Maduraimessenger issue50 february lowres by Projects Abroad

e e r F

February 2014

Volume 4, Issue 50

Sashtiapthapoorthi: The Message behind the Tradition Plus: Vichitra Rajasingh and her enduring passion

Contents

Editor Selina Joseph

February 2014 | Issue No. 50

Copy Editor Bhuvana Venkatesh

EDITOR’S CORNER

Journalism Coordinators R.P.Surya Prakash

Designer & Technical Support T. Jesuraja

Reporters & Photographers Catherine McMaster

Julie Larsen

Sashtiapthapoorthi: The Message behind the Tradition EATING OUT

Nora Roger Haruko Kawabe

A Venerable Tradition COVER STORY

G. Durgairajan

Giulia Crouch

The Lingering Taste of Tradition CULTURE

Thaipusam Festival: Under the Spell of the Vel

Valentina Ebranati

WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR Cover Photograph 2

A Venerable Tradition

R.P. Surya Prakash

No Puppy Love This: Vichitra Rajasingh on Her Enduring Passion VILLAGE VOICES

Attuvampatti: A World of Green sans Machines

ll cultures have rites of passage which are ritual events that mark a person’s transition from one status to another. In sociological terms, a rite of passage means a milestone in an individual’s life and generally relates to a change in social status. In India, we have many ceremonies connected with birth, puberty, marriage, pregnancy, death and so on, depending on the region and the community to which one belongs. The topic of our February 2014 cover is one such ceremony, Sashtiapthapoorthi which is quite peculiar to Tamil Nadu and which is seen as a rite of passage for a couple when the man completes his 60th year of life. While I must confess that I am still unfamiliar with many of these customs, the bhimaratha santhi ceremony of one of our neighbours which I was invited to last year opened my eyes to the significance of this particular tradition. Though in many ways we can compare these customs to the silver and golden wedding anniversaries in western culture, a deeper look into this tradition reveals a much more significant message. Sashtiapthapoorthi, which in colloquial parlance is known as ‘arupatham kalyanam’ is also a celebration of the successful marital life of the couple and therefore sets up the couple as a role model for the younger generation. In these traditions, we can still see the reflection of the values of respect and gratitude to elders which are deeply ingrained in Indian society even in the 21st century.

FILM REVIEW 24 26

My Country is Named Love A Big Fat Family Affair BOOK REVIEW

A Bland Dish FIRST IMPRESSIONS

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Contact: editor@maduraimessenger.org MADURAI MESSENGER No. 17, T.P.K Road Pasumalai Madurai – 625004 Tamil Nadu India Tel. 0452-2370269

Bollywood Fantasy vs Madurai Reality The Glance That Started It All LASTING IMPRESSIONS

A Stepping Stone to International Cooperation

Selina Joseph Editor

Madurai Messenger Cover Story February 2014

Sashtiapthapoorthi: The Message behind the Tradition Interviewing two elderly couples who have celebrated their ‘Sashtiapthapoorthi’ and ‘Sadabishegam’ respectively, Giulia Crouch is captivated by this South Indian custom and finds that behind the celebrations lies the tradition of respecting elders as well as the universal values of forgiveness and harmony Text: Giulia Crouch United Kingdom

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Significant sixty - Ramaswamy and Balamma, at Ramaswamy’s sashtiapthapoorthi

efore properly delving into the topic of ‘Arupatham Kalyanam’ or ‘Sashtiapthapoorthi’ as it is known in Sanskrit, I assumed it was nothing more than the Indian equivalent of the Western tradition of renewing the wedding vows. However as I burrowed deeper into the subject via independent research and through discussions with experts in the field, I discovered that this Indian tradition is one that is steeped in significance. Not only is it an event that celebrates the longevity of a couple’s marriage, it also promotes the notions of respect, community, gratitude and forgiveness - messages with an undeniably universal appeal. It is thanks to this that we can all learn something from Sashtiapthapoorthi.

The greatness of the event is somewhat elevated by the fact that it is not customary in India to celebrate each wedding anniversary, as it is in Western culture. Whilst in the UK, for example, married couples will mark their anniversary in a small way (perhaps by exchanging gifts or dining out at a restaurant), Hindus will roll all these little celebrations into one big celebration: Sashtiapthapoorthi.

Sashtiapthapoorthi Sashtiapthapoorthi, a Hindu tradition, revolves around the number sixty. This becomes clear as soon as one picks apart the word: ‘sashti’ translates to ’sixty’, ‘aptha’ to ‘year’ and ‘poorthi’ means completion. Hence the celebration is held once the husband has completed one year of his sixties. In other words, it is not held upon the man’s sixtieth birthday but rather when he has reached at least sixty-one years of age. Upon reaching this age - and as long as both partners are still alive - a joyous celebration is held in which all family and friends gather to simultaneously commemorate the achievement of reaching sixty and the successful and happy marriage of the couple.

Like a second wedding - Balamma displays the special thali which was added to her mangala sutra thread during the sashtiapthapoorthi function

The elders are seen as an exceptional symbol of good luck and many couples come to receive blessings from them so that they may have a life as good and successful as the older couple

A key aspect of ‘Sashtiapthapoorthi’ is that it is not organised by the couple themselves, but instead entirely arranged by the children of the couple. This is not only an integral feature of ‘Sashtiapthapoorthi’; it is also illuminative as to the thinking behind the tradition. ‘Sashtiapthapoorthi’ can be seen as an act of gratitude from the children to the parents; ways to say ‘thank you’ for the many years of love and care they have received from them. Many of the rituals performed at the ceremony are done in order to promote a long and healthy life for the couple and this is what R.S. Balaji, a Hindu priest with abundant experience in conducting ‘Sashtiapthapoorthi’, highlights as the primary reason for the children wishing to hold the ceremony for their parents. “They [the children] want their parents to live for many more years” he explained, and they believe that by performing ‘Sashtiapthapoorthi’ “God will extend the lives of their

