1. The Three Temples
Away from the ever-bustling, invariably crowded places in the insti, the three ‘pockets of quiet’ are lesser-known temples rarely visited by students – the Sri Durga Peeli Amman Temple, the Sri Jalakantheswara Temple on Delhi Avenue, and the Sri Varasidhdhi Vinayaka Temple near the old Prime Mart. Now, I know what you are thinking. ‘We are always so busy, who has the time and religiosity to visit temples??’ But that is not the case. Believe me, spending some time in any of these three is an unparalleled experience.
- Sri Durga Peeli Amman Temple
If you take a quiet bylane on Delhi Avenue, you find yourself strolling down a curved path flanked by evergreens on both sides, leading up to the temple after crossing a small bridge. If you go there between 7 AM – 10 AM and 5 PM – 8 PM, you’ll find the clean, spacious temple premises filled with a few priests and residents gathered to attend the aarti. The jingling bells and the scent of incense will lead you to the sanctum sanctorum, and you can feast your eyes on the beautifully adorned idol of the goddess. The pradakshina path around the garbha griha has intricate, colourful idols of different forms of gods and goddesses, adding to your knowledge pool of Tamil idolatry. Other tiny temples also bedeck the premises, surrounding the main temple.
If you are searching for a less crowded space to study, this is it. When the temple is closed, the premises are practically deserted, providing the apt peace and quiet for better concentration. Though this seems like an unlikely place to immerse in academics, believe me, except for the cacophony of buzzing birds, there are no disturbances here. This is a quiet world in itself, where all anxieties melt away as soon as you enter. The energy you feel when you enter works its magic upon you, being just right for studying or escaping daily travails.
- Sri Jalakantheswara Temple
If you are an ardent Shiva bhakta, you should definitely visit this temple on Delhi Avenue. The temple boasts a beautiful shrine, preceding a capacious prayer hall. The intricate, beautifully carved idols on top of the shrine paint an impressive picture. While the temple usually wears a deserted look with the garbha griha closed most of the time, crowds throng the place during Mahashivratri. Residents and students alike line up patiently to get the darshan of the impressive shivlinga. The night takes on a different look as the temple is transformed by the melodious chanting of the devotees. A must-go for the profound experience and alluring temple premises.
- Sri Varasidhdhi Vinayaka Temple
Tucked away in a clump of tall trunks, the Sri Varasidhdhi Vinayaka Temple is a quiet haven seldom frequented. You walk into the quaint little premises after washing your feet at the entrance, keeping to an old-school temple practice. A small stone platform serves as the perfect place, where life slows down a bit, and overthinking gives way to quiet bliss. Staying for the aarti is a pleasant experience, with the priest chanting prayers to Shiva and Vinayaka. The priest is a wonderful wizened man, always around with a ready smile and a pinch of holy ash that he insists you smear on your forehead (he is also quite chatty about life advice, so you can catch some wisdom pearls in the meantime ). If you stay back after the aarti, you will witness a lovely sight of deer and birds answering the priest’s call, coming to eat the humble prashad of curd rice.
This place feels ethereal, especially after the rains. You should visit the temple once, to explore the place and also maybe yourself in the process 🙂
2. Usha Cafe Complex
A go-to breakfast place for the night owls, a caffeine interlude from tedious afternoon classes, an evening gossip and hangout spot and a midnight snacking detour on the way from the library back to hostels, the Usha Café is a compilation of different crowds at different timings. Despite having to weave through the ravaging monkeys and the recently persistent deer like a failing Khatron ke Khiladi player, struggling to eat your puff without bumping into slightly irritated (and sweaty) people every other second, not being able to hear what your friend is babbling about (or hearing something extremely concerning/entertaining out of context from a group nearby), the answer to the invitation, “Usha chalein??” can never be in the negative. It is a place where you will have jolly encounters with friends (or awkward ones with the people you’ve been avoiding all week), run-ins with profs or TAs (the one you were just ranting about), spirited conversations, casual chit-chat (or who knows, a glimpse of your crush!), all cramming together to make our dear beloved Usha a happening place. There will also be times when you will be there during the 1 AM quietude, gazing at the ginger cat, which considers Usha as his home territory, peacefully napping. All in all, Usha forms a huge part of every student’s life here, and will remain so till the insti continues to function (or till the monkeys take over)!
Summers become tolerable by the refreshing juices (or the fancy milkshakes if someone else is treating you) from CoolBiz. Fresh fruits and affordable chocolates seem appealing options to order from the smiling Malayali Anna if you want a change from the regular Usha sweetmeats. The chatty Tamil uncle just beside CoolBiz is always busy in his corner, buried in alternative stacks of crumpled and crisply ironed clothes. The newest addition to the complex, the SriNivasa departmental store (Prime Mart’s mini sibling) fulfills all emergency (snacking) needs and is a huge relief and a reliable excuse for all girls hostel residents to never move out of their comfort zone (pro tip: you can get a discount here if you are a frequent customer and if it’s your lucky day). This space of everyday friendly, noisy chaos remains the highlight of the day, regardless of whether it is a fresh start or a tired end.
Edited by Amirtha Varshini V C
Design by Alphin Tom
Article 19 