Saidapet

by MulaiAzhagi Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:51 pm

A native of Saeeda Peth in Chennai, Caroline lives in Andheri, Mumbai. She used to visit the city frequently. The police said that Caroline has worked in three Tamil movies which are yet to be released. Besides, she has done advertisements for jewellery and garment shops in Chennai.

===> I always wondered about the origins of the name SaidaPet in Chennai.

Who was Saeeda anyway?

by MulaiAzhagi Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:54 pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saidapet

===> This will be of interest Rashmun since this place was once owned by the Nawab of Arcot .

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:06 am

MulaiAzhagi wrote:A native of Saeeda Peth in Chennai, Caroline lives in Andheri, Mumbai. She used to visit the city frequently. The police said that Caroline has worked in three Tamil movies which are yet to be released. Besides, she has done advertisements for jewellery and garment shops in Chennai.

===> I always wondered about the origins of the name SaidaPet in Chennai.

Who was Saeeda anyway?

So much history about Saidapet. I recall my grandfather talking about jaberkan pettai kathirikai... then I realized it is Jaffer Khan pet. so much history about Saidpet. I did not realize there are so many 16th century temples there.

by Kris Wed Feb 08, 2012 2:57 am

[/quote]
. so much history about Saidpet. I did not realize there are so many 16th century temples there.

[/quote]

>>>> Temples have a Krishna Deva Raya connection? I remember something about this vaguely. Also, this is the station between T.Nagar and Guindy, right?

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Wed Feb 08, 2012 8:08 am

Yes. This is an old station along with Mambalam. One has to dig into history about madras subway/train system to learn those interesting facts.

I once went to the temple utsavam - of the temple next to the station - as a small boy. I used to live in Mambalam at that time. Strangely, although traveled by train in Madras hundreds of times since then, Never got down at Saidapet station over the last several decades. The earliest I remember about the area is when my grandparents lived there in a house (had big some wooden pillars supporting the roof) with so many family members living in the house.

by Maria S Wed Feb 08, 2012 9:05 am

Sara,

As a St.Thomas MountPet pet(tai/)- pet..Saidapet is quite a familiar area. There was no Saeeda to my knowledge..think the area was named after a Mr. Sayid - who worked for the Nawab and gifted for it. One among many who enjoyed/enjoys the stolen wealth..to this day many of the Nawab descendants live lavishly more in the US/UK- than perhaps in India..with enough stored away for generations to come.

On a lighter note..remember the very old song by Manorama with Cho.."Saidapettai kokku"..such a great Taminglish song! Not too long ago there was a discussion in Facebook about Sivaji (Nadigar Thilagam) as a National Treasure..while I totally agreed with that..I also said that imo, Manorama is our "Lucy"..she is the female Tamil National Treasure (when it comes Movie stars) and when I asked if- there was anyone else so versatile- stage/screen artist who has colloborated all 4 Chief Ministers- Arginar Anna, Puratchi Thalaivar MGR, Kalaignar Karuna, Puratchi Thalaivi..has acted with almost ALL major stars in different roles for 50+ years ..no one (including many active in the Cinema world today) could come up an anwer..but got a 1000+ replies, which was fab:) Her life is the feminist female artist model..extremely talented, hard working, humble, and demands respect.

by Maria S Wed Feb 08, 2012 9:19 am

*Listening to it again..Madras dialect song is more apt that Taminglish.

by The Absolute Zero Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:49 pm

MulaiAzhagi wrote: I always wondered about the origins of the name SaidaPet in Chennai.

Saidapet? Funny but the name irks me a LOT. We used to be in Kodambakkam and whenever we went to Parry's corner and waited for our bus this bus number 18 with Saidapet written all over it used to show up. If you waited an hour for your bus you saw at least 40 buses with 18 and Saidapet, but not one bus to Kodambakkam. All 18's were empty and still going to Saidapet. We cursed every single one. Our wait time was usually one hour during evenings and it was sweaty and irksome.