A key aspect of ‘Sashtiapthapoorthi’ is that it is not organised by the couple themselves, but instead entirely arranged by the children of the couple. This is not only an integral feature of ‘Sashtiapthapoorthi’; it is also illuminative as to the thinking behind the tradition parents”. He also notes more pragmatic reasoning behind holding the ceremony - “the children are not able to witness their parents getting married, so this event provides them with the opportunity to see this occasion.” Due to this Balaji praises ‘Sashtiapthapoorthi’ as being “more important than the wedding itself.” And he is not alone in his assessment. I recently travelled three hours from Madurai to talk to Ramaswamy and Balamma, a couple who had celebrated Sashtiapthapoorthi. My fellow journalists and I arrived at the peaceful, rural village of Pappankulam in Tirunelveli district and were immediately invited to take rest in a shady room - our exhaustion was clearly palpable to our hosts. Upon waking from our thoroughly needed nap, we were greeted with a traditional meal of rice, sambar, poppadoms and an array of pickles, of course all served on the obligatory banana leaf which is said to add extra flavour to the food.

After this kind of hearty welcome, I got round to quizzing the couple on their experience of Sashtiapthapoorthi. I asked them why their children had been inclined to organise the function for them and, looking at me as if the answer was obvious, they stated that Sashtiapthapoorthi is “a Tamil tradition and custom that has been followed for years by our ancestors.” Along with this straightforward explanation they went on to concur with Balaji that, “the children would not have seen the parents’ marriage and it is their wish to see the marriage for themselves, plus we normally have grandchildren in our sixties.” This is perhaps one of the most special features of Sashtiapthapoorthi. I think it is fair to say that many people would jump at the chance to see their parents get married and whilst photographs and video clips are all very well, they cannot provide one with a true sense of the atmosphere and jubilation of the day. Sashtiapthapoorthi on the

Madurai Messenger Cover Story February 2014

Along with creating the same atmosphere as a wedding, these functions also use the same rituals, making it quite literally a second wedding. On the day of the sixtieth, seventieth or eightieth function, a new thali is tied. The special yellow thread is replaced and new pendants or ornaments to indicate the significance of that particular wedding are added Sacred symbol - the mangala sutra or the yellow thread containing the gold thali, is considered as very auspicious and is mandatory for married women in many Indian communities

other hand, can. Not only do the children and grandchildren get to witness the marriage, the couple in question gets to physically relive their marriage complete with the younger members of the family who could not, for obvious reasons, be there the first time round. In a way, the presence of the children and grandchildren at such an event is a physical manifestation of the success that the couple has had in their marriage. In fact, the couple commented on the trajectory from the first marriage, in which their parents were present, to their second marriage which they shared with their children and grandchildren. In their opinion the latter wedding made for a “happier occasion.”

The Significance of Sixty So why sixty? R.S. Balaji views the sixties as a naturally reflective time, musing that in our youth, twenty years can go by “without our notice” and that “when we reach sixty years of age it’s time to look back at our past.” Many agree that one’s sixties represent a new phase of life in which the pursuit of spirituality can come to the fore and material and professional gains can take a back seat.

Maturity and reflection are not the only factors behind the choice of the sixtieth. There is a deeper significance lurking beneath the number sixty. In fact, the number six features heavily in Hinduism in general. R.S. Balaji informed me that when a child is born, sixteen days are allowed to pass before the priest gives the child a name. Similarly during our conversation we discussed the story of Markandeya, a tale which has particular relevance to Sashtiapthapoorthi. R.S. Balaji eagerly relayed the story: The legend has it that Markandeya, a young boy, was destined to live for sixteen years only. Yet when Yama (the lord of death) came to take the life of the boy, Markandeya fled to a temple and clutched at a statue of Lord Shiva. The boy’s devotion to Lord Shiva was clear and hence he was rescued from death and incarnated as Kalantaka, the Ender of Death. The boy was consequently eternally stuck at the age of sixteen, which emphasises the importance of the number six in Hindu belief. Furthermore, the aforementioned temple goes by the name of Thirukadaiyur Temple. It lies on the east coast of Tamil Nadu and is unsurprisingly

the most famous and popular temple to conduct Sashtiapthapoorthi in. Due to its association with the legend of Markandeya, the temple is hailed as a place which can bring long life, and since a key concept of Sashtiapthapoorthi is to extend the lives of the couples, it is no wonder that the Thirukadaiyur temple has become revered.

The Triumph of Eighty Something I am yet to touch on is that it is not only the sixtieth year that is celebrated. It is now common to celebrate the seventieth and eightieth years as well as, or instead of the sixtieth. R.S. Balaji proudly informed me that he has performed all three functions for his parents. He happily showed me the colourful pictures from the various events while his wife offered me snacks and refreshments. It seems to me that whilst the seventieth is also celebrated, it is the eightieth that is truly revered and is most popular. The eightieth is known as ‘Sadabishegam’ and in the same village that I met the ‘sixtieth couple’, I was also lucky enough to meet a couple who recently had celebrated this function.

Arunachalam Asari (83) and Kamatchi (73) have been married for 63 years. Kamatchi, who donned a beautiful blue saree and took the role of main speaker, (leaving her husband to diligently nod and smile in the background) acknowledged the special nature of the function, “celebrating the eightieth is not something all couples do. It’s fairly rare, so everyone comes to receive blessings.” I asked her why their children had decided to hold the function for them. She expressed that it is similar to the sixtieth in the sense that the children hope to provide the parents with good health, but she also outlined that, “the marriage is held for the good of the whole family; the children and the grandchildren.” Whilst Sashtiapthapoorthi is undoubtedly a family affair, the eightieth seemed to place even more emphasis on the importance of family. It seems to me that it is very much about getting everyone together and honouring the achievements of the couple. After all, reaching eighty years of age and having such a long and happy marriage is an undeniable achievement. Kamatchi told me that the spectacular number of 2,000 guests (1,000 of which were family) turned up to celebrate the fantastic occasion with them, and she happily exclaimed, “I don’t know about the others, but I was really happy.” As with the ‘sixtieth couple’, I was again curious as to whether this function was as special, or perhaps even more special than their actual wedding day itself. The pair wholeheartedly agreed that it was more special. “The first wedding was so simple and short,” Kamatchi explained, “this marriage was so grand and amazing!” For me this reiterates the communal aspect of the eightieth celebration. Whilst the wedding day unsurprisingly has more focus on just the couple themselves, the eightieth truly is an event for the whole community. At its essence it is about coming together and celebrating life and the couple believes that the celebration “creates a platform for the community to unite and be happy.”

