Chennai’s transient but great winter mornings are upon us and the streets are teeming with walkers, runners and cyclists, eager to start or uphold their tryst with good well being. It might be against the law to waste this time indoors. In case you are seeking to ditch the health club and get a breath of contemporary air, listed here are 4 principally traffic-free stretches which have emerged as a paradise for walkers amidst the concrete shackles that make the town. 

Velachery

Individuals strolling and jogging within the early morning at Velachery.
| Picture Credit score:
VELANKANNI RAJ_B

A cosy, little freeway between Perungudi MRTS and Velachery MRTS in Bhuvaneshwari Nagar transforms right into a small-scale athletic advanced each morning and night.

The 2-kilometre stretch adjoining to serpentine tracks, railway underpasses and newly-planted timber, makes for a shocking canvas at dawn and its pretty neat roads, a observe for runners and walkers.

The Lockdown Warriors, a 15-member crew of fifty and 60-somethings, as soon as used to stroll alongside this street as stray people making an attempt to each kick-start a brand new behavior and get out of the home in the course of the lockdown. At the moment, they put on matching T-shirts, and participate in energy coaching publish stroll. The empty halls of the Perungudi MRTS are therefore put to good use.

“We find yourself chatting for a couple of minutes about day-to-day affairs. We have now been in a position to create a way of group,” says I Edwin, a member. Additionally they huddle across the identical location to drink tea within the evenings.

Individuals strolling and jogging within the early morning at Velachery.
| Picture Credit score:
VELANKANNI RAJ B

Waving hello to this group each morning are M Mathivanan and M Sumathi who go on an hour-and-a-half lengthy stroll alongside this stretch, often checking their sensible watches. The goal, they are saying, is to clock 10,000 steps within the morning.

“It’s a neat straight street that makes for a breezy stroll. A group of volunteers from an organisation known as Inexperienced Velachery have additionally been planting saplings alongside this stretch so that there’s inexperienced cowl finally. It might be good if the dump alongside this stretch is cleaned,” says Sumathi.

Anil Sharma, a runner from Vibrant Velachery, a chapter of the Chennai Runners group, says that the Velachery MRTS is the nucleus of the strolling group right here however there’s additionally the 100 ft street that runners frequent. To achieve elevation, additionally they take the flyover within the wee hours of the day.

Ashok Nagar

Cyclists and walkers on the early morning at Ashok Nagar.
| Picture Credit score:
VELANKANNI RAJ B

Within the coronary heart of Chennai, eleventh Avenue in Ashok Nagar unfolds as a dynamic thoroughfare. Right here, the daybreak refrain is just not confined to birdsong alone; it harmonises with the hum of fruit juice outlets desperate to hydrate spirited joggers and brisk walkers. Amidst the rhythmic footfalls, newspaper distributors unfurl the day’s headlines, stitching the town’s narrative into the very material of the morning routine. The four-kilometre stretch of eleventh Avenue transcends its concrete basis, rising as a vibrant tableau of well being, connection, and the collective heartbeat of Chennai’s early risers.

“We’ve been strolling right here for the final 10 years. It’s not very secure as a result of site visitors begins flowing, so a number of walkers and joggers begin early,” says retired officer S Balaji as he and his spouse brisk stroll by the road of parked vans alongside the pavement, including that they like strolling on the open street versus the quite a few parks of their space due to the liberty of motion.

“I imagine that strolling on the open street is best than going spherical in circles in a park. You get to look at the town get up. I’ve just a few mates right here, and we stroll for roughly an hour after which generally go to Saravana Bhavan for a espresso.” says enterprise proprietor VR Chandran, who has been a daily walker on eleventh Avenue for the final 25 years.

The stretch which is called a paradise for walkers and joggers not solely performs host to previous walkers, but in addition welcomes new fans donning smartwatches and operating earphones. Hema, who made a decision to get more healthy this yr, says, “I discover this street simple to stroll as a result of there are a number of timber, and you may prolong your strolling route by together with the smaller streets. Loads of joggers want the primary roads, however walkers typically weave the smaller streets into their circuits.”

