chennai on S Anand

Watching videos with a plastic cover

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:00:11 +0800

On the Indigo 1026 from Singapore to Chennai, I saw a passenger two seats in front of me watch videos in an interesting way.

She had wrapped her phone in a plastic cover, wedged it behind the tray table so that it would appear at a comfortable viewing position, and watched an Asian movie (presumably with bluetooth headphones).

At first, I wondered if she travels with a plastic wrapper for this purpose. Then I realized it was from the Indigo safety instructions kit.

Now, that’s either a very experienced flyer (who knows about the wrapper) or a very innovative person (likely both).

I was curious, so I asked her:

Have you done this before? ANS: Yes, many times.
Did you know that Indigo carries these wrappers you could use? ANS: No but flights usually carry a Ziploc bag.
Is it easy to control through the wrapper? ANS: I don’t touch it much while watching. (I was able to control it but fingerprint unlock didn’t work)

It’s fascinating to discover such innovations in the wild!

Phone Rage and an OTP Flood

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 10:25:30 +0000

I called a few movers in Chennai, including “Unicorn Packers & Movers”, listed at 7015580411.

He couldn’t understand what I said. I said, “We’re shifting to a house in Mylapore,” and he asked, “Shifting house where in Hyderabad?” (The reason became clear later.)

It seemed I had the wrong number, so I said, “No, sorry, we need someone else,” and hung up.

His phone rage began. He called back and said, “Why did you wake me up and waste my time?” From his tone it was clear I couldn’t say anything helpful. From the quality of my signal it was clear I couldn’t have a meaningful conversation. So I just put the phone down without cutting it.

He called me again. I answered and left the phone on the table.

That’s when the phone rage began. He called me 5 times from 9467186002 and twice from 7015580411. I answered and left the phone on the table.

Then the SMS flood hit. Between 2:47 pm and 2:55 pm, he sent me 40 OTPs:

6 from KukuFM: An Indian audio app for podcasts, audiobooks, and short lessons.
5 from Hyundai: A global car maker that sells vehicles in India.
4 from Zepto: A rapid-delivery startup for groceries and essentials.
4 from ZestMoney: A finance app that lets you buy now and pay in EMI, no credit card needed.
3 from Samsung Shop: Samsung’s online store for browsing and buying its electronics.
3 from Confirmtkt: An online service for booking train tickets via IRCTC.
3 from My11Circle: A fantasy-cricket game where you build virtual teams and win cash prizes.
3 from Aakash Institute: A coaching center for medical and engineering entrance exams.
2 from JioCinema: Jio’s OTT service with movies, shows, and originals.
2 from NetMeds: An online pharmacy for medicines and health products.
2 from AJIO: A fashion and lifestyle e-commerce site by Reliance Retail.
2 from Jar: A savings app that rounds up your spend and saves the extra.
1 from RummyCircle: An online rummy card game.

After a break, he tried again at 3:17 pm with less energy:

1 from ZestMoney
1 from Samsung Shop

To me, it was instructive. I learnt about KukuFM, Jar, Ajio, My11Circle and many others. I also know which services to annoy people with OTPs. If you want to prank-spam OTPs, here’s your hit list!

My apologies to the man I awoke – hope he gets some sleep. And thanks for teaching me something new!

PS: The featured image was generated using the prompt: Edit this image so that this photo of me looks at a smartphone as a surreal storm of OTP notifications rains down around me.

Here’s ChatGPT’s version of that. Yes, that’s vaguely like me.

Moving to Singapore

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 12:57:00 +0000

My family and I relocated to Singapore today.

Most of my major life decisions have involved the distance from Chennai.

In 1992, I wanted to study physics at IIT Kanpur or Kharagpur. My father erased the choices from my admission form and calmly said, “Tick anything in Chennai.” I ticked everything except Chemical Engineering. Prof Kalyanakrishnan saw my rank, said “You’ll get Chemical Engineering”, and ticked it for me. No one heard me say, “But I don’t like Chemical Engineering.”