In the later days when I had to go from TNagar/Pondy Bazar to Guindy, I had to change buses at - you guessed it yet - Saidapet! Then found these 18s very much to my irritation. Dozens of them on the road but no bus to Guindy for me. Now added fun was the bus drivers and conductors coming out of the terminal and going into the terminal to submit cash collected on bus from every trip. Poora khaakhis all aruond. This time my time was around noon and it ws not just hot but heat was like Blast furnace temps.

IMO Saidapet is an orthodox (probably not brahmin dominated) area with older Tamil feelings - at least back then. It is like an old Madras city where you get kaapi and chaai to drink but not many udipi hotels. I wonder if Madras has the same number of Udipi hotels as Bombay where you can find one udipi joint every 100 meters. Few times on my returning from Guindy I tried to eat something in Saidapet during the change of my bus. I hardly could find any decent hotel to eat. But then Pondy bazar was a great place to eat - not to forget Shanta Bhavan where they served breakfast on banana leaves. You eat your entire breakfast on the same leaf even if you ordered idi, dosa and puri in succession ;-) They also served "special" meal to the Ayyappa devotees during season at dinner time.

by Maria S Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:56 pm

How interesting..world certainly seen through the prism of our experiences!

I took the electric train a lot, used to go the Markets from time to time (one of the best fish markets in Chennai)..had some of the best small Non-Veg hotels..and had a good time. Not sure what old tamil feelings mean..there are a lot of temples, mosques and churches..I thought it was very metropolitan- multicultural always!

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Thu Feb 09, 2012 1:04 am

The Absolute Zero wrote:
MulaiAzhagi wrote: I always wondered about the origins of the name SaidaPet in Chennai.
But then Pondy bazar was a great place to eat - not to forget Shanta Bhavan where they served breakfast on banana leaves. You eat your entire breakfast on the same leaf even if you ordered idi, dosa and puri in succession ;-) They also served "special" meal to the Ayyappa devotees during season at dinner time.

#18 followed the mount Road all the way to saidapet - which was the last stop in THOSE days as that was the border of Chinglepet district. Then it extended to Tambaram in the 70s. The double deckers, the trailer buses all plied that route.

Actually even the Tram plied that route.... who remembers that? the tracks still existed well into the 70s on the mount road.

Talking about Shantha Bhavan, that was my favorite dinner place along with its "dinner only hotel" Devi Prasada. I used to order a dosai with no oil, and the server was confused and told me it was not possible to male dosai w/o oil. Of course, I told him how to do it and instruct the cook to follow my instructions....

Also, the Geetha bhavan was not bad and then the Meenakshi hotel came at Panagal park which served great Idly/dosais.

by Kris Thu Feb 09, 2012 4:10 am

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
The Absolute Zero wrote:
MulaiAzhagi wrote: I always wondered about the origins of the name SaidaPet in Chennai.
But then Pondy bazar was a great place to eat - not to forget Shanta Bhavan where they served breakfast on banana leaves. You eat your entire breakfast on the same leaf even if you ordered idi, dosa and puri in succession ;-) They also served "special" meal to the Ayyappa devotees during season at dinner time.

#18 followed the mount Road all the way to saidapet - which was the last stop in THOSE days as that was the border of Chinglepet district. Then it extended to Tambaram in the 70s. The double deckers, the trailer buses all plied that route.

Actually even the Tram plied that route.... who remembers that? the tracks still existed well into the 70s on the mount road.

Talking about Shantha Bhavan, that was my favorite dinner place along with its "dinner only hotel" Devi Prasada. I used to order a dosai with no oil, and the server was confused and told me it was not possible to male dosai w/o oil. Of course, I told him how to do it and instruct the cook to follow my instructions....

Also, the Geetha bhavan was not bad and then the Meenakshi hotel came at Panagal park which served great Idly/dosais.

by Kris Thu Feb 09, 2012 4:24 am

Kris wrote:
Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
The Absolute Zero wrote:
MulaiAzhagi wrote: I always wondered about the origins of the name SaidaPet in Chennai.
But then Pondy bazar was a great place to eat - not to forget Shanta Bhavan where they served breakfast on banana leaves. You eat your entire breakfast on the same leaf even if you ordered idi, dosa and puri in succession ;-) They also served "special" meal to the Ayyappa devotees during season at dinner time.