Exemplary couple - octogenarian Arunachalam and his wife Kamatchi celebrated his sadabishegam by inviting around 2,000 people

A Second Wedding “Like a second wedding” was the way in which the ‘eightieth couple’ described to me how the event felt. When I imagine an Indian wedding, I think of bright colours, lengthy ceremonies, plentiful food and dazzling jewellery. I was shown many photographs by R.S. Balaji of ceremonies he had conducted which confirmed what I had imagined. Similarly, the ‘eightieth couple’ enthusiastically presented me with a laptop exhibiting a video of their Sadabishegam. There was chanting, colours and smiles galore and Kamatchi

emphasised the joyous atmosphere of the day, “there were all kinds of flowers, children’s games and decorations. Everyone was enjoying the festival.” Along with creating the same atmosphere as a wedding, these functions also use the same rituals, making it quite literally a second wedding. R.S. Balaji highlighted ‘Swarna Abishekam’ as the main ritual of the ceremony. This involves pots or ‘kumbas’ being filled with holy water. Kunkumam, turmeric and sometimes even jewels, gold and precious stones are placed in

Ties that bind - Ramaswamy and Balamma with their daughter and grand-daughter

Madurai Messenger Cover Story February 2014

Silver souvenirs - silver flowers, each one offered by relatives and guests to the couple at Ramaswamy’s sashtiapthapoorthi

Many of the rituals performed at the ceremony are done in order to promote a long and healthy life for the couple and this is what R.S. Balaji, a Hindu priest with abundant experience in conducting ‘Sashtiapthapoorthi’, highlights as the primary reason for the children wishing to hold the ceremony for their parents

the water and then poured over the couple’s heads through a filter. Other rituals include chanting of the Vedas and the tying of a new thali or ‘mangalasutra’ which is a necklace given by the groom’s family to the bride on the day of the original wedding. It carries the same significance as a wedding ring in Western culture and is thus a sign that a woman is married. On the day of the sixtieth, seventieth or eightieth function, a new thali is tied. The special yellow thread is replaced and new pendants or ornaments to indicate the significance of that particular wedding are added. Balamma described the moment as “extremely sentimental” and when I asked Kamatchi how it felt to have it tied again she expressively announced, “you saw the photos; you saw how happy I was!”

Temple. They explained that this temple was particularly special because whilst Lord Shiva customarily faces the east side, this is the only temple in Tamil Nadu in which the god faces the north. The couple described the ceremony as “simple” but said that nearly 150 guests attended and “all the most important family members were present.”

In terms of location there are three choices for these celebrations: a wedding hall, the couple’s own house or a temple. The first couple I interviewed opted for a temple about 10 km away from their home named Sylappar

The second couple I interviewed opted for their own house as the venue for the function. They described how “at eighty it was nice to have the marriage at home because we have lived here for many years.” Furthermore, the fact

that it was in their own home was convenient for the whole community. If it had been held in a temple far away, not everyone could have traveled there, the couple explained.

The Sanctity of Old Age in India The location, length and lavishness of the function is a matter of personal choice but one thing remains a constant and that is the act of giving and receiving blessings. Blessings are a major part of the ceremony and go in different directions depending on the age of the couple. In the sixtieth marriage, the couple gives

Still spritely - octogenarian Arunachalam and his wife Kamatchi pose with family members and journalism volunteers from Projects Abroad

blessings to the youngsters but also receive blessings themselves from other couples who are more elderly than them. In the eightieth marriage however, all the guests queue up to receive a blessing from the couple. As you can imagine at a function with attendance reaching around 2,000 people, blessing everyone can be a lengthy process as Kamatchi and Arunachalam fondly reminisced. The blessings, in this context, have several different connotations. The priest R.S. Balaji emphasised the notions of reunion and forgiveness as key reasons behind the blessings. He advises anyone thinking of having the event to put aside any bad feelings or disputes within the family and invite anyone to the function “from whom we need to seek forgiveness and apologise to for our mistakes.” In his substantial experience he has observed that “families come closer” as a result of the celebration. In a sense the function can be seen as a clean slate for the families and the blessings are all part of establishing and cementing a new, fresh start.

Doubly blessed - Arunachalam and Kamatchi give their blessings to volunteer Giulia by applying holy ash to her forehead

Whilst Sashtiapthapoorthi is undoubtedly a family affair, the eightieth seemed to place even more emphasis on the importance of family. It seems to me that it is very much about getting everyone together and honouring the achievements of the couple. After all, reaching eighty years of age and having such a long and happy marriage is an undeniable achievement

Madurai Messenger Cover Story February 2014

The Lingering Taste of Tradition

Custodians of a tradition - R.S. Balaji (left) and his brother, both Hindu priests have performed the sashtiapthapoorthi and other functions for many elderly couples

Julie Larsen samples the delectable traditional Tamil ‘sappadu’ offered at the Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club, which not only teaches her to appreciate the region’s particular gastronomy but also has her wholeheartedly seconding the owner’s claim that quality and customer satisfaction is the yardstick of the restaurant’s success Text: Julie Larsen, Denmark Photos: R.P. Suriya Prakash

However, when I asked both sets of couples whether their celebrations acted as a vehicle for forgiveness and reunion within the family, they both ardently rejected that this had been the case in their situations. The ‘eightieth couple’ endearingly declared, “No disputes will come to our family! Don’t even think about it.” The ‘sixtieth couple’ was in accordance that no disputes had been settled as a result of their celebration but admitted, “we have lots of family festivals in India and generally disputes do get resolved by these kinds of events.” Blessings are not only about forgiveness however. The elders are seen as an exceptional symbol of good luck and many couples come to receive blessings from them so that they may have a life as good and successful as the older couple. The elderly couple are exemplary not only to the youth but to everyone present at the function. “We believe the elders’ blessings are extremely effective,” the ‘sixtieth couple’ stated, “this is why even the neighbours come to receive blessings.” For me, the practice of receiving blessings from the elders is indicative of one thing: the sanctity and respect that is given to old age in India. In Western culture the elderly can sometimes be brushed aside, patronised and even ignored by society, whereas in India the elderly are treated with an admirable amount of respect and honour. The elderly are seen as the wisest and most knowledgeable members of

the community and are consequently given the respect they deserve. The fact that people consider blessings from them to be so potent is illustrative of the culture of respect surrounding the aged in India.

