Aravind Suresh and Padmavathi Balakrishnan Meenu take a stroll in the Adyar walk-through park by the river.
| Photo Credit: Shivaraj S
I have found a new favourite place in Chennai. It does not have Instagrammable boards. Nor does it have a fancy cafe.It’s a place that does not announce itself. And yet, it’s a place where you can probably find true love. Or a bit of yourself.This spot is in Adyar, a neighbourhood that sits at the intersection of everything Chennai: a neighbourhood filled with commercial buildings co-existing with a heady dose of green spaces.If the term ‘tucked away’ had a visual, it would be this. This walk-through park is located at a dead end and is hardly visible to the outside world, making it one of Chennai’s perfect date spots.And why this park and not any others here? Because, most others have become ‘family friendly’. Somewhere, the kids are pestering their parents for one last ride on the slide. Or, the elderly are trying to get their arms and shoulders in shape by driving some sort of a fitness wheel which exists for reasons that are beyond comprehension. Or worse, the biggest park scam ever known, the ‘pebble walk’ — where you walk barefoot for the wellness of your feet. Maybe this was designed to benefit slipper thieves in the neighbourhood.Sorry, I’m joking. More importantly, I’m digressing.Back to the star location of this tale: the walkway, where busy city life comes to a standstill. Take a walk among these wooded paths for hours of conversation with your partner; it’s inexpensive, can burn off a few calories and gives you the space and time for a memorable tete-a-tete. You could start walking in Adyar and exit somewhere in Kotturpuram, a stroll that could hold a lot of meaning, especially if you’re with your partner.Early evenings are ideal here. Especially if the weather is your friend because when it rains, this walk-way is shut. Watch out for a couple of not-so-friendly dogs, a tottering guard who insists on locking up on the dot at 6pm. At times, even cops land up here to check if all is in order, lest miscreants cause trouble. All these technicalities reminds me a bit of another Chennai dating rite of passage: the Broken Bridge, where romance and municipal disapproval co-exist.
