Footfalls in City malls

The Man from Madras Musings is not much of a mall rat but he cannot say he avoids them. And when he visits them, he does take to musing on malls. What always impresses MMM is the vast number of people in these places, walking about the corridors, going up and down the escalators and, sometimes, the stairways as well. They remind MMM of railway­stations. But looking inside the shops themselves, MMM cannot but help notice that the silence is more like as what could be expected in a church. And the atmosphere is akin to a church hosting a funeral service.

MMM made bold to ask a shopkeeper or two about business and the answer was that it was dull. Then what of the footfalls, asked MMM. Oh, that; they all come to enjoy the air-conditioning, said one of the disgruntled storeowners. At most, some go to the theatres and a few others to the food court. But the vast majority prefers to walk up and down the common areas. MMM ought to wait till it was time for the daily power cut, said one shopkeeper rather disgustedly, and then MMM could see consumer behaviour at its best. And so MMM tarried a while.

At the stroke of the appointed hour, there was a marked increase in the number of people in the mall. And they did not look like shoppers. Apparently they were all from the residences and offices in the neighbourhood, at least those that did not have generators or inverters. A couple of grandmothers settled down comfortably on a bench, having let loose several children to play on the escalators. Men with laptops moved into a coffee shop and occupied a table. Those behind the counter showed no enthusiasm. On enquiring, MMM found that the customers ordered the cheapest items on the menu, shared it among themselves, and sat at the place for a full two hours.

But surely things ought to improve by evening, thought MMM. But that was not the case, said the shopkeepers. For, the walking brigade then takes over. What with there being no footpaths or walking spaces in the city, several evening walkers have turned to the interiors of malls for their constitutionals. The watch-and-ward staff does recognise these regulars but can do nothing about it for, after all, malls are public places and, who knows, one of the walkers could buy a thing or two. Somehow MMM is more in sympathy with these walkers than with the shopkeepers.

So, are malls on the way out? Not so, as MMM learns. There are giant variants coming up in the suburbs, the kinds where a person can spend an entire day without realising it. Those in the neighbourhood are hoping that these will be complete before the schools close for the summer. What better place than a mall for your child to spend its vacation in? Plenty of space, free lighting and air-conditioning – and complete security as well. Chennai has given the mall a new meaning though it is not the same as what the investors and tenants envisaged.

Chennai's palaces

World Heritage Day has come and gone. The Man from Madras Musings was asked the quotidian questions and was left wondering if heritage has to necessarily be portrayed as boring and dull. MMM perked up, however, at the more than usually daft queries and is still chuckling over a couple.

A young reporter from one of Chennai’s newspapers called up to find out if MMM knew that the World Chess Championships were due to be held in the city. MMM informed her that he did. Whereupon the caller asked MMM if it was not rather dull of the authorities to host the event at some stadium or the other. Where else could, these be held, wondered MMM. “Why, Sir, why not one of the palaces in the city?” came the bright answer.

“And how many palaces can you think of?” asked MMM.

“Er... none, but we thought you would know. And it would make a column for our paper.”

MMM said he could think of none too, but loath to let go of what promised to be material for this column, he asked the caller as to how many people were expected.

“Two people play the game...” began the voice somewhat condescendingly at which juncture MMM said rather coldly that he knew his chess.

“The audience is likely to run into lakhs,” said the voice. MMM then asked as to what was the best place in the city that could host such numbers.

“A stadium,” came the reply.

MMM rested his case and the telephone receiver. The next day, the same newspaper carried a photo of the residence of a cement and horse-racing baron of the city and claimed that it was an ancient palace! So much for heritage and its awareness!

Another caller wanted to know if MMM could sum up in five minutes all that he knew of the Indo-Saracenic style. A third made bold to ask if it was OK with MMM if the caller sent in a questionnaire which MMM could fill and mail back in twenty minutes so that the caller could meet a deadline on heritage. MMM could not help reflecting that this was a cut-paste world.

Emu empathy

The flightless bird of Australian origin (three lett­ers) is back on the radar of The Man from Madras Musings. MMM’s regulars will recollect that there were two. Now there is only one and, if matters proceed the way they are now, soon there will be none. And that may perhaps be a better fate for the bird than what it is going through now.

The emu has a habit of breaking free and running in the middle of traffic. The owner charges after it on a scooter and tries to control it with a stick. The poor bird, crazed by the noise and the vehicles, runs helter-skelter and is beaten by passers-by and pushed around by the cars. This has become a daily drama on MMM's regular beat. It is only a question of time before the bird gets involved in a crash.

MMM's heart goes out to the creature. It has been uprooted from its native surroundings and brought to an alien land where it is being treated cruelly. Is this what globalisation is all about?

– MMM