March - 2012 by Projects Abroad

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March 2012

Volume 2, Issue 28 Sponsored by:

Dr V. and I:

Pavithra Mehta on the writing of Infinite Vision Plus: Designer Gaurie Gupta with the Meena Doll, Maduraiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Mascot

Contents March 2012 | Issue No. 28

Editor Dr. Nandini Murali

EDITOR’S CORNER Sub Editor & Journalism Manager Ingelise Jones Journalism Supervisors

Archana Sundararajan

02 The Pursuit of Perfection COTTAGE INDUSTRY

09 The Chocolate Mountain

Coordinator J. Venkatesh

CULTURE

12 Meena, the Mascot of Madurai CULTURE KITCHEN

Designer & Technical Support T. Jesuraja Reporters James Lees

14 Delizioso! IDENTITY

18 Moustache Musings

Ariane Lecuyer Katharina Irrgang Leonie Rodenbuecher

TRENDS

23 Musical Madurai EXPERIENCE

Morten Thorsboe 2

Mike Trevelyan

26 Discovering Bharatanatyam

Anne Punt Vanessa Allegri David Wilkens

VILLAGE VOICES

30 Pillayarpatti - In Ganesha Land

Kim Clarys Marcel de Korte Kourei Yoshibi

INTERFACE

32 Reaching the Unreachable MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Principal Photographer Nicolas Brangi Cover Photograph

35 Leading by Example HEALTH

37 Life in their Hands

Nicolas Brangi Sivakasi Projects Abroad Pvt. Ltd.,

BOOK REVIEW

40 To Dissent, Perchance to Question, to Argue... FILM

Contact: editor@maduraimessenger.org

42 Belly of Laughs FIRST IMPRESSIONS

MADURAI MESSENGER No. 17, T.P.K Road Pasumalai Madurai – 625004 Tamil Nadu India Tel. 0452-2370269

43 44 45 46 47 48

An Illuminated Spirit

An Illuminated Spirit COVER STORY

B. Pooja

EDITOR’S CORNER

A Total-Body Experience Freedom in Chaos; Safety in Danger Stepping into Indian Shoes Madurai:A Byword for Warmth and Hospitality Love at First Sight One with Madurai

ou could see him—a small frail silver-haired man—walking slowly but purposefully along the corridors of the Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai. You were certain to encounter him in the meditation room in the hospital where he was a regular in the mornings. Alternatively, you found him hunched over his PC in his office, working through letters, emails and assorted reading material. At meetings, he made meticulous notes that he culled for later reference. The well known ophthalmologist, the late Dr. G Venkataswamy, popularly known as Dr. V, was a no-frills person. There have been scores of features and books that capture his legendary vision and quest for perfection. Yet, despite the halo that surrounded him, Dr V, carried the burden lightly, like a carelessly thrown shawl across his shoulder. He once gave me the book Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonald’s by Ray Kroc, the American businessman who transformed McDonald’s into a global restaurant chain. Ray Kroc’s passion for innovation, efficiency, quality and assembly line production ensured world-wide standards of uniformity. Something that greatly impressed Dr. V. “If Coca Cola can sell millions of bottles of aerated drinks and McDonald’s can sell a billion burgers, why can’t we sell millions of sight restoring operations and eventually perfection?” wondered Dr. V in as early as the 1960s. “With sight, people could be free of hunger and poverty. You perfect the body, perfect the soul, and raise people’s level of thought and action,” added Dr. V. Like Ray Kroc, who was 52 years of age when he met the McDonald brothers and revolutionised the fast food industry, Dr. V was 58 years of age when he was inspired by a dream: to establish an eye care institution to address the problem of needless blindness. His dream fused spirituality and business into a vision, to address the problem of needless or curable blindness. It was an uncommon solution to a common problem. In our cover story this month, Madurai Messenger is proud to feature Pavithra Mehta, a US-based writer from Madurai, and Dr. V’s grand niece, whose book Infinite Vision traces the flowering of one man’s desire to leave the world a slightly better place than he found it. Inspired by Sri Aurobindo, the Indian mystic, Dr. V successfully infused the spiritual component into the philopshy of patient care that he espoused. “You identify with the people for whom or with whom you work. It is not out of sympathy that you want to help. The sufferer is part of you,” said Dr. V. A decade back, when I was going through multiple spine surgeries, he gently urged me to have faith in myself and be strong. He held up his gnarled and twisted rheumatoid arthritic hands and said to me, “If these hands can do it, so can you.” As always, he was prophetic. And what better evidence of empathy and compassion than this reaching out from a simple man who lived a life of Spirit?

Dr. nandini murali Editor

Madurai Messenger Cover Story March 2012

Pavithra with Projects Abroad volunteers Anne Punt, Vanessa Allegri, David Wilkens, Marcel de Korte, James Lees and Nicolas Brangi

The Pursuit of Perfection Pavithra Mehta, co-author of Infinite Vision and grandniece of well-known ophthalmologist Dr. G. Venkataswamy, captures the essence of his life: to be an instrument for the Divine in the sacred calling to eliminate needless blindness. James Lees in an engaging conversation with Pavithra Mehta on the writing of the book and its impact on her life By James Lees Melbourne, Australia Infinite Vision – A biography on the famous Dr. V

T 2

he pursuit of perfection: It is the greatest yearning embedded within our hearts and the primary motivation that drives us to do great things. From engineers, doctors, teachers, and sportspeople to mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, no matter who we are or what we do, to achieve perfection is the highest honour. Perhaps for most of us, though, it is a dream that will never be realised, for we can never truly be perfect. The only aspect that really matters is that we’ve had the courage to take the journey in the first place.

This pursuit forms the basis of a new book Infinite Vision, launched in Madurai, India, on January 29, 2012. Written by Pavithra K. Mehta and Suchitra Shenoy, Infinite Vision tells the true story of Doctor Govindappa Venkataswamy (or Dr. V, as he is more commonly known) and his dream of eliminating needless blindness in the world.

“The key, she says, is to have an understanding of the “subtle but very real link between the state and quality of your life and the state and quality of your world” worth pursuing. Dr. V’s spirituality has been woven into the fabric of every page, offering the reader a journey not only for the mind but also for the soul, and it is this element that proves most fascinating. It is a journey to enlightenment shared by both Dr. V and his grand-niece, Pavithra K. Mehta, lead

It is an incredibly inspirational story, based on interviews and personal accounts of a man who overcame great odds to create the Aravind Eye Care Systems, currently the world’s largest eye care provider. Dr. V’s aim was to provide free or highly subsidised eye care for all and he built it on a foundation of empathy and compassion. In its 35-year history, Aravind has treated over 32 million patients and performed 300,000 free or highly subsidised eye surgeries each year. What is even more remarkable is that it achieves this at less than one percent of the operating costs incurred by many Western eye care institutions and still manages to generate a profit (US$13 million in 2009). Aravind has become one of the world’s largest eye-care providers and has earned International acclaim. Infinite Vision, however, is not just a story of the Aravind Hospital. It is a complex story of a man whose life was a physical and spiritual journey with perfection- the only goal

author of Infinite Vision.

“Infinite Vision, however, is not just a story of the Aravind Hospital. It is a complex story of a man whose life was a physical and spiritual journey with perfection- the only goal worth pursuing”

The questions we ask… “It is the questions we ask ourselves about who we are and what we mean to the world that we gain a greater understanding of ourselves. By constantly asking questions, we seek the answers. We seek to grow and in so doing, we discover more; more about the world

and more about where we fit within it.” (Pavithra K Mehta, February 9th, 2012) Aravind has been studied by many world leading businesses and institutions over the years. The most prominent is the Harvard Business School. They asked questions regarding strategy, reach and workflow to determine its secrets, but, as Pavithra says, “To get to the heart, we need to explore a little deeper.” She says we need to ask questions of the man behind the hospital such as, “How do you create a system that affirms dignity, not just creates services?” According to Pavithra, there is no simple answer. This is where empathy and compassion come in. “There is no strategy for compassion.” “Dr. V’s story

is a conversation changer. It forces us to delve deeper into ourselves and our culture,” she says. “When people first hear this story,” Pavithra continues, “they automatically think of external forms of blindness; but the more you look at it, you realise Dr. V was tackling internal blindness as well... That which our hearts and minds get clouded by, whether it’s greed, impatience, annoyance, irritation or fear.” According to Pavithra, these feelings put curtains over our eyes and prevent us from being able to make the right decision. The key, she says, is to have an understanding of the “subtle but very

Madurai Messenger Cover Story March 2012

California. It was here that she received her first taste of non-profit work with a group called Service Space (formally known as Charity Focus). “It was started by a group of ‘techies’ during the dotcom boom,” she recalls. “Their ambition was to increase the generosity in their lives by building websites for non-profits with no strings attached.” Eventually, Service Space began to branch out into other projects based on “different expressions of generosity,” she says. “This was a group of people who, whenever they came across something, it never stopped with them. There was this beautiful ethos of passing it on.”

The authors, Pavithra and Suchitra at the book launch

real link between the state and quality of your life and the state and quality of your world.” It is about “understanding that no matter how much you fiddle with the outside, you’ve got to change the stuff of your consciousness.” Dr. V had a strong grasp of this principle, but it would be many years before Pavithra would come to this same realisation.

A path to a journey Like many journeys, Pavithra spent many years spanning across continents before culminating in Infinite Vision. As a child, she was “struck, drawn and compelled to the world of words.” A far cry from the world occupied by her family. “There were twenty-one eye doctors in my family,” she explains, with a touch of reverence for their accomplishments. “I knew eye surgery wasn’t probably what I wanted,” she says and yet she found herself comparing her world of Shakespeare to their world of sight restoration. “They were contributing to society,” she says. “Not that you can’t contribute with literature,” she affirms. “I just wasn’t sure what my path was and where my calling was.” Her life at crossroads, Pavithra turned to the source of inspiration that had fuelled

so many members of her family. “It was Dr. V who brought me an advertisement for a Journalism school one evening,” she says, with no intentions of pursuing it, viewing the world of fiction to be far more interesting than the real world could ever be. But, she explained, “When an 80-year-old man takes the time to cut something out of the newspaper for you, you listen,” she says. She applied to the prestigious Asian School of Journalism in Chennai out of respect for her grand uncle. As Pavithra went through the application process, she began to feel that the world of journalism could be the path she was looking for. “I majored in Broadcast Journalism and came out of there feeling I had found a bridge between the world of words and the world outside my bedroom window,” she explains. Pavithra realised that “language and stories could be a means, in a different way, of helping people.”

One of the final non-profit projects Pavithra was involved in and one still operating today is Karma Kitchen. A restaurant that doesn’t charge for its meals, but instead administers its checks with a $0.00 balance and a footnote that reads: Your meal was a gift from someone who came before you. To keep the chain of gifts alive, we invite you to pay it forward for those dine after you. Pavithra found this to be a new paradigm in non-profit organisations. “The meal is an excuse,” she says. “It’s about shifting the culture and creating different kinds of movement: from transaction to trust; from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance; from a sense of isolation to a celebration of community. From consumption to one of contribution,” she says.

A reconnection

Her time in the US had given Pavithra a new found sense of what generosity and unconditional service was. In her words, she had witnessed, “What the intersection between inner change and outer transformation could look like in my own generation.” Upon her arrival in India, she began using her skills as a journalist to serve people, and started creating documentaries for non-profit organisations.

After graduation, Pavithra worked as an Intern in New York for various small private and community news organisations before moving to

Through this work, Pavithra found some incredible stories in her own backyard; the most remarkable being Aravind and

“What lies within us is so powerful,” she explains. “In any given moment, we have these same kinds of choices, these same kinds of decisions to make, and what counts is showing up to make these choices, again and again and again” Author Pavithra, herself experienced a journey writing Infinite Vision

Dr. V. “It just prompted me to ask Dr. V if I could interview him,” she says. She decided to put her request in an email so it appeared more formal. He soon replied saying that she could visit him every morning, even on Sundays. “It turned into this seven-day appointment I had with a visionary,” she says.

A spiritual discovery Pavithra began working with Dr. V in 2002. Each day, she would visit his office and they would read an excerpt from Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri, an epic 40,000 word poem that formed the basis of Dr. V’s spiritual guidance. “We’d read a section each day,” she says. “Once we had finished the entire poem, we would start over, and each time we read it, we would extract new meaning and have new thoughts to discuss.” Through these sessions, Pavithra formed a close relationship with her granduncle and found her own path back to the spiritual world. “I began to value meditation and prayer and learnt what it means to be in silence with oneself,” she says. These were the values Dr V had practiced his entire life, yet she had neglected for many years. During her early days interviewing Dr V, Infinite Vision had not yet been thought of, though somewhere in that daily process, a documentary also titled Infinite Vision came to fruition. “It was

around the time he turned 80,” Pavithra recalls, “and I wanted to do something that would highlight his contribution to the world.” The problem was that obtaining funding for the film was difficult. So, Pavithra just went ahead and made the film with the assistance of a Volunteer from the U.S. “Dr. V always had this idea to start with what you have and the rest will come. Throw yourself in 100 percent and the universe shifts around to support your effort,” she says. Infinite Vision, the film, however, was not a full stop on Pavithra’s discovery of Dr. V; it was a springboard. “It still raised more questions in people about Aravind,” she recalls.” They would ask: how does it work? And how did he do this?” It appeared the compassion and empathy shown at Aravind was still not being explained. People did not understand its spiritual side and to do that, they had to understand Dr. V.

