Leisure becomes enchanting when Chennai’s Edward Elliot’s beach comes alive

“Where shall we go this weekend? Marina or Eliot’s?” asked Victor,  a young software programmer at TCS in Sholinganallur.

Smita, his girlfriend of two years, said over the phone, “You Chennai fellas can’t think beyond a beach.” She is from Pune and works as a call centre associate of a BPO.

Victor chuckled, “Beach is the best place for lovers. Get your feet splashed by rolling waters, walk barefoot in sand, and the best place for shopping and finding a great place to eat.”

Smita said,” So it will be beach again this weekend. Let’s meet at Cozee’s at 7:00 tonight.”

The kilometre long promenade at Besant Nagar, serves walkers and joggers in the mornings. Come weekend, the evenings become the melting point for lovers and picnics for college goers, and the entire place comes alive with youthful energy and effervescence.

The Seventh Avenue road comes to an end with the famed Velankanni Church. The Ashtalakshmi temple, is to it’s immediate left. There are lots of stalls selling candles and photo-frames of the myriad Gods, in the area. This serves as your introduction to the beach. At the other end is a swanky Murugan Idli restaurant, bright with halogen yellow lamps and shining glass doors.

You will not miss the skating rink at Planet Yumm, in between, that comes with a food court. Slowly the eyes take in the famed Kas Schmidt Memorial in plain white and your ears open to the constant feature of duet songs from movies of the seventies and eighties. Then your eyes will fall on the calm waters behind.

The promenade along the beach is a tiled pavement, and a small granite wall serves as a boundary from where the sands of the beach begin and go over hundred meters into the Bay of Bengal.
During weekends the young crowd fills the beach in every direction. The parking lots of cars and bikes overshoot the space and they even come into the inner lanes where the residential apartments abound.

Eliot’s beach (also known as ‘Bessie’) is a haven for foodies. There are a dozen restaurants to choose from: North Indian at Cozee, burgers from KFC, coffee shop at Costa, chats at Khana Khazana and of course South Indian at Murugan Idly and its Jigarthanda which is somewhat of a local fad.

At the far end of the beach there are Cups and Cones, Pupil, Thalapakatti and more. And if you are game enough to eat from roadside stalls the menu is endless: Sundal, samosa, ice-creams from pedalled tricycles, chat and goes on.

Eliot’s beach is alluring to shopaholics. Puma footwear, Reebok’s Casuals that showcases merchandise for factory prices for T-shirts and Cape Kazuals Mentor, Just For You, Cool & Cool Casuals, they are innumerable. There are couple of boutiques too.

Eliot’s beach is dressed and geared in every way to appeal to the young and romantic crowd. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, Eliot’s beach is the place to be, to put your feet up and relax.

Smita chirped, “It is crowded, yes. But truly a place like no other.”
Victor sporting a big grin said,” Let the party begin.”

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