December 23, 2007

Price Check

Chennai has changed. Since I left for the US the first time and even since I came back once. The prices have skyrocketed. And even for a 'US return' like me it's shocking. I am still not at the opposite conversion stage where I can go - Movie Tickets Rs 120 - aww thats cheap, just $3. And I probably will never be. Where movie tickets were Rs 50 for balcony tickets to a stage in a mere 3 years where Rs 120 is considered cheap... Where CCDs (Cafe Coffee Days for the unfamiliar few) peddle measly portioned coffees for a cool 50 bucks (I was tempted to ask if they put gold filings in their coffee mix) Chennai (and I bet all the metros) has changed. Its going to take me a while to digest that a tiffin for 4 at Saravana Bhavan will cost Rs 400 - enough for a sumptuous meal for 5-6, 3 years ago. Chennai has become all savvy... with new new hep shopping malls sprouting all over the place. The mood is young and the theme shows. I think the days when Chennai was famous for the oorghas and madisaars is slowly becoming extinct. The new generation is in and everything's changing. I haven't decided if I am particularly taking to this change. Time will tell.

9 comments:

Aravind said...

Rs400 for 4!!!....unimaginable! don't u feel that that our generation has all of a sudden become antiquated?

Santhosh said...

One of my friends took me out for dinner at a fancy roof restaurant in T. Nagar for dinner this summer when I was in Chennai. The tab for three was close to Rs. 2000. I was obviously shocked and confused. He replied to be, "Machi, iddhu ella sagajam da ippa, its all new money man, IT, Finance jobs".

However, its hard not to ignore that life has changed only for a few of us, for the majority of the rest!

Jaya said...

Santhosh - Yeah.. we'd gone to this rooftop place too.. The prices were more than I'd imagined and it wasn't like it was a phenomenal spread either.

Anonymous said...

fine.. u did not mention the menu for the 4.(all paneer doshas? x 10) :)

whats "oorghas" & madisaars ... anything to do with sambar??

Jaya said...

Karmanna - Nope.... The order was for ordinary vadas and dosas... And oorghas = pickles and madisaars = navvari old-style 9 yard sarees.. :)

Anonymous said...

tks. two more words learned.... :)

Priya said...

So true J, even I am worried that the place I return too a few years down the lane might not be the one I envisioned it to be. The change might be for the good, but not something that suits me and is surely not for the larger good.

The whole country seems to have be clearly divided as IT and non-IT, with just a minority reaping the benefits while the rest continue to struggle at their cost.

Priya said...

Hey Jaya,

I jus happened to see ur blog... I couldn agree more with you on the prices part...Chennai is actually better when compared to Bangalore.. I cant believe that a bus ticket here can cost 9 rs for 5 kms.. At least in madras we still value 50 paise coins, banglore has forgotten what that is!

Jaya said...

Agree with both u Priyas :) Things are fast changing and yes Priya 2, I hear that Bangalore is much worse... That is sad.. Currently Hyderabad is the way to go!

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