Fate has its way Dr. V grew up in Vadamalapuram, a small village in Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu, South India. One night, when he was five years old, he awoke to the horrific sound of a woman screaming in the house next door. He was later told she had passed away in childbirth and was barely 20 years old. “At the time, there were no doctors in his village and nowhere to turn for medicine or treatment,” Pavithra says. “He said to himself: I’m going to stop women from dying during childbirth.” With this declaration, Dr. V’s journey of helping others had begun. In his mid-twenties, Dr. V attended the Stanley Medical College in Madras (now Chennai) before enlisting in the Indian Medical Corps to practice obstetrics. Unfortunately, however, it was also around this time he was struck with rheumatoid arthritis, an agonising and degenerative disease that attacked

Madurai Messenger Cover Story March 2012

The visionary Dr. V in his office, as humble as ever

up to make these choices, again and again and again.”

A design of empathy As Pavithra delved further into Aravind’s success, she discovered a world of beautiful design principles and unique constraints that set it apart from other institutions. Interestingly though, there is one organisation based in Silicon Valley that shares similarities in both design and in its leader: Apple. These similarities help give us further insight into Dr. V. There is a striking resemblance between Dr. V and Steve Jobs. The brilliance of both men is undeniable. They both created world-leading organisations, and, like Jobs, Dr. V appears to have had a great understanding of people. Dr. V had his own Reality Distortion Field (RDF), and he could instill a belief that the impossible was possible and drive people to extend beyond their perceived capabilities. 6

his hands and caused him to be bed ridden for two years. The disease left his hands crippled and his fingers fused together. Worse for him, he could no longer become an obstetrician as the work of delivering babies required considerable strength of the hands. He soon discovered, however, that he could become an eye surgeon, so he dedicated all his strength to becoming the best that he could be. “He trained his hands to use the same instruments as the rest of the doctors,” Pavithra recalls, “just held them in different ways.” In his time as a Government surgeon, before he started Aravind, Dr V performed over 100,000 cataract surgeries. But he wasn’t just doing them in hospitals, Pavithra explains, “He was going out into the villages for people who couldn’t afford it.” When he turned 58, Dr. V faced another hurdle: The mandatory age of retirement for government employees;

but his journey wasn’t finished. There were still more than 40 million blind people in the world and 80 percent of these cases were curable. So he started a small hospital and said “we’re going to cure needless blindness.” The key, according to Pavithra is that he didn’t say in Madurai or Tamil Nadu. In fact, he didn’t even say in India. He was taking it on globally. “It’s a dramatic story from the outset. It was this foolish, risky, impossible dream,” Pavithra continues, and adds quickly, “A Beautiful dream too. Now it’s this beautiful, shocking reality.” When Pavithra began to look at what went into Aravind, she witnessed what can be achieved when a single human being has the determination to make a choice and follow it, no matter what the cost. “What lies within us is so powerful,” she explains. “In any given moment, we have these same kinds of choices, these same kinds of decisions to make, and what counts is showing

Aravind is proof of this, an assessment shared by Pavithra. “Dr. V had a similar style,” she says. “When he had his 11-bed clinic, and was dreaming of a 100-bed hospital, he would push his staff. First, they had to see 100 patients a week at a time when they were only seeing ten,” she explains. “Once they’d hit 100, he’d hand out ice creams and say ‘Ok, now we need to hit 1000’.” That was at the organisational level, but Pavithra also believes he did it on an individual level as well. “It is one of the things that both he and Jobs shared,” she says. The other similarity between Apple and Aravind is that they both viewed design as the key to their success and held empathy as the highest form of design. Both companies looked at doing business differently from everyone else and imposed creative constraints on themselves. Jobs wouldn’t license his software during a time when Microsoft ruled the world by outsourcing its operating system. Aravind brought in more limitations: 1. We can’t turn people away; 2. We can’t compromise on quality; and 3. We must be self-reliant.

As Pavithra says, “These three simple rules effectively meant everything Aravind did in the future would be done with compassion, excellence and with its own resources.” As Tim Brown, CEO of Silicon Valley–based design firm IDEO, said, “If you’re working to the same constraints (financial, human resources, accessibility and awareness) you’re going to come up with the same solutions.” These self-imposed creative constraints set Aravind apart from almost any other eye-institution or company in the world, and ensured it operated to its core values of empathy and compassion. The interesting aspect of this paradigm, however, is that Jobs’ ambitions were based on money. He designed simple, elegant products to sell to consumers. Dr. V’s were based on generosity. On face value, these are two highly contrasting principles, yet they both extend from a deep desire of ‘want’. As Pavithra explains, “Someone from Stanford (University) remarked that in some ways, greed and generosity are very similar. The core elements: Greed is wanting a lot; Generosity is wanting a lot for others. In this respect, the vision for Aravind was a very greedy one,” she says. “To eliminate needless blindness is a very ambitious vision.” So the question Pavithra asks is, “How do you tip that greed into generosity? That is something very powerful.”

A Spiritual Vision Pavithra’s description of Dr. V’s vision is elegantly simple: “To give sight to all. To see all as one.” Dr. V saw himself as an instrument to make this vision a reality; as he so eloquently wrote in one of his journal entries:

“What are you. You represent only a little bit of consciousness and a little bit of matter. It is that you call myself. Make of me what you want.” As Viral Mehta, Pavithra’s husband, wrote in an article for the Huffington Post, Infinite Vision “is a story that brings us closer to our own unfolding.

It makes us ask ourselves: How can we be the greatest instruments of our deepest calling?” Dr. V’s calling was to be an instrument based on honesty, transparency, compassion and empathy. He believed that to understand others was to understand oneself, and he provoked those around him to ask these deeper questions, especially his grandniece. “It’s humbling to look at a man who lived till his mid-80s and was practicing compassion right up to the day he died,” she says, and believes compassion is a muscle that needs exercising. “You can’t just say, ‘Oh I do good work’. Every part of his being was striving for perfection and that is something which is hard to fathom from the outside,” Pavithra explains. “That’s the part that I really do try to remember.”

A new instrument is realised Pavithra’s realisation that would culminate in Infinite Vision, the book, began with one simple question: “How do you bring in an explanation of Dr V’s spirituality that would be understood universally?” “How do you possibly first access that, and then articulate it?” she says, noting that the essence of his spirituality was missing in all of the stories about him and Aravind up until this point. “There was an opportunity to bring this aspect in,” she says, admitting that when she began the book, she didn’t quite know how to do it. Having grown up with the family, Pavithra had a certain understanding of this spiritual nature. She was able to feel the quality and the energy of Aravind, but, in many early iterations of the manuscript, found herself coming up short. “I knew that if that energy wasn’t in there, this book wasn’t going to make it,” she says. She explained that there were times, especially in the last year of writing, where she’d ‘hit a wall’ and had no idea where to go. She says that at these times, it forced her, “To form a very different understanding of what it means to be an instrument.”

From the very beginning, her intention was to write as a story-teller. Her ambition was to tell the story to the people and to portray the intricate web of philosophy, spirituality and humanity that symbolised her granduncle’s life. “I wanted to come to this as a channel, as a steward, but not as someone who owned the story,” she says. Unfortunately, however, writing to a deadline doesn’t always allow such indulgences. “When you work to a deadline, so much ego comes into it,” she says. Pavithra found herself feeling responsible for a lot more than for what she actually was, and without the answers. It was moments like these that taught her a faith she hadn’t practiced before, yet it was something her grand-uncle had taught her many years ago. “When you don’t have the answers, you automatically look up, (and) you look in,” she says. Pavithra found herself thinking, “What if this entire process was a journey to bring me clarity and understanding of my own ego, or how much I have left to learn.” It was a humbling experience. She began to believe what Dr. V had always said: “All you can do at every possible moment is to try and stay aligned to your original intention.” He would say, “Work with what you have. Trust. Surrender. Be an unconditional instrument. Practice balance, calmness and equanimity of mind.” In that moment, Pavithra realised how far off she was from reaching such a beautiful gift, yet when she says it, her contentedness is beyond reproach.

The future of perfection When hearing the story of Dr. V and the Aravind hospital, one can’t help but be inspired. It’s a story of one man; a village boy who went on to fight an incredible fight, and won against the odds. But on the other hand, as Pavithra says, it goes far beyond the story of the individual. “It’s a journey about institution building, global health and social enterprise. It’s about moral leadership, family, spirituality and service,” she says.

Madurai Messenger Cover Story March 2012

The Chocolate Mountain

Pavithra, the proud grand-niece

With their sweet teeth finely tuned, Morten Levinsky and Katharina Irrgang learn how to make chocolate in mountainous Kodaikanal and experience a taste sensation that will leave you with a hunger to try some too!

Fortunately for the reader, she has captured all of these elements within the book and their relevance is felt. Infinite vision implicates anyone who reads it because it is a story about individual possibility as well as collective potential, and it is here where Pavithra feels the story has something to offer. With Infinite Vision, perhaps she may have achieved the pursuit of perfection, but, just like her grand-uncle, her journey has only just begun.

By Katharina Irrgang, Germany Morten Levinsky Thorsboe, Denmark

Through Infinite Vision and her future works, Pavithra hopes her readers will discover a journey for perfect vision. She wants to instil the idea that “Clarity of thought and action, comes from discipline of mind and heart.” She wants people to question, just what exactly is strategy? And, more pertinently, as Dr. V has shown us, what is strategy without compassion and empathy? For, according to Pavithra, strategy is a form of skilful action towards some aspiration.

“When you don’t have the answers, you automatically look up, (and) you look in,” she says. Pavithra found herself thinking, “What if this entire process was a journey to bring me clarity and understanding of my own ego, or how much I have left to learn”

Pavithra’s ‘Perfect to-do List’ - Be a little more selfless today than I was yesterday - Be a little more sincere in my efforts

However, the bigger question she says is, “Where does that skilful action come from?” To her, “Skilful action comes from skilful thought, and skilful thought comes from discipline of mind.” This doesn’t mean we all must adhere to a particular form of prayer or meditation or even a particular form of spirituality. “It just means having a greater understanding about yourself at a deeper and deeper level, and perfecting that,” she says. For in the end, it is the journey to perfection that matters the most. We will never truly be perfect. We just need to begin with what we have, and put 100 percent effort into that which we control: Our own actions. Hopefully, as in Dr V’s case, the universe will take care of the rest.

Delicious chocolates stacked on the shelves

”

ife is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get,” is a famous quote from the film Forrest Gump, and one that is fitting for the small hill station of Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu. As soon as we arrived, it became clear to us why this place is known as “Little Switzerland”. The similarities were obvious: the mountains, the temperature, the conifers, the lake, and of course, all the chocolate! There are chocolate shops everywhere, even in the most unlikely places. We wouldn’t have been surprised to see a chocolate river flowing through the town or Willy Wonka strolling down the street.

Only a few years ago, chocolate was not that common in India. The climate makes it difficult to produce and store. Currently, however, India is the 17th biggest producer of cacao beans in the world with a market currently valued at around US$203 million. The sudden change is caused by greater demand from both domestic and international markets. There are around 400 chocolate shops in Kodaikanal. One of them is called Arrahman Kurinji Spices. We went there to learn the mystery behind the delicious chocolate. B. Akkim (30) opened the shop eight years ago. ”I used to work in

a bicycle rental store, but the business was not going smoothly, so I decided to change to the chocolate business. A friend of mine taught me how to make chocolate,” he tells us while preparing the next bowl of chocolate. At first, he explained how the chocolate machine worked. All the homemade chocolate makers use a similar machine but the size of the machines vary. The machine contains two bowls. The big one contains hot water, and the chocolate is put into the smaller bowl. The steam from the hot water in the big bowl will melt the chocolate mass. ”With this machine, I can make

