CHENNAI: The music of the metropolis hums continually, evolving as life in Chennai unfolds. The kuppai vandi song echoes down narrow lanes — a familiar chorus that signals the start of a day’s endless cycle. Alongside it, the impatient honking of traffic forms a percussive backdrop, punctuated by an Amma scolding her children to hurry.
Somewhere, a school bell rings, its clear chime marking the opening of young minds, while construction clamour rises in the distance, reshaping the skyline with its hammering rhythm.
As the sun climbs up, the city hums with layers of sound. The hiss of filter coffee brewing in countless homes carries the aroma of comfort, weaving through the clang of brass bells in temple courtyards. Suburban trains rattle past, their rhythmic clatter blending with crisp metro announcements, while street vendors call out their wares, voices rising above the fray.
By evening, Chennai’s melody softens but never silences. The waves at Marina Beach crash harmoniously with laughter, sundal vendors’ calls, and the quiet rustle of the breeze. At the same time, the sizzling shhhhhh of dosas on tavas and the cheerful clatter of utensils in bustling restaurants carry Chennai’s warmth into the night. As we listen, we realise that even in its chaos, Chennai sings a symphony. It is a year-long concert that never ends.
January: The year began with fireworks lighting up the sky, their bursts mirrored by joyous shouts of ‘Happy New Year!’ resonating through Chennai’s streets. At the Chennai Book Fair, the beep of QR code scanners replaced the jingle of coins, while pages turned, and books thudded softly onto tables. Enthusiastic voices filled the stalls, weaving a tapestry of conversations and footsteps. Pongal celebrations unfolded with lively energy — milk bubbled, overflowing from the pots, and ladles worked rhythmically in kitchens.
Traditional instruments set a festive tone, their tunes flowing through every neighbourhood. Meanwhile, Ramadoss Nagar resounded with unwavering protests. The persistent rise of determined voices met the sharp thuds of placards hitting the ground. In Ennore, resistance against environmental negligence echoed alongside the unyielding hum of industrial operations, capturing the essence of defiance.
February: Cinemas buzzed with life as Manjummel Boys brought a rare resurgence of packed houses. Ticket stubs rustled in eager hands, and laughter rippled across audiences. The film’s homage to Ilaiyaraaja’s Kanmani Anbodu sparked waves of nostalgia, with its lilting notes spreading warmth through theater halls. At Lalit Kala Akademi, the Unseen Perspectives exhibition showcased photos by students.
The click-click of the cameras revealed generational struggles. The whoosh of capes, clink of props, snip-snip of last-minute adjustments, and the applause of fans filled Chennai’s first-ever Comic-Con. In government offices, pens scratched across the paper as Tamil Nadu’s Budget for 2024-25 unfolded. The steady flipping of documents merged with journalists’ clatter on their keyboards, broadcasting the buzz surrounding welfare schemes.
March: The wave-like sound of the ocean crashing against Elliot’s Beach on March 3 blended with the shouts of protesters demanding the closure of the Coromandel fertiliser plant in Ennore, their cries of dissent echoing with urgency.Meanwhile, the whirring click of cameras captured MS Dhoni’s emotional announcement of stepping down as Chennai Super Kings’ captain. The IPL opener on March 22 featured the thud-thud of the ball on the pitch, and cheers filled the stadium as Chennai Super Kings clashed with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
However, tragedy struck on March 28 with the screeching of Sekhmet Bar’s roof collapse, followed by the chaotic sounds of people scrambling for safety. Meanwhile, confusion surrounded the shift in bus services to Kilambakkam from CMBT, with the murmur of commuters and grind of buses creating disarray. The sharp exchanges over TM Krishna’s award resonated through the Carnatic music world, with protests intensifying.
April: During the election campaigns, the city was alive with the blaring loudspeakers announcing political agendas, their repetitive jingles. As voters stood in line for the elections on April 19, the soft patter of shoes on the ground mingled with the low hum of conversations. The scratching of ballots as they were filled and the sharp click of voting machines added to the rhythm of democracy. The chanting of farmers’ voices in New Delhi carried through Tamil Nadu as their protests escalated.
At the Neelam Cultural Centre’s Vaanam Art Festival, the soft swish of brushes on canvases and the clicks of cameras at the Niththam Photography Exhibition created an immersive experience. The Verchol Dalit Literary Festival and its Literary Award Ceremony highlighted the importance of marginalised voices. The rustling of papers and the murmur of discussions filled the atmosphere, with the clink of glasses and the resounding clap of applause recognising the achievements of Dalit writers.
May: Labour Day brought with it the echoes of drums and chants, as workers gathered in solidarity. The laments and remembrances spread through the city as the beloved playback singer Uma Ramanan passed away. The sounds of summer, however, were sharper and more unforgiving. On the night of May 30, the air was pierced by the crack of flames as a fire erupted in the Pallikaranai marshland.
The sputter of burning brush intensified as the fire spread, while the hiss of water being sprayed from fire trucks attempted to quell the blaze. The city heat intensified and the whir of fans became a constant background hum. Amid this, the cheerful splashes of children leaping into ponds and the laughter of those escaping the heat surpassed the otherwise oppressive air.