#18 followed the mount Road all the way to saidapet - which was the last stop in THOSE days as that was the border of Chinglepet district. Then it extended to Tambaram in the 70s. The double deckers, the trailer buses all plied that route.

Actually even the Tram plied that route.... who remembers that? the tracks still existed well into the 70s on the mount road.

Talking about Shantha Bhavan, that was my favorite dinner place along with its "dinner only hotel" Devi Prasada. I used to order a dosai with no oil, and the server was confused and told me it was not possible to male dosai w/o oil. Of course, I told him how to do it and instruct the cook to follow my instructions....

Also, the Geetha bhavan was not bad and then the Meenakshi hotel came at Panagal park which served great Idly/dosais.

>>> Posted a longish message, which seems to have gotten lost. Anyway, a trip down memory lane. Seems like a different life now.

by Guest Thu Feb 09, 2012 7:56 am

Post again, please...enjoying this thread!

by Maria S Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:06 am

So, no one in this forum has electric train or dining stories about the good Saidapet Non-Veg hotels and markets? Interesting, how food..apparently can be a great influence-divider in life experiences, and it may be hard to relate to others with diff..

Anyway, trying to find something in common, some Saidapet bakeries (like Indian freshly made cakes and puffs etc) were quite good.. one could take the electric train from Beach Station to Tambaram and just get down in every station..and it was like different theme parks in Disney World..each one had an unique environment..with hotels, movie theaters..markets etc! Happy memories!

And I remember some massive political rallies (Saidapet- in South Madras was strong historical DMK stronghold for a long time) Was just thinking about the politically- it was an interesting place..looked up Wiki to see who was elected from those areas..from Arignar Anna to Vyjanthimala to Murasoli Maran..

Fast forward..Saidapet like most places has gone through a lot of changes and transformations.. with many grand new hotels since I travel often via roads and not e-trains now..anytime have to go from Meenambakkam to Mount Road..have to pass through Saidapet still stop for some tea and non-veg samosas in one of the smaller hotels..it's more crowded than ever..but, one just has to look up to see Little Mount (Chinna Malai) and parts of the past remain!

by The Absolute Zero Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:07 am

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote: Talking about Shantha Bhavan, that was my favorite dinner place along with its "dinner only hotel" Devi Prasada.

Also, the Geetha bhavan was not bad and then the Meenakshi hotel came at Panagal park which served great Idly/dosais.

Yup, I remember this Devi prasada too. Funny but it was just opposite of the 12B bus stop. But my favorite was always the Shanta Bhavan. Devi's plate meals upstairs and unlimited meals at the lower level were famous. Geeta Bhavan? Not sure I liked the food there but that yellow letters on green background for the hotel sign made me sick somehow.

Meenakshi at panagal was great too and their sitting was somewhat low level, close to ground but dosa was perfect - and fresh. In those days there were no meals available but only tiffin. Could have changed now tho. I lived around that area for a few years eating in a telugu mess (unofficial) somewhere down the corner streets of Mambalam/T.Nagar. Had to walk a long distance both at lunch and dinner.

My special liking was though for the telugu hotel opp Rajkumari Theater (name changed I beleive) and for a great snack in the PM it is the irani hotel oppsite andhra bank around the T.Nagar post office. They served all kinds of different biscuits in a plate with chai. You can eat what you want and get billed for only those you eat - not for entire plate. Chai of course was irani type and excellent as always.

Maria, sorry I have been a life long vegan and do not know about your non-veg hotels. But for me Saidapet is old city or looks like a village compared to the rest of the city. And not to repeat again, bus number 18 makes me feel sick ;-)

by Maria S Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:27 am

AZ,

No sorry, appreciate the acknowlegment about "my" hotels:) It's not a bad idea..hmm, got to think about it!