Madurai Messenger Cottage Industry March 2012

Imtiaz of Farook Store

“Intoxicated by chocolate fumes, we waited for 20 minutes before he poured the molten mass into a big flat form, and gave us a little sample of the warm melted chocolate to taste. The thick warm, creamy cocoa was amazing”

three kilograms at the same time,” he explains, while measuring the ingredients. “For three kilograms, I need 200 grams of ghee, dark or milk compound from the Cadbury Company, and 150 grams of cocoa powder or paste for more taste,” said Akkim. After putting the ingredients in the bowl, we heated the mass up to 60C. According to Akkim, “It should be kept at this temperature for 20 minutes to prevent the chocolate from reducing in taste.” Intoxicated by chocolate fumes, we waited for 20 minutes before he poured the molten mass into a big flat form, and gave us a little sample of the warm melted chocolate to taste. The thick warm, creamy cocoa was amazing. Then, it was time to add the flavors. We

chose cashews, butterscotch, raceme and cornflakes. It took 30 minutes before the chocolate was hard and ready for consumption. As we took the first bite, the chocolate began to melt on our tongues. It was a taste explosion: All the flavors fused together. It was intense, creamy, sweet and crunchy. We were so engrossed, we didn’t know where we stopped and the chocolate began. With so many chocolate shops in Kodaikanal, the business is competitive. Another chocolate shop is the Farook Store. Here, we met Imtiaz (23), an employee and member of the family who own the store. “Our family started making chocolate here about seven

years ago. In Kodaikanal, it started maybe ten years ago. Before then, we ran a grocery store for five generations,” Imtiaz said. His uncle taught him how to make chocolate, a skill his uncle had learnt from a Dutch woman who lived in Kerala. Depending on the season, they make varying amounts of chocolate at varying frequencies. For example, in the tourist season from April to June, the shop sells up to 40 kilograms a day, so they need to make chocolate everyday. When it is off-season, they may only make chocolates every tenth day. The cooler climate of Kodaikanal makes it possible to make chocolate, but Imitaz also confessed that their chocolate is not 100 percent home made. “We buy the cacao mass from Cadbury, Nestlé or Morde,” he told us. The cacao bean grows only in warm weather and is therefore most common in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is processed by big companies, who then sell the cacao mass to small shops in places such as Kodaikanal and Ooty. At the moment, Cadbury is estimated to have a market share of around 70

percent of India’s chocolate, but Imitaz believes that his chocolate is better. “We don’t use any chemicals. The big companies have to use chemicals to make different shapes, but we don’t. The taste is better and it is cheaper.” The shop makes 35-40 different types of chocolates and not only sells them to locals and tourists, but also to regular customers all over India. The most popular varieties are almond and cashew chocolates, but when we asked Imitaz what his favourite kind was, his answer was: “I never get tired of chocolate and I like all of them. Many people are crazy about chocolate and I am one of them!” We left the chocolate mountain with a feeling of confectionary satisfaction. We are both convinced that Kodaikanal is a great example of successful chocolate production in India, and a place where the people have found and developed the perfect taste of chocolate. In many ways, Kodaikanal is like a box of chocolates: Full of different shops offering different tastes. Try one, you just never know what you’re going to get!

Volunteer Morten trying his hand on preparing chocolate

“I never get tired of chocolate and I like all of them. Many people are crazy about chocolate and I am one of them!” Chocolate’s ready!

Madurai Messenger Culture March 2012

Meena,

“Madurai Meena represents everything a girl from Madurai is about. She is a joyful, bubbly ten-year-old girl, who likes traditional things. She loves dressing up and wearing Jasmine in her hair”

the Mascot of Madurai Madurai has a new cultural mascot: the Meena Doll! Destined for a life of international travel and cultural exchange, this doll will help spread the magic of Madurai around the world. Anne Punt gets inspired by this bright idea and meets Madurai-based graphic designer Gaurie Gupta, the creator of Meena and the concept of a travelling doll By Anne Punt The Netherlands

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he story of the travelling wooden doll from Madurai captured my imagination. In my mind, I pictured a cute doll going from one home to another around the world, creating awareness about Madurai’s colorful inheritance. The picture showed a Madurai girl I’ve seen so many times: beautiful eyes, a sweet smile, braids, jasmine in her hair, the Pattu Pavadai (silk skirt), and slippers. Even though I’ve been here for only a month, I could immediately see why this girl would be Madurai’s mascot. Launched at the 2012 Madurai Vizha festival in March, the Meena doll is a new mascot for Madurai. At Gaurie Gupta’s tastefully decorated home, I instantly spotted a couple of Meena dolls lying on the table. While I admired the bright-coloured doll, 24-year-old Gaurie Gupta told us more about her. “Madurai Meena represents everything a girl from Madurai is about. She is a joyful, bubbly ten-year-old girl, who likes traditional things. She loves dressing up and wearing Jasmine in her hair. She loves eating Kadalai Mittai (peanut candy), which is a South Indian sweet. Although her parents are raising her as a typical Madurai girl, they also encourage her to know more about the world and its different cultures,” Gaurie says. A Madurai girl herself, Gaurie came up with the idea for this project after studying Graphic Design in Singapore

Gaurie Gupta, the young creative mind

Meena, the cute mascot

and Advertising in England. While away from home, she always kept fond memories of Madurai’s deep culture alive in her heart. Gaurie explains, “Madurai is a unique city. While other big cities in India are getting faster and more commercialised, Madurai still has that laid back feeling. People really do things from their heart,” Gaurie also has a great love for travelling and receiving postcards. When she had the idea of promoting the culture and tourism of Madurai, she decided to mix all her experiences and interests together and started this project with the help of her very supportive parents. “For people to really remember a city, there has to be something that touches the heart,” Gaurie says. Because Meena is going to be a travelling doll, she can touch hearts all over the world. Gaurie now has 20 dolls that she will to send to people all over the world, starting with one sent to her friend in London. The hosts of the doll then take it to wellknown or special landmarks and take a photograph with the doll. The pictures are uploaded to the website and the doll gets sent on to a new country, host and landmark, like a chain. Whether the doll ever gets back to Madurai isn’t important to Gaurie, because she will always be able to follow it through the photographs. That is what I believe to be the most interesting aspect of this travelling doll. Not only that people all over the world will get to know the traditions of Madurai by reading the guide that comes along with the doll, but because the people of Madurai also get to see

the most beautiful places in the world through the adventures of their Mascot. Hopefully it will work both ways: to attract people from all over the world to come to Madurai, and to motivate Madurai natives to travel to other parts of the world. Does the story of Meena resemble her own story? “I believe Meena has a little bit of all our stories in her. We can all relate to the Jasmine flowers and the Pattu Pavadai,” says Gauri with a smile. I soon found out that this is also one of the reasons for the project. More and more young girls are starting to wear jeans instead of the Pattu Pavadai. Some parts of the culture are beginning to slowly disappear. It is therefore important for the younger generation to keep in touch with traditions and take pride in them. Gaurie says she is, “Making it cool again!” Inspired by the diversity of this project, I ask about its future. Gaurie told me that she would like to bring social media into the project and is going to launch a Facebook-page and blog for Meena, so that the doll is even more accessible to young people. It will allow the hosts to write and share stories about the doll. “I want her to have visited over a hundred countries!” Eventually she wants the doll to have travelled to every county in the world,” says Gaurie, as she charts a five-year plan for Meena. Gaurie is also thinking about writing a book. Although she has no experience in writing, she would love to write children’s books about the rich history

and stories of Madurai, with Meena as a main character. After getting a lot of positive feedback from people in Madurai, she realised that a lot of shopkeepers here were also interested in selling Meena as a souvenir. She is thinking about making more souvenirs in the style of the Meena doll (but maybe in a soft fabric in stead of wood). She may even come up with a little family for Meena. “Quite a few countries have mascots to represent their culture and habits. Take Barbie from the US for example, and the Matrushka for Russia. India doesn’t have such a character. I hope to take Meena abroad, not only as a representative for Madurai, but for the whole of India. I want to excite people about India’s great culture through the cute little Meena!” Gaurie says enthusiastically. To follow the Meena doll’s adventures around the world, visit www.maduraitourism.info, where there is an exclusive page for Madurai Meena.

Madurai Messenger Culture Kitchen March 2012

Delizioso! The first in a series of culinary features where our volunteers cook up a storm in the Projects Abroad kitchen and share cuisine from their home countries. This month, Vanessa Allegri, from Italy, prepares a couple of traditional Italian dishes and quickly learns the art of compromise when it comes to ingredients By Vanessa Allegri Italy Busy shopping- Volunteer Vanessa in Shoppers Shop, Madurai

Yummy Pasta

pork cold cuts. We have a gastronomic heritage scattered in many villages of the province such as Zibello’s Culatello, Felino’s Salame, San Secondo’s Spalla cotta (cooked shoulder ham). The icing on the cake for me, however, is that my father is a butcher and I grew up eating beef tenderloin and pork chops. This leaves me feeling initially lost. I am unable to find the right ingredients, an essential component in every Italian dish. After the first substantial skimming of recipes, I make my final choice: Bruschette and Pasta all’Amatriciana. Bruschetta is a starter with a peasant origin and I usually cook it with my parents on Sunday. It is mostly prepared using only tomato and a good quality Extra Virgin Olive oil. Bruschetta is very popular in Tuscany, where it is called Fettunta, which means “greasy slice” because they use Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive oil on the toasted Tuscan bread. The main course is a traditional Roman recipe now widely known and appreciated throughout Italy, including in my family, the Allegri family. The name ‘Amatriciana’ comes from Amatrice, a small village near Rome. Normally, the main ingredients are Guanciale (pork cheek), Roman Pecorino cheese (made with sheep milk) and tomato. Amatriciana sauce is often served with Bucatini, a thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the centre. The name comes from Italian buco, meaning “hole”, while bucato means “pierced.”

Now that the menu is fixed, we have nothing more to do than chase the ingredients and start cooking. Nadia Chellam from Projects Abroad picks us up at 11.30a.m. Today, she will be my ‘Virgil’, the one who will assist me on this one- day Odyssey for the missing ingredients.

First stage: Spencer’s Daily Supermarket It takes me a while to get going. I look around and turn on my own personal food detector. I can pin point only one item: Tomato sauce. I make my first purchase but I’m a little disappointed because I can’t find anything else.

Second stage: Shoppers Shop “

hich Italian words do you know?” If you ask this question to any Westerner, he or she will probably answer pasta, cappuccino, pizza, pesto and so on. Italy is world-famous because of its food. So, having agreed to do an Italian cooking workshop for the others volunteers, I feel a huge sense of responsibility. On one hand, I am happy because I have the opportunity to spread Italian cuisine, bust a few myths and try to convey to people from all around the world how Italians eat and cook food. On the other hand, I am concerned: I wanted to make a good impression but I have a limited range of available ingredients. Let the challenge begin!

I start to think about my favourite Italian recipes: too difficult! I need something easy to explain and to prepare. The dishes that my mum used to cook pass through my mind. They follow one after another on an imaginary conveyor belt and I decide which ones to keep and which to discard. Without hesitation, I cross out most Parmesan courses because they contain meat. I am, of course, in Southern India, a place where many are vegetarian! In Parma, the Northern Italian city where I’m from, food production is a large and well-known industry, namely Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Parma raw ham and many other

15 that no genuine Italian chef will ever discover that I have committed such an offense!

Third and final stage: Reliance Fresh Here, we finally buy vegetables: tomatoes, onions, garlic and processed cheese slices that look like pressed, yellow, plastic squares. Cheese is one of the main ingredients in Parmesan recipes and an Italian cooking tenet, because of its power in imparting a unique and unmistakable taste. We return with pride to our base, the Journalism Office. It took only one and a half hours to find everything I needed. I prepare myself for my performance: I search on the Internet for some culinary terms that might be useful and mentally review all the steps for the preparation of my recipes. I’m ready!

I’m sure that here I will meet my match or, as the Italian saying goes, “troverò pane per i miei denti” (I will find a bread suitable for my teeth). And so it is. I buy a small bottle of extra virgin olive oil, Barilla’s Pasta (which is produced in Parma), anchovies, oregano leaves and a loaf of Indian sandwich bread. Disappointingly, I can’t find the traditional saltless Tuscan bread with a thick and crispy crust, prepared only with first quality yeast, flour and water.

We arrive at the Projects Abroad Office and go upstairs to the kitchen on the terrace. There is a bit of embarrassment and shyness from all. Nadia Chellam, my guardian angel, reappears and helps me find the pots, cutting boards, knives, bowls and all kitchen utensils. I put on a red and white checked apron,that resembles classic tablecloths found in Italian restaurants across the world, and begin to pull vegetables out of my magic shopping bag. No rabbits, no doves. We are in India, remember?

As I feared, there isn’t something even vaguely resembling Guanciale or, more simply, bacon, and grated fake Parmesan cheese is too expensive. I decide then and there it’s going to be a vegetarian reinterpretation of Pasta Amatriciana. I hope

Anne Punt, the Dutch volunteer who lives with me, is the first one to offer to help. She will help me in toasting bread for Bruschetta, while Leonie Rodenbuecher and Kathie Irrgang, both from Germany, cut tomatoes and anchovies into small

Madurai Messenger Culture Kitchen March 2012

pieces. Even Nicolas Brangi, my French ‘rival’, wants to lend a hand. His role could only be as the ‘pasta guy’.

Projects Abroad volunteers assisting

Gradually, everybody makes their own contribution: David Wilkens from Germany rehearses to cut an onion for the first time; Dutch volunteer Marcel de Korte, rubs garlic on the bread; and Ariane Lecuyer, my French friend, evenly distributes the final mixture on the toasted slices of bread. Silence falls. I peer at my fellow volunteers. Their facial expressions are approving. I look forward to feedback. Meanwhile, the Bruschette continues to disappear from the plate. I think it’s a good sign!

I manage to drain the pasta just in time, as it was about to be overcooked. According to the Indian cook, it wasn’t ready yet. Italian pasta has to be al dente, that’s a fact! Finally, I add the vegetarian Amatriciana sauce, stir, serve and… Buon appetito!

Garrlic is rubbed on bread to make the Bruschetta

Bruschetta is ready!

