Renaming roads
The Greater Chennai Corporation has renamed three Streets in Chennai after three great music personalities such as Tiruchi Loganathan, Sirkazhi Govindarajan and MS Viswanathan.
While this may be an honour conferred upon them, is this act really an honour? Considering the state of various roads in Chennai, one does not think so. With roads riddled with potholes, littered with garbage and with no smooth surface to ride on, naming roads/streets after personalities makes no sense. It is just like installing statues of leaders and allow them to bear the brunt the fury of the nature and remember to wash and give a fresh coat of paint to them only on birth/death anniversaries. If someone refers to the roads as one of the worst and unfit to travel, it badly reflects on the personalities as the roads are named after them.
It is, therefore, better not to tinker with the names of the streets/roads and thus insulate the names from sullying.
The best tribute to the personalities, however, shall be to conduct music or such other programmes annually.
V.S. Jayaraman
6A RP Road
Chennai 600 044
Love, Actually… Begins with a Little Planning
Love, like good idli batter, needs advance preparation. Leave it till the last minute and you may still manage something edible – but it won’t quite rise to the occasion.
January may feel too early to talk about Valentine’s Day, but February was all about it. In Chennai, romance has learned to coexist with packed weekends, family lunches that stretch into evenings, and the eternal question: “Shall we go out or stay in?” Those who plan early usually win.
Nothing charms quite like someone who says, with calm confidence, “I’ve already booked a table.” Preferably at a place meant for lingering bites, unhurried conversations, and those comfortable silences where neither person feels the need to fill the space. Love, after all, is in the details.
The Shape We All Recognise
We see the heart everywhere in February – on cards, boxes, bakery windows – but rarely pause to ask why love looks the way it does. Historians, being delightfully indecisive, offer several theories.
Some trace it to ivy leaves, long associated with fidelity. Others believe it echoes parts of the human anatomy best left to imagination. One of the more curious theories points to silphium, a now-extinct plant used by the ancient Greeks and Romans as medicine, seasoning, and an early form of birth control. Coins from the period show its seed pod – strikingly heart-shaped.
By the Renaissance, the heart had found its way into religious art, playing cards, and love poetry. By the 18th and 19th centuries, it had settled comfortably into Valentine’s cards, where it continues to perform faithfully.
From Fields to Feelings
Valentine’s Day did not begin with chocolates. Its roots lie in Lupercalia, an ancient Roman festival celebrating fertility and renewal. Over centuries, the rituals softened, the meanings shifted, and the day slowly transformed into what we now recognise – a quieter celebration of companionship.
Chennai Love, Our Way
Love here is often understated. It is shared sundal on Marina, extra chutney quietly pushed across the table, waiting patiently while someone finishes a story halfway through. It is walking side by side without rushing, arguing mildly about which coffee tastes better, and agreeing to disagree.
As the saying goes, love does not consist of gazing at each other, but of looking together in the same direction – preferably towards dessert.
Absence sharpens love; presence strengthens it. True love never grows old; it simply becomes more efficient.
Still Speaking in Symbols
The red rose endures. One rose still says “I love you” more clearly than many paragraphs. Hearts remain everywhere – on wrapping paper, cakes, notes tucked into bags. Red and pink flowers continue to do the emotional heavy lifting where words hesitate.
Where there is love, there is no darkness – only the mild anxiety of choosing the right card.
In the End
This Valentine’s Day, whether you were sharing a quiet meal, a long walk, or just a cup of coffee that turned into another, remember this: love is rarely dramatic. It lives in planning ahead, noticing small preferences, and showing up — on time.
And sometimes, love simply looks like remembering to book early.
– Priyanka Soman