RANGANATHAN STREET
A few weeks ago, my aunt had come down from the USA after 8 long years. Being an energetic person with a penchant for shopping, she asked my mother to accompany her. The duo set off to ranganathan street. A couple of hours and 3 aspirins later my mom and an extremely weary aunt devoid of energy came back home. On making inquiries, I learnt that they had been to ranganathan street. No wonder my aunt looked so frazzled. She had entered the portals of Ranganathan street, t.nagar!!

Since time immemorial, it has been thronged by people, dogs, cats, people, malls, retail outlets, people, small offices, and more people, clichéd though it may sound.
Some call it the perfect haven for shopaholics. Some term it the dingiest and most inhabited place on this phase of the earth. I, for one, believe in calling it ranganathan street, t.nagar, Chennai 17.

We often hear lovers dramatically proclaiming that they would travel to any part of the earth to get goodies which will make their soon-to-be partners giddy with ecstasy. Not needed. All they have to do is to enter into ranganathan street and they’d find every kind of gift ranging cheap from five rupee earrings to extravagant Rs.5000 dresses and more.

One cannot drive through the place without wishing for a broomstick like the ones in the Harry Potter series.’ I seriously wonder whether even the broomstick with the rider hovering several feet in the air, would survive the continuous throng of people who dominate the area and the plethora of things it has to offer.

Another fact that is synonymous with Ranganathan street is the ruckus and cacophony of the small time hawkers and vendors who walk the by-lanes of this street and it is of little wonder that the E.N.T specialists are laughing all the way to the bank.

The area seems to be well equipped with a highly well organized network of secret undercover agents with efficient ’homo sapien’ detectors in and around the vicinity, which seem to attack any driver with a vengeance. Surreal though it may seem, the moment the administrative body gets wind of the fact that a motor vehicle is rolling in a carelessly effortless manner, they make the shoppers walk even more carelessly along the same path of the vehicle and right there, on the middle of the road, meet long lost friends and new acquaintances even to the extent of them forgetting the main purpose of their visit- shopping. The auto drivers make it the order of the day to hone their already well polished bargaining skills and woe betide any newcomer in the city who unknowingly ends up in their midst. The ultimate result is that, the poor car driver is invariably left cursing fluently under his breath for the next few hours or even worse- till as long as it takes him to draw up enough energy to overcome the never ending flow of humanity that dominate the streets of t.nagar.

If you are one who doesn’t believe in being a spendthrift, then, you're looking for, Ranganathan Street which sells you everything- from 'pirated’ VCDs' to pirated books, fashionable hand-me-downs, gold, gold plated and…………..the list never seems to end.
‘LEISURE” and ‘RANGANATHAN STREET’ are two words that cannot possibly be used in the same sentence.
A few hundred million years ago would have probably been the best time to actually think of a shopping spree here. In fact, ranganathan street has given a whole new meaning to the word ’crowded.’

To put it in a nutshell, if you ever get bored, drop into Ranganathan street and see your boredom vanish along with every ounce of energy you possess. Experience the ultimate shopping experience and see your energy levels go from 10 to 0 in just a second. Nonetheless, trust me, it’s definitely worth it.