‘I am a TamPunj and would not live anywhere else but Chennai’

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I was born in 1946 in that part of Punjab that is now in Pakistan. My family moved to Coonoor before the Partition. In the 1960s, we needed to move out for work and education requirements and looked for opportunities in other places in the country but chose Madras since we had people in the city at the time. By 1965, we moved to Madras.

The people were so nice, soft-spoken, and extremely helpful. When I was new here, I didn’t know my way around and so if I asked for an address, people would walk with me and show me the place — even if it was two streets away. The city used to be so quiet, not much traffic. We could walk on Mount Road on Sunday afternoons. Now, there is traffic everywhere. The city has grown, Gen Z is here.

But the city still has a lot of goodness in its heart. During COVID-19, when we had to prepare food for people who were travelling home by train, shopkeepers opened their stores when we said we were from the Punjab Association, though they did not know us. When they learnt why we wanted provisions, they voluntarily gave some items for free.

Chennai is relatively safer than most other cities and is also more affordable. Sometime ago, I went to Nagpur and a friend had given his car for local use, but I could not drive on those roads. You can still drive comfortably in Chennai. Over the years, we have all learnt Tamil and our friends have learnt Hindi and Punjabi. I am a TamPunj and wouldn't live anywhere else but in Chennai.

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