Ko-Yum-Bedu

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The Koyambedu flower market is a busy place. People in the market do not wait for you to start a conversation with them.
The boys turn. They stare and stare until they lose sight of you.
Men and women call out to you. Some complain and some narrate stories. Some smile, some ask why I only wear an anklet on one ankle. Why I speak Tamil like Sri Lankans? Why I am not-so-Tamil?
The flower market is the most crowded place, followed by the fruit and vegetable market. It’s an extremely Instagram friendly place. The yellow lights lit close to the flowers, the smell of fresh flowers and the bustle asks you to wait. The drama unfolds at every corner.
I made three friends at the market today. They offered
Chennai is crowded. Chennai is quite different from what I imagined it to be like.
The place I come from is Mumbai.
Mumbai is not so harsh on your skin. The air in the city does not smell of sewage. The water tastes heavenly.  
The bus I used to take to Wilson College was a vehicle with lots of people breathing, trying to live their Mumbai dream.
The high rises in Chennai do not touch the sky, or they do and I haven't seen them yet. The places that metro stations pass-by have high rises and a better view of Chennai.
Chennai is proportionate in what it gives you. Chennai has the Asian College of Journalism and that is the only reason I moved to this city.

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