Community, Respect, Gratitude I was lucky enough to be invited to receive a blessing from the couple who celebrated their ‘Sadabishegam’. One must bend down and touch the feet of the couple before they apply holy ash to your forehead. I feel so grateful to have met such an inspiring couple. Despite being in their seventies and eighties, they were so sprightly and full of character. At the end of our chat, Kamatchi happily remarked, “you can come to the 100th marriage.” She also grasped my hand and told me to remember her. I definitely will not be

forgetting her, or the other people that I interviewed, any time soon. At the start of this article I claimed that there was something that we could all learn from this Indian tradition and I hope I have made my point clear. I asked the couples if there was a particular message they wanted their functions to promote and the both echoed each other in stating that, “people should be united and be happy.” At a superficial glance, ‘Sashtiapthapoorthi’ and ‘Sadabishegam’ appear to be solely a celebration of marriage but when one looks a little closer it is apparent that these functions are a celebration of life in general. All the community is brought together to harmoniously commemorate, give thanks to and respect the life of the elderly couple and these are definitely practices worth emulating.

“Our customers are more valuable than money”, P. Ayyakkani, owner of the restaurant Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club tells me with a pleasant smile. We are currently in the rather unpretentious surroundings of the restaurant, interviewing the proprietor. It was P. Ayyakkani’s father, P. A. Perumal, who opened the restaurant in 1950 and his son Ayyakkani became the owner of the restaurant in 1980. Perumal originally came to Madurai from his native village Thirupuvanam and chose to do business here because, at that time, Madurai junction was the only railway junction for more than 30 villages. Madurai was and still is the place to which villagers from around Madurai and even south Tamil Nadu flock to make purchases during important festivals. Apart from shoppers, Madurai is the place where villagers such as farmers and small scale manufacturers come to sell their produce/wares. Consequently, Madurai has a large floating population every day, and it was to cater to the tastes of this floating population that the Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club was envisaged. P. Ayyakkani’s nephew, Saravanakumar, is a co-owner of the restaurant as well, which makes it a real family firm. The name of the restaurant Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club was chosen by the founder P.A. Perumal because it was popular in the 1950s for most of the hotel restaurants to end with the word ‘club’.

The recipe for success - the owner of the restaurant P Ayyakkani poses with the portrait of the founder, his father P.A. Perumal

The restaurant The Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club, which serves traditional Tamil food, is situated near the Meenakshi Temple in the heart of Madurai and it attracts all sorts of people: from families, farmers, bank officials and tourists, who visit the restaurant to have the traditional Tamil meal or sappattu. This sappattu (sometimes spelt as saapadu, also called a ‘thali’ in Hindi), consists of a variety of dishes,

mostly vegetables, served in small bowls or katories placed in a round tray, in the centre of which the main dish, i.e., rice is served. While North Indian thali consists mainly of Indian breads like roti, paratha and naan, Tamil meals (saapadu) come mostly with rice. Different restaurants serve ‘limited’ or ‘unlimited’ thalis or saapadu, depending on the amount of rice that a customer can be served. However, the Jaya Vilas

Madurai Messenger Eating Out February 2014

Sappattu Club has both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes in its menu.

Like the interiors, the façade is quite ordinary save for a big bright rectangular sign proclaiming the name of the restaurant over the main door. To actually enter this rather unimposing place, you have to walk through a long white corridor and then you arrive at the main room of the restaurant. The room is filled with welcoming staff, one big desk in the middle which is the owners’ working space with the space in-between filled with as many tables and chairs as possible. In the left corner of the room, you can spot the fireplace (kitchen) where the dishes are cooked. Sticking to the traditional Tamil cuisine means that the food is prepared over a real wood fire as the wood imparts a distinct flavor to the food. It is only when the restaurant is filled with many customers or the orders are too numerous that they use gas for cooking. The room is decorated with glass tanks with fish and over the proprietor’s desk, hangs a picture of P. A. Perumal illuminated in blue lights. The restaurant is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. Typically a day at Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club would start with buying the mutton, fish and chicken early, directly from the butcher shops in the morning. After 9 a.m., the staff starts preparing lunch, which takes two and half up to three hours. The lunch session is from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the staff prepares the dishes for dinner, which is offered from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The cuisine The meals at Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club are served as per the Tamil tradition, on a banana leaf and water is provided at regular intervals to the customers. The meal consists of two kinds of vegetables, sambar (a vegetable stew), rasam (soup made with tamarind juice as a base, tomato, chilli pepper, pepper, cumin and other spices), puli kulambu (variation of eggplant curry preparation), curd and pickle. Then you can decide whether to have fish, mutton, chicken gravy or the aiyra meen (lepidocephalus

masala by hand is a sign of quality because this makes the food tasty - it is like a grandmother’s recipe. At Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club, the masala used is also different from other restaurants. While the amount of the spices used always differs from restaurant to restaurant, what characterizes the Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club´s masala for mutton and chicken dishes is the use of pepper instead of chillies.

