The city that had fascinated me most in my childhood is Madurai.Hailing from a beautiful town bordered by western ghats on one side and only with three roads to make this town and with only little restaurants and very few theatres , I was awe struck by the grandeur of the city that welcomed me with large cinema banners and huge advertisement hoardings. And all I could see was people and people everywhere - people rushing madly in their bikes in heavy traffic , sweet toothed people hanging around Arya bhavans, crowd of people haunting Mappillai Vinayagar to watch hollywood movies and people who flocked around every tea shop even at twelve at midnight...(pattikaattaan pattinam partha kadhai) I always went to my cousin's house there and had viewed those rare cassettes of Tom& jerry episodes again and again.
Yanaikkal with heaps and heaps of fruits of different varities, comes into my mind whenever I show my children a fruit stall for picture composition.Even milk supplied in milk bottles fascinated me.I had been to Chitthirai festival watching the Thirukalyanam,Alagar entering into the vaigai river and drank buttermilk in that scorching summer and who could miss the exhibition with those delhi pappads,sugarcane juice,small shops,merrygo rounds and panjumittai that sticks to our nose.I had shopped with my mom for atleast the whole day going around the chithirai veedhis. Milan,Roopmilan,Rajmahal ,Amarjyothi stores and many other places were haunted by us during every festive season without fail.Anything is made available to us around the temple.
The Meenakshiamman temple with four gopuras,colourful bangle shops inside,beautiful tank with steps on all sides where we sit and eat appam,puliyodharai and murukku from prasadham stalls,walls decorated with paintings,mukkurini vinayagar ,other deities, model of the temple kept inside and other historical details, had fascinated me everytime I went there. Curious foreigners who were walking leisurely behind their guide with their cameras were stuck at the places bearing the banner that states" foreigners not allowed beyond the limit "and I wonder why.I was amused at those fair skinned people loitering in the streets around the temple with eccentric clothes,with the manjal jolna pai and rudhratcham worn around their neck and a long string of madurai malligai hanging down from the side of their head.They used to go in those rickshaws as though they are prince and princess pulled in the chariots and I am sure malli and their Indian fashion accessories would have cost them atleast 200 bucks.
I had been to Naicker mahal and played around the massive pillars which are shown more beautifully in Manirathnam movies andGandhi Museum where Gandhi's blood stained dhoti is kept.I had been to Tamukkam and Rajaji park number of times.Handicrafts exhibitions conducted in those premises displayed beautiful handicraft works from all over India.The spices,dry flowers ,suparis and all types of pickles,colourful wall hangings, kurtas,kurtis feast our eyes.I always go back to that little town of mine with some sadness, missing all the grandeur of the city.When I had joined LDC I felt I could live in this city, which I had developed some liking in my heart, for atleast three years.What all fun we had at ldc!I was introduced to a totally new Christian society.I had attended the carol rounds with my friends to all our lecturers's houses.They had entirely different households.I could see a lot of western style in their houses with the same hospitalities of Indian culture.Little girl in every family had pointed to me and asked why that akka didn't sing any song with the carols.I wanted to know their style of living but the next year I went with them to taste the delicacies served there.From that time I developed a liking for home interiors.
Things came to my favour when I was destined to live in Madurai lifelong.Has anyone coined a term for this phobia,the one which arises when we have to leave our mother's place after a vacation and enter into inlaws place everytime and that vanishes within a few hours after we settle down there?I think every one suffers from this atleast for an year and that was the time when I had hated this lovely city of mine.But now the city still continues to fascinate me with jikarthandas,sweet smelling Madurai malli,murugan kadai idli,konar mess,milanmart, super clean theatres with decent audience,numerous picnic spots around and ofcourse my all time favourite Meenakshiamman temple.If you have come back to madurai after a very long time these are the changes you could see.
Yanaikkal with heaps and heaps of fruits of different varities, comes into my mind whenever I show my children a fruit stall for picture composition.Even milk supplied in milk bottles fascinated me.I had been to Chitthirai festival watching the Thirukalyanam,Alagar entering into the vaigai river and drank buttermilk in that scorching summer and who could miss the exhibition with those delhi pappads,sugarcane juice,small shops,merrygo rounds and panjumittai that sticks to our nose.I had shopped with my mom for atleast the whole day going around the chithirai veedhis. Milan,Roopmilan,Rajmahal ,Amarjyothi stores and many other places were haunted by us during every festive season without fail.Anything is made available to us around the temple.