In 1996, I got job offers from Ramco Systems, Chennai and IBM, Bangalore. I chose IBM partly because my mother said, “Move out of Chennai, else you’ll live in your father’s shadow.”

In 1999, I got offers from IIM Ahmedabad and Bangalore. I picked Bangalore. “You’re declining the best IIM?” my couseller asked. But it was far from Chennai.

In 1999, I lost a scholarship and was insecure during the internship interviews. I accepted my first offer (from Lehman Brothers), though it was in Tokyo. “Well, you’ve already accepted. All the best,” my father said that evening with concern.

In 2000, I declined Lehman Brothers’ pre-placement offer. Tokyo’s too far from Chennai. (60 days of Subway’s Veggie Delight didn’t help.)

In 2001, my matrimonial profile mentioned just 2 things: “He likes curd rice and plans to settle in Chennai.” My wife, Shobana, ignored it. She had other plans.

By 2005, she convinced me to move to the US or Europe. London’s physically and spiritually closer to Chennai than New York or Seattle. So I joined Infosys Consulting in London.

By 2011, I’d had enough. After 2 months of careful planning, I walked home and told Shobana, “I lost my job. Please don’t tell anyone. Let’s go back to India.” We left 2 weeks later to join Gramener.

In 2019, I attended Landmark’s Forum and told Shobana I’d tricked her. (She didn’t speak to me for a day.) We decided to move again. Not the US or Dubai. Singapore’s physically and spiritually closer to Chennai. She spoke to my father, who was OK to move too.

COVID slowed things down (thankfully), but in 2022, my daughter would start Class 11. That’s a logical time to shift.

So as of 1 Aug 2022, we’re in Singapore as a family. At least for 2 years, until my daughter starts college. After that, let’s see.

Comments

Aman Khan 3 Aug 2022 10:48 am: You should have moved near MSD, nobody is more close to chennai than him as per common perception :-)
Arun 27 Jan 2023 8:28 pm: Thank you for sharing this well-written article. Short & crisp. I enjoyed reading it.
My Year in 2022 - S Anand 8 Jan 2023 10:17 am (pingback): […] I moved to Singapore in August. (Cycling and ComicCon were mind-blowing discoveries.) […]
Somya Jain 3 Oct 2022 2:10 pm: Love the way you write sir
The OLX UPI con - S Anand 2 Oct 2022 10:12 pm (pingback): […] moving to Singapore, we listed our furniture and white goods for sale on […]

Google Earth Chennai

Mon, 03 Apr 2006 12:00:00 +0000

Chennai on Google Earth in high resolution. Mylapore and other areas near the coast are not yet in hi-res, though.

Calvin and Hobbes in Chennai

Fri, 24 Mar 2006 12:00:00 +0000

Calvin and Hobbes in Chennai. The posts between 10-13 March 2006 have (pretty good) doodles of Calvin & Hobbes eating idli and visiting the Marina beach.

Comments

Doodler 1 Apr 2006 5:11 pm: :) hi anand..great blog with something new everyday!well am frm infy too..do u blog in the infy blog?
S Anand 1 Apr 2006 7:20 pm: Wow, you’re from Infy? Amazing cartoons you had there. My Infy ID is subramanian_anand. Drop me a line, if you can?

Longer than the Longest Day

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 12:00:00 +0000

I had declared 30th May 2005 as my longest day. Air India proved me wrong. My longest day was 18 Feb 2006.

I didn’t plan to fly Air India to Chennai in the first place. British Airways had more convenient timings and a similar fare. But I clicked on the wrong button, and didn’t realise until a few days before the flight that I was on the Air India, and that the flight left at 8:45am.