The food was very delicious, the amount of spices was perfect though I could detect that the use of pepper is more than chilli but to me it didn’t matter as the spiciness was just right

A delectable dining experience

Looks can deceive - the interiors of the Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club may be unpretentious but the food is fab!

thermalis) a kind of freshwater fish, which is the restaurant’s signature dish. The secret of the restaurant’s famous fish dish is ground coconut in which the fish is dipped, before being dipped in their home-made pepper masala. The fish is usually eaten with rice. It is important to understand that Tamil cuisine is not only a food tradition but it is believed in Tamil cuisine that you serve food to others as service to humanity and some of the traditions behind the way of cooking are considered to be healthy. In Tamil cuisine, there are medicinal/health benefits behind

cooking and serving the food; for instance, rasam is generally offered after the customers have eaten mutton or chicken. It is believed that because of the ingredients used in its preparation, including cumin and whole black pepper, rasam is good for digestion and after rasam, curd is usually served. Explaining the preparation of the various dishes at the restaurant, P. Ayyakkani says, “We take a lot of precaution in preparation, no compromise on quality. We grind all the masala by hand.” Grinding the

Delectable dish - mutton biriyani, considered special fare, can differ depending on the region where it is made

When I have lunch at the restaurant, pudhina mutton biryani is served first with curd-onion raitha, vegetables, plain rice and the famous aiyra fish, mutton gravy, rasam, mutton kola urundai (fried minced meat balls blended with coconut and spices), papadam, omelet and the last thing is curd. In addition, like all traditional Tamil restaurants, after my meal, I am offered a betel leaf with spices inside which is considered to be good for digestion. In a gesture of hospitality, P. Ayyakkani tells us that the meal we just ate is on the house. The food was very delicious, the amount of spices was perfect though I could detect that the use of pepper is more than chilli but to me it didn’t matter as the spiciness was just right. The aiyra fish is eaten without removing the bones because the fish is so small and the taste of the fish was very appetizing. In general, the tasty meal was complemented by good service by the waitresses; they would walk from table to table to fill up the customers plates if they were empty.

Formula for success I easily say that the meal at Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club was one of the best traditional meals I have had during the month I stayed in India. Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club is definitely a restaurant worth coming back to. “When the customers feel hungry, they should immediately think of this restaurant, my restaurant should be their first preference”, P Ayyakkani said when explaining to me the experience that he would like the customers to have when they eat at Jaya Vilas Sappattu

11 The traditional meal or sappattu is often served on a banana leaf along with small bowls containing the side dishes

Club and I can gladly vouch for this. According to P Ayyakkani, “Our customers’ satisfaction matters more than money - that is our value. Quality and customers’ satisfaction - that is our motto”. Quality, according to P. Ayyakkani means that the customers are satisfied. “The key behind our success is experience and quality because we live in a consumer-oriented society. As far as these are concerned, this restaurant is most successful”, he adds, explaining the reason why the restaurant has been able to keep afloat even after sixtyfour long years, while many other such restaurants have floundered. P. Ayyakkani is right and Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club’s success can be measured by the number of VIPs from Madurai and Tamil Nadu who often order catering services from the restaurant. The restaurant does catering services for a minimum number of 50 people and a maximum of 300 people for social/political/religious functions.

Change on the cards With each new generation comes change, though the only change P. Ayyakkani says that he has made since he took over the restaurant from his father is to add Chinese dishes to the menu card. “After I took over this place from my father, I have run it with pride”, says P. Ayyakkani. But the proprietor also has new ideas up his sleeve about changing a few things at the restaurant. “Air conditioners are the next step to improve the environment at the restaurant and to make it a little more upscale”, he says and adds that other future plans would to be to expand and open another sophisticated restaurant with parking space because most of the customers have cars and if they are unable to get parking place, they are likely to go to another restaurant. I wish the Jaya Vilas Sappattu Club all the best in fulfilling their ambitions, now and in the future.

Madurai Messenger Culture February 2014

Thaipusam Festival: Under the Spell of the ‘Vel’ To a Westerner, some of the forms of ‘kavadi’ followed by the devotees of Lord Murugan to gain his favour may seem ‘extreme’ due to the physical nature of the practices, says Catherine McMaster, who was witness to the Thaipusam festivities at Thiruparankundram, one of the six main abodes of the god Text and Photos: Catherine McMaster

I was fortunate enough to witness this spectacle. One of the many attractions of India is the sheer abundance of religious and cultural festivities. Culture and religion seem to be intertwined; you cannot possibly separate one from the other. This spiritual essence and unity is something that immediately attracts you to India and its people.

Australia

With over 80% of practicing Hindus, religious festivities such as Thaipusam attract a large crowd. Devotees prepare for the celebration by cleansing themselves of any physical or mental impurities through prayer and fasting. These preparations can start approximately 48 days before the festival and can include bathing in cold water, sleeping on the floor, transcendence of desire and following a vegetarian diet of one meal a day.

Extreme devotion

Thaipusam commemorates the occasion when Goddess Parvati gave her second son Lord Murugan a ‘vel’ or spear so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman

Altar of devotion - a Lord Murugan devotee carries a portable altar which is attached to his chest and back by small hooks

Passing me by on the street are men, women and children all participating in ‘Vel Kavadi’ a sort of physical self-mortification to gain favours from Lord Murugan

n the panchayat town of Thiruparankundram, one of the six abodes of Lord Murugan, the celebrations of the Thaipusam festival are afoot. Thaipusam, a Tamil festival celebrated on the full moon day in the Tamil month of Thai, commemorates the occasion when Goddess Parvati gave her second son Lord Murugan a ‘vel’ or spear so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman. Thousands of Hindus pay tribute to Lord Murugan and attend kavadi during this two-day festival.

