meditations on Chaos

1) A meditation on Chaos (June 29, 2006)

I think that we only nearly died three-times today, which is much better than yesterday, and probably well below the national average. Yesterday we got lost in the middle of what we think were slums, but what may have been the heartland of the middle-class of Chennai. We got lost because every time we saw a beggar we had to cross the road, which meant that we walked a couple of K instead of 500 meters. We got lost because we couldn’t get out our map, because every time you did there would be 500 auto-rickshaw drivers slowing down and asking to take us to ‘interesting places.’ Yesterday one followed us for 200 meters.

The feeling of being here is indescribable; we tried to work out the rules for beeping your car/autorickshaw’s horn and decided that it is quite indecipherable. You beep going around a corner; to say that you are in the next lane (are there lanes?), so please don’t hit me; to turn left or right and to say hello to the person on the street. It is a language all of its own.

2) Personal space, Chennai, and its decentring effect (June 30, 2006)

All we want is personal space and I think that now we have found it. When we first arrived we were taken to the University Guest house, where there were not proper sheets, pillows or toilet paper. There was nowhere to buy water. We felt completely lost and helpless, stuck in the middle of Chennai and not knowing anyone or anything. We wanted to go home, to the comfort of our own clean bed, with family and good food and drink. Here we have to watch everything. We bought the pharmacy out of clean wipes and dettol products. We feel de-centred. But now we have re-formed and feel a lot better. We are going to stay in Chennai for a week, and then head out to a hill station for some respite, reading and writing.

3) Gin and Whisky.

Here it is for health reasons that we drink, you see it kills all the evil bacteria in your gut, which is just what you need. We haven’t been sick at all, so we must be doing something right.

3) Having a dollar sign tattooed on your head

We managed to find the best shopping centre in Chennai. Imagine the Colonnade, Subiaco meets Fremantle markets, but dirtier, and over-populated and you have it. Problem is that we are the only white people in Chennai, and so when you pass a shop there is a person (usually male) out the front, encouraging you to enter the store and “just take a look Madame.” Because it is usually directed at me, “Pashminas Madame? Would you like to see our range of bags?” my reaction is “no, but perhaps my husband would like one? He is a metrosexual.”

4) Temples

We visited our first Hindu temple in India today (a temple to Shiva), on the suggestion of our autorickshaw driver. A riot of colour, though we were told by our guide that it still wasn’t bright enough, and was being repainted. Kept thinking that this is probably more like what a classical Greek temple was rather than the stereotyped image of white marble. Visited the various shrines in the temple and were told about them by our guide. The chaos outside was a quieter chaos.

We also visited the church of San Thome (Saint Thomas) which claims to have some of the bones of the Apostle Thomas and the head of the spear which killed him. Seeing an inscription in Tamil and Latin was interesting (hic iacet…).

5) Madras Book club (July 1, 2006)

At 6.15pm we found a seat at the back of the Madras Bookclub at an upmarket hotel called Taj Connemara. The Book club is frequented by the local educated elite, most particularly Anglo-Indians. Tonight was a reading by a German writer and a Tamil Poet. Germany is trying to set up better links between themselves and India, and have started a program similar to AsiaLink; a literary exchange where the Indian writer travels to the Frankfurt book fair. The German writer looked even more shell shocked than we did, which was very re-assuring. Afterwards we spoke to her, and discovered that she had not been game enough to leave the house. We understand completely!

6) A little piece of Australia on the Roof of the University of Madras (July 3, 2006)

Struth! There is a little room on the rooftop of the Uni which is devoted entirely to Australian Literature and film (including The Castle: I wonder how they would read that?). Aboriginal literature is very well represented, which is fantastic. So we decided to set up base in there. I am facing a wall with Aboriginal art posters on it, and Graeme faces a picture of Flinders Street Station by night. To my left is a poster of Australian Animals, including the good olde Kangaroo. The room has an excellent view of the other side of the Indian Ocean. I must say that it is not as pretty as Cottesloe, or even just the wharf at Freo (!). The Boxing Day Tsunami came right through here, and although not as devastating, still managed to wipe out several stalls on the beach. We don’t think that anyone was killed however, which is something.