The Meenakshiamman temple with four gopuras,colourful bangle shops inside,beautiful tank with steps on all sides where we sit and eat appam,puliyodharai and murukku from prasadham stalls,walls decorated with paintings,mukkurini vinayagar ,other deities, model of the temple kept inside and other historical details, had fascinated me everytime I went there. Curious foreigners who were walking leisurely behind their guide with their cameras were stuck at the places bearing the banner that states" foreigners not allowed beyond the limit "and I wonder why.I was amused at those fair skinned people loitering in the streets around the temple with eccentric clothes,with the manjal jolna pai and rudhratcham worn around their neck and a long string of madurai malligai hanging down from the side of their head.They used to go in those rickshaws as though they are prince and princess pulled in the chariots and I am sure malli and their Indian fashion accessories would have cost them atleast 200 bucks.
I had been to Naicker mahal and played around the massive pillars which are shown more beautifully in Manirathnam movies andGandhi Museum where Gandhi's blood stained dhoti is kept.I had been to Tamukkam and Rajaji park number of times.Handicrafts exhibitions conducted in those premises displayed beautiful handicraft works from all over India.The spices,dry flowers ,suparis and all types of pickles,colourful wall hangings, kurtas,kurtis feast our eyes.I always go back to that little town of mine with some sadness, missing all the grandeur of the city.When I had joined LDC I felt I could live in this city, which I had developed some liking in my heart, for atleast three years.What all fun we had at ldc!I was introduced to a totally new Christian society.I had attended the carol rounds with my friends to all our lecturers's houses.They had entirely different households.I could see a lot of western style in their houses with the same hospitalities of Indian culture.Little girl in every family had pointed to me and asked why that akka didn't sing any song with the carols.I wanted to know their style of living but the next year I went with them to taste the delicacies served there.From that time I developed a liking for home interiors.
Things came to my favour when I was destined to live in Madurai lifelong.Has anyone coined a term for this phobia,the one which arises when we have to leave our mother's place after a vacation and enter into inlaws place everytime and that vanishes within a few hours after we settle down there?I think every one suffers from this atleast for an year and that was the time when I had hated this lovely city of mine.But now the city still continues to fascinate me with jikarthandas,sweet smelling Madurai malli,murugan kadai idli,konar mess,milanmart, super clean theatres with decent audience,numerous picnic spots around and ofcourse my all time favourite Meenakshiamman temple.If you have come back to madurai after a very long time these are the changes you could see.
- The ring road built around the city has reduced traveltime for travellers and they could escape the maddening crowd of Madurai.
- Madurai people have gone crazy over American corns.
- Remuki in KK nagar has lost its exclusive charm and now it resembles like any other departmental store.
- People who were afraid of transporting themselves in escalators are now free to move and thanks to Pothys and Milanmart through which they have gained those skills.
- Reliance supermarkets,Big bazaars,Spencers and numerous other departmental stores have been opened with underground parking facilities.Though they have CCs fixed the sales girl follow us everywhere we go like the little lamb.
- We could find women seated in the corridors of mens clothing stores while the men are in their trial rooms trying out their outfits.They have such varieties nowadays to choose.And men you can no longer forward SMS jokes about going shopping with women.It's our turn now.
- we have dominos pizzas,coffeeday and many other places to serve our taste buds.
- The Taj briyani and Aryabhavans have now become infamous and there is hardly anyone there now a days.
- People flock around chat varieties offered around almost every corner of the city on sundays and Teppakulam has now become the "beach of Madurai".You could get sundals,idiaapam,maangai and almost anything you get in Marina beach.
- And the one sweet surprise is that the chitthirai veedhis are free from traffic.You could peacefully loiter around the temple capturing the serene atmosphere and beauty of meenakshiamman temple in your mind and now are you ready to take a virtual tour around the temple?
- welcome to madurai
