Back Of The Book: Chennai Ain't So Bad

BACK OF THE BOOK
Chennai Ain't So Bad

The capital of dosa-domain isn't such a bad place to spend a weekend, if you know what to do, and what not to.

The beach-front open-air restaurant at Fisherman's Cove is the perfect locale to chill out

Investment banking sucks,'' you tell yourself as you wait for your car outside the client's office. It is Saturday evening; the meeting has taken longer than planned; you've missed the last flight out of Chennai, stodgy, boring, Chennai to Mumbai, swinging, happening, Mumbai; and the client wants to meet at 8.00 in the a.m. on Monday to ''wrap things up''. You could, of course, catch the first flight out the next morning, and the last flight in the same evening, but that doesn't appeal to you. ''Don't worry,'' says the man deputed to perform duties as the gracious host, ''we'll ensure you have a great weekend in Chennai. There is this place near Chepauk that serves the most delectable dosas...'' Fortunately for you the car arrives, and, hurriedly murmuring something about being allergic to rice pancakes and spending the day with a close friend from your college days, you leave the salivating host to his own devices and depart.

Actually, Chennai isn't that bad if you know what not to do and if you have the financial means to do what you should. Knowing what not to do is of the essence. Do not look to go bar-or night-club hopping in Chennai. The liquor sucks-you'd be hard pressed to find a bottle of Absolute even in bars attached to some star hotels-and the ambience in most bars (there are no night clubs in the city) is oh-so-twenty-years-ago. Do not try to boogie your blues away at a discotheque; there are several in Chennai, but the less said about them (especially to an urbane Bombayite like you) the better. And don't go bowling unless you want to feel old (the crowd's young) and in the way (it's also rambunctious).

Here's how you, dear I-banking friend, should spend your weekend

TREADMILL
Lose That Gut

Here's an after-shave ritual I bet you don't do. After you've slid that razor (Mach 3, I hope) down your face and splashed on your favourite lotion (remember, alcohol-free is in), take off your undershirt and take a few steps backwards facing the mirror. Now, be honest and don't suck in your tummy. Like it? Yes, yes, I know it's pretty depressing. More so, if like me, you wistfully think of what you looked like 10 years ago and are a closet reader of Men's Health magazine-correct, that's the one which has a guy with washboard abs on the cover. If you've tried crunches and yet not got anywhere, here are some tips:

The first thing to remember is mere abdominal crunches aren't enough. They only strengthen your muscles. There's no point growing AB muscles like giant ravioli if they're going to be covered with fat. The idea is to supplement crunches with cardiovascular exercises that burn fat. Choose what you like best (or dislike least!)-walk briskly, jog or cycle. Start with 15 minutes a day, six days a week, then gradually push yourself to 45 minutes. Rest for five minutes and then do these two exercises:

1. Reverse Curls (lower abs): Lie on your back with your hands at sides, palms down and legs in the air-slightly bent and directly above hips. Gently pulse your feet directly upward, concentrating on contracting your lower abdominals. Do as many as you can. Rest and repeat.

2. Abdominal curls (train upper abs): Lie on your back, with knees bent and heels close to buttocks. Position hands gently touching ears or crossed over the chest. Slowly lift and curl chest off the ground, keeping your neck as relaxed as possible and breathing out as you lift. Lower with control. Do as many as you can. Rest and repeat.

-Muscles Mani

Starting this issue BT will feature a regular column on executive health

2200 hrs, Saturday: Dine at the Dakshin. Chennai has several specialty restaurants. Like Annalakshmi, a vegetarian delicatessen managed by a religious trust-the waiters are volunteers who've joined the movement; some of them have held down senior positions in companies and the government; and the food (what food!) comes on a silver service. Or Ponnusamy, the Tamilian version of a Soho chop house that serves every kind of meat known to man including a cool dish made from dried goat blood. But the city's flagship restaurant is Dakshin at the Park Sheraton. Stick to Iyer's dosas for starters; pick only from the Chettinad section of the menu for the main course; and don't forget to end your meal with a cup of traditional south-Indian-filter-coffee served at your table in an elaborate ritual that would do the Bolshoi proud.

0600 hrs, Sunday: The Marina is the second largest beach in the world and parts of it are still clean. Go for a quick run by the water, or just walk the sands. Caveat: watch your step.

0730 hrs, Sunday: If the walk has left you hungry, head down Radhakrishnan Road till you hit Saravanas, which is to dosas and idlis what McDonald's is to the burger.

1030 hrs, Sunday: Check out Landmark. You may swear by the Strand, but you must pay a visit to what is, arguably, the finest book store in the country. In terms of range, no other store in the country comes close. Chennai, clearly, is the literary capital of India. Take a little detour from M.G. Road where Landmark is located, down Radhakrishnan Road (sorry, but it is one of the four major roads in Chennai) to Aesthetics, a nondescript shop that stocks products from Auroville: pottery, furniture, footwear, leather bags, and other bric-a-brac. You won't find this stuff anywhere else.

1200 hrs, Sunday: Head out down the East Coast Road to the fishing village of Covelong where the Taj Group's resort Fisherman's Cove is located. You'll cross the country's only crocodile bank (visit only if you are interested in reptiles); a museum, Dakshina Chitra, that seeks to recreate the architecture of the four southern states; Dolphin City, where you can actually see a sea lion go through its paces (there were three dolphins, but, alas, they died); and Mayajaal, a Pentamedia-promoted multiplex-plus-food-court-plus-amusement- arcade. East Coast Road is also amusement-park domain, but a swish I-banker from Mumbai can't be bothered with attractions targeted at lesser mortals. We suggest you spend the rest of the day (and the night) at the Cove. It's idle indulgence at its best, but great fun. It is also, by some accounts, the one bastion of civilisation in a city that's suffering the pangs of growth. Don't miss the sunset... or the catch of the day.

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