There are more extreme measures to show your devotion during the two-day festival. I use the word ‘extreme’ here in the context of my Western ideology, with reference to practices such as ‘Vel Kavadi’, where devotees piece their bodies with small hooks and skewers called ‘vel’. My ignorance of this practice only makes me a hungrier spectator. Passing me by on the street are men, women and children all participating in ‘Vel Kavadi’ a sort of physical selfmortification to gain favours from Lord Murugan. Devotees have pierced the skin of their cheeks through which a long, thin skewer hangs which they

Bare faith - like these young children, devotees will offer their hair if they have nothing else to give to the god

either balance or support with their hands, signifying that the devotee has denounced the gift of speech temporarily and channeled his or her energy toward god. You can also find a small spear pierced through the tongue to symbolize the vow of silence. Oneman carries a portable altar, decorated with peacock feathers, which is called a ‘Kavadi’ attached to 108 vels pieced through his skin on his chest and back. Another man is practicing ‘Parakum Kavadi’, flying through the air held up by chains gouged through his back and legs. I must admit that I did feel a little squeamish at seeing this, but nevertheless I was amazed that

someone could endure such an intense physical burden. I had the desire to ask the burning question, why and how? Thaipusam is dedicated to the Tamil God Lord Murugan, who killed the evil demon Soorapadman with a ‘vel’ or spear. Murugan’s vel is a symbolic representation for power and higher intelligence. This ‘vel’ is then pieced through the skin of the chosen devotees as a sign of their affection or devotion to this god. Such an intense level of devotion is not prescribed for all devotees. Women and children often exercise ‘Paal Kavadi’, the simplest form of ‘Kavadi’, which refers to the practice

Speechless for God - a devotee with a vel pierced through his cheeks

Madurai Messenger Culture February 2014

The mortification of flesh is a completely personal choice, the priest tells me. The more affection one feels for their god, the more pain they may wish to endure. Piercing the skin is a way of ensuring that bad luck should go back to god and not persist in the devotee’s life

14 Pure and simple - women carry pots of milk on their heads, to offer at the Murugan temple

of carrying a brass pot of milk on their heads. Milk is considered to be a pure substance and thus is used in many religious festivities. In a kind of pilgrim march, all devotees will travel on foot, often for many miles to the temple to give their offerings.

‘Paal Kavadi’, the simplest form of ‘Kavadi’, which refers to the practice of carrying a brass pot of milk on their heads. Milk is considered to be a pure substance and thus is used in many religious festivities

Arriving in the town of Thiruparankundram, which houses the famous Thiruparankundram Murugan Temple, I am surrounded by hundreds of devotees all with offerings of milk, food, oil, honey and flowers. Although this is all completely foreign to me, I cannot help but be swept away in their spiritual aura. The scent of incense permeates as I become lost in this atmosphere of sincere devotion.

will enlighten me on the practices of the Thaipusam Festival. Having just witnessed mortification of the flesh, children with piercings through their cheeks, women with shaved heads (a very rare sight in India) where the colours of saffron, white, black and blue saturate, I have a list of burning questions to ask, the foremost being: how do people sustain such an intense physical burden?

Gaining an insight

The mortification of flesh is a completely personal choice, the priest tells me. The more affection one feels for their god, the more pain they may wish to endure. Piercing the skin is a way of

It is away from the hustle and bustle of the temple that I am able to have a one-on-one interview with priest and teacher, S. Nagaraja Sivam who

ensuring that bad luck should go back to god and not persist in the devotee’s life. The extent that someone sacrifices or offers something to Lord Murugan depends completely on the person. It is an impartial celebration; there are no restrictions on age or sex. This means that both men and women can participate in ‘Vel Kavadi’. I am curious to know if any devotee has been hospitalized or seriously wounded due to this practice. Upon asking this I am answered with a very clear ‘no’. Devotees are able to obtain a trance-like state in which they feel no pain, nor bleed from the wounds which heal without leaving behind any

scars. I am amazed at their spiritual strength. The ability to control the body is achievable, but to control the mind, to remain on a single focus is a far more difficult task and takes practice. Yet, despite this barrier, I witnessed young children participating in ‘Vel Kavadi’, disregarding the pain of having your flesh flagellated, by imploring the help of Lord Murugan.

Mane matters There are many other ways that devotees can show their devotion to Lord Murugan. While I was wandering around the temple, I noticed a number of people with their heads shaved. Within a western context this sight would have no cause for alarm, yet here in Tamil Nadu it is an uncommon display. After three weeks of living in Madurai I have come to realize that hair is a very important commodity. None of the women have short hair but rather prefer to grow it long and style it in a low ponytail or plait. The maintenance and styling of the hair is important where beautiful clips adorn the girl’s dark locks and hints of purple, pink and orange flowers are clipped to the sides. If a devotee does not have anything to offer to Lord Murugan they will offer their hair. In a culture embellished with gold ornaments, effervescent colours and trimmings, plainness is unappealing and frowned upon. The ideology in

Aarupadai veedu - the temple at Thiruparankundram near Madurai which is one of the six abodes of Lord Murugan

India is that when you shave your hair, you become plain and therefore by offering Lord Murugan your hair you are sacrificing your beauty.

Biannual occurrence The birthday of Lord Murugan in the Vaikasi month (May -June) follows a similar pattern of festivities as Thaipusam. I am keen to learn if that festival called Vaikasi Visakam is as large a celebration. However I am informed that both festivals are equally as important in the Tamil calendar, although it is depends on the temple. During Vaikasi Visakam, they follow the same procedure as Thaipusam at the Thiruparankundram Murugan

Temple. Over 5,000 liters of milk is used during Vaikasi Visakam as an offering to Lord Murugan. The Tamil god Lord Murugan is an important deity in the region of Tamil Nadu, so it is little wonder that Thaipusam should attract such a large devotee following. During the course of the day, I am swept up in a tidal wave of religious and spiritual festivity and fervour. Having witnessed and experienced the religious spectacle that is Thaipusam, I am beginning to appreciate the extent of how religion and Indian culture are completely merged into one another.

Madurai Messenger Woman Entrepreneur February 2014

No Puppy Love This: Vichitra

Rajasingh on Her Enduring Passion

Vivacious and articulate, Vichitra Rajasingh, C.E.O. of Puppy’s Bakery talks to Valentina Ebranati about how her love for food influenced her choice of career and shows us that behind the charming persona lies not just a shrewd businesswoman but also a perfectionist, constantly aiming to raise the bar in whatever she does Text: Valentina Ebranati, Italy Photos: Haruko Kawabe, Japan

W 16

e step into Puppy’s Bakery located in Doak Nagar area of Madurai and my first impression is fresh and sweet. The bakery is neat and the dominant colour is pink, not a childish pale pink but a glamorous, intense pink that speaks of style and fashion. The panel at the entrance pictures their range of cupcakes and pastries and the counters showcase these in orderly but colorful lines.

