My city of birth Chennai gave me the courage to find myself, be myself, and celebrate myself in the face of judgment, prejudice, and pressures from all quarters. That’s the beauty of a nurturing embrace. Chennai made me who I am. Born in a family of Telugu-speaking parents who loved everything about Chennai, I very early on spoke chaste Thamizh, learned to survive on Sambhar instead of sandwiches and Luz’s Rayyas Mess was where I took visiting relatives from Andhra. Everything about my outlook, persona, and personal style is inspired by Chennai. 

My most cherished rituals were the early morning temple visits with family and a Sunday drive down the ECR and building sandcastles on a secluded beach. My cousins and I would spend a lot of time spending our pocket money at malls, gulping down Pani- Puri at Saravana Bhavan, or taking long horse rides from horses hired and brought home from Govindarajan’s stables. 

My mother who is my superhero made me join art, and horse-riding classes and taught me to keep scrapbooks of flowers we would collect on our evening walks. I had a very happy childhood in Chennai, often experiencing the joys of modernizing Chennai with its new amusement parks and the old Madras through the lovely stores like Rangachari and Giri stores at which I learned the power of prayer and devotion. 

Our home would always be wafting with incense in the morning and the mellifluous voices of MS Subbulakshmi or Bombay Sisters would wake me up. Mom taught me the magic of nurturing very early on. We would visit orphanages on my birthday, and during holidays we would spend time in the rural villages playing with kids and bringing happiness to their lives. In the process, my Thamizh improved and became as good as my English. I could speak ‘thooya thamizh’ and it helped me even score a near century for my Thamizh exams in Sishya school. 

Many leaders of this State were known to my grandfather, a respected politician in Andhra Pradesh. We had Chief Ministers, Ministers, and tall leaders from across party lines in our family. This got me interested a great deal in Tamil Nadu’s politics and the Thamizh movement. Anna, Periyar, MGR, and Jayalalithaa were my icons growing up and I admired the perseverance and passion of Kalaignar. I had the opportunity to meet MGR and his wife Janaki Amma through my childhood friends Kumar and Selvi who are the grandchild of MGR. We would visit Thottam and I loved the time we spent as kids. Many years later I met Amma again through my grandfather who took me backstage at a public meeting of hers. On the way back in our grand old Ambassador car I was lost in thought thinking about her arresting aura and complexion. She was all I wanted to be. Brave. Dignified and awe-inspiring. She to me symbolized divinity. 

Decades later when I got a call to meet her and join her party as its Official Spokesperson, I took the opportunity. She was so gracious, and welcoming and even warned her security guards to not brush me aside or to help me manage the crowds at her public event. Sasikala madam too was caring and helped me understand the nuances of TN politics. Chennai all this while continued to be patient with me, encouraged me, and showered me with love. Everyone who started connecting with me said one thing “you are our Akka” I was unofficially titled Akka in my political party and my friend’s circle who before that would address me as Apsu. 

Tamil culture teaches you respect for hardworking, maturity, good deeds, and most importantly humanity. I was so proud to be living in a city that took me for who I am and didn’t relegate me to my mere gender or sexuality. 

When Amma passed away it was heartbreaking. So much of my strength and inspiration came from her. But I couldn’t continue in a party that had no real values or the maternal soul. Amma had left a vacuum that no one could ever fill. 

I focused on then visiting one of Tamil Nadu’s most notorious prisons and making a documentary on criminals from our State who were murderers, child molesters, and even met Perarivalan. My belief in the many sayings of Bharathiyar and my devotion to my Vadivudai Amman of thiruvattriyur saw me through this disturbing exercise. I spent months meeting remand prisoners and convicts. Chennai’s underlying courage rubbed off on me. I used to come home, chant mantras for hours, or sit by Chinmaya open-air temple on ECR and unwind, thinking of how the human mind can be pushed to such depths of crime. My mother told me one thing- ensure what you do with this project enlightens people. This took me to meet the Commissioner of Police AK Viswanathan who later would help me launch this along with senior government officials. He became an icon in my life through whose eyes I saw compassion at the time of calamity, strength at a time of utter despair, and loyalty at a time of ‘what’s in it for me’ tectonic shift in politics. His commitment to duty despite an ever-changing political scenario showed me what the spirit of Chennai is. 

Being in politics I learned very quickly the art of poster posturing and supporters crowding around your home to wave at you, bring you fruits or call you diligently for their family functions. But what surprised me was the humility of MK Stalin, Kanimozhi, Dayanidhi Maran, and TR Baalu. After Rahul Gandhi has designated me as National General Secretary and Communication In-charge of All India Mahila Congress, I called on alliance leaders. Chennai and his dad Karunanidhi have ensured Stalin has his heart in the right place and with it his grace. He stood up in respectful acknowledgment of a woman entering his office and ensured we were seated before he sat down. His hospitality and humor wowed me. We discussed a time when I had titled him one of TN’s sexiest politicians and applauded his stylish white shirts whilst I was an editor of a newspaper. What he said to me touched me deeply “your gender is personal. To do good work for the people all you need is good thoughts. I am happy Rahul Gandhi gave you a chance”. DMK cadres throughout this campaign gone by became firm friends, and acquaintances and some of them taught me to face-paint in party colors! 

Our CM and Dy CM too helped me a great deal in furthering my political career. Chennai does that to you, it puts you in situations where you’re not sure, and then it shows you how you can blossom. These two leaders were relatively unknown to me. Amma was my leader. But post her death they rallied around party workers. EPS sir I remember meeting him on 100 days of government completion at his home. He asked how we could improve the lives of women like me. OPS sir was humorous and very helpful. During a visit to MGR Janaki college, he told me to not fear anything in politics. 

Chennai elevated me, my senses, and my outlook. I’m thankful for what this city has given me and excited about what lies in store. No matter where I travel to, I miss Chennai after the first week. The temples, the ghee-drenched tiffins, and the amazing vibe of the beaches of the city are quite unlike any other beach in the country. Chennai’s beaches unite families and are a site for unity on political issues and are a symbol of youth and its energy.