CHENNAI: Rain showers are hardly a deterrent when there’s treasure involved. This was certainly clear on a gloomy Saturday evening when 20-something youngsters and even a seven-year-old with mommy and daddy made their way to the starting point at Maalgadi, a store in Besant Nagar — armed and ready with umbrellas in hand. While most treasure hunts in the city are organised by clubs, heritage enthusiasts or for a notable cause — oddly enough, this one was put together by a homebaker. The occasion being the first anniversary celebration of Cindana Manickavel’s brand ‘Sugar Monkeys.’
No, there were no baking tips en route, but from the looks of participants huffing and puffing all on foot as was the mandate — you could say they most certainly earned their red velvet jars at the end of the race! Between following clues to eight different pitstops (including the Oval Ground -did you know Bessy has a tennis court?) selfie tasks and push-ups at a Reebok store — these folks were more than ready to get their feet some rest by the end of it all...
“I think I’ll definitely make it a treasure hunt with bikes next year,” the woman behind this fun weekend joyride tells us with a laugh. “On the bright side, I think plenty of calories were burned!” Cindana goes on. Just in time for a generous dose of sugar from the dessert hampers that followed for the winners. Turns out treasure is way sweeter when there’s a sweaty workout involved.