Vrinda Rayam is a Tamilian. But until about nine months ago, she rarely spoke Tamil outside of home. However, given that this social media analyst spent most of her 22 years surrounded by neighbours and friends who spoke little of the language at home in Hyderabad - she recalls it never seemed too much of a loss. However, after reluctantly shifting base to Chennai less than a year ago, Vrinda shares with a smile, “I actually get to talk in Tamil these days, and suddenly I know what it’s like to have ‘that connection’.”
Beyond enjoying a frequent dosa fix and heading over to Marina beach a couple of times a week, Vrinda is quick to state that the notion she had of Chennai was quite the opposite of what it is today. “I’m not completely new to this city,” she clarifies. “I’ve spent many a summer here with my grandparents when I was in school.” At the time though, and carrying through to her college years, Vrinda reveals she was always under the impression that Chennai was a place “where people were conservative, everything would close by 6pm and most spent all their time at home”.
And I loved staying up all night with my friends in Hyderabad, she says with a hint of nostalgia. So does she feel safe on our streets to go ahead and do the same here? “I think it will take me a while. I mean I want to get more comfortable with the routes first...” the engineering graduate trails off thoughtfully. “But no, I do not feel unsafe here,” she clarifies.
So maybe her dad’s transfer which posed an obligation for the move in the first place was a blessing in disguise. Turns out this Tamilian may never had a taste of home, or in this case, her home away from home, without it. “Yeah, let’s see if I can beat the Mount Road traffic today to get home,” she says with a laugh. “You know, I left home from Anna Nagar at 8.45am and reached the office at 10!” Um, welcome to Chennai...