I came to Chennai in 1977, to pursue CA. My journey with this city has been amazing, almost as though I have grown with it and it has given me a lot more than I could be thankful for. I remember the time during my articleship when I used to take the 26C bus that used to go all around the town. We used to call it the ‘Maplai Vandi’, or Groom’s Vehicle as it used to move around slowly, covering every lane in the region like a groom’s procession before the wedding. I would board it and take a nap from my office till my CA institute in Nungambakkam. But now there are a lot more buses and autos, app-based taxi services, metro, share autos, etc., for people to commute and this in itself is a great indicator of how the city has evolved and has embraced the change.
After completing my CA, I started to practice under my articleship supervisor and right now I run my firm with two other partners. I spend most of my time updating myself on topics relating to my industry in general and income tax in specific. I am an avid reader and that is a habit that my father inculcated in me. He introduced me to The Hindu when I was barely three and made sure I start learning to read from the right source. Reading the newspaper is a habit I picked on early and I can never start my day now without the Hindu and a hot cup of filter coffee.
I remember a time when there were not many hospitals or schools either, everything from the Vijaya Hospital to the Soorya hospital that you see in a lot of films these days were built a long time after I had come to the city. These changes in the infrastructure that the city has been making are an indicator of how the city is growing with the population and is welcoming of the growth and development. [ FULL STORY LINK IN BIO ]