June: The thrum of anticipation of the elections rises, as the news reports on radios and televisions crackle, as the INDIA bloc alliance sweeps all 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The sound of victory echoes in the jubilant cheers of supporters. Meanwhile, in Thiruvanmiyur Kuppam, the air is thick with the sounds of protest. Fishermen, with faces etched in frustration, gather in front of the demolished structures. Their voices rise in a collective chant, calling for justice from the Greater Chennai Corporation.
The sounds of the Chennai Pride Walk filled the air with vibrant energy — footsteps pounding in sync, the rustling of colourful flags snapping in the wind, and the chorus of voices chanting slogans of equality. But June also brings a tragedy that silences the city. In Kallakurichi, the note of optimism is abruptly halted by the devastating news: 65 lives lost to privately produced liquor. The muffled sobs of grieving families mix with the faint tap-tap of sandals on the ground, as mourners gather to remember the victims. The sigh of disbelief linger in the air, the quiet sorrow heavy like the intense heat of the month.
July: The evening air in Perambur sprouted with tension on July 5, as the revving bike engines pierced the quiet of Sadayappan Street. The attack on K Armstrong was swift, marked by the harsh rings of metal. Silence followed, broken only by the distant screech of sirens wailing as Armstrong was rushed away. At IIT Madras, when the day began with academic triumph, as Dhananjay Balakrishnan stepped up to receive the Governor’s Prize, he declared, “There is a mass genocide going on in Palestine,” calling for an urgent action at the ongoing war in Gaza.
Far away from the city, in Thoothukudi, on July 20, the morning air was sliced by the hiss of escaping ammonia gas. It sneaked into the lungs of workers at Nila Sea Food. The sharp shreik of alarm bells pierced the air as panic set in, followed by the frantic scraping of feet on the floor as workers stumbled toward safety. The beeping medical equipment in nearby hospitals alerted the workers’ struggle to breathe, the weight of their suffering filling the space around them.
August: The month began with the feeble clink of metal as workers toiled under the weight of a city’s neglect. On August 11, the streets of Avadi woke up to the announcement of the tragic death of 25-year-old Gopinath, a Dalit man from Arunthathipuram. The reality of manual scavenging is buried beneath layers of bureaucracy and indifference. Later in the month, the campus of NIT Trichy became alive with the sounds of dissenting the wake of the sexual harassment of a female student. The city was celebrated in the Madras Month. It was brought to life through its many melodies — the soft rustling of pages marked the book readings, campus events lively with the sounds of students rushing from one talk to another, the heritage walks and the conversations that followed.
September: The chirp of parrots filled the air on Iyya Mudali Street, where Sudarson Sah, Chennai’s Birdman, fed thousands from his terrace. The flutter of wings met the occasional bark of stray dogs, and his bird-filled haven became a popular spot after the release of the film ‘Meiyazhagan’. Meanwhile, the chugging engines and the sharp squeal of tyres echoed through the streets as Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath triumphed in the Indian Racing League’s first-night street race. But the quieter, persistent hum of protest filled the air in Sriperumbudur as Samsung employees’ strike for better wages and recognition continued. The rhythmic slogans by workers echoed alongside the bustling sounds of political shifts, as DMK’s cabinet reshuffle unfolded in Chennai’s corridors of power.
October: October in Chennai resonated with a chorus of stark contrasts. On October 6, the skies above Marina Beach trembled with the roars of fighter jets during the Indian Air Force’s air show. The thrill of the spectacle quickly dissolved into a cacophony of panic as 1.5 million people found themselves trapped in chaos. The sounds of blaring horns, people shouting, and the oppressive hum of heat-filled the air as traffic jams and humidity claimed five lives. Ten days later, the city’s streets buzzed with an undercurrent of tension as Cyclone Dana approached, with warnings echoing through weather reports. By the month end, in Vikravandi, the charged atmosphere of Vijay’s speech at the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s conference reverberated.
November: The Navaratri festivities in Chennai exuded the beats of drums, and the joyous shouts of devotees, their voices rising in unison as they chanted prayers. On social media, Dhanush-Nayantara controversy surrounding the Netflix documentary Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale ignited heated debates, amplified by the buzzing podcasts and online discussions that delve into the issue. Meanwhile, the assault on a Chennai doctor triggered protests. Cheers soon filled the air after GM Aravindh Chithambaram triumphed over GM Levon Aronian at the 2024 Chennai Grand Masters. As the last tiebreaker match played out, the glides of chess pawns across the board was accented by the quiet clicking of digital clocks.
December: Heavy, relentless rain, its thwack-thwack on rooftops along with the splish-splash of hurried footsteps through flooded streets welcomed December. Cars and bikes added their watery percussion, tyres slicing through deep puddles. At Muttukadu backwaters, the rain’s aftermath revealed polluted water clashing with the sea, the Kovalam estuary screaming as it expelled sewage-laden waves. The gurgle of nature’s struggle echoed through the air.
In Tiruvannamalai, landslides triggered the crunch of earth and the wail of wind as villagers prayed. In court, the Tamil Nadu government was ordered to rehabilitate 700 displaced families, with the scratch of pens marking hope. Meanwhile, the Margazhi Music Season filled auditoriums with Carnatic melodies, while Kaber Vasuki’s soulful album played in indie cafes. Christmas brought laughter and carols, and the Film Festival projected global stories.