4:30am UK. Wake up. Brush teeth. Bathe. All items packed previous night.
5:10am UK. Taxi arrives and calls. Great timing.
6:05am UK. Arrive at Heathrow Terminal 3. Good timing.
6:10am UK. Huge queue near Emirates counter. Can’t be mine. Walk in.
6:11am UK. “Excuse me,” says elderly lady. “The queue is back there.” For my flight?
6:30am UK. Still in queue. Slow panic. I have 27 kgs of cabin baggage. 20 kgs permitted. Will they torture me with pins?
6:45am UK. Sardarji waves me in. I try a smile.
6:46am UK. Heave cabin baggage on to the ramp. 27.2 kg. Sardarji makes no comment.
6:47am UK. “I’m afraid there’s some bad news, Mr Subramanian.”
OK, this is it.
It costs 1,000 per kilo.
I’m not allowed on the flight.
I have to compensate by shedding 7 kgs on the spot.
“The flight is delayed by 4 hours.”
Whew.
“Here is your boarding card, and a complementary coupon for breakfast.”
7:00am UK. Call home and convey good news. The flight will therefore land at 7:15am at Chennai – a more decent hour than 3:15am.
8:00am UK. Bored.
8:30am UK. May as well pass security check.
8:40am UK. “Sorry sir. This boarding pass says 19th Feb. Today is the 18th.”
Huh? “But my ticket says 18th Feb.”
“You’ll have to go back to Air India and check with them, sir.”
8:45am UK. Long queue again.
9:00am UK. “Excuse me, this boarding card says 19th Feb. I’m flying today.”
Lady takes my ticket and vanishes.
9:15am UK. “Sorry sir, since the flight was delayed, the computer thought it was tomorrow already. Just take the pass, and they will accept it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Certainly sir.”
“Well, just to be on the safe side, could you call them and tell them?”
“I will, sir.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, sir.”
“In front of me, please?”
She gives me a funny look, and picks up the phone.
9:25am UK. At the security gate.
“Excuse me, I have a boarding card for tomorrow, but I’m actually flying today.”
“Hey, Mike…” (… here’s a nutcase?)
“It’s an Air India flight…”
“Oh, OK. Get in.”
9:45am UK. Clear security.
11:00am UK. Hungry. Have breakfast.
12:45pm UK. Flight should have taken off by now, but I’m still at Heathrow, waiting for a boarding announcement.
1:45pm UK. Still waiting.
2:45pm UK. Finally, a boarding announcement. So, flight is 6 hours late, at least. Call home and convey the good news.
3:00pm UK. “Fasten your seatbelt! Fasten your seatbelt!” Air hostess in stern tone.
Guy next to me mutters, “Fasten your seatbelts, please.”
5:30pm UK.“Any food?!” Same air hostess, same tone.
“Vegetarian, please.”
“Open your tray!”
6:00pm UK. Food is lousy. No movies. No books. Laptop: low battery. Can’t sleep.