Distinctive appeal - the whole ambience of Puppy’s Bakery from the decor to the fuschia colour speak of style and fashion

17 problem is man power. Finding good and skilled human resources is not easy and it represents one of her major challenges.

A Christmas atmosphere is in the air: there is a tree with gift packages in the showcase while colorful pink snowflakes and balls hang from the ceiling.

The majority of her workforce is below 30 years of age but young people are difficult to manage because they are less skilled and have to be motivated to do things; many want to do work which is not too taxing within the confines of a plush office. Older people, on the other hand, already have their minds structured and are difficult to train.

Vichitra Rajasingh (28), C.E.O. of Bell Hotels (P) Ltd and C.E.O. - Puppy’s Bakery, welcomes us wearing a bright smile with brillant purple lipstick and an equally sunny dress and we start talking about her business.

Business in her blood Vichitra comes from a family of entrepreneurs, her grandfather having started the business in the early 1940s. Her father expanded their business interests which initially included matches and fireworks and now encompasses a chain of hotels and restaurants, a catering school, printing presses and much more. Being in such an environment acted as a catalyst. Though Vichitra knew all along that she would join the family business at some point of time, she had not planned on doing so at the tender age of 20, just after finishing her degree in Hotel Management from SRM University in Chennai. Vichitra admits that belonging to a business family is an asset as many things, for example obtaining a bank loan, are easier for her. Though she has a degree in Hotel Management, she says that actually working has been a revelation, as a college degree does not prepare you to face

Wonder woman - Besides being C.E.O. of Puppy’s Bakery which she set up, Vichitra is also C.E.O. of Bell Hotels (P) Ltd at the young age of 28 years

real problems, such as how to deal with people. Despite being 8 years in the industry, she still feels that she has a lot to learn through the new challenges she faces every day.

Struggles and setbacks She has had to face some struggles and critical points in her business. Besides facing the current period of slow down, which she says has not affected the bakery business much, her main

Another problem that Vichitra faces is the expansion and positioning of her business. The shop where she welcomes us is one of three bakeries (her flagship store as it was the first and is Vichitra’s favourite) in Madurai while another is in her hometown Sivakasi, but sixty percent of the orders she receives are from Chennai, where Puppy’s doesn’t have an outlet. Despite this, the idea to open one there is not an option: Chennai has too many bakeries and Vichitra’s business USP aims at reaching smaller tier II and tier III towns where she can represent a niche.

Vichitra credits TV programmes on food such as the Masterchef series for creating interest in different types of cuisines and bakery products and says that many people know about her products even before trying them

Foodie paradise - a poster displays the different types of cakes, along with the bakery’s slogan

Madurai Messenger Woman Entrepreneur February 2014

Gen Y’s Poster Girl Speaking about her family, Vichitra tells us about how her mother Bina, was a trendsetter in the 1970s when she came from Delhi to Sivakasi to marry Vichitra’s father C. Rajasingh. Since then until the present, she has been involved in many activities including social service organizations and fund raising. Just as we are talking about her, Bina Rajasingh enters the shop and greets us. She is elegant, as attractive in a sari as the daughter in her bright dress.

Kiddie corner - Puppy’s Bakery has a special assortment for kids such as these funky cupcakes

Women to the fore On one point though she is sure - she likes to work with women. Vichitra admits to having many women workers in her shops, since they are very careful in tasks that require attention to details such as garnishing and finishing and are also good at replicating work and packaging, unlike men.

“Women are patient, caring, they know the value of what they are handling and do packaging very carefully even with lower priced products,” she tells us. But unfortunately, less women prefer to work in the production side as it requires long hours of standing and Vichitra would like to change this. Vichitra admits that women’s role in society today has undergone a sea change, as many girls and women are educated and work as much as men at present. They are encouraged by their families and even women with families and children work, many opting for part time schedules. She points out that the economic situation has made it necessary for families to have a second income also. As far as she sees it, women’s situation especially in towns like Madurai and Chennai is improving, as they get the same chances as men.

Networking Works Vichitra swears by the internet and says that social networking is a great way to promote her business; she is very active on both. Puppy’s Bakery has a very nice Facebook page with almost 18,000 friends, a Twitter account and more. Vichitra credits TV programmes on food such as the Masterchef series for creating interest in different types of cuisines and bakery products and says that many people know about her products even before trying them. “We get many of our orders and contacts through our Facebook page,” she tells us and adds that she is also planning to start a shop online. But this also means that she must tackle the problem of delivery, since freshness is paramount as far as all Puppy’s Bakery products are concerned which is why trucks make daily delivery services from their two production points to the shops.

When we ask Vichitra if she’s married, she says, “no! far from it”. She is too busy with her business and travels continuously and above all, she has not yet met somebody ‘nice’; “maybe this year!” she says laughingly. In her free time, she relaxes by listening to music, surfing TV channels and shopping. Vichitra loves shoes and clothes and she shops for both online rather than during the short vacations that she takes around the world with friends. She’s a foodie also, an interest which comes from her mother’s side: she tells us about her grandmother’s recipe for the perfect plumcake, which they have used for Christmas for the first time, after her eightyyear-old grandmother obligingly shared it with them.

