My Travelogue is incomplete but I could'nt help not writing this down.
I had been wanting to go to Spencer Plaza for almost 2 years. Its weird, but somehow, I just have'nt been able to make the trip. Why Spencers? Go to EA (Express Avenue) na! Ever since EA opened, Spencers has been in a sad state is what I heard. I somehow and for some reason wanted to go there. Its human tendency to ignore the old when the new comes in. But in some cases, it does make sense to still respect the 'old'.
And so, and finally I went to Spencer Plaza on Mount Road with Anjana. It was more of an escapade actually. But what I saw there nearly brought tears to my eyes!
The bike parking lot was nearly empty. Where there used to be 2 neat rows of bikes closely parked and another row of them hap-hazardly parked, was now a single row of sparsely parked bikes. The temperature inside the mall was three times worse than outside. Till recently, going to Spencers was mainly cause of the air-conditioner there, especially during summer vacation. Now the ac is not switched on. Landmark had few pedestal fans at certain places.Most of the shops had shut down. Westside, Pantaloons and a host of other shops. What is worse is that there is no current most of the time. A good majority of shops are dark. Some have lit candles. Merchandise in existing shops are sparse. The only people in the shops are the shop-keepers and his assistants. But its not like the entire mall is empty. There are still people walking in and out of it. I'm actually "wowed" by that. But how?why? Are they people who have feelings similar to mine? A kind of nostalgia?! I wanted to ask but could'nt.
And then we went to the food court in Phase III-PATHETIC scene. Most of the vendors have closed. Most of the chairs have been stacked up and the vendors are buying food from their own stalls and consuming. This was once a place where finding some place to stand was a luxury during peak hours.
You may want to argue that what I saw is partially because I went there on a weekday evening. I've seen the mall on weekends and weekdays, mornings,afternoons and evenings. It was a livelier place.
Like Anjana said, "the mall is almost dying!!"Memories rushed through our minds as we walked down the dark corridors, sweating. I recollected the million times I've walked through those same corridors with so many people-friends and family.The first mall probably in South India.A landmark of Chennai. A mall that had not only the big brands, but also small shops where even college girls could pick up stuff from.(Thankfully,a few of those shops still exist)
I'm at a loss for words. I hope there would be a day when Spencer Plaza rises to its former glory.
I had been wanting to go to Spencer Plaza for almost 2 years. Its weird, but somehow, I just have'nt been able to make the trip. Why Spencers? Go to EA (Express Avenue) na! Ever since EA opened, Spencers has been in a sad state is what I heard. I somehow and for some reason wanted to go there. Its human tendency to ignore the old when the new comes in. But in some cases, it does make sense to still respect the 'old'.
And so, and finally I went to Spencer Plaza on Mount Road with Anjana. It was more of an escapade actually. But what I saw there nearly brought tears to my eyes!
The bike parking lot was nearly empty. Where there used to be 2 neat rows of bikes closely parked and another row of them hap-hazardly parked, was now a single row of sparsely parked bikes. The temperature inside the mall was three times worse than outside. Till recently, going to Spencers was mainly cause of the air-conditioner there, especially during summer vacation. Now the ac is not switched on. Landmark had few pedestal fans at certain places.Most of the shops had shut down. Westside, Pantaloons and a host of other shops. What is worse is that there is no current most of the time. A good majority of shops are dark. Some have lit candles. Merchandise in existing shops are sparse. The only people in the shops are the shop-keepers and his assistants. But its not like the entire mall is empty. There are still people walking in and out of it. I'm actually "wowed" by that. But how?why? Are they people who have feelings similar to mine? A kind of nostalgia?! I wanted to ask but could'nt.
And then we went to the food court in Phase III-PATHETIC scene. Most of the vendors have closed. Most of the chairs have been stacked up and the vendors are buying food from their own stalls and consuming. This was once a place where finding some place to stand was a luxury during peak hours.
You may want to argue that what I saw is partially because I went there on a weekday evening. I've seen the mall on weekends and weekdays, mornings,afternoons and evenings. It was a livelier place.
Like Anjana said, "the mall is almost dying!!"Memories rushed through our minds as we walked down the dark corridors, sweating. I recollected the million times I've walked through those same corridors with so many people-friends and family.The first mall probably in South India.A landmark of Chennai. A mall that had not only the big brands, but also small shops where even college girls could pick up stuff from.(Thankfully,a few of those shops still exist)
I'm at a loss for words. I hope there would be a day when Spencer Plaza rises to its former glory.
