North and South, West and East, the cities of New York and Madras
would appear to have nothing in common. And indeed, the ways in which they
differ are too numerous to list here, and would serve perhaps as a useful
exercise to while away time on a rainy day. Yet, both these places, founded as
early-modern colonial cities within a few years of each other (New York came into being around 1624, as New Amsterdam; Madras, in 1639), can
proudly claim to be among the most culturally vibrant and diverse in their respective
countries. And I, resident of one in body and the other in spirit, am the happy
beneficiary of this.