Chrome-Pet

For our reporting assignment on 4^th February,2020 I was sent to, rather, I chose to report on the story about the vendors on the Foot over bridge at Chromepet railway station.

It was a different experience altogether.

I had not taken the MTC buses for reporting till now. When I would visit my brothers’ clinic at Chromepet, I would board a train from Indira Nagar railway station and get down at Park town station. I would take the subway and go to the Park station, after which I would get down at Chromepet Railway station.

This was my usual route until a fellow friend who walked with me to the station asked me to got Thiruvanmiyur and board bus number 91. The ticket fare is extremely higher than in Mumbai. I paid Rs 31 for my ride while in Mumbai its hardly 5-10Rs. Its only when the distance is extremely far that the bus fare is higher.

The bus journey was for more than half an hour. We crossed perungudi, that has many many outlets compared to the place that our college is situated in, we crossed ponds and construction sites and two toll-booths, empty roads and reached Chromepet bus-stop finally, only to find that the vendors I was looking for come only in the evening.

Upon consulting with my prof, he asked me to report about the parking lots in the area.

I spoke with many of them, looked around the Radha market, did some grocery shopping, and came back. I was startled when I found out that there were 22 parking lots and that so many people had two wheelers. A reality I wasn’t convinced to accept. The people I talked to were extremely friendly and responded to most of my questions. Most of the people respond immediately, some shy away and some ask you for your phone number.

The Radha market, which I was directed to,is quite calm compared to the roadside near flashy Saravana stores. After looking around and reporting till 4p.m. I returned to college. The ride back to college was equally deserted but fun.

Because I had taken a packet of marble cake cause I’m too old school and I followed my room-mates instruction.

I filed the story by 7, sir responded, obviously I had made some mistakes.