Various juice outlets, wholesome soups and breakfast spots appear to have changed the age-old road aspect dosa, idli spots on eleventh Avenue to cater to the crowds.

Marina Seashore

Individuals stroll at Marina seashore.
| Picture Credit score:
Akhila Easwaran

“You possibly can pay me tomorrow. Take this,” says S Mahendran, handing over a bag of spinach and spring onions to a buyer. At 6.30am on the service street by Marina seashore, walkers are milling round him. “They’re all going to return again anyway,” he waves my issues away.

There’s a lot that has modified through the years there — the low hum of ongoing work on the metro building web site is consultant sufficient of the churning that the ocean continues to witness. The legion of walkers there although, are both loyalists or on their method in the direction of changing into one.

An early morning stroll down the service street that extends from the lighthouse to the Marina swimming pool has a thriving ecosystem– greens for the week, flowers, your morning breakfast, and even fruits and coconut kernels for a mid-workout snack. There are outlets promoting minimize fruit, boiled sprouts, scorching soup alongside massive tubs of crunchy cornflakes, and even puttu with kadala curry, teeming with individuals quickly after the morning time.

“Many walkers cease by to select up fruits and sprouts which they will pack into their kids’s lunch packing containers for college,” says N Perumal, who has been there for the final seven years.

Road vendor sells inexperienced spinaches and greens at Marina seashore each morning.
| Picture Credit score:
Akhila Easwaran

Amidst all that’s to savour, there are resolutions to maintain. In matching T-shirts that say ‘Work it, personal it’, mates Kailash Parihar and Rajendran Kumar inform me their plans for the brand new yr — to stroll right here not less than 5 days every week.

Muthulakshmi Raguraman, factors to her T-shirt that claims ‘My life, my health’ printed in massive letters and says as soon as every week, she winds up right here along with her health club buddies for a protracted stroll, adopted by a run on the sand and a meditation session.

“After the Chennai marathon, I’m now trying ahead to taking part within the Auroville marathon and am coaching for it,” she says, hurrying off.

T Nagar

Individuals strolling Early Morning on the Pondy Bazaar in T. Nagar.
| Picture Credit score:
SRINATH M

Exterior Geetha Cafe in Pondy Bazaar, a gaggle of walkers and cyclists sit with steaming scorching cups of espresso simply as daybreak breaks. I’m handed a cup of Horlicks and advised with a smile that I can select to take a seat outdoors as nicely — the most suitable choice given how beautiful the climate in Chennai presently is.

At common intervals, walkers in teams of threes and fours briskly cross by in color coordinated T-shirts. Mahesh Bhandari, who has been frequenting the empty morning roads of Pondy Bazaar from even earlier than the pedestrian plaza got here to be says seven T-shirts in several colors got to the common walkers right here. “This was a stunning gesture by Mahaveer Chand Bothra, a diamond service provider, who has been an integral a part of the strolling group right here. We have now a color assigned for every day,” he says, pointing to their pink T-shirts for Tuesday.

A stretch that’s bursting on the seams with shops, hawkers, and eating places that are buzzing with exercise via the day, the pedestrian plaza at Pondy Bazaar performs residence to a myriad of individuals as the town wakes up. Early within the morning, males sit alongside the pavement checking out newspapers which are to exit for supply and folks cease by on two wheelers to select up milk packets from the lone watchman by the sales space. The neat pavement all via, and the eating places that dot the stretch deliver collectively walkers and cyclists, and a number of photographers who’re filming pre-wedding shoots and modelling portfolios within the wintry early morning sunshine.

“We first meet right here for a cup of espresso, one that’s smaller than the same old serving after which start our stroll. We’re throughout 50 years of age, and this sense of group is nice motivation for all of us to return and stroll right here,” says actor Gopi Kannadasan. It’s onerous to overlook this huge group he talks of, seated on the first desk in Shri Balaajee Bhavan chatting away.