The day has come, which I prayed never should!

I really don’t like the word ‘good’ in ‘goodbye’. There is nothing good about missing a place we love, especially, the one that gave us lots and lots of memories.

Living far from home and on your own gives a lot of problems to deal with. It takes a lot of energy, a lot of guts, and a lot of determination to overcome those problems, and “SINGAARA CHENNAI” gave me all the courage and strength to face those demons.

It was October 2013 when I first landed in Chennai with a Couple of my friends. With near-zero experience, all three of us were exploring the beauty of Chennai and at the same time and thinking about what our first big step should be.

The beginning days were extremely horrific. The busy roads, crowded streets, traffic jams, and the always-changing climate were seriously a nightmare for me. But, it was only for a month until I turned my chair to face the other side of the city.

Chennai offers a lot to explore apart from the parties and clubs. Many technological Orthodoxes offer programs on improvising the skills of young people and also giving them opportunities to showcase their talents. In fact, it was in this city where the real entrepreneur in me came out. I have never missed an entrepreneur meetup in the last three years. I’m sure about it. Whenever I am invited to an event, especially the ones relating to my profession, I will nod yes without even hesitating.

A city is good only if the people living there are good. You’re gonna remember a city with the people you’ve met. And here, I’ve met some of the most incredible and amazing people ever, whose friendship is something that I wish would last forever.

Ufff. Enough of admiring Chennai. It would take a week to explain its inner beauty! It was November when we laid our first stone. I started my own company along with two of my friends. The first two months were very difficult to pass. We couldn’t find proper clients and disappointments filled our hearts.

But, we didn’t lose hope. We have heard many people saying “Chennai is a city of opportunities. No single person will be disappointed when he comes in search of something here.” We decided to try one more time. And yes, I saw with my own eyes what those people said. We got a project and successfully completed way before the deadline.

From then on, we started receiving multiple projects. But, we were short in number. And so, we started recruiting people. And now, I’m proud to say that within three years of time, we are 70+ operating in offices across multiple locations internationally.

Even after setting up a branch in my hometown, I was not ready to move there. Why because? The only reason is this city. My soul was already connected to this place. I started loving every single thing in this beautiful place. TBH, I never thought of bidding goodbye to this fun-filled city even once. Often I used to tell my friends “Man! We got everything we needed. This place is really awesome.”

But we don’t decide fate right? Only God knows his plans on us.

Chennai has taught me a lot and it has an important role in making me the person I’m today.

“Jallikattu” - the name that sends chills all over our body. It was just like other traditional games of Tamil Nadu until 2016. But, when some organizations and people started opposing the game, none expected that it would become a national sensation and a notable act in history.

It was that time when the dream of our beloved Dr. Abdul Kalam Sir’s came to light. He dreamt of young people standing united in developing the nation. As expected, youngsters and people from all parts of Tamil Nadu started arriving at Chennai’s Marina Beach. For what? To fight against the opposition in a peaceful manner.

The notable thing here is that there were no politicians or political parties involved in the protest. People, just public people. One thing I understood from the Jallikattu movement is that “If people stand united at hard times, even the supreme-most power cannot stand a chance against them.”

Another good event to appreciate Chennai’s unsung heroes is when the 2016 Vardha Cyclone hit the city. It was so devastating and put more than 20 lakh lives at stake. There then came the superheroes. Risking their lives, without fear and only with kindness, young people started helping the stranded ones across the city. Even now I remember watching in News channels that people from all parts of the world were appreciating this united act of gratefulness of Chennai youths.

From these two incidents, I learned that not only Chennai but also the people dwelling there won’t let you down at any cost.

And now, the Covid-19 pandemic is threatening not only Chennai but the entire world and causing a lot of chaos, which needs immediate repair.

Hear me out people, especially the ones in Chennai, this is not the same situation as the 2016 Cyclone or 2017 Protest, where we stood unitedly. This deadly pandemic can only be overcome by social distancing. I can understand that many of your inner voices are telling you to go out and help the ones in trouble. Please don’t do it. Our government is taking big steps to control this deadly disease from becoming a community-spread.

So please, Stay Home and Stay Safe. And wait for the history to repeat itself. Remember that no viruses or pandemics have won against human beings in our known history.