MACHO IN MADRAS

Machismo in Madras consisted of being wiry with an extravagant handlebar moustache  twisted into fine points at the tips; crisp white "veshti" starched to stand a few inches apart from the lower limbs; an even crisper and whiter shirt unbuttoned just far enough to show that the owner had not had an open heart procedure; sleeves rolled up to mid-biceps which, while clearly showing a healthy musculature, were by no means a foot in circumference. An occasional gold chain was sported, with an amulet to ward off evil eye or as a mark of obeisance to a favourite deity. There were also the visibly overfed slobs with buttons open all the way to the navel displaying thick gold chains and significant man-cleavages. While the latter were aspiring "minors" (a derogatory term for wealthy reprobates, perhaps originally referring to the dilettante play-boy sons of wealthy men; minor as in "junior"), they didn't carry much street-cred as the macho men - too fleshy and way too soft for all their swagger. That their hall mark was an "arumbu meesai", a thin line of incipient moustache, did not help. Real men had real moustaches - dark, luxurious, and pointed; occasionally turned up at the tips a la Dali but not for comic effect. Arumbu Meesais may have gotten you sobriquets like "Kaadhal Mannan" (King of Romance) but they did not cut it in the world of real macho men who did not cry.

Macho men of Madras respected women. This respect was manifested as keeping their distance from women whether belonging to their own family or not and was not in recognition of women as independent humans - which they clearly were not- but out of a sense of  chivalry which had been dinned into them. This sense told them that women were the weaker lot, they needed to be protected and as macho men it was their duty to provide this protection. They classified women into three groups: mothers, daughters and mothers and daughters of others. Then there was a rarely spoken-about fourth group, the "other women". This category of women were generally as good as wives but prettier. They would share the macho men's bed but not their wealth. Theirs was a fully functional family except it was not a "legal" arrangement. A macho man's machismo was questionable if he did not have such an arrangement. The wives overlooked such liaisons as a necessary outlet for the sexual energies of macho men provided the interests of the "legal family" remained inviolate.

The macho men of Madras had an innate sense of fairness, even in business. They did not exploit the weak, or cheat even when no one was looking. There simply were certain things they didn't do. They also didn't cringe and crawl for favours political or otherwise. They demanded favours where they felt entitled to. Even as they derived their status, power and position from inheritance they were quite proud to showcase their own achievements.

Madras became Chennai. and a lot of things changed. Including the macho men.

The veshtis remain but now worn as a political statement rather than as a garment appropriate to the climatic conditions. The thin gold chains have long gone and given way to ones as thick as ones pinky. Fingers are festooned with chunky gold rings set with stones of all colours shapes and sizes in the belief that they brought money, good fortune, long life, and certain prowess to the wearer. The white shirts have mostly given way to  tight Tee shirts which proudly display the bulge in the middle. The handlebar moustaches have given way to caterpillars dyed an improbable shade of black  The  face today is hidden behind huge, shiny  "shades" which in the olden days used to be aviator style "cooling glasses". Today it is important for macho men to look like their political heroes.

The Chennai machismo doesn't much care for women. They like their women alright, but not in the same way as before.Women are a nuisance who are becoming competitive, insistent of their rights,  demanding respect and generally unpleasant. They don't know their place and do not defer to men. It is not uncommon to see modern macho men pushing aside women to get ahead in a queue. When the opportunity arises, they are not above copping a feel.

The latter day macho men don't travel any more in  Ambassador cars with open windows and second world war surplus jeeps of various manufacture. They travel in huge SUVs with heavily tinted windows, flying flags of their political affiliation.

You see, they derive their machismo from the flag and the SUV.