Bruschetta and Pasta all’Amatricana Bruschetta is made up of very simple flavors, and is therefore best if you make it using good quality fresh ingredients. Ingredients: Fresh tomatoes (I prefer the big round ones, not too ripe) Garlic 1 bunch fresh Basil 1 bunch fresh (or dried) Oregano leaves 1 tin can anchovies 1 Mozzarella Extra Virgin Olive Oil sea salt and fresh ground pepper Italian Tuscan saltless bread Preparation: Cut thick slices of Tuscan bread and toast them in the oven or the toaster. Rub the garlic on one side of the crusty slices.Dice the tomatoes as small as you can. Do the same with Mozzarella and anchovies, add fresh basil and oregano, and mix together. Pile as much of the bruschetta as possible onto the freshly

toasted bread, and put again into the oven until the cheese begins to melt. Finally, drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, add salt and pepper to taste and serve! Source: www.instructables.com

Pasta all’Amatriciana This typically Roman pasta dish was traditionally made with guanciale, but since that ingredient is hard to find outside of Italy, pancetta has become a common substitute. While you can still make a great Amatriciana with pancetta, if you are able to find guanciale, you should try it! Made from cured pork jowl, guanciale is softer and has a higher ratio of fat than pancetta, resulting in a richer sauce. Ingredients: Olive oil Pancetta or Guanciale, chopped 1 small yellow onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes Italian tomatoes salt to taste 1 pound of Bucatini pasta 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Preparation: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta or guanciale, stirring often, until goldenbrown, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until garlic is golden, about 1 minute longer. Crush tomatoes and add with juices to the pan. Add salt and pepper and a little water. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes. Then remove garlic cloves. While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 2 pinches of sea salt and the Bucatini. Cook uncovered over high heat until al dente. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce with 1/4 cup of the Pecorino Romano, and toss well. Serve immediately, with the remaining Pecorino Romano on the side. Enjoy the Italian taste! Source: www.italianchef.com

Madurai Messenger Identity March 2012

Moustache Musings

Victim no. 1 Name: Manimaran Age: 37 Profession: Rickshaw driver Moustache status: Slim black moustache. Short beard Moustache age: 17 years.

Why do you have a moustache? It is my hobby.

What does it mean to you?

The moustache is the grooming signature of Indian men and the essence of their masculinity. Morten Levinsky and Nicolas Brangi, who themselves struggle to grow facial hair, take to the streets of Madurai in search of the most beautiful moustache and meet a host of interesting characters along the way

It represents men. It shows that I am a man.

Why is it so common in India?

It shows the difference between men and women. (It must be hard to see the difference in other ways of course!)

Is it important in your everyday life?

For a few people, it shows their strength and for others, it shows beauty. It gives them confidence. If I go to some important meetings or events, I take off my beard and only keep the moustache.

Could you imagine a life without a moustache? Yes, I can. It is possible.

What do women think about his moustache?

Text by Morten Levinsky Thorsboe, Denmark

When a boy turns 17 or 18 years of age, automatically a beard will come and the women really like it, especially a moustache.

Photographs by Nicolas Brangi, France

Victim no. 2 Name: Ganeshan Age: 55 Profession: Business Moustache status: Great big grey moustache which continues down the cheek Moustache age: 8 years

Why do you have a moustache?

The main reason is to hide a scar that I have on my cheek.

Is it important in your everyday life? No. It is only to hide the scar.

Could you imagine a life without it? It would be very different and no one would be able to recognise me. My nickname is ‘moustache man’.

What do women think about it?

As I said, women call me ‘the moustache man.’ So yes, they like my moustache.

Victim no. 3 Name: Kamaraj Age: 30 Profession: Priest Moustache status: Big black moustache and beard. Moustache age: Nearly 12 years.

Why do you have a moustache?

ost Indian men sport a moustache. Throughout history, the moustache, or the ‘mo’ as it commonly referred to in the West, has featured on the faces of memorable actors, sportsmen and political leaders. Today in the West, it is becoming fashionable again. There are world championships and festivals dedicated to the moustache. The ‘mo’ is even used in a popular and highly successful awareness campaign for men’s cancer every November called ‘Movember’, which involves men

growing moustaches for a whole month to raise awareness and money for medical research. The rest of the world, however, is far behind India when it comes to the moustache tradition. Moustaches come in many sizes, shapes and colours. Some are short, some are long, some are bushy, some are neat, and some are even curly. Co-volunteer and photographer, Nicolas Brangi, and I went out on the streets of Madurai on a mission to find different styles, find out what’s in fashion, and to find the best,

and the most beautiful and masculine moustache of them all. The search for the perfect moustache had begun. Currently attempting to grow our own beards, we started our epic adventure on a warm afternoon in a dirty rickshaw, armed with only a voice recorder, excellent questions, a camera and most importantly, our sharp eyes to spot unusual and beautiful moustaches. It all started in Pasumalai where we spotted our first victim…

I have grown this beard because it helps me concentrate. I work in a temple, so I don’t want my mind to wander. I just want to concentrate on God. It helps me mentally. The beard and the brain are connected, so when I rub my beard it helps me focus.

Is it important for your everyday life? It is very important in my life, but also in each and every man’s life, because it has some scientific effects. Take you, for example when you are recording and interviewing, all your attention will be on this interview and nowhere else… because you have a beard. This is the reason it is so important.

Could you imagine a life without it? In my opinion, each and every man must have a moustache to have control of his life.

What do women think of it? 80 percent of the women like the moustache and beard. They are very fond of it.

Madurai Messenger Identity March 2012

Our Mission Grows… Victim no. 4 Name: R. Thangamaryappan Age: 50 Profession: Shopkeeper Moustache status: Curling grey moustache Moustache age: 10 years

Why do you have a moustache?

I come from the very south of Tamil Nadu and there it is our culture to have a moustache.

What does it mean to you?

It represents my manhood and it is a part of my identity. People don’t call me by my name, they call me ‘moustache man.’

Is it important in your everyday life?

After the first six interviews we wanted to go even deeper into the hairy affair, so we took the rickshaw to the outskirts of Madurai to find our next victim.

Victim no. 7 Name: Raja Age: 54 Profession: Shop employee Moustache status: Grey moustache which continues down the cheeks. No beard. Moustache age: 30 years.

Why do you have a moustache?

It is my style. My father had this kind of moustache too so I was inspired by him.

Yes, because it has become a habit.

Is it important in your everyday life?

Could you imagine a life without it?

It is not very important, but it shows my personality.

I have a photograph of me without a moustache and beard. You wouldn’t be able to recognise me.

Could you imagine a life without it? I have never thought of that!

At first, women were very scared of my moustache, but now they are used to it.

One of the kings who once ruled in Tamil Nadu had this kind of moustache, so women think it is good to have.

What do women think of it?

Victim no. 8 Victim no. 5 Name: Chellam Age: 70 Profession: Worker Moustache status: Grey handlebar moustache Moustache age: 30 years 20

Why do you have a moustache?

Name: Abdul Jabas Age: 68 Profession: Shop owner Moustache status: Classic Imam beard and moustache. White Moustache age: 35 years

Why do you have a moustache? As a man you must have a moustache.

I really like it.

Why do you have this special moustache?

It doesn’t mean anything symbolic. It just shows that I am a man and makes me different from others.

Is it important in your everyday life?

What does it mean to you? Could you imagine a life without it? It would be very awkward. No beauty.

What do women think of it?

I don’t think they think anything special, because it is so common.

Scientifically, the beard gives confidence and if you have a beard, your throat will never be dry. It gives a steady heartbeat and the brain functions better. I am a Muslim and in my religion, we need to have this beard.

Could you imagine a life without it? I would feel very shy if I removed it.

What do women think of it? They are afraid of it because it’s very long. They feel like it attacks them.

Victim no. 6 Name: K. Sagadeyan Age: 51 Profession: Construction Moustache status: Medium size grey moustache Moustache age: 26 years

Why do you have a moustache? It represents the man.

What does it mean to you? It gives me strength and confidence.... and it makes me look handsome.

Is it important in your everyday life?

It is very important for my everyday life and if it’s not there, I am missing something. It makes me feel happy.

Could you imagine a life without it?

No. I am very happy with my moustache and I don’t want to lose this happiness.

What do women think of it?

Some women get very happy when they see it, but some may criticises me, because at my age, it is common to grow a big moustache. But many admire it.

Victim no. 9 Name: Nagaraj Age: 50 Profession: Security Moustache status: Great grey bushy moustache. No beard Moustache age: 20 years

Why do you have a moustache? Because it gives me confidence.

Is it important in your everyday life? It is very important to my everyday life.

Why is it so common in India?

It is very important in India because of the culture and the tradition.

Is it important for your job?

When you work in security, it is very important because people get scared if you have a big moustache. It shows respect.

What do women think of it?

Women like them. They are mad about them. Some even fall in love because of them.

Could you imagine a life without it? No, because it is important for my beauty.

Madurai Messenger Identity March 2012

Hairy Dreams After a lot of exciting interviews with loads of hair, we decided to ask the younger generation what they think about moustaches and which kind of moustache the dream to have.

Victim no. 10 Name: Riyas. Age: 21 Profession: Student Moustache status: Small black moustache. No beard Moustache age: 6 months

Why do you have a moustache? It is the fashion today.

What is your dream moustache? A moustache that continues down the cheeks.

Is it important in your everyday life? The most important thing for a man is to have a moustache. It makes me look handsome.

Could you imagine a life without it? Yes, it is not a problem.

Musical Madurai

In India, music beats in the hearts of all people. Curious about the tastes of Madurai residents, Mike Trevelyan from England and Kim Clarys from Belgium embark on a musical exploration to discover a local culture still firmly gripped by tradition and the ever popular songs from Kollywood films

By Mike Trevelyan, England Kim Clarys, Belgium

What do women think of it? This is a question for ladies.

Victim no. 11

Name: Ashwin Kumar Age: 20 Profession: Student Moustache status: No moustache! No beard! Moustache age: 0

Why do you not have a moustache? Because it doesn’t look good.

What is your dream moustache? A French beard. When I finish my education I will grow one.

Is it weird for you in your everyday life to not have a moustache? No, not really.

Could you imagine never growing a moustache? Yes I think I can.

What do women think about that you don’t have a moustache? Some people like it and some don’t.

Volunteer Kim Clarys visits Keestu Ganam - A music store in Madurai

In the Eye of the Beholder After our research and bumpy rickshaw ride around the streets of Madurai, I must admit that we did not manage to find the best, most beautiful moustache. All the different styles and fashions are overwhelming and we can’t possibly be the judges of what looks the best. The adventure has been great and the many beards and moustaches still whirl around in our minds. Although we didn’t achieve our goal, as two men who can’t grow a bushy moustache, this has been a brilliant experience. No doubt the most common moustache in Madurai is the small traditional black one, but there are several variations. Even though we have given up hope of ever finding the most beautiful moustache in Madurai, we suspect the men here will proudly continue with their grooming. Beauty is after all, in the eye of the beholder. Surely every man in Madurai has a beautiful moustache!

usic is the soul of a culture. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you are doing, if you hear the compositions of your birth place or home country, you feel connected. Music has great power. It can take you back to the past, and bring you closer to your friends and family. In India, it is no different. But what sets India apart from other cultures is the

way in which traditional music remains hugely popular with people of all ages and of course, the way its film and music industries are intrinsically linked. Located near the Peraiyur bus stand, Keestu Ganam is one of the busiest music stores in the city. The store is owned by Aini Thulasiram (48) and Angi Ganesh Babu (45). At a first

glance around the store, we notice the presence of film soundtracks. Film DVDs and soundtracks appear to be the main source of revenue for music stores across Tamil Nadu and especially in Madurai. We asked Nagaraj (28) a shop assistant working in the store to give us his insights.

Madurai Messenger Trends March 2012

“Madurai listeners especially love the radio in the morning while starting their day”

Harris Jayaraj, the popular film composer

Madurai residents. Looking at the Indian music charts, it is quite clear that film music tops the charts, overpowering Western music immensely. After asking many students and shoppers, we found out that the main reason for this is that they just don’t know anything about Western music.

“Melody music is popular in Madurai, but the ultimate choice for the people is music from films. Many film stars produce the songs that we sell and after watching the films, the people of Madurai are encouraged to buy the songs through advertisements,” Nagaraj explained. There are numerous successful Tamil composers. Ilaiyaraaja, for example, has been composing music in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi since the 1970s. Harris Jayaraj is famous for Kollywood films such as Ko (2011) and Engeyum Kaadhal (2010). Many Westerners will know A.R. Rahman, whose score for Slumdog Millionaire (2008) won two Academy Awards. Sharing the limelight with these contemporary composers, are devotional songs and music from older films. A local shopper in the store told us that devotional songs and old songs from the 1960s and 1970s are popular.

