Anna Flyover........

Anna Flyover had been synonomus to chennai for a long time.

You cannot imagine a film showing chennai without zooming the immortal Anna Flyover...
Be it, a traffic jam or a chasing scene where an innocent is being chased by a ferocious villian or our own police officer (sarath kumar, vijayakanth) chasing the deadly villian after he has killed our one of the top brass, Anna flyover can never be dispensed with.

And this famous landmark also holds some of my most cherished memories as well nightmares.

Be it the first time as far as i could remember on that bridge or the most recent with my kid who always loves the flyovers and this one being his prime one , i always enjoy the scenic view it offers.I can very well hear people saying "What the hell does it offers other than the traffic snarl both at the nungambakkam high road and church park junction?" But still each time iam delighted when i climb up the flyover.

My first trip over the flyover etched in my memory was to the Marina with some relative. I used to look from the windows of our own pallavan , the rani seethai hall with all the signboards of manmark kudai and the statue at the MG road with wide eyes.
Since, i follow the roads and the routes clearly i was declared the official guide to all our relatives who would like to have a visit to the Marina.
As a child, i always had this confusion of return from Marina to T.Nagar via this Anna flyover. We would go thro GN Chetty road but the return has to be taken thro the "O" to re-enter while coming back. This is where i always end up confused and in turn would confuse the drivers.
Namakkuthaan chennaiyin official guidennu nenappache, so vazhi theriyathunnu othukka manasu varathu.... So i would keep quiet and would silently pray while he goes thro the Anna Salai. Oru nambikka thaan enga ponalum intha road kadaiseela saidapet vanthudumnu theriyum. So when i finally came across the teynampet junction i was much relieved.
Then only did i understand that both GN chetty road and Anna Salai run like ">" - this symbol.

Next, the important point in all the students life - board exams - 10th as well 12th. Since my centre was DAV girls school on both the occasions i had to go only thro our beloved fly over every time. Though i would be tensed and busy reading on the way (appothane rombavum sincerea padippom - to put a scene) , i would actually enjoy the view over the flyover those few minutes of crossing them. Ennada few minutes solrale nnu paarkapadathu. Iam talking of 96 - 99 . So antha period at 8.15am in the morning you can just like that cross the flyover.

Then comes the turning point. Always i used to wonder while travelling on the flyover from t.ngr towards Mount Road - intha leftla oru road porathe ithu enna road ah irukkum - i mean the road below the flyover i.e MG road. I have never been to the road till that time.
But, little did i realise that my entire career would be based on that buildings located on the road. Buildings nnu en mean pannenna cos both Income tax and the Institute of CA suthisuthithaan ennoda pozhappe. So rite after my 12th foundation nnu onnu join panrathukkuthaan i stepped into the MG Road. Hmmm oru nimisham antha statue lernthu avar enna thirumbi paathamaathiri irukku..bramayo.

Today, my kid always compels my athukkarar to go on that flyover.. So even if we are to visit Citicentre we are compelled to take the flyover and take the right where UII stands and then go to Radhakrishnan salai via Gopalapuram boys high school.