It's certainly nice to read about the experiences of others..do continue.

To me traveling in buses in Chennai was not fun at all..avoided them as much as possible..opted for e-trains, automobiles, scooters and bikes etc, when I could:)

by The Absolute Zero Thu Feb 09, 2012 11:26 am

Maria S wrote:To me traveling in buses in Chennai was not fun at all..

It was HELL actually. I remember once going from Tnagar to Kodambakkam on 12B and suddenly there was some strike and everyone was asked to leave for home. Whoever could catch a "lift" with a car etc, they did and I remained alone and had to walk. It was like 6 to 10 bus stops - about 3 to 5 KM but I did walk at 1 PM in the hot sun. It used to rain well in Chennai but in my later days water was scarce - severely. So severe it was, once I remember washing my clothes right on the pondy bazar road at 2 AM midnight. I had to leave the city for good and never went back.

Bombay has huge population and lesser amount of rains (at least then) and it almost never rained in Bombay after Nov till June. But then Bombay manages its water much better than Madras does. For some reason the City water supply remains a big problem. Wonder what the govt is doing. When I lived in Madras it used to rain well and water was not that scace in the initial years. But later it was very bad like they released water 2 hours in the morning only.

Barring these headaches, Madras is a nice place. The marina was a huge attraction. Eating mirch Bhaji in the beach and strolling for hours was great. Plus the ice cream afterwards in the bus stop. My commutes usually were short and almost never involved a train but we did go once in a while if a relative or someone came to visit us. What strikes in Madras was the seating arrangement in buses. No men can sit next to a lady - even if there is only one lady in the entire bus and 10 men are standing. In Bombay you can sit anywhere you like next to lady or a man. Nobody cared, but in Madras if you sat next to a woman without knowing the bus will stop and the entire bus crowd will slit your throat even if you tell them you are not familiar with their customs. ;-)

The other funny thing is the passing of "chunam" (Sunnam in telugu) for the betal leaf eaters. You are "supposed" to pass it to anyone if asked and can make fast friends. Bus drivers gladly give or take from anyone too and keep talking with their mouths red and full. Very funny and sometimes very irritating. And whatever stuff remains on the figers of eaters, it appears on the electric poles, bus stop shleter poles and such places all over the city.

by Maria S Thu Feb 09, 2012 11:48 am

Very nice post AZ!

Did not know- you can narrate so well!

Marina Beach..what can I say? Lots and lots of memories..miss so many loved ones-wonderful times we shared..almost want to cry.

Thanks for sharing yours!

by Kris Thu Feb 09, 2012 11:52 am

Maria S wrote:

so many loved ones-wonderful times we shared..!

>>>Say what?

Smile

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Thu Feb 09, 2012 12:13 pm

The Absolute Zero wrote: And not to repeat again, bus number 18 makes me feel sick ;-)

Agree with that...who lives ON the mount Road? Hardly ever took that bus.

The bus that pissed me off even more was 11 C, which went in the opposite direction for some distance to nandanam and then to triplicane. What a waste.

and then the #9 and 10...both lied the same destinations but taking different paths. And not to mention A,B, C....and let us not talk about 7A,B, C,.....H...Z and oh...the damn frikkin "Cut" service. get on the bus wrongly and get yelled at by the conductor - in front of all the girls.

by The Absolute Zero Thu Feb 09, 2012 1:05 pm

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:and then the #9 and 10...both lied the same destinations but taking different paths. And not to mention A,B, C....and let us not talk about 7A,B, C,.....H...Z and oh...the damn frikkin "Cut" service. get on the bus wrongly and get yelled at by the conductor - in front of all the girls.

9 and 10 yes ROFL. It was basically very irritating to see the entire city for Rs. 1.50 when all you wanted to do was to go Central station to buy a reservation. We actually took this round about bus on a Sunday when someone came to visit us; so we could see the entire city for one phiphty. LOL. You sit at 10 AM at panagal park and come alive at 2 PM at Central. I am not sure now but I beleive the bus also passed Egmore station on the way.

