A trip down memory lane

As a journalist, the best way to be able to bring feeling to words is to travel. And what makes things even more exciting is to go back to a place you’ve visited countless times before and look at it differently.    Madras, now called Chennai, is the capital of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated on the coastline of the state, it was once one of the most important ports of the British in India. Today it is a fast developing city that successfully bridges the gap between past and present. Known for its temples, Tamil Nadu is also home to the best vegetarian food one can find.    Madras, as I will always know it, was the home of my great-grandparents, the family vacation home. As a child my fondest memories have been of fresh mangoes every evening and us kids being fed by our grandmother. This was the culture I grew up with. Simple meals of rice, vegetables and rasam or sambar, followed by curd. Vegetarian fare, because eating meat is against the Hindu culture.    Returning to Madras after more than five years, as an adult, was like seeing the culture I grew up with with new eyes. Tasting the same rice and sambar, idlis (flatcakes) and dosas (pancakes of rice and pulses) but also being able to connect it with the warm, inviting culture of the city was an entirely new experience.     Coming back also meant that I could savour the coffee culture in Madras. Hot filter coffee, drunk not from a mug or cup, but from a tumbler and a bowl. Coffeehouses dot the landscape of the city and every tiny space has its distinctive coffee stamp.  Madras is a city of contradictions, in both its culture and its food. A city that will embrace you and give you a home but also with a certain guardedness which reflects in everything around you. And I look forward to the time I go back, because this time, I will have more to find in those nooks and crannies and more to taste in those small coffeeshops.