After hanging around the Marina beach area for 2 days in the morning recently, I needed to get back to one of my more favourite beaches.

 

Elliots beach in Besant Nagar, has to be the place where I have spent most of my early mornings in Chennai. In fact, there was a time during my employment days in Chennai, when I used to rent a small room just facing the beach. The price was astronomical because of the location, and the room was really small, but nothing made me happier than waking up in the morning to open the window and see the beach outside while feeling the sea breeze on my cheeks.

 

So, I went back today morning to good, old Elliots. And true enough, it never disappoints me. The sunrise was calm and peaceful, with very few people on the beach. There were the usual early morning joggers, and yogis, who had braved their 5 AM alarms to head to the beach. And there was the rare coconut vendor, who gave out tender coconuts to anyone who was tired from the jogging or the yoga.

 

And then there was me, clicking away at the Kaj Schmidt memorial on the beach. Kaj Schmidt was a Dutch sailor who died on this beach, while trying to save the life of a drowning swimmer. This structure is one of the most recognisable in Chennai, and has been massively improved recently. Before, there used to be no gate around it, and people drank around the structure after nightfall, leading to broken bottles everywhere and sometimes, worse. This has changed greatly due to the gate around the structure.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I am doing pretty much the same things I did when I came to Chennai the last time too. I am spending it at the gym, trying to regain some of my lost strength.

 

 

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