school wearing school uniforms, some looking slightly more Western and others as identically-colored salwar kemeez (loose-fitting pajama type pants with a long length shirt/dress) and matching scarf. Women also wear these salwar kemeez or the more traditional sari, formed from long lengths of beautiful cloth. They happily chat amongst each other, smiling at me and offering a simple greeting in English. Flip flops or sandals are the footwear of choice for both men and women.Hearing a few children recite something in a formal manner, I peer through the bar openings in the wall. It is a local elementary school. A sea of black heads with pink & blue uniforms fills the courtyard along with a teacher in a cream-colored salwar. The four young presenters are on a concrete stage with a rooftop. In India, education is seen as very important, a sense of family honor and prosperity.
I can hear the sounds of a bell ringing – not from a church but from a nearby temple. Chennai has a larger percentage of Christians than other areas, but the majority are Hindu. While walking around I see several temples of bright colors, nestled in between the shops and apartments. One is even in the “island” of a road, with traffic splitting and whizzing by. The smell of incense permeates the air.Occasionally a breeze will offer relief from the humidity and heat. Chennai is along the Bay of Bengal, but I am closer to the Adyar River. Thankfully the skies have been more overcast, also keeping the temperatures down a bit. Rains can happen suddenly, causing a brief but heavy downpour. I am fortunate that I have not gotten caught in it so far!
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