If Sowcarpet had to teleport itself for a weekend, it would probably look a lot like Avichi College on Day 1 of Mint Street 2.0 - Reloaded.
By Friday evening, the campus of Avichi College was buzzing with the familiar chaos that defines one of Chennai’s oldest and busiest streets.
The aroma of street food in the air, students weaving through crowds, music spilling from a central stage, and people pausing mid-conversation to grab a quick bite. What unfolded was not just a college event, but a carefully recreated street experience rooted deeply in Chennai’s cultural memory.
For AVM K Shanmugam, secretary of Avichi College of Arts and Science, the true success of Mint Street 2.0 lay in watching people slow down, celebrate, and simply be present. As crowds moved between food stalls and performances, he says,
Seeing people live the moment, enjoy themselves and celebrate together is exactly what I had in mind for Mint Street 2.0. The idea was to create a space that felt natural and rooted rather than staged or spectacular.AVM K Shanmugam
Drawing inspiration from Chennai’s early neighbourhoods and their ability to adapt without losing identity, Shanmugam added, “This is not about making it bigger every year. It’s about making it more meaningful.” For him, Mint Street 2.0 is a reflection of a simple belief, “Life itself is a celebration,” a sentiment that seemed to play out across the campus
For the student council, which planned and executed the event, the focus was always on capturing the essence of the street.
Sanjay, head of the student council, said the idea was to make visitors feel like they were walking through Sowcarpet itself. “From the stalls to the food, everything was curated to bring that vibe here,” he said, visibly proud as crowds continued to stream in. “Seeing people respond to it like this makes all the effort worth it.”
Rohini, a student council member, noted how the scale had grown this year. “Last year it was just one day. This time it’s two days, with more influencers, more stalls, and more cultural performances,” she said. “This is mainly a youth crowd, and it feels really good to see so many people enjoying the space.”
There was also a quiet familiarity to the food lanes. Reminiscent of Sowcarpet’s “perfect chaos,” where flavours collide and crowds coexist, much like the street food trail previously explored by DT Next.
That same chaos, recreated with intention, seemed to strike a chord with visitors. Food counters selling pani puri, chaat, sandwiches and fried snacks became natural pause points, where conversations began and time slowed down.
It’s curtains day 1, Mint Street 2.0 had done what it set out to do, not impress with scale alone, but invite people into a shared, hyper-local experience.
With one more day to go, Avichi’s version of Mint Street is proving that sometimes, all you need is good food, young energy, and a street that feels like home.