thiruvotriyur, Royapuram, Kasimedu, and many.
Staying with the ambience debate surrounding North Chennai -- it is very pivotal to understand that the region exists devoid of the factors needed to keep up an equilibrium between ambience and growth. Neither the region nor its residents know why heavy industries alone are foraying in here in spite of having a decent connectivity structure. Furthermore, the number of industries licensed or operated at the expense of the environment has furthered its undoing in terms of big-sized commercial investments. Although land starvation is cited as the primary reason for the dearth in commercial developments, no substantial efforts have been made in the direction of topography improvement.
The blood stains that hampered the image of North Chennai have now been wiped away by a cleansing agent called self-awareness. Education has attained the pole position in the list of priorities, and the underworld dons who established their bases here are no more active. In point of fact, it's the south which is more crime-infected now as opposed to the north. Realizing the north is no longer a safe hideout place due to the increased police scrutiny, and the strong demand for kangaroo courts after the real estate boom in the south, the rowdies have locomoted there.
In hindsight, Chennai city itself should have shaped up better by now. A casualty of political exploitation in many ways, the city has taken far more time to reach the juncture it has. And, it is North Chennai which has been the biggest loot place in the exploitation blueprint of politicians’ for years. So, claiming that North Chennai is a thorn in the flesh of the city only underlines the lack of basic understanding of the dynamics of Chennai.
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