CHENNAI: They looked happy. Out of sheer intuition, we approached the old couple who were talking to each other and enjoying the view from the open deck of the Chennai Express. A short conversation with them was a quite a trip down their memory lane.
A Muslim boy and a Naidu girl who were in love with each other, got married when they were 15, much to the fury of the families. Almost 50 years later, they’re still in love with each other and couldn’t look happier. When we asked them about their memories of the city, Rahim and his wife Saleema had a lot to say.
“Our ancestral families were born and raised in Saidapet and our children and grand-children live there even today. A lot has changed in the last 60 years,” recalls Rahim. “Though we miss a few things like the maatu vandi and kuthira vandi where we spent so many moments together, we are happy the way our city has developed. The Rippon building, the courts, Chetpet bridge…everything looks good now.”
What was the biggest attraction back then? “The theatres! We remember those projectors that made a whirring noise. We would pay one or two annas, sit on the sand and watch a movie,” smiles Saleema.
The two tell us excitedly that they are super fans of MGR. Rahim used to go to MGR’s home to deliver aadu (lamb). Here are a few nuggets: “Remember MGR’s film Thaiku Pin Tharam (1956) where he would sing on a maatu vandi? Well, the cow belonged to Rahim’s father, which he offered to MGR for free,” beams Saleema.
“All of us loved MGR; so my father never took any money for the aadu. For Vilaiyattu Pillai (1970), my brother lent his cow and for the film Soppu Seepu Kannadi (1968), a cow was lent to Nagesh. And for a Sivaji Ganesan film, my brother acted as his double while riding the maatu vandi,” says Rahim. How cool is that?
It’s obvious they miss their simpler times, and excitement over little things has worn out but their love has not. Believe it or not, the couple still go on dates every weekend to the Marina Beach, Kovalam or Mahabalipuram. They bid us goodbye at the foot of the Light house, and walked away hand-in-hand, laughing at something.