“Music from historical films such as Ramayana and Mahabartham, in my opinion, help symbolise historical Indian culture. My friends and I prefer the older songs than those that have been produced more recently. But music is welcome to the ears of all ages and families throughout the city,” said Ranjith (46). Many parents prefer their children to listen to classical music such as devotional songs. This forms a good base for their general musical education. Carnatic and Hindustani music allows them to feel closer to God. Some believe that Carnatic music is especially good during pregnancy because it helps soothe baby and mother. There is also a big following of Western Classical operatic and classical composers such as Beethoven and Bach. Exploring further avenues, we wanted to know what effect, if any, Western culture has on the musical tastes of

Indians who have travelled abroad may come back with some Western tastes. Bharatanatyam dancer and music buff Archana Sundararajan (26), for example, has travelled through the West and listens to R&B (Rhythm and Blues) artists such as Mike Posner and Usher. She explains that most people in Indian aren’t exposed to Western music. “You can’t be open to different kinds of music if you can’t reach it,” Archana said. The television music channel MTV, for example, a medium that broadcasts Western music throughout the world, isn’t available here. Those who do listen to Western music access it via the Internet but even then, they don’t listen to it as often as Indian music. A significant reason for this is that they don’t understand the English lyrics. Lyrics, we are told, are very important to the people in Madurai. “The lyrics are one of the main reasons to devote oneself to certain types of songs. If you can’t comprehend a song’s lyrics, you miss the story and the poetry behind it, something that is usually the essence of the music,” Sudha (23) said. People of all ages are passionate about lyrics. Older people listen to the words of devotional songs because it helps them feel closer to God. The younger people love the lines because it expresses their emotions. For example,

Royal Music Stores: Synonymous with its name

“People of all ages are passionate about lyrics. Older people listen to the words of devotional songs because it helps them feel closer to God. The younger people love the lines because it expresses their emotions”

‘Why this kolaveri di?’ a song sung by Tamil actor Dhanush with the help of Music Director Anirudh, received international acclaim because of its lyrics. This proves how important words are all around the world. When we questioned the connection between music and culture, we discovered a strong link and an expression of values. But that’s not the only reason why the people in Madurai listen to songs.

but loves sharing music that provokes different emotions with her friends.

Samuel (20) is a student who claims he always listens to music. The entertainment factor is most important for him. Riyas (21), also a student, on the other hand, listens to music because it eases his mind when he’s sad. Archana also uses music when she feels down,

What was most interesting to us was the absence of concerts and nightclubs in Madurai, places often frequented by people in the West. Instead, the people of Madurai listen to music on their own, with their CD or MP3 players, or Youtube. Their focus is getting in touch

Another way of getting in touch with music in Madurai is listening to the local radio. There are several stations active in the city, for instance Suriyan FM, Radio Mirchi, Hello FM, Kodai FM, and All India Radio. Madurai listeners especially love the radio in the morning while starting their day.

with the lyrics and the morals that the songs represent. Following the charts is also something that the youngsters in Madurai don’t do. It’s too difficult to make a decent Top 10 or Top 50, because there is just so much popular music available. Radio Mirchi has a different concept called ‘The golden song of the hour,’ in which every 60 minutes the most popular song of the moment gets selected and played. From old artistes, old films and classical music to modern Kollywood hits, music is definitely a strong part of the culture in Madurai. Music is important to people all over the world, and especially here in Madurai. Workers download music on to their cell phones, travellers listen to the radio, bands play at weddings and even in corporate offices you will hear the beat of a song. Music is in every part of life. We get the feeling that it would be difficult to find a single person in Madurai who does not listen to music. It most definitely beats in their hearts.

Madurai Messenger Experience March 2012

Discovering

Bharatanatyam

A group of six women journalism volunteers from Projects Abroad attend a Bharatanatyam class to discover the poetry of their own bodies and the blurring and erasing of national identities as they celebrate the spirit of harmony through movement! By Leonie Rodenbuecher Germany

Shailaja Mahadevan, the dance teacher

Our Volunteers, the budding dancers

“… as she began to dance, her shyness seemed to float away and a big smile appeared on her face. She danced with her mum and together they taught us how to move our hands and feet”

dancing are generally more Bollywood oriented! I was, however, pleasantly surprised as I took to the floor,” said Sub Editor of Madurai Messenger, Ingelise Jones, from Australia.

usic is everywhere in India. The streets are full of melody: from speakers on the street, to mantras in the temples, and rickshaws playing Kollywood music. Children love to emulate dance numbers from the movies, and even as a foreigner, it’s almost impossible to miss the latest Kollywood hits. What is more difficult to learn as an outsider are the classical Indian dances.

Only a small portion of the population masters the art of classical Indian dance, most probably because it needs a lot of time and work to internalise the various expressions.

kindly invited us to her house, for an experience of Bharatanatyam. All the girls from our office wanted to try this traditional dance that dates back more than 2000 years.

After interviewing local dance teacher Shailaja Mahadevan (39) for the February issue of Madurai Messenger, I was very excited to learn some basic steps in a special dance class. She

“I must admit, at first I thought this classical style wouldn’t be as energetic as I would normally enjoy, and I certainly didn’t see myself being the next T. Balasaraswati. My dreams of Indian

to be a lot more personal than I had expected,” said Anne.

Similarly, Ariane Lecuyer, a volunteer from France, found that Bharatanatyam wasn’t how she expected it to be. “To be honest, before this afternoon I didn’t know anything about traditional Indian dance, so it was a total discovery for me and thus a big surprise to see how difficult it was to coordinate all the positions as fast as she did,” she said.

“We learnt a surprising amount in the one hour we spent together with Shailaja and her daughter Sri Hamshini. They both shared their passion and joy of dance, as well as a lot of information on the cultural heritage of the tradition. The time flew and we are now looking forward to another lesson. Perhaps one of us will be fortunate to learn to move with the same graceful flowing movements as Shailaja does,” Anne continued.

Anne Punt from the Netherlands was also not sure what to expect. “I imagined a teacher in front of a group of students in colorful clothes, dancing to traditional music in a gym. Or at least, that’s what dance classes look like in my home country. It turned out

“When we started to do our exercises, Shailaja Mahadevan showed us movements and fragments of dances. She motivated her daughter to dance along with her. At first she didn’t want to, and I almost started to feel sorry for her. But as she began to dance, her

shyness seemed to float away and a big smile appeared on her face. She danced with her mum and together they taught us how to move our hands and feet.” Anne Punt (22), The Netherlands Ariane Lecuyer said,“For me, the most impressive part of Bharatanatyam is its meaningful movements. I realise that it’s not just a dance. It’s maybe more a mix between dance, drama and Hindu mythology. Each movement, each finger position and each facial expression has a meaning. Put it together and you create a story. For example, she took maybe more than 20 minutes to show us several different hand positions and their meanings. All are imbued with grace. Some are quite easy to remember and to do, but some others need a ‘finger’s elasticity’.” “She said to us: “Eyes follow hands, and mind follows eyes.” She explained to us that each part of our body involved in Bharatanatyam, starts from our mind and thus resulting in perfect coordination between our minds and our movement, something which gives a spiritual dimension to this dance.”

Madurai Messenger Experience March 2012

Our volunteers practice the mudras

Like mother, like daughter, Sri Hamshini dances with Ariane Lecuyer

“Shailaja’s enthusiasm was infectious, so it was a joy to listen to her sprout knowledge in bursts of energy almost as engrossing as her dance moves. But what captivated me the most was the mythology of the Hindu deity Shiva Nataraja, the ‘dancing’ Shiva”

Madurai Messsenger’s Sub Editor, Ingelise Jones, the graceful dancer

“While I was dancing, I felt a wonderful inner peace and I couldn’t stop thinking about how stupid wars and fighting are. Here I was, with women from all over the world, and we were dancing together… in a sweet harmony!” Ariane Lecuyer (20), France “Immediately, I felt the synergy between Bharatanatyam and yoga with its controlled and stretching postures. As I tried to emulate Shailaja’s steps and accompanying hand gestures, I also began to see the imagery we were creating with our bodies, and understand that every graceful move has a meaning,” said Ingelise. “Shailaja’s enthusiasm was infectious, so it was a joy to listen to her sprout knowledge in bursts of energy almost as engrossing as her dance moves. But what captivated me the most was the mythology of the Hindu deity Shiva, Nataraja, the ‘dancing Shiva’. Right then and there, I decided to adopt Nataraja

as ‘my god’. And so, the next day I bought my very own Nataraja idol for my bedside table and a wall hanging to take pride and place above my bed. I’m now determined to learn more about ‘my god’ and may even have to take some Bharatanatyam classes!”

Ingelise Jones (34), Australia “What I most liked about our Bharatanatyam class were the final dances we did with the teacher and her nine-year-old daughter. We formed a circle and started to spin around, and clap our hands. We were beginners and so we were quite shaky to begin with but we all had smiles on our faces throughout. It was a very magical way of sharing different cultures.”

Thank you to Shailaja and Sri Hamshini for their time and energy. As women of various nationalities, we all enjoyed coming together to share in the magic of this ancient Indian art form. Our taste of Bharatanatyam was certainly memomorable and it has left such a lasting impression that many of us are now eager to to have more lessons!

Madurai Messenger Village Voices March 2012

Volunteer David WIlkens with Journalism Coordinator Venkatesh

Pillayarpatti

In Ganesha Land This month, our volunteers visited the charming village of Pillayarpatti. Most famous for its Karpaka Vinayaka temple and the annual Ganesh Chathurthi festival, this small village relies on tourism By David Wilkens Germany

Detailed view of Pillayarpatti

Sethu Ambalam, the priest of the village

It wasn’t until about 15 years ago, when the temple was renovated that they started focusing on tourism. The expensive temple renovation soon brought tourists from all over the world to the village.The locals realised the potential, shops began to open and tourism flourished. Now, wherever you go you see tourists taking photos, talking to locals and laughing and sitting in the shadows of the trees near the big pond. Shopkeepers who seem to be everywhere sell a wide range of interesting things: little wooden statues representing several gods, colourful pictures, metallic rings, beautiful scarves or just refreshing beverages. On one hand, the main attraction is the ancient Karpaka Vinayaka temple. It is quite magnificent because it is cut out of a single huge hill rock and surrounded by countless palm trees and an enormous pond lies in front of the main entrance. This temple is devoted to Lord Ganesh, or Pillayar in Tamil, symbolising the power of wisdom. The statue of Ganesh, an elephant with two arms, is over 11 feet tall, and dates back to the fourth century AD.

e arrived in Pillayarpatti at midday. We stepped out of the air-conditioned car to face the hot sun. Eager to find out what would be special about this village, we looked for people to interview. The lack of noise was confusing at first: No rickshaws; barely any cars. Just beautiful, relaxing silence. We were surprised by the lack of people. There were only a few locals wandering around, trying to protect themselves from the sun. Thanks to the midday heat, we learned quite quickly why it was not wise to carelessly wander around at this time of the day. We began to leer with thirst at all the beverages for sale in street side shops!

Place It takes about one and a half hours to travel by car from Madurai to Pillayarpatti. A small and sleepy village, it is centered around one of the most famous and important temples in Tamil Nadu: the Karpaka Vinayaka Temple. Pillayarapatti is situated between Pudukkottai and Karaikudi, and the nearest airport is Tiruchirappalli. (70 kms from Madurai).

People Around 600 people live here, with men and woman equally divided. Some still work as farmers but the main business in the village is tourism. When you enter the village, you have a good view of the

temple and you will notice countless tourist shops, lining the streets.Only very young children in Pillayarpatti attend school because after the age of 12, they have to go to nearby towns and cities to continue their secondary and university education.

Production & Labour Over the past two decades, agriculture has been slowly but steadily reduced. Farmers used to grow typical crops like rice or wheat, but as time progressed, it became less and less valuable and profitable. The people of Pillayrapatti wanted to cling to their agricultural tradition but had to search for alternative ways to make a living.

About ten priests work here together with many villagers who are in charge of the temple. The temple is also well known for its apprenticeship of young priests. Each day young priests come from the nearby training centre, which is home to 200-300 priests, to receive training and finish their schooling.

in the village. People come to him to ask for advice, some call him the president, even though he is not His opinion is very important. He seems to know everything going on in the village. Sethu explains, “Since the temple’s renovation, we have more stores and more tourism.” Sethu expects massive growth population, tourism expects it to double

Problems & Prospects Pillayarpatti seems to be full of life but this peaceful picture can be misleading to the naive viewer. The locals rely heavily on tourism. Without thousands of Westerners invading the village year after year, the village would not have survived. It is a fact even Sethu

Ambalam can’t deny. One could say that the renovation of the temple prevented the village’s demise, but also, the fact that like many other villages, Pillayarapatti faces a problem with the number of young people going away for education and not coming back. Nonetheless, one of the most important persons in this village, Sethu Ambalam, has faith in tourism and is confident enough to say that it will double in the next five to ten years. His family has been living here for generations guiding the people, and helping them when they face difficult problems or with the organisation of festivals. His family has also been in charge of the temple for many years.