I have to admit that PTC is efficient though it is not that high standard as BEST in Bombay. Their conductors and drivers are friendly except the usual shouting of "amma ulla po talli" etc.. Wonder if Rajnikant used to say the same thing. In the entire country I saw, I would rate BEST as the best. No confusing A B C D numbers for buses. Funny to see buses loaded with banana tree stumps for Dasara in Madras tho.

by Propagandhi711 Thu Feb 09, 2012 1:24 pm

The Absolute Zero wrote:
It was basically very irritating to see the entire city for Rs. 1.50 when all you wanted to do was to go Central station to buy a reservation. We actually took this round about bus on a Sunday when someone came to visit us; so we could see the entire city for one phiphty.

any post by taz is incomplete without complaining abt the cost of something insignificant.

also good to see master and disciple interacting....kinda like the scenes in second part of aha naa pellanta between rajendra prasad & kota srinivasa rao.

by The Absolute Zero Thu Feb 09, 2012 1:35 pm

Propagandhi711 wrote: any post by taz is incomplete without complaining abt the cost of something insignificant.

also good to see master and disciple interacting....kinda like the scenes in second part of aha naa pellanta between rajendra prasad & kota srinivasa rao.

You are really cramped in your brains methinks. You missed the entire discussion and concentrating on insiginificant 1.50. The discussion was not about 1.50, if you cared to read (and understand). Likewise you quote the telugu movies and can instantly recall any movie and can even post a short script to enlighten me and draw comparisons. May be you are like Alluri Ramalingayya going after Jayamalni in the song 'mutyAlu vastAva, aDigiMdi istAva..." (seeing your posts on CH)

Me and saaamiyar always are on same page, be it Madras or Pondybazar or migrating to Costa Rica also particularly when it comes to $kar bashing ;-) It is probably you, who is outta sorts with your quo vadis never ending comments and tagging along me. Realize this and be happy. Rest of the CH already realized it FYI, BTW.

by garam_kuta Thu Feb 09, 2012 1:42 pm

Propagandhi711 wrote:
also good to see master and disciple interacting....kinda like the scenes in second part of aha naa pellanta between rajendra prasad & kota srinivasa rao.

LoL Propa

@ second part of aha naa pellanta between rajendra prasad & kota srinivasa rao.

by Propagandhi711 Thu Feb 09, 2012 2:00 pm

The Absolute Zero wrote:
Propagandhi711 wrote: any post by taz is incomplete without complaining abt the cost of something insignificant.

also good to see master and disciple interacting....kinda like the scenes in second part of aha naa pellanta between rajendra prasad & kota srinivasa rao.

You are really cramped in your brains methinks. You missed the entire discussion and concentrating on insiginificant 1.50. The discussion was not about 1.50, if you cared to read (and understand). Likewise you quote the telugu movies and can instantly recall any movie and can even post a short script to enlighten me and draw comparisons. May be you are like Alluri Ramalingayya going after Jayamalni in the song 'mutyAlu vastAva, aDigiMdi istAva..." (seeing your posts on CH)

Me and saaamiyar always are on same page, be it Madras or Pondybazar or migrating to Costa Rica also particularly when it comes to $kar bashing ;-) It is probably you, who is outta sorts with your quo vadis never ending comments and tagging along me. Realize this and be happy. Rest of the CH already realized it FYI, BTW.

calm down, kota. dont pop an artery. I scan your posts and everyone has you throwing a fit over some insignificant amount of money - just observing that's all.

by The Absolute Zero Thu Feb 09, 2012 2:04 pm

Propagandhi711 wrote:calm down, kota. dont pop an artery. I scan your posts and everyone has you throwing a fit over some insignificant amount of money - just observing that's all.

Yup my fault to argue with you. Next time try reading 101 than scanning the numbers. I just recognized you are the "puDaka in pAnakam." Should have just tossed out and continued to enjoy the discussion. Now I am going to.

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