Tiny Tour – at Santhome - going gaga over Chennai.

From the Founder’s Diary.

A kutti suttrula, if you will. :-)

One of Chennai's most iconic landmarks. The Santhome Church.

A personal favourite of mine, the mere sight of this building the other day, sent me whooshing down memory lane!

I lived near MRC Nagar and the drive down Foreshore Estate on Santhome High Road to the school I went to, was a beautiful experience, and this is not just in hindsight nor am I blinded by nostalgia.

As our vehicle exited the OUT Gate of our home and lurched right, on to 'South Beach Road' as it was earlier called, the first landmark then to worry about(!) was a cemetery which we kids pretended to be afraid of Every. Single. Day.

We alternated between peering out the van's window to see into the cemetery and keeping our eyes tightly shut in fervent prayer, as we passed the area.

Then came the time to 'Hold Thy Breath' for that stretch of the road was atop and flanked by, the er...um, aromatic Cooum backwaters. The stench seems better today ... but oh wait, that's probably because our vehicles are air conditioned!

Then came the wonderful Foreshore Estate. Exactly why I found it wonderful is something I have yet to figure out. Maybe it's the name I like.

Next, 'Joyson's Bakery' comes to mind. I was 'friends' with the gentleman behind the counter. I recall that he was the quiet type and smiled a lot. Is it just me or did they bake the softest, fluffiest bread loafs EVER?

The road would narrow soon after, and then came Santhome High School.

Note: This is a highly personal account of that drive to school so I may have missed other delightful or important spots - Hotel Romus at Foreshore Estate with their brilliant small samosas comes to mind.

The Cultural Academy was close by, and then we would come upon the Santhome Church junction, which during school hours, was jam packed even then! St. Raphael's School was on the left and the beloved and revered structure that is the St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica, on the right. The Santhome Church always leaves me awed. The natural light flow inside, beautiful panes and windows and neo-Gothic style of architecture, make it a magnificent must-visit spot in Chennai.
Located near Kutchery road on Santhome High Road, the charm of Santhome Church is both old-world as well as current.

Such a beautiful structure inside and out.

That brings us to the close of this note. 

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*சுற்றுலா reads as Suttrula in Tamil.