On the other hand, Pillayarapatti is famous for the Ganesh Chaturti, a ten-day festival held in August and September. Celebrations each day are marked by much splendor as Pillayar is carried on different mounts in a procession around the village. Thousands of tourists come to see this event every year and this is probably the time where the villagers are most busy. Sethu Ambalam (80) is the priest in charge of the temple and helps with festivals. He is a very important person

Various statues of Gods and other items for sale in Pillayarpatti

Madurai Messenger Interface March 2012

Reaching the Unreachable Before volunteer Marcel de Korte joined us at Madurai Messenger, he lived for one month in an orphanage supported by Projects Abroad. An experience that had a great impact on him and inspired him to write about life in an orphanage

Driving Forces As the children hesitatingly start to enjoy themselves with the other journalists, I start talking to some staff members. One of them introduces herself as Revathi, the other one is Indra. “I have been working here for one year as a warden,” Revathi explains. “My role is to supervise the children, for example, when they are studying.”

Text by Marcel de Korte, The Netherlands 32

Photographs by Nicolas Brangi, France

n the busy main road from Dindigul to Karur, just a few kilometers outside Dindigul, there is a blue sign. You could easily miss it if you were not looking for it. But when you are alert, you will notice that just before that sign there is a narrow unpaved road to the right. It will lead you to an orphanage called Anbarasi Social Action, supported by Projects Abroad India’s Care programme. Enter the grounds by car and you are likely to be surrounded by 157 children within a few seconds. However, on the day I visited with my journalism colleagues, this was not the case. Most children had already gone to school, so only about twenty children who had a day off from school were there to greet us. They seemed a bit overwhelmed by the sudden presence of 14 foreigners, something they probably have never experienced before. The other journalists are met with some reservation, but they all know me and therefore, they greet me enthusiastically,

Karur and Kodaikanal. The parents of those children began talking with other parents about the orphanage and in that way knowledge spread through the cities. We give the children the opportunity of education, which is an important reason why a lot of children come to us. And we provide everything they need: sleeping mats, blankets, uniforms, plates and so on.”

Smiling faces at the orphanage

calling me “Uncle” or “Masha”. I prefer to be called “Uncle!” It sounds a bit odd to me, as some of the children are only a few years younger than me.

Building a future Jeyaprakash Narayanan (better known as ‘JP’) is a member of the Anbarasi staff and works for Projects Abroad as a Care Programme Manager. He is our host for the day. We can see that living standards are basic but adequate. The grounds are quite sparse, so I can understand why Projects Abroad chose this place to start their first building project. In January, two volunteers began constructing a well. Mr. Arockiaraj, a man who started as a sponsor but is nowadays so involved that he is part of the orphanage’s Board, tells me that they want to build a study and dining hall in the future. While JP shows us around, we see that there are quite a lot of paintings and statues that imply that the orphanage is Christian. It doesn’t mean that

only Christian children are allowed to come here. Mr. Arockiaraj says, “The orphanage was founded by Christian priest Fr. Mariadasan, but he believed that all children need food and shelter, especially orphans. We are secular in all our activities, so we admit Christians as well as Hindu and Muslim children.” JP adds, “We accept every child that comes here. We even have some tribal children living here. But when they are not happy here and for example, start to run away, we send them back to their tribes because we are responsible to the parents or family when something goes wrong.” Mr. Arockiaraj, however, makes one logical exception about accepting children, “When a child suffers from any contagious disease, we don’t admit them.” I ask JP where the children are coming from. He answers, “We started with a few children who lived in a very poor family. Most of the children are singleparented and come from Madurai,

“I’ve been the cook here for two years,” Indra says. I am impressed to hear that she starts as early as 5.30 am each day to prepare breakfast for the children, a task that takes her three hours. For dinner, she needs four hours of preparation time. My respect for them grows with every minute I spend with them. Just as I finish talking with Indra and Revathi, I hear a lot of noise: a bus load full of children arrives home after their day at school. They are eager to play with the newcomers. Soon, both the children as the journalists seem to be very happy with each other.

Brothers and sisters Next, I speak to some of the Projects Abroad volunteers who work here to ask about their roles. “My main task is building a house together with some Indian workers,” volunteer Paul Brearley from England explains, “But apart from that, I spent a lot of time with the children. I play with them, talk to them and try to teach them some English.” Jens Ruud from Norway says, “I signed up for a care project, but I actually do some building as well.” Paul says he feels himself welcome at the orphanage. “I like it over here. To

be honest, it is a bit too hot for me at times, but the children are great. They’re very friendly and willing to help me if they can,” he explains. The interaction between the staff and volunteers is good. “I can get along with everybody,” Paul adds. Jens says, “I really enjoy it over here. The kids are great and the food is awesome. The cook, Indra, is great as well, a very nice woman.” Paul happily agrees, “The food is great, very tasty, very spicy.” The volunteers complement the staff, but it’s not a one-way traffic. “I am happy to have the volunteers here. We have a good relationship and they feel like brothers and sisters. So we love to have volunteers here all the time,” Revathi says. Mr. Arockiaraj goes even further to say “We feel the volunteers are also staff members because they are also helping our children like friends, parents and wardens.”

Jeyaprakash Narayanan ‘JP’ Care Manager for Projects Abroad, and staff member at the orphanage

“I am happy to have the volunteers here. We have a good relationship and they feel like brothers and sisters. So we love to have volunteers here all the time”

The volunteers enjoy a game of cricket with the children

Madurai Messenger Interface March 2012

Play Time

D. Premkumar would like all the volunteers to stay!

When I come outside again, I see that the other journalists are playing enthusiastically with the children, which seems to make them very happy. Many children are showing their strength and agility on the recently built playground, the result of a fundraising achievement by Linda Hauer, a former volunteer from the Netherlands. (See ‘Leading by Example’)

Volunteering your time for any cause or community project takes a special kind of person. Projects Abroad India is proud to facilitate the opportunity for people from all over the world to make a difference. Marcel de Korte interviews fellow Dutch volunteer Linda Hauer to learn how she was so moved by her experience at an orphanage that she felt compelled to raise money and return to India to begin a legacy

I make some time to play with the children as well and soon feel like I never left. I’m part of ‘the family’ again. I try to give them everything they want. I take photographs and videos, and chase them, tickle them and play handclapping games.

By Marcel de Korte The Netherlands

eing a care volunteer at Anbarasi Social Action, an orphanage in Dindigul, is challenging. All 157 children want your attention. You have to give everything of yourself without holding back. But when you succeed, you experience a fantastic feeling and develop a close relationship with the children. For Linda Hauer (23) from the Netherlands, it was such an enriching experience that she just had to come back. But on her return, she brought with her money that she had raised at home, with a goal to build a playground for the children. Before joining the Madurai Messenger, I worked for a month as a care volunteer at the same orphanage where Linda volunteered, discovered that she was very popular among all the children. Here are excerpts from my interview with Linda.

The time to leave arrives, and it feels too soon. The children wave enthusiastically and start yelling as the car starts driving away. I notice all the familiar aspects of the orphanage: the cow doesn’t get confused by the noises anymore and calmly continues to eat; the chickens are flying around as usual; and the dog is chasing the small cat. It seems to be one big happy family and that is what these children deserve to have. Do they have anything more to wish for? I am left with the lingering whisper I received from one of the children before I left. “I would really like all of the volunteers to come back and stay here,” D Premkumar (13) says. The volunteers are certainly doing a good job here. I am proud to have been a part of the team at Anbarasi Social Action and hope future volunteers will share my sentiments. Memories of my time here with these special children will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Leading by Example

Three of the children perform a dance for the volunteers

Linda, you have left a lasting impression on the children at Anbarasi and seem to have embraced India. Why did you want to volunteer and what brought you to India? I wanted to do some volunteer work after my studies and of all the placements with Projects Abroad, the care project was closest to what I do in the Netherlands. At home, I am a social worker. I work with commercial sex workers to identify and solve problems. To work with children in India felt like a good match for me. I had heard from people who had travelled to India that the country is so intense that you either love it or hate it. For me, the former definitely applied. It was fantastic! It was great to experience the freedom and get to know new people!

Anbarasi Social Action is entirely dependent on donations. To find out more or to support Anbarasi, please visit www.anbarasihome.org

You obviously enjoyed volunteering in 2011 and you have recently returned for a visit. What brought you back to India so soon? Revathi (far right) with the assistant cook and some children

The most important reason was that I really wanted to see the children again! I just couldn’t stop thinking about them

Volunteer Linda Hauer with the kids of the orphanage

when I was back in the Netherlands. They live such pure and happy lives. They have almost nothing, but still they are giving so much and sharing so well! I really admire that. When I found out that I was able to finance another trip and had the possibility to take time off work, I didn’t hesitate. I decided that I needed to give something more and began raising money for the orphanage.

Madurai Messenger Making A Difference March 2012

You collected an amazing amount of money (Rs 1,40,000). How did you manage to raise so much money? I emailed everyone I knew: friends, colleagues, family. I never expected to raise so much money, but everyone was so enthusiastic! A colleague of mine came up with the idea to ask the director of our company if it was possible to write an article for our company’s monthly magazine. After I did that, I received a lot of donations, even from people I didn’t know!

For what purposes have you used the money that you raised?

The children at the orphanage don’t have much, so I spent most of the money on building a playground. I think that it is important for a child to be a child and that means playing. I felt a playground gave them lots of different equipment to use. With the remaining money, I bought paint. Together with the volunteers, I painted all the ten sleeping rooms in bright colours. I also bought mirrors and rechargeable torches to use during power cuts.

The orphanage obviously has a limited budget. Do you think that other volunteers should be encouraged to raise money to support the place? On the one hand that would be good, because it really helps! On the other hand, it should not be put in the foreground that the orphanage is poor. The most important thing is that the orphanage is a place where so many lovely special children live.

You have also conceptualised a workshop for the children. What is it about and what do you hope to achieve with it? The workshop is for teenagers. It is about sexual health and child abuse. I

give these workshops in the Netherlands as well in secondary schools and after some investigation I found out that there is not much information given to teenagers in Dindigul about this subject. It is an extremely important subject, because everyone has to deal with sexuality. The workshop is suitable for their level of knowledge and their cultural values on this subject.

Linda Hauer- the dedicated Volunteer

Saving lives through medical intervention is an integral service to society. As an emergency services volunteer in her home country of Italy, Vanessa Allegri understands only too well the importance of providing care to the ill and injured. She meets Dr. Narendra Nath Jena, Critical Care Physician from the Meenakshi Mission Hospital Research Centre, to learn more about these services in Madurai

What was the most memorable moment at Anbarasi? The most memorable moment for me was when the mother of one of the children was visiting. Abi’s mother had to go back home but Abi wanted to go with her and refused to let her go. The mother was panicking and almost crying. I had to pull Abi out of her arms. It was such a horrendous moment. She was kicking and crying so hard, I felt like a monster. It’s these kind of moments that break your heart and stay with you forever.

If you come back to Anbarasi in five years time, what improvements would you like to see? I hope that there will be more attention given to the emotional aspects of being an orphan. Anbarasi does a great job at providing all the necessities such as food, education, regularity and a roof above their heads. But in my opinion, they don’t focus enough on the emotional and social development of the children. The children have already gone through so many things and therefore, it would be good if there would be a full-time social worker or child psychologist in the orphanage.

What would you like to say to the volunteers who come there in the future? Try to get the most out of it! Enjoy the way the children are living and realise how great and special this experience is! And download Disney films, because they love them!

Life in their Hands

By Vanessa Allegri Italy

H What others say about Linda: When I ask other people at the orphanage about Linda, reactions are overwhelmingly positive. JP, working for Projects Abroad and staff member at the orphanage, says, “She bought a lot of things for the children. The first time she bough school bags, notebooks and pencils for every child. Last time she built a playground and painted all the rooms.” The children are enthusiastic as well. “She gave us drawing books, pencils, balloons and stickers. I’m very happy with it,” D. Premkumar says. But she did not only give material things, she also gave love. “She helped the kids very much and for me, she feels like a sister,” staff member Revathi admits. JP adds, “The children admire her and every child loves her, and in the same way, she loves every kid. She doesn’t choose children. She plays with all of them. She is definitely one of the best volunteers we’ve ever had here.”

uman life is most precious to all of us. We value the lives of our family and our friends. Without life, we are, and have, nothing. In India, every 1.9 minutes, someone dies in a road accident. Every four minutes, someone dies of a heart attack. (WHO, Treatment and Outcome of Acute Coronary Syndromes in India, Xavier Pravakaran, Pais et al, 2008) Saving these lives depends on excellent emergency services. The ambulance drivers, paramedics, doctors and nurses are the unsung heroes of a vital service to society. Throughout India, there is increasing incidence of trauma due to road traffic accidents, heart attack and poisoning. These are the three most common emergencies in Madurai as well. The statistics are shocking: • 54 percent of road accident victims are men between 20-40 years old • 30 percent of emergency patients in India die before they reach a hospital (India Today, August 29, 2011) In Europe, road accidents are a leading cause of death, with more than 120,000 deaths per year (13.6 per hour). In Italy in 2010, there were 207,000 road accidents with 3,998 killed and 296,000 wounded. The United States, on the other hand, has the highest incidence of cardiovascular disease. Every year, strokes kill nearly one million of people.

