Gilli and camaraderie in bygone Triplicane

Explore the nostalgic memories of old Triplicane, from childhood games to beach adventures, and the changing landscape of today.

In those days, the population was very nominal. We used to play gilli, goli, top, and other games on the road. For one particular game, thief and police, we used to go hide in any house on the street, even in kitchens. No one minded because each knew the other. Now, if you step into anyone’s house, they’ll thrash you.

I studied at the Corporation School on Bells Road. It used to have Telugu medium and Tamil medium for primary schooling. For each class, there used to be two or three teachers. Last month, when I went to the school down the road on National Science Day to entertain the kids, it was saddening to see the reduced strength of students and teachers. On the flip side, the number of private schools has increased.

When I was at secondary school (in the late 1950s and early 1960s), two dozen of us, schoolmates, used to go to the beach daily and run along the shore from the Labour Statue to the Gandhi Statue. Near the Labour Statue, I used to practise skating. The beach is particularly special for me because this is where my love for aeromodelling began. I learnt it from my elder brother. Both of us used to go to the beach every day with a hand-launch glider and fly it near the spot that was called the radio beach, where people came to listen to the radio, and beside the library and the children’s play area. Behind the swimming pool, we used to play boomerang as the place wasn’t very crowded.

When I recently went to the beach with one of my friends, who came from Poona (Pune), I noticed how untidy it was. People and shopkeepers are not aware of the need to maintain the surroundings clean. Littering is something that is prevalent across the State.

In the 1960s, there used to be only three to four mansions at Triplicane. But so many came up later and eventually became synonymous with the area. On our Big Street, there is a mosque, a church, a Hindu temple and a Jain temple, all within a few metres. Something unique about Triplicane is you can eat well even if you have ₹20 or ₹200 for a meal. There are also good hospitals, both private and government.

One thing I miss in the present day Triplicane is the bonding. Back then, families in a neighbourhood had a close relationship. With the absence of any entertainment, people gathered outside their houses in the evenings and chit-chatted. Can you imagine doing this now? There are only new faces everywhere.

(As told to Geetha Srimathi)