Madurai Musings

You grew up where? Madurai!Where exactly is that? Near Chennai or Bangalore? What's special about the place?

Alright, Madurai is not your run-of-the-mill Indian metropolitan. You can't find spanking new food courts or upscale malls here. No beaches, no multiplexes and definitely no clubs! And that's exactly what makes it unique!Its just a simple little South Indian city-town that refuses to move with the times. I take great pride in all things Madurai. The Meenakshi temple, where I can lose myself for hours, my typical Tamizh accent (that you acquire only by living in the city for that long), the lifestyle (laidback and easy) and of course the people (some of the most genuine I've met in my life).

I took the kids to Madurai for their first visit about two years back. They were at an age when multiplexes and malls mattered little. The idlis, uzhavar sandhai (traditional farmer's market), blaring loudspeakers and yellow tinted Tambram mamis ("has she used face paint, ma"?) bowled them over! To them, Chennai seemed commonplace. Madurai with its cows and chaos was a lot more attractive! Just like kids, Madurai is a place devoid of artifice and show. Maybe that's why foreigners are more familiar with the smartly packaged-heavily advertised Bangalores and Bombays. When I go back to India, I usually want to take the quickest train to Madurai without spending more time than needed in the metros ( No chance of that anymore since my folks have shifted to well..a metro!!).

After long spells abroad, I crave for a piece of the 'real' India, a place that still has its soul intact. And for that, I can't think of a better place to go to than Madurai!