Today I was asked (should I say ordered) by wife to go to Naidu Hall after office and buy some dresses for my 18 month old son. Naidu Hall is one of the famous Textile/Readymade Garment store in Pondy Bazaar, Chennai. I dreaded the idea of shopping alone and that too now – when I will get absolutely no parking space.
Since it was festival times, Pondy Bazaar Main Road, had little carriage way free for vehicles to move, not because of too many vehicles but mainly due to haphazard parking. The Corporation permits only one row of parallel parking in the stretch in front of Naidu Hall, but it is common to see two rows of vehicles parked. Apart from this, there are couple of more rows – one by People walking on Roads (as FootPaths are occupied fully by hawkers) and the other by Autorickshaws.
I somehow managed to find a parking in a side-street some 100 feet away from the shop. Walked and got into the shop, it was overflowing with people. Somehow I managed to go to the section which had Boy Baby dresses and I was surprised to find only few people here. I managed to select few dresses that I liked. I thought to myself, so far so good, less than 10 minutes and I managed to shop, what would have taken if I had come with my wife, a minimum of 1 hour.
I went into Cash Counter to pay, there were two people in front of me paying and only one cashier inside the counter. I waited behind the person in front of me, suddenly couple of hands with bills and cash/credit card popped left and right of me towards the cashier. Absolutely no regard for Queue or Order. It was a classic demonstration of Darwin’s survival of fittest (fittest in this case being the one who could push his/her hands as far as closer to the cashier and maker her notice you), though I am sure Darwin didn’t mean this. Almost half-a-dozen people who came after me, managed to make their payments. I kept waiting; thankfully the cashier got two of her colleagues join her and so I was serviced. This same ordeal repeated itself in the collection counter – it was even more chaotic here. Finally after nearly 30-35 minutes of me entering Naidu Hall, I managed to come out, completing my assignment.
The reason for me to blog this was not what happened above, but what happened later. My wife and my mother both liked it, approved my purchase and said my selections were good. Oh’ god, I just couldn’t believe my ears… It was indeed worth the trouble.
