B.S. Raj Narain, founder and CEO of Optima Response Management Pvt Ltd, a digital marketing agency in Chennai, had spent a major part of his professional life living in the city. His work involved travelling extensively to meet clients, but worsening traffic congestion and pollution eventually became too much to endure.This is when he chanced upon a residential project coming up on the scenic East Coast Road (ECR) and decided to move lock, stock and barrel. “For 25 years, I was a resident in the Vadapalani/Valasaravalkam region and shifted to ECR about a year ago. It has all the trappings of the city without its congestion. The best thing is, I get to see the blue sky once I get up and the air is clean,” says Narain. He moved to Oceanique, a 15-floor, 180-apartment residential complex next to the multiplex Mayajaal.
“ECR has got all the trappings of the city without its congestion. The best thing is I get to see the blue sky once I get up and the air is clean”B.S. Raj NarainFounder and CEO of Optima Response Management Pvt Ltd“It is not like only older professionals like me have moved here. Even young professionals are opting for ECR off late,” Narain adds. “That is evident in the number of school vans that come to our premises, as ECR is home to several international schools.”For Nandan Suresh, an online tutor for school students who spent over two decades in Ashok Nagar and K.K. Nagar, it was the need to stay closer to his larger family — and ensure his parents do not miss spending time with grandchildren — that made him move. “I was familiar with ECR, and it is suitable for being a residential hub since everything is available,” says Suresh, who shifted to Chaitanya Greenspaces, a 16-acre development including villas and a five-floor, 10-apartment (3,000 sq. ft. apiece) space at Muthukadu.
