I recently came back from a trip to Andhra and had just finished watching the movie - Maharaja. A movie we watched because I was actively looking for something from the South.
Lately, I find myself more drawn than ever to everything South - the people, the aesthetics, the food, and most recently the movies. It’s a love story that started in 2002 and has been growing stronger over the years.
Even though I spent my late teens and most of my 20s in the South - Bangalore (70%)& Chennai (15%), I never watched a single Tamil/ Kanada film during my time there. While in Bangalore, I didn’t take the time to explore the local culture and food - something I regret today. It was only towards the end of my stay, while on campus that I started developing a taste for Filter Coffee and Idli. My undergrad college canteen however instilled a love for Udupi Style Chinese food + Egg Puffs in me. Till today, I like my Gobi Manchurian the Udupi kitchen way!
By the time I moved to Chennai, I had already discovered my love for exploring food. But I never really expected to love the vegetarian side of Tamil cuisine. It helped that I had my good friend Nandhini who used to feed me homemade food quite a bit. (I was in my eating-out era). It was through our lunches that I developed a taste for Gunpowder-Idli. Poriyal / veg dishes however took some time to grow on me. It’s only in recent times that I started liking them.
During the lockdown when Madhu (My Mumbai walla Tamil friend) shared a family chicken recipe, it became a lockdown Sunday lunch tradition for me and my two lockdown buddies. It was devoured along with either Coconut Rice or Dosas lovingly made by Sawji (the OG Mumbai Gujju Chennaiite friend). That’s also when I started liking and craving Dosas.
Now when it comes to South Indian movies/ sitcoms, it is a very recent thing. I can’t say I have watched so many of them but I find myself seeking more. There is so much authenticity and pure talent in the storytelling that I think everyone should give them a shot. It’s also a great way to learn the culture and aesthetic style. This also makes me want to explore more regional content from across India. Netflix, do you hear?
While Bangalore has always been my first love, Chennai (just like Poriyal) took some time to grow on me. I left the city because of the heat + I got bored after a point with most of my close friends leaving. But now whenever I visit Chennai or talk to people with a distinct Tamilian accent, it brings so much warmth to my heart. It’s like meeting an old friend. Chennai is also a city where I saw less racism in the form of random people calling me “Ching Chong” & the like. It is also a city where I’ve felt the safest as a woman.
I also think that a lot of Hindi speakers have unreasonable expectations from the people there ie. that they speak Hindi. I have not had much problem talking to the auto drivers because communication is about finding common ground. With a little bit of broken English words and a few Tamil words, I always manage to get from point A to B.
I like the fact that South Indian states are proud of their culture and keeping their language alive. I think it’s the same with Mizos. It always helps professionally to learn a second and third language but that’s an individual choice. The objective is to communicate, and that is often possible without knowing each other’s language. Otherwise, how are we thronging Thailand as a country?
