Chennai’s remarkable quality is the willingness of people to help others: V.P. Jeyaseelan

Chennai's remarkable quality is the willingness of individuals to assist others: V.P.

Key points

• After college, I returned to Chennai to prepare for the Civil Services Examination, years afterwards.
• For a school student coming to Chennai for the first time, everything looked enormous.
• Ramakrishnan once wrote regarding the remarkable quality of Chennai – the willingness of residents to support others.
• There is another Chennai that deserves to be experienced more widely – its extraordinary cultural life.
• My journey with Chennai began as a schoolboy stepping out at the Egmore railway station with excitement and curiosity.

Chennai's remarkable quality is the willingness of individuals to assist others: V.P. Jeyaseelan Dr. V.P Jeyaseelan I.A.S., Director of Tourism, Tamil Nadu & Managing Director, TTDC.

Chennai has always fascinated me. My association with the city began much before I actually began living here.

My long wish to visit Chennai was fulfilled when I was in higher secondary school. It was February 2004, on the eve of Valentine's Day, and I still remember my first train journey to the city. I had won the first prize at the district level in both the elocution and poetry competitions conducted by the Tamil Development Department, and was travelling to Chennai to participate in the State-level competitions.

For a school student coming to Chennai for the first time, everything looked enormous. I vividly remember arriving at Egmore. The magnificent railway station, the crowds, and the energy of the city fascinated me. That first journey remains one of my fondest memories.

After college, I returned to Chennai to prepare for the Civil Services Examination, years afterwards. This was when my relationship with the city became deeper. During those days of preparation, I began reading more concerning the history and heritage of Chennai. What began as curiosity gradually became a passion. I began visiting heritage sites and discovering the stories hidden behind familiar streets, buildings, and neighbourhoods. Over time, Chennai became part of my life.

Writer S. Ramakrishnan once wrote regarding the remarkable quality of Chennai – the willingness of residents to support others. It is a city where even those who are unknown or little known can find a helping hand when in need. Plenty of who have come here have experienced this spirit. That is perhaps why the expression "Vandhaarai Vaazhavaikkum Chennai" has endured for generations. Chennai has a way of accommodating individuals, giving them space, and allowing them to grow.

There is another Chennai that deserves to be experienced more widely – its extraordinary cultural life. During Margazhi, the city becomes a great session place for classical music and dance. It is tough to find another city where such numerous performances, musicians, rasikas, and cultural gatherings come together over a few weeks. Yet, Chennai's cultural wealth extends much beyond the Margazhi season. Its food, literature, architecture, temples, churches, historic neighbourhoods, traditional markets, and plenty of lesser-known heritage sites have stories waiting to be informed.

As someone interested in tourism, I strongly feel that plenty of of these hidden gems are yet to receive the attention they deserve. We have an opportunity to present Chennai's heritage, music, cuisine, and living culture much more effectively to both domestic and international visitors.

Meanwhile, Chennai is not merely a city of the past. It is one of India's significant centres for automobiles and manufacturing, and has steadily built its presence in technology and other emerging sectors. Though there is still a long way to go before we realise its full potential, the city is growing rapidly.

Expansion, even so, cannot be measured only through industries, investments, flyovers or new buildings. The quality of everyday life matters equally. This is where all of us have a role.

We need to keep our city clean. A footpath must remain a footpath and should be safe and comfortable for individuals to walk on. Public spaces must be respected. Solid and liquid waste management cannot succeed through administration efforts alone; active participation from citizens is essential.

Similarly, our heritage cannot survive merely since it is old. It survives when individuals know concerning it, value it, and take pride in protecting it. Tourism and other administration departments, heritage enthusiasts, cultural organisations, and citizens can work together to take Chennai's cultural icons and lesser-known stories to the world.

Chennai is approaching four centuries as a modern city. When we eventually celebrate its 400th year, my hope is that we will see a Chennai that is cleaner, greener, more walkable, more inclusive, and more beautiful – a city that preserves its character while standing confidently alongside the best cities in the world.

My journey with Chennai began as a schoolboy stepping out at the Egmore railway station with excitement and curiosity. The city afterwards provided me a place to study, dream, discover history, and understand individuals. For countless others too, Chennai has been such a city.

Let us grow together with Chennai. While adding a few more cherished memories to their lives, since Chennai has always assisted individuals who reach out to it grow.

For now, chennai's remarkable quality is the willingness of people to help others: V.P. Remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.