Dr.Narendra Nath Jena

(Wikipedia and Centro per la lotta contro l’infarto) Saving these lives is not an easy job but it is most certainly a rewarding one. One of those people who devotes his life to saving others’ lives and fighting these startling statistics is Dr. Narendra Nath Jena, Consultant and Head of the Accident & Emergency Medicine Department at the Meenakshi Mission Hospital Research Centre in Madurai.

It is a voluntary organisation founded in 1902, inspired by the values of sharing and solidarity. When I’m on duty, I usually deal with emergency and ordinary services, like driving people to medical examinations or carrying them back home after being discharged from the hospital. I started one year ago and I like it because it gives me the chance to get in touch with aspects of society that young people usually ignore such as old age, loneliness, illness and death.

Emergency services is an issue very close to my heart because at home in Italy, once a week, I am a volunteer for ambulance service at Assistenza Pubblica di Parma (the city where I live).

So, when I saw an ambulance speeding nimbly along the bustling streets of Madurai, I immediately wondered how a typical day of an Indian rescuer is, and how medical emergencies are handled

Madurai Messenger Health March 2012

The life saving vehicle

“People don’t know how crucial time is. The first few minutes are the most important. This is why we call it the ‘golden hour’”

is needed and the government should provide it and start a training programme throughout the country, but first we need trained people,” Dr. Narendra repeats with steadiness.

Entrance to the Emergency Ward

here. I must admit that my Western background made me biased, and willingly or not, it affected my perception of things. I took for granted that the Western method was better. When I stepped into the Emergency Department of Meenakshi Mission Hospital Research Centre, I didn’t expect it to be hugely different from an ordinary Italian hospital, except for the fact that shoes are left outside, huddled in a corner on top of each other and mixed together (I have learnt that this is the rule in India). Dr. Narendra Nath Jena cordially welcomed us. He seemed a very kind and agreeable person. As we begin to talk, he confirms my first impressions: I’m facing a man with an incredible passion for his profession. Being doctors is a vocation, particularly when it comes to emergency medicine. Dr Narendra found his calling as a consequence of a painful incident which occurred to him and his family. When he was a student at medical school, his father had a heart attack. They went to the family physician, and then they brought him to the district hospital. Nobody responded appropriately and the young Narendra started to realise that emergency facilities were not adequate. “After this experience, I said to myself that I will not choose any other specialty except emergency medicine,” he recalls, and adds that he “felt compelled to do something good for society.” When he got an opportunity to go to the USA he refused. “I have to be here. Meenakshi gave me a free hand and allowed me to do whatever my heart told me to do. I want to

stay here and try to accomplish my goal: emergency care for everybody in Madurai,” explains Dr Narendra. His reward? Saving lives. For him, this is the greatest satisfaction and the most precious gift from God. When I ask him how important religion is in his work, he reveals his little secret, “Every time a critical patient comes to the hospital, I touch him and pray to God, begging Him to save his or her life. We can try to bring a person back to life, but we’re only humans. Only God can take the final decision.” Dr Narendra feels that if God decides that the patient’s journey is not over yet, it’s a joy to see him reunited with his family, returning home happy and thankful. “You might have a lot of money, but if you are saving the life of a patient who is very critical, this is the most beautiful thing you can give. If a friend helps you while you’re in trouble, you will always remember it and be thankful to him. This is what we do, and this is why emergency service is available 24 hours a day,” he says. For emergency services workers, Sunday is not a holiday. This makes Dr Narenda and his colleagues differ markedly from most of the Indian population for two reasons. Firstly, he says, “Because emergency medicine is different from all other specialties, we physicians must always be available, at any hour of day or night. The hospital and the patients come first, then comes the family.” The second peculiarity lies in its different, or perhaps even opposite, conception of time. “We do not have time to think, when a patient arrives in critical danger of losing his or her life, we must act quickly. Every second counts. Patients are our guests and they don’t have

to wait for doctors, but doctors are the ones who have to wait for patients and treat them as best as they can,” Dr Narendra declares. In Madurai, emergency management is improving and the Accident & Emergency Medicine Department of Meenakshi Mission Hospital Research Centre is now able to handle the most critically ill patients. Doctors, nurses and paramedics can treat a cross section of emergencies and they have been making constant efforts to make a difference between life and death. On average, the department attends around 1200 patients every month and about 60 or 70 patients each day.

The Medical Council of India has recognised the branch of Emergency Medicine as a specialised field in Medical Science. In 2010, to strengthen and support this initiative, the Department of Accident & Emergency Medicine of the hospital introduced a Post-Graduate Diploma in Emergency in collaboration with the Indian Medical Association and George Washington University (USA. It is the first such course in India.

When I ask Dr Narendra Jena what is currently the most serious problem in Indian Emergency medicine, he answers immediately, “Trained doctors are not enough. We need nurses and paramedics, so they can practice according to international guidelines and give good pre-hospital care. If they’re trained, they have the right instruments for sending the patient to the hospital and can save their life.”

According to Dr Narendra, awareness is key. “People don’t know how crucial time is. The first few minutes are the most important. This is why we call it the ‘golden hour’. The problem is the transport. If something happens while family or friends are bringing the patient to the hospital, they cannot do anything for them. That is why it is important that they must call for an ambulance. Paramedics and trained doctors can manage the situation best and save patients’ lives,” Dr Narendra explains. “We have lot of instances of poisoning, especially due to conflicts between families. Yesterday, we had a 22-yearold girl who been poisoned after an argument with her husband. But when her family brought her here, it was too late.”

He continued to say that the second most important problem in the Indian emergency care system is the departments. “Specialised equipment

Prevention is another feature that is indispensable in the building of a solid emergency health care. Dr Narendra gives us a very meaningful example.

“Very recently, a man was brought here in cardiac arrest. We thought he was already dead but, as usual, we started our resuscitation and we saw a sign of hope. The patient stayed here for one week and then he went back home with a smile on his face. He is only 32 years old.” Apparently, in the last fifteen years, heart attacks in young people have become more common. The reason? An unhealthy lifestyle: a lack of exercise, stress, poor sleep hygiene and unhealthy diet. It is precisely at this point when the emergency physician enters the stage. Their role is unique and completely different from other specialists. They have to think quickly and make remarkably good decisions with a terrifying lack of information. “Patients cannot wait in emergency. The system is clear. There are different kinds of priority. Priority one means that the patient is dying, so every second counts. We’re between life and death and our priority is giving life. We try as much as possible, otherwise they will die within a few minutes,” Dr Narendra explains. Dr Narendra was interrupted several times by colleagues who needed his expert advice for sudden and incumbent emergencies. When he speaks again, he plays it down saying, “See? This is my job.” As an emergency services volunteer myself, I understand just how important it is to have dedicated people like Dr Narendra attending to patients in need. I also agree with his desire to see more everyday people take on the responsibility for first aid. “Saving human life is a challenging task and it is a social responsibility. All people, that is everyone, should learn first aid,” he urges. Shortly after our interview, we move towards the exit satisfied with our conversation. Immediately, we see the doctor walking to his unit with a confident and nimble pace, confirming that patients come first and everything else can wait. Even journalists!

Madurai Messenger Book Review March 2012

To Dissent, Perchance to Question, to Argue … Understanding Indian culture, traditions and identity has long been the subject of intellectual debates, both within and outside of India. Kim Clarys reviews The Argumentative Indian by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, a book that has opened her mind to different philosophical and intellectual thinking and helped her begin to better comprehend the complexities of this vast country

“This book provides new discoveries for Indians about his or her own identity, culture and history, but it also helps an outsider gain better comprehension of a country caught in a web of contradictions”

By Kim Clarys Amartya Sen - The Author of The Argumentative Indian

Belgium

Title: The Argumentative 40

Indian Author: Amartya Sen Publisher: Allen Lane Year of Publishing: 2005 Price: Rs.300

hroughout history, there have always been misinterpretations and oversimplifications about India. There is a tendency towards looking at the massive population as one big melting pot. Not only Westerners, but also many Indians themselves, often see Indian traditions “as overwhelmingly religious, or deeply anti- scientific, or exclusively hierarchical, or fundamentally unsceptical.” (p. 31) In The Argumentative Indian, Amartya Sen tries to address this bias. Despite his world wide acclaim and his Nobel Prize for Economics, he remains a people’s person. He frequently returns to Shantiniketan, a tiny university town in Kolkata in the Eastern part of India, where he mingles with the local population. You can sense his empathy and love for India throughout his book. Amartya Sen may travel the world, but his heart is still in India. Amartya Sen doesn’t deny the inequalities of India, but stresses the importance of public debate and an argumentative tradition to deal with prejudices, rather than becoming a country of uncritical faiths and unquestionable practices. He describes the meaning of these concepts, how they are entangled in Indian history, culture and identity, and their contemporary relevance, in 16 essays. Indians do like to speak, they do have an opinion and they do have a voice. His argument is supported by the Mahabharata, which, is seven times as long as the Iliad and the Odyssey put together. The fifth essay reinstates the often forgotten Rabindranath Tagore, who can be placed next to the well-known Mahatma Gandhi for his philosophical insights. Through their intellectual arguments, which are often opposite to each other, he shows the true heritage of India. The Western world has had difficulties understanding Tagore and that’s why his brief success faded away. But Sen believes that by ignoring Tagore, the West also ignored an important part of the Indian culture. Effectively, he means that the West missed out on the other side of the story, which, as he calls it, is the argumentative tradition. The seventh essay describes the three ways in which the West focuses on India. The first ‘exoticist’ category highlights what is different and in some cases ‘peculiar’

about India. The second ‘magisterial’ category sees India as a result of their British conquerors. The third ‘curatorial’ category has more freedom. It notes, classifies and exhibits the diverse aspects of the Indian culture. Sen emphasises that these are of course not the only three categories, as we always have to consider different perspectives, a remark that summarises his point. ‘Politics and Protest’ captures what has happened in the past and tries to place it in the contemporary environment. Sen not only addresses familiar subjects, for example class in India, but also unfamiliar topics such as weapons of mass destruction. Even with well known issues, he digs deeper. For instance, when he discusses the tensions between men and women, he brings up the subject of sex specific abortions, a theme that is frequently avoided in public debate. Sen reaches out to the concept of enlightenment and secularism in ‘Reason and Identity’. He also discusses the importance of calendars and how the capturing of time is a necessity in a society. Not only for in the modern age, it has already been a part of the civilized life for a long time. He ends with an essay about the Indian identity.

“…We have to resist two unfounded but often implicitly invoked assumptions: (1) the presumption that we must have a single – or at least a principal and dominant – identity; (2) the supposition that we ‘discover’ our identity, with no room for any choice.” (p. 350). This book provides new discoveries for Indians about his or her own identity, culture and history, but it also helps an outsider gain better comprehension of a country caught in a web of contradictions. As Sen argues, we have to embrace our different identities. At the same time you can be a European, an Italian, a painter, a writer, a listener, a woman, a student and any member of the other diverse roles. We have the freedom of choice to determine how much importance we assign to these different identities. We can’t simply discover our identity, it is greatly determined by choice. This pluralist view is of immense significance to the understanding and analysis of the idea of the Indian identity. I have to admit that this is not an easy book. The topics are not the simplest and concentration is definitely required. Fortunately, Amartya Sen uses several appropriate examples in

a structure that enables the reader to follow. But for a better understanding, I would recommend to let it settle for a while, and subsequently read it for a second time. Still, Sen proves, in The Argumentative Indian, how democracy goes further than elections. He doesn’t deny India’s deficits, but demonstrates how the country is capable of exerting democratic practices. Throughout his book, he weaves in the importance of the argumentative tradition and proves how it is necessary to understand India in its entirety. It seems impossible to ever fully describe all aspects of India because it is so big, so complex and full of diversity and multiple viewpoints.

Madurai Messenger Film March 2012

Belly of Laughs

A Total Body

Mike Trevelyan reviews Delhi Belly, a contemporary film that blends Western and Indian styles in an exciting and darkly humourous plot. Prepare to laugh, but be warned, it may also put you off your food! By Mike Trevelyan Bristol, England

Film: Delhi Belly (2011) Director: Abhinay

his landlord; and Arup (Vir Das) is a down-on-his-luck cartoonist with an eccentric boss. These men come across as lazy and appear to be scraping by on the least amount possible.

Vir Das, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Poorna 42

Jagannathan, Vijay Raaz, Shenaz Treasury Language: ‘Hinglish’ (Hindi and English)

elhi Belly gives you thrills, spills and comically dangerous situations that will leave you in stitches. It fuses Indian and Western styles to deliver a fast paced crimecomedy film, with an extra bit of spice. Delhi Belly will have you wincing, cringing but also rolling around with continuous laughter.

Italy

y plane landed in Madurai airport at nightfall. Everything was shrouded by darkness. But as we got on the road in the Projects Abroad car, I realised that I had finally arrived in India.