4:00am India. Flight lands at Mumbai. Haven’t slept. Totally bored.
4:30am India.“All passengers are requested to leave the aircraft.”
“But I’m going to Chennai.”
“You still have to get off, sir.”
5:00am India. “Excuse me, which way for the flight to Chennai?”
“Your flight has already taken off, sir. Please collect your baggage and clear immigration.”
Right.
5:30am India. No luggage yet. Slow panic.
6:00am India. No luggage yet. Rapid panic.
6:10am India. Luggage arrives. Check tag: yes, it’s mine.
6:15am India. “Excuse me, where should Air India passengers for Chennai go to?”
“Why are you asking me? How should I know? Everybody is asking like this only!”
“But…”
“Go! Go there! Stand with everyone!”
6:30am India. Huge mob shouting at Air India staff, who have no clue what’s happening.
7:30am India. Air India staff has vanished.
8:30am India. Rumours that we’re to be put on to a Jet Airways flight.
Chennai passengers are OK, actually. Bangalore passengers only have flights in the evening.
9:00am India. “Go! Take this form and go to the other airport!”
“Is my ticket confirmed on this Jet Airways flight?”
“How do I know? Everything you ask me only. Go! Ask Jet!”
9:30am India. “Excuse me, am I confirmed on the 11:30am flight?”
“Sorry, sir. The flight is booked.”
“Look, I’ve been travelling for a whole day. I’m tired. Can you please do something?”
“I’ll see what I can do, sir.”
To her credit, and Jet Airways’, she got me on that flight.
11:30am India. Jet Airways takes off. On time.
1:30pm India. Flight arrives.
2:00pm India. No luggage. Did Air India transfer it at all?
2:15pm India. Ah, there it is. Pick up luggage from conveyer belt.
“Wait! Sorry, this is my bag.”
Middle-aged man with glasses and thick moustache.
“Um…”
“See? Here’s my yellow tag. I always place a yellow tag for identification.”
“Oh, OK. Sorry. It looked like mine.”
Just to be on the safe side, may as well verify the number…
But he’s gone.
2:30pm India. No luggage. All other bags have arrived.
“Hello sir. Waiting for luggage?”
“Yes. Are there any more bags left?”
“No sir. Only one bag left here. See, is this yours?”
I check. “No.”
“No problem sir, you talk to Jet Airways counter.”
2:40pm India. Jet Airways counter still empty.
2:45pm India. “Sir, this must be an exchange of bags. Does this bag look like yours?”
“Yes, sort of. In fact, someone picked up what looked like my bag.”
2:50pm India. “We have the number of the owner of this bag, sir. We’ll call him.”
“Let me call him as well.”
Mobile is engaged. Leave him a message.
Hi, I think our bags got exchanged. I am still at the airport. Anand.
3:00pm India. Rrring.
“Sorry, sir. I took your bag by mistake!”
“No problem. You wouldn’t have wanted a bag full of diapers anyway.”
“I got confused by the yellow tag.”
“My mother uses a yellow tag as well.”
3:15pm India. We exchange bags.
3:45pm India. Reach home, after nearly 30 hours.

My flight back to the UK was (relatively) uneventful, thanks to having tied pink, yellow and white bands to my luggage this time.

Comments

Madhu 23 Mar 2006 11:32 am: it takes 10 mts to read this post:) Can imagine how long it wud hv been for u:)
lazygeek 23 Mar 2006 9:04 pm: gosh, that was truly long. btw, are u back in chennai for a vacation ?
S Anand 24 Mar 2006 6:17 am: No, just got back from my vacation at Chennai, actually.
harish 27 Mar 2006 5:15 am: haha that cracked me up. i can so imagine my few trips but all of this in one trip.. haha u have all the luck mate
Sai 6 Apr 2006 11:35 pm: good read, but i guess pretty painfull to go through. We have similar issues whenw e travel from the us, only ’longer'.
Sailesh - Chennai 17 May 2006 11:29 am: Hai Anand, How are u, Shobana and Dhyeya. Hope all well. By the way wher r shobana and Dhyeya ?? how s life ??
hari 17 May 2006 12:42 pm: Sorry for the things happended. My experience is other side. what you are saying happen to me on British airways. Air lndia treated me like a king while traveling. better luck next time
Jyoti 7 Jul 2006 7:35 pm: Thats is incredibly funny! Thanks for a fabulous read. And thanks for painfully typing out all the Calvin & Hobbes. Thank you! Thank you! :)

Water problem in cities

Sat, 19 Oct 2002 12:00:00 +0000

Water problems at Chennai. And Mumbai. And Ahmedabad. And Andhra. The rest of the world will, too, in a short while.

Air Sahara auctioning tickets

Mon, 19 Aug 2002 12:00:00 +0000

Air Sahara is auctioning tickets. Pity Chennai is not on their list!

Book train tickets online

Sun, 03 Dec 2000 12:00:00 +0000

You can book train tickets online in Chennai. In fact, the Indian Railways will probably introduce it soon.