Blogs from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia - page 3

We are in the huge city of Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu and today find ourselves tip-toeing on echoes of the past lineage of Rajas who ruled Madurai distant times past, and who lived in the grand surroundings of the Thirumalai Nayak Palace. Built in 1636 by the man himself - Thirumalai Nayak - the architecture of the building is a mixture of Dravidian and Rajput styles, which to this English novice translates as extremely high, domed ceilings supported on huge white columns with loads of decorative tiling. Now just an open shell of a building, we are free to wander this luxurious palace unhindered by the wrath of Rajas keeping the riff raff at bay. The central section of the building is filled with plastic chairs laid out in rows, theatre style, so ... read more

Croissant madamoiselle, Monsieur? Not something you'd expect to hear in India! Okay I admit it, we didn't hear anything of the sort as the French bakery set up in Pondicherry has been taken over by an Indian family, but the croissants, pastries and gateaux were pretty genuine and a tasty start to the day. Today is another travel day. We are on the road to Madurai, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It's also known as the city that never sleeps so I should fit right in! We learn from Mouthou that most Sri Lankans originate from the Madurai district emigrating to follow jobs in the tea production. For now though we sit back and watch the crazy hustle that ... read more

Attended Hari marriage on 9th March. Started on 7th night by pandian express with all relatives and reached Madurai early morning on 8th. Reached Brahmans kalyana mandapam, occupied room and after relaxing had break fast. Then came the pilgrimage. Visited Kooodal alagar temple whose vimanam is a architectural beauty. There are three stages that has three postures of Vishnu. Then went to meenakshi temple which is world renowned and needs less information. On second day after marriage went to thirumalai nayakkar mahal which again is a monumental beauty. Built in 17th century the pillars are something that can be found no where in the world. Reached Chennai on 10th morning. ... read more

ZThe finished project Thursday evening we celebrated Myra’s 83rd birthday. Maggie had made a beautiful picture of Myra's name in calligraphy, one of the kitchen ladies made a cake, and Charles gave her a shawl. Toni had bought some non-alcoholic wine (all we can get here as Tamil Nadu is disapproving of alcohol so we have had a dry fortnight). Bryan, the coordinator asked us for feedback on this and general AidCamps as he is a trustee of the charity, and wants to go armed with information to their meeting next month. One of the things I'm less happy about is that usually we are either working or living within a community, or both, so we get to know the people or children quite well. Although this is a worthwhile project, I have missed being g ... read more

The banyan tree was massive. It stood on a spreading pedestal of ropey aerial roots, and lifted its heavy branches, dominating the shallow basin where it had made its home for generations. As I peeked through the branches at the tangled trunk, I knew this grandfather was special. I sensed energy floating from it, announcing its existence, commanding notice. This was the first place that Karikalan showed me in his native village. We had met several weeks before at a film festival in Madurai, where Karikalan’s short film was presented. His film was different from the others, because its setting was in a village, specifically, this very village outside Madurai. The story—involving a boy and his beloved goat—was so different from the other action-laden films with dialogues-that-make-you-wince, I encouraged Karikalan to make more films set in ... read more