Lil Madras Girl is no longer content with gurgling and staring cherubically at the ceiling fan. Well, Lil Madras Girl was never really content with that, but Madras Mom likes to use what you could describe as ‘photoshopped’ versions of events and situations to make her point, often leaving Travelling Husband confused and disoriented.

The energetic toddler is now walking and exploring, much to the delight of her doting parents and grandparents, leaving Madras Mom wondering where she could take her outdoors.

Now, however much we all love our charming city, outdoor nature options are limited. So, Madras Mom was pleased when she chanced upon the idea of taking her daughter to Semmozhi Poonga, our very own botancial garden.

Semmozhi Poonga today is the resting place of Madras’ famous Woodlands Drive-In restaurant, once hugely popular for its delectable food, clandestine lovers, and celebrity sightings. When the Government announced that they were reclaiming the land for a world-class garden, loyal citizens, some of whom considered the Drive-In sacred, were not exactly over the moon about trading in Masala Dosas for Marsilea Quadrifolia. But Madras Mom decided to find out whether the exchange was worth the while.

She found the parking space provided generous; the process of buying tickets uneventful and, when asked if she was carrying a camera, Madras Mom, the conscientious citizen she is, dutifully declared her Sony Cybershot and even bought a separate ticket reserved for such electronic gadgets.

Pathways, unfriendly to wheelchairs?

Having taken along her octogenarian grandmother, Madras Mom felt that a wheelchair would be a more sensible way for paatti to enjoy seeing the garden. When she asked for one, the ticket seller pointed to a broken wheelchair at the entrance. When Madras Mom exclaimed that it was broken, he shrugged and asked her to take it up with the Security Guard at the entrance! Now, Security Guard doubled up as the Official Ticket Checker, making him rather important and pompous.

When confronted with a question on a broken wheelchair, he agreed that it was indeed broken but could do nothing about it. He then proceeded to tear the flimsy pink slips and looked away.

“That was... er... helpful,” thought Madras Mom as she escorted Lil Madras Girl and Paatti sans the wheelchair into the garden. No wheelchair access in a city where both the Governor and the person who conceptualised the Poonga relied on wheelchairs for mobility! Ironical! Why is this city not as handicapped-accessible as it should be? How wonderful would it be if all our places of interest were more inclusive.

The fluttering ducks thrilling the Lil Madras Girl.

Wheelchair access aside, Madras Mom fell in love with the Semmozhi Poonga. The organised flora, well-maintained lawns, clean ponds and neatly trimmed hedges made her confident that there was hope for her city, which is otherwise caught in a brick and mortar battle. The plants had useful signboards with specific nomenclature, a sure treat for budding botanists. Only a couple of stray plastic bottles polluted the pristine beauty of the gardens.

Madras Mom soon discovered why the wheelchair available was broken. The pathways have ridges with grass in between which makes it near impossible to navigate any set of wheels along them. So, if anyone is planning to use a pram or a stroller in Semmozhi Poonga, forget about it, it will be safer at home. Also, take a pair of earmuffs, if you have them handy. The gentle sounds of swaying trees and singing birds are drowned by the garish film music that blares in the background.

Lil Madras Girl enjoyed her outing. She was fascinated by the ducks fluttering in the pond and pointed happily at a shoal of fish. Her newly acquired skill came in handy as she walked merrily on the neatly paved pathways, enjoying the cool breeze, courtesy the greenery. The crowds sat beside the majestic fountains, delighting in the cool mist they generated.

Closer to sunset, Madras Mom was happy to observe the number of families that trooped in. Semmozhi Poonga is a great place to bring your children for an evening outing during the summer holidays.

When Travelling Husband, who was travelling at the time, was updated on the Semmozhi Poonga visit, he snorted, then bemoaned the loss of his beloved Woodlands Drive-In. Madras Mom scoffed at his sentiment over an ‘old restaurant’ and gave him a long winded lecture on the importance of ‘nature’ over ‘dining’. She later wondered, however, whether her argument would have been the same if the place being discussed had been Mount Road’s irreplaceable ‘AVM Dasa’, an eatout she misses sorely.

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