The film is similar to Western films such as Guy Richie’s Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000). There is also an element of calamitous comedy reminiscent of films like See no Evil, Hear no Evil (1989). As the story unfolds, we get to know three friends who live in a disgusting, run-down apartment in Delhi: Journalist Tashi (Imran Khan) is engaged to flight attendant Sonia (Shenaz Treasurywala); Photographer Nitin Beri (Kunaal Roy Kapur) appears to have a grudge against

The film opens with a questionable Danish character, Vladimir Dragunsky (Kim Bodnia), attempting to smuggle an illegal substance through customs at Delhi airport. He enlists the help of Sonia, to deliver the package. Unbeknown to her, the recipient of the package is Somayajulu (Vijay Raaz), a notorious gangster. Once she has got the package through security and customs, she then asks Tashi to deliver the package, who in turn asks Nitin. But after eating some bad chicken, Nitin gets sick and experiences ‘Delhi Belly’. Unable to deliver the package, Nitin then asks Arup to deliver it, but at the same time, also asks him to deliver a sample to his pharmacist. Arup then proceeds to mix up the packages leaving Somayajulu to wonder where his package has gone, resulting in a hilarious ride of cheap shots, witty sarcasm, close calls and dark humor. Vijay Raaz, is brilliant as an intimidating underworld gangster, who along with his hired goons, is always on the wrong end of some laughable situations at the hands of the three friends, who have no idea what they have gotten themselves into. Another twist in the story involves Menaka (Poorna Jagannathan,)

India is a multi sensory experience for Vanessa Alegri from Italy. Swamped by the colourful images, intense smells and deafening sounds, she writes that in India, each sense works tirelessly! Bowled over by the child-like curiosity and friendliness of the people of Madurai, she admits that they have taught her unforgettable lessons in embracing diversity By Vanessa Allegri

Deo Cast: Imran Khan,

Experience

a colleague of Tashi. The chemistry between Tashi and Menaka is obvious, and Tashi is secretly struggling with the pressures of being engaged. However, Menaka’s ex husband, Rajeev (Rahul Singh) keeps appearing at inappropriate times. The double act of Kunaal Roy Kapur and Vir Das as Nitin and Arup, bring a Western style of slapstick comedy to the film, always ending up in amusing circumstances. Delhi Belly is a must see for comedy fans. It may put you off your food, but with all the whimsical and calamitous situations that director Abhinay Deo brings to the table, this movie has all the action, comedy and thrills that would bring you back for a spicy second helping.

Initially, when I saw vehicles whizzing by from the other side of the highway, I was shocked. Dazzling headlights, background noise of car horns and risky undertakings. I was shocked even when I stepped into my host family’s house: I couldn`t believe that I really had to remove my shoes and walk barefoot! Then I went upstairs, and everybody was sitting just on the floor: no couch, no armchairs. I was confused, so I kept shuttling between the bathroom and the bedroom. During the night, I was already beginning to get used to this overwhelming wave of new sensations. Gradually my fear evolved into happiness. Deliriously happy. This is how I felt the next day. We got to the Projects Abroad Main Office by rickshaw and it was so funny that I just couldn’t stop smiling. Traffic in Madurai is much louder, more chaotic and lively in the morning than during the night. It`s impossible to get bored here because India is a totalbody experience. Colorful images, intense smells and deafening sounds: each sense works tirelessly. Perhaps

The happy faces/ smiling faces/ bright faces of Madurai

this is why on my very first day I felt so dizzy, as if I were drunk. I was drunk on India… too much all at once! However, I wasn’t surprised. I had read plenty of books and watched many movies about Indian culture and lifestyle. I knew what to expect and I wanted to check out whether reality fits my imagination. Well, it does! Madurai’s temples are enchanting but what impressed me most, is the people. They stare at me when I walk around the streets, but immediately after, they

smile in a friendly way and start asking questions about my name and the country where I live. Every time I take a picture, they stop and pose, sweetly nodding their heads as only Indians can! I think this is a great lesson for all those Westerners who refuse to meet people from other countries and who are not interested in different cultures. We should all try to foster a genuine curiosity about strangers, embrace diversity and not reject it. We should all try to be Indian… at least for one day!

Madurai Messenger First Impressions March 2012

Stepping into Indian Shoes

Freedom in Chaos;

Safety in Danger For David Wilkens, being in Madurai is all about discovery. In the midst of the chaotic Indian traffic, comes his realisation that chaos embodies freedom and safety

Like most first time overseas visitors to India, Mike Trevelyan is also intimidated by the pot holed Indian roads and the curious gaze of the locals! A few days in Madurai is sufficient for him to admit that he too would have stared at foreigners, if roles were reversed because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just plain curiosity! By Mike Trevelyan England

By David Wilkens Germany

Expanse of space of Madurai city

he first thing I noticed in Madurai was the overwhelmingly friendly faces of Indian people. As a foreigner, you are somewhat special and it definitely was entertaining to see people looking at me, even staring in a friendly way. I never anticipated that I would be the object of such intense curiosity. But it is not uneasy in any way, I am happy that the people of Madurai are so friendly towards foreigners. There are always Indians asking questions or just smiling at you, whether they are rickshaw drivers, school boys and girls or even younger children.

The Elegant Meenakshi Amman Temple

45 Before I went to India, I had read and heard lots of stories about Indian traffic. So honestly, the traffic was not much of a surprise. I will admit, however, that I do not want to miss the feeling of sitting in a rickshaw. It is amazing how Indians even manage to survive when they drive so crazily. I figured out quite quickly that although there are just a few traffic rules, most people flout them brazenly! There is no side on the street that really belongs to you. Although the street is split in two equal parts, it is often messed up. For example, rickshaw drivers suddenly decide to turn around in the middle of the street, or people with several animals cross the street, causing havoc as they do. There are not only cars, but also buses, trucks, motorcycles, push bikes and domesticated and stray animals, all of them trying to adapt to the traffic stream like fish to the water! One could say it is chaotic; but for me, it is the embodiment of freedom. One could say it is dangerous, yet there are no more accidents here than in Europe, perhaps there are even less. The stereotypical â&#x20AC;&#x153;cultural shockâ&#x20AC;? did not apply to me. I have been to South Africa several times before. I have seen slums where people live, or barely survive, under inhumane conditions. I have experienced the unorthodox traffic and the unusual feeling when you eat with your hands. I have felt the immense heat and huge difference in temperature altogether. I am grateful for this friendly welcome and supreme start to my Indian experience, and am very much looking forward to the next few months!

s I looked out of the aeroplane window on my approach to Madurai airport, I was amazed at what I saw. The sheer expanse of unused land was something I was certainly not used to back home in England. Although the vegetation was quite sparse, the scene was picturesque. This not only made me feel excited but also curious and quite unsure of what to expect. As I walked out of the airport, I was blown away by the intense humidity and heat. Having just come from the cold European winter, I definitely needed to try and adapt immediately. I was picked up from the airport by Venkatesh, the Projects Abroad Journalism Coordinator. To admit that

I was slightly intimidated by the roads and the traffic would be a massive understatement. There were so many forms of transport ranging from rickshaws, cars, motorbikes, bicycles and buses. The road users were very different than what I was used to. No one was wearing any safety gear or helmets. I was even more shocked when I saw a family of four on one motorcycle weaving their way through the streets, trying to avoid the people walking up the side of the roads. Our ride to my accommodation was bumpy. The pot holed roads made me realise just how user-friendly roads in England are. In fairness, Madurai is in some ways, what I expected due to the research I had done before arriving. What I did not anticipate, however, was the curiosity of

the people. I noticed people staring at me with puzzled looks on their faces as I walked by. But then I realised that they are just curious and not used to seeing a lot of Westerners. I am certain that I too would have reacted like them if our roles were reversed. The house I stayed in was great. My host family was very welcoming as were the other volunteers in the house. It made me feel a lot safer and relaxed about my stay in Madurai.

Madurai Messenger First Impressions March 2012

Madurai: A Byword for Warmth and Hospitality By Morten Levinsky Thorsboe Denmark

Love at First Sight Although very different from Europe, Katharina Irrgang from Germany finds it very easy to fall in love with Madurai... Right from the skinny porter at the railway station for whom heavy baggage is all in a dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work to the exquisite Hindu temples and rituals, people and food By Katharina Irrgang Germany

had taken the train from Bangalore to Madurai, and after ten hours in the very crowded train I had arrived, accompanied by my friend Celia and her parents. It was a very interesting experience to see how Indians travel. I also realised during the long hours on the train that there is rather a big difference between the Indian and European travelling standards.

Auto rickshawsâ&#x20AC;Ś a popular mode of transport in Madurai

Madurai weaves its tropical magic on Morten Levinsky Thorsboe, from Denmark, who finds himself bowled over by the friendliness and hospitality of its people and their love for cricket

arrived at the Madurai airport on a warm summer day. It was my first visit to India. I was exhausted after my long journey from Denmark but when I got out of the small aircraft I was wide awake. I had experienced a similar feeling in New York where the air is so heavy that it almost knocks you out! But there was a big difference. Although the air in Madurai was hot, it was also fresh and tropical in a way I had never experienced before. The airport seemed completely deserted and I already began to experience the laid back lifestyle of the people of Madurai. First, I had to wait for the bus to pick us up from the aircraft, then for the baggage to arrive. No rush, or

so I thought. My first impression of Madurai was during the car ride from the airport to the city. It seemed to me like complete chaos: The never ending traffic, the smell of the Vaigai River, the noisy scooters, children playing cricket and suddenly, a cow in the middle of the road! Apparently, Indians are in a hurry only when they drive. A neck breaking but highly exciting car ride later, I met my host family. It will be hard to find nicer people. The warmth with which they invited me into their home was astounding and something I will never forget. I was struck by the beauty of Madurai, with its culture, streets, shops and

temples. Yet, at the same time, the poverty was impossible to miss. I saw a well dressed man pass a drifter begging for money, and saw big cars overtake small overloaded bicycles. I had never seen anything like it before. Despite the crazy car ride, my first impression of Madurai was quite mixed. But I guess it is because Indian culture is so diverse. Churches, mosques and temples are found side by side, as well as big stores and small markets situated next to each other. There is a huge gap between rich and poor. However, there seems to be the same hospitality and a love for cricket that is shared by all people of this magnificent ancient city.

When I finally arrived, it was very hot, but I was distracted by a porter at the railway station. He was a small and skinny man who was carrying three heavy suitcases on his head. I felt sorry for him but he seemed to be OK with this heavy load.

On the way to the hotel where I would spend my first two nights in Madurai, I was fascinated by the rickshaws, which seemed to be everywhere. I immediately liked these colourful little cars on three wheels and I was looking forward to my first ride in an auto rickshaw. These cute cars allayed my first shock of the traffic. When I saw all these means of transport, I thought it might be impossible to cross the street and survive. At first sight, I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to perceive any kind of system in this very busy chaos. But finally we reached our hotel, and after a short rest, we went to a temple. It was a new experience for me to take off my shoes before entering the temple, but inside I was enchanted by the atmosphere of this holy place. It was an absolute contrast to the noise and hustle and bustle outside of the temple. Inside, I watched Hindus pray and perform their rituals. It was my first visit inside a temple and I knew that I would definitely be back. Although there is rather a big difference between European and Indian culture, I fell in love with India at first sight: the temples, the people, the atmosphere and the food. I hope that in the following months I will learn a lot from Indians and experience several aspects of this beautiful country!

Breathtaking Architecture at the Meenakshi Amman Temple

Madurai Messenger First Impressions March 2012

One with Madurai The best way to soak in another culture is to live like its people! During his first visit to Madurai, Marcel de Korte enjoys the delectable South Indian food, absorbs the architectural splendour of the Meenakshi Temple and even travels on the last step in an overcrowded city bus, and in doing so becomes one with the city! By Marcel de Korte The Netherlands

The beautiful ladies of the temple city

I 48

f you want to go to a city that is quite different from a Dutch city, where should you go? Of all the places I have visited, Madurai is certainly the city that differs most from the Netherlands. Madurai really tested my ability to adapt, as a lot of things were so unlike anything I had ever experienced. While the Netherlands is in general well organised and structured, it is sometimes almost boring because it is so orderly. Madurai showed me another side of life and living.

And I like it! At the start, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the things that happened around me. Soon however, I decided not to be frightened, but to adapt myself to the different lifestyle. That approach made me a lot more relaxed and I actually enjoyed trying to cross the busy streets and hanging out of a bus on the lowest step. Doing so made me feel that I was becoming one with the ‘heartbeat’ of Madurai.

answer them, especially when I take a photo of them.

But it would not be fair to refer to Madurai only as a chaotic city, because it has so much more to offer. The food, for example, is a superb mix of spicy chutneys interspersed with refreshing dairy products and very sweet desserts. The people are also great. Curious about a foreigner who strolls the streets in their city, they ask me who I am and what brought me here. They are filled with happiness when I take the time to

What I love to see as well, are the temples that appear unexpectedly in busy places. They are all beautifully coloured and a feast for the eyes. I was rather curious about the most famous temple of them all, the Meenakshi Temple, because I had heard and read a lot about it. I didn’t dare have too high expectations, as I often find well-known structures a bit disappointing when I finally see them.

The Meenakshi Temple, one of the most distinctive landmarks of South India, however, exceeded my expectations when I saw it from a distance. And then when I came closer, I was fascinated by the beautiful architecture and the intricate details. The people of Madurai call their city the ‘Temple City’, and in my opinion, it really deserves that name. With all the diversities in the city, I don’t think it will be a problem at all to have a wonderful time over here.