Chennai

The past Madras, and the current Chennai will always remain a fascinating place on earth.
When i am supposed to write about Drive, Design and Connect, no place is better to be written about, and no better time to brag about my favourite place in the country.
Chennai was recently shaken by a natural calamity and i am going to take a few examples from it to showcase and validate my points.
When Chennai expected a huge rainfall, no one expected such a downpour.
The week started with a cloudless sky and a serene climate, and on monday morning, the serenity disappeared and greyish ominous clouds spread like evil claws grasping the heart of Chennai.
Floods. A disaster which was least expected by the busy people of Chennai.
It shook the city like anything other and what came out of it was something beyond ordinary.
If i am going to write about the three words, 'design' 'drive' and 'connect', nothing more will be suitable than the city's people, most importantly, the younger generation.
The 'drive'. What drives the mind of the people to do unimaginable things at the most needed time? Was the need the drive? Or was it much more than that?
I will say that it was much more than just need. It was something which drove the people to join hands with each other and made them risk their own lives to save the life of an unborn child.
The 'design'. The city in itself boasts of numerous wonderful architectural milestones and connecting ways. During floods, this came in really useful. Since there were many roads connecting important places, volunteers were able to rescue people and MTC buses were operated in those roads, providing the most useful medium of transport during the time of floods.
Connect is the word which might not have got a better place anywhere else. During floods, all networks failed to give their customers, the basic facility of incoming and outgoing calls.
But the facebook accounts of volunteers and those who remained a little less affected, were made to play a pivotal role in bringing out some useful innovations to help the people in need. Many turned to facebook and other social media to get timely help, to volunteer themselves and much more.
Parents used to scold their children for being online for a long time, but that was one such exception, where being online will help one more soul who is crying away for help somewhere deep beneath the monstrous rains from the sky.
By using their drive and, by planning according to the city's design, the youth of the city connected themselves in various ways and gave hope to those who were in need of it.
Even though affected by such a disaster, the people of Chennai did not expect the government or wait for the army to come into action. They themselves started doing what they possibly can and little by little, the city's various places were covered.
Those who were in dry areas cooked food for people who were stuck in flooded areas. Doctors volunteered to do many, much needed home deliveries. Boats were operated throughout and amidst the cry of help, there was something else audible, the soft smile of the humanity.