Shop Opera. Review on Spencer Plaza, Chennai

The species Homo Sapiens or HUMAN BEINGS has been a huge success ever since the Great Lord bestowed this 'Thinking & Acting' specimen on the untouched terrains of the planet earth and then evolved the concept of COMMUNITY LIVING. As man started to tread the land and established various settlements all over the planet, this concept undertook a new meaning with markets taking shape. Earlier markets used to be a periodical event with the sellers piling up the provisions till the day when the entire group concurred upon setting up makeshift arrangements to showcase the products for the prospective buyers to cast their eyes upon them. Gradually, this art of buying and selling underwent drastic changes with the event seguing into a regular one, permanent bazaars being set up, products being categorised based upon the look 'n' feel factor and jargons like market sensitivity, consumer consciousness, USP (Unique Selling Proposition) finding their way into the staunch mindsets of the common man. Eventually, the idea of FIND-THEM-ALL-UNDER-ONE-ROOF took centrestage with a technologically advanced generation finding it difficult to break free from severe time crunch, stringent work schedule, cash rich aspirations and a lack of desire to inculcate the art of shopping with clinical precision.

Shopping Malls have been doing rounds for a long period, but their origination in the traditional ramparts of our country has been quite a new affair. The foreign returned educated mass have always insisted on transferring the western outlook into the culturally rich precincts of our beloved India. Hence, the idea of Super Markets and of late, the Shopping malls have managed to snap in a good audience for themselves. As the urban lavish milieu is mostly confined to the big cities, predominantly the Metros, there has been a considerable spurt in the shopping activities and the subsequent erection of huge shopping complexes in these places.

I have been residing in Chennai for over two years now and find it a pretty cheap place as compared to the exorbitant Delhi and Bombay. Although, by way of shopping related craziness it lags behind the former cities, the cash rich junta has made it a profitable destination for the constructors opting to go for shopping malls. One such consequence is the Spencer Plaza, one of the finest shopping complexes in our country. Completed and opened to the public in 1990, this landmark boasts of a state of the art design, thanks to the collaborative efforts between Mangal Tirth Estate Ltd and a group of NRI's having diverse business interests in Singapore, London & Russia. Mangal Tirth entered into a development agreement with Spencer & Co. to refurbish the latter's Spencer Shopping complex standing to the open skies for over a century. The Spencers' had carved a niche for themselves in the frontiers of business and Market Development during the tenure of the British and were running the mall with inequitable aplomb before the seeds of the modern day Spencer were sown.

Greeting the flow of a majority of the Chennai Traffic along the busy Mount Road, stands the majestic building with extensions on both the sides giving it the look of an imposing fort. There are a number of entry points in the building, most of them are on the front side facing the Mount Road. There's however another entry on the rear just next to another landmark, Taj Connemera, a Five-star facility of the Taj Group which shares the boundary with this mall. That gate facilitates the entry of automobiles into the building which can either be driven down to the basement Car park or cruised up a spiral motorway all the way upto the Third Floor, which accounts for a huge overhead Car Park Facility. The shopping plaza is a continuous array of linearly spread buildings soaring upto as high as SEVEN Floors. The Ground, First and Second floors constitute the Shopping arcade while the Fourth to Seventh Floors are meant for Offices and Business establishments. One can avail of any of the two entrances, the central one or the East wing entrance. As Spencer was constructed over a long period, It was mandatory that the constructors plan for different phases. Hence, the East Wing is known as the Phase I, the central structure is the Phase II and the West Wing, part of which is still undergoing expansion are christened Phase III and Phase IV. As you enter the gorgeous castle, a polite security guard salutes you and in the next couple of seconds, you are transferred to a world of fantastic shopping experience. The Ground floor has a couple of escalators installed for seamless transport and so have the other floors, barring the Fourth Floor upwards. A pair of Capsule Lifts along with ordinary elevators add on to the ease of movement across the floors. A delightful fountain, Centralized AC and a Projection Screen add more joy to one's shopping stint. Kids can enjoy themselves, thanks to a variety of Chal-Mere-Ghode kind of playful toys strewn at a distinct corner.

The shops are aplenty and one can find all the necessary items, ranging from electronic goods to fashion accessories under one roof. The Atrium presents a dome like structure with stainless steel rods rivetted to each other taking after a Mesh. There are display boards in each floor guiding the unassuming visitor to the Store of his choice present in that particular storey. The ground floor stations some of the illustrious consumer corners like the SONY, LANDMARK (It is spread across three floors), SWATCH, PANTALOON, WEST WING etc. The first floor boasts of a rich assortment of Garment stores like MUSIC WORLD, LANDMARK, LEVIS, and a host of Tirupur Export Quality Merchandise along with electronics shops like CASIO, SWATCH, PHILIPS and others like NIKE, REEBOK, ADIDAS etc to name a few. The presence of a huge set of Shops catering to the needs of people of all genders has actually made this site the most frequented one especially by the tourists. Mobile phones, TV sets, Fashion Apparels, Footwear, Handicrafts and even Duty Free Dubai goodies galore. If you are wondering as to how can you shop without tasting continental delicacies, you wander no farther. Spencer is abuzz with all kind of snacks and drinks, one gets patties, puffs, pastries, pizza, even the Baskin Robbins Ice creams at his footstep with not a trace of inconvenience meted out. Don't get surprised when you catch sight of an European earnestly requesting you to pay a visit to his shop. They are infact ARMENIANS & UKRAINIANS who have settled downsouth and can get you any Leather Accessory (DENIMS to A LEE COOPER) at your wish. The warm sight of happy families, frolicsome couples, and if you are lucky, a few dazzling beauties draped in the fanciest of outerwears, is bound to land you up in the seventh sky. If you are cashstrapped or run short of paper money, flash your Credit card and you'll have the transaction processed in seconds. You may wish to go to the top of the building to get a bird's eye view of the city. The top floors have been taken into custody by the swanky interiors of the Cellular Service Provider RPG and hence, don't get surprised to find a good number of Microwave towers atop the building. As to the Security measures adopted by the authorities, the entire mall is fitted with innumerable Close-circuit cameras that find repose under advertent scrutiny in the control room. To prevent any kind of fire-hazard, a state of the art Fire Detection & Water Sprinkling Mechanism has been installed (Remember TOWERING INFERNO or DIE HARD !!).

As you step out of the Mall anticipating the dim glare of a thousand twinkles, you are bound to caught unawares by the flash of two powerful Mercury Vapour Lamps bathing the Mall White and you are left wondering...

A Shop OPERA !!!...