Planting a green thought

As I entered my sisters house I heard my niece shriek and rush past me to the balcony. I ran behind her worried that she might be hurt. But little I did I understand the difference of a joyful shriek and painful shriek. Well my niece was indeed shrieking in joy about the development in the fenugreek plant she had planted a week back. She sat with me nearly for an hour listing out all the possible ways she can use the fenugreek for. This might sound like a cute story but what surprised me here was the ability of a nine year old to understand the importance of nurturing and caring for a tender plant. What we are looking forward with the next generation might be the compensation for  all the loss from the previous generations.

Barelysix  years old my nephew comes home with a sapling and asks me to accompany him in planting the sapling.This is the homework they are given these days.At a fragile age the kids are made to understand every step in the process of growing and protecting the plants. Gone are the days when kids used to swing with the banyan root. Kids these days are pointing out scientific reasons to why one should not swing with the banyan roots- swinging stops their growth. Surprising isn't it? Well partially we have to appreciate the role of schools played in helping the kids gain insight into the such complicated concepts in an easy way. The process of photosynthesis which I learnt through diagrammatic representations is know being taught to kids by asking them to grown a plant. Like always getting messy is fun for kids. Its like a little adventure and it doesn't stop there. They question and try to understand every bit of the process. They also go back and google to find more information about the plants.

Like learning about photosynthesis by actually growing a plant was not enough they only plant Tulsi, Mint and other such plants with medicinal properties. They have the tendency to observe and intake the information at one go and immediately they want to practically test it out. Its like they are being trained to be Ayurveda doctors as they already know what is the purpose of Tulsi and likes. The kind of activities they are involved also surrounds the topic of going green. A visit to the Vedanthangal to understand and study the various kinds of birds which migrate to Chennai. This is a mere weekend get away. If its summer vacation a visit to Nagarhole in Karnataka to walk in the dense jungle and understand the kind of environment the wild animals live in and also the occasional woos and awws at the colourful birds, butterflies and animals is worth every bit. And I learnt the types of wild animals through charts. The next time I meet my niece I wont be surprised if she feeds me with a spoon full of Kashayam for  bad cold.

It's a maaaaall wonder..

A city’s cool status has always been graded with the number of malls. Bangalore , Bombay, Gurgaon and our very own capital New Delhi has a mall in every street corner just like the petty shops in Chennai. But behold! We are no less cooler now. With the recent Express Avenue's (EA) vast land area and every international brand name splashed across the windows Chennai is now giving every other city malls a run for their money. Not to forget the stiff competition from emerging landmark of Nelson Manickam road - Ampa Skywalk. This five storied building captivates every passer by with big brands like W, Biba, Hush puppies and of course every woman's favorite - the Body shop. If these brands dont sound inviting then there is multiplex's like Escape and PVR cinemas which is sure to make you grab a tub of popcorn and tickets for your favorite movie. The chains of food stalls varying in cuisines lined up in the food court is sure a treat for your taste buds.

Growing up with this city has its advantages. Ten years back the only mall anyone ever related Chennai with was the good old Spencer plaza which till today stays as the one of the popular hangouts for the Chennaiites. This landmark build in the 1985 which was in the beginning a mere super market  is now  one of the oldest malls in India and has become the face of the city. Following this trend many malls like Alsa mall, Pattni plaza, Prince plaza etc dotted across the city. Though not the house hold of popular brands, these malls defined the city in a special way. These malls are definitely the birth mark of Chennai as they have developed with this city. Its hard to imagine Chennai without these landmarks. However Chennaiites have to thank Citi Centre for bringing into the big picture the amalgamation of shopping, food and cinema under one roof. Barely three years since its establishment the mall has been every Chennaiites favorite hangout spot.

Not to be satisfied with the presence of all this big and small malls the Chennaiites hunger for more malls will be met by another 15 malls likely to be built in the city in the near future. Almost near completion is the 48,000 square feet Chennai Central at Kadhar Nawaz Khan road which is a joint venture of SSPDL (Srinivas shipping and property development)  Ltd and Pantaloon. Chennai considered to be one of the conservative city of the metros is slowly starting to accommodate the modern temples of mall.