Novelty sells Vichitra’s first and best customers are children who always cajole their parents into buying them the goodies sold here. Vichitra has cashed in on this marketing tactic to invent funny and teasing shapes, names, packaging for her products especially the cup cakes, tantalisingly called, ‘Hakuna Matata’ for one with the Lion King etched in butter cream icing and “Green Alien” for a green UFO cupcake. She generally puts across such innovative ideas to her chef executive who then translates them into reality: for example, some bestsellers like the Black Forest and White Forest cakes have been deconstructed into a milk shake with the same ingredients, which has become a hit with the Madurai people. Yum’s the word! - a close up of two of the delectable pastries sold at Puppy’s Bakery

Tantalising spread - Puppy’s Bakery has a wide variety of cakes, pastries and other goodies to offer

“Women are patient, caring, they know the value of what they are handling and do packaging very carefully even with lower priced products” We ask the vivacious Vichitra to tell us about her dreams and future projects and she has many: expanding the bakery through more outlets of course, but also doing something connected with the health and well being sector. She says that though there are many gyms around, no one customizes their services, “each person has different needs”, she points out, pondering over ways to come up with some better offers in the field. Vichitra’s urge to constantly better things is reflected in Puppy’s Bakery where they are very careful in using only fresh and the best quality ingredients, with reduced fat and sugar. Vichitra reveals to us that both the name and logo of the bakery are inspired by her own self: pink is her favorite color, while Puppy is her nickname and the logo is based on her. To close our conversation, Vichitra offers us some delicious black tea and a choice of her pastries, the chocolate mousse that I try is really excellent. “I use only best quality French or Belgian chocolate”, she tells us, adding that she has an interest in French confectionery and hopes to visit Paris later this year to enjoy the town and taste the local delicacies there.

Striving for perfection - Vichitra tries constantly to raise the bar, to better her products by stressing on freshness and quality ingredients

Madurai Messenger Village Voices February 2014

Attuvampatti: A World of Green sans Machines Nora Roger explores Attuvampatti, a small village near Kodaikanal, and is enchanted by this ‘trekker’s paradise’, which the long arm of technology appears not to have touched as yet and where the people seem to be content with their idyllic existence Text: Nora Roger, France Photos: R.P. Suriya Prakash

Scenic and serene - Attuvampatti, its hills, temple and new machine

The village is one of the main suppliers of vegetables and fruits to Madurai as well as Trichy. Most of the inhabitants of this little village are farmers, still following in the footsteps of their ancestors

Bird’s eye view of Attuvampatti - this green landscape is the pride of its inhabitants

s we get closer to Kodaikanal, about a hundred kilometers away from Madurai, the air becomes purer. We climb 2,000 meters in a bus, the journey lasting two hours. Lulled by the music, the bus meanders around the hairpin bends, punctuated by pauses as it negotiates the twists and turns. The passengers are rocked from right to left and vice versa. Already, the sight is magnificent. Vegetation engulfs the panorama, a lake in the middle

glitters with tints of green, the blue skies reflected in its calm waters. The bus climbs vertically and finally reaches Kodaikanal. This town was established by American Christian missionaries and British bureaucrats in 1845 in the Palani Hills in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu. This place is known for its idyllic landscape and that is without taking into account the numerous surrounding villages. The journalism team from Madurai Messenger has set its heart

on Attuvampatti, a small village seven kilometers from Kodaikanal.

Place and People In Attuvampatti, some houses emerge from crop land. Carrots, cauliflowers, potatoes and many other crops dress the landscape. This place is a gold mine when it comes to fruits and vegetables. The village is one of the main suppliers of vegetables and fruits to Madurai as well as Trichy. Most of the inhabitants

of this little village are farmers, still following in the footsteps of their ancestors. Up at 6 a.m., everybody is ready to work at the farm at 8 a.m. Silence reigns as everyone gets to work. Before the night falls, what was cultivated and ready for harvest is separated into two categories, according to freshness and size. The entire produce is transported at night so that it will be ready for sale on the street markets/vegetable shops of Madurai and Trichy at dawn. Climbing up to the top of the hills gives you such a clear bird’s eye view of the whole area so that the villagers

can even name the villages on your right and on your left. This hamlet is appreciated for its enchanting landscapes - green everywhere, glorious hills, and the sun. Perfect for a walk or a good hike. Naturally, one of the gripes of its inhabitants is that the few tourists who come up here are more preoccupied with the panoramic vistas than the villagers, whom they tend to simply ignore. No need to describe the surprise and the enthusiasm when our MM journalism team asks them for an interview.

Production and Labour Ask them about the profit they make on their vegetables and they laugh. Profit? “The brokers (middlemen) get most of the money,” confide the farmers shyly, a reply that could find echoes from a majority of small farmers in Tamilnadu. They can barely make a living from their harvest. Doing something else to earn a livelihood would not cross their minds as they have been doing this for generations - it is almost a family heritage. They are accustomed to hard work, manually, without any help from machines. The concept of technology

is not familiar to these farmers. Before, once the carrots were collected, the women used to clean them for three hours - no exaggeration - and the repetitive gestures, bad posture and the use of cold water were not a good combination. A year ago, the village finally got a machine. Not only is it time-saving, it is also a big improvement forward for their health. “Now it takes only one hour, and our hips and nerves are getting better!” agrees the wife of H.Selvaboopathy (45), both farmers of Attuvampatti. The traditional method was painful for their backs and joints. But the farmers here know little about other machines of this kind. “We know how useful it can be, but you‘ll see this kind of technology in big cities...not here,” he says with a snigger. And it is too expensive, so the villagers cannot afford to buy other similar technology.

A year ago, the village finally got a machine. Not only is it timesaving, it is also a big improvement forward for their health

Madurai Messenger Village Voices February 2014

Technology triumphs - farmer H.Selvaboopathy’s wife with the first technology to be introduced in Attuvampatti, which saves both time and workers’ stamina

Problems Over the years, the village hasn‘t changed a lot. Nevertheless, fifteen hotels have come up in this locality. “Twenty years ago, during the day, the village was empty as everybody would be at work. Now there is a little more life”, says H.Selvaboopathy. But it also has a flip side. “More people are coming to live in Kodai; as a result, pollution is also reaching here,” he adds. This worries him but mostly from a long term perspective. The future generations will have to be more careful about pollution. Tourism is not perceived as a threat yet and the lands belong to and will stay with these farmers although the construction of the hotels has been detrimental to the environment and ecology of the place and has destabilized the food chain of animals. Nowadays animals come to these villages to find something to eat. “Some wild animals, such

Tourism is not perceived as a threat yet and the lands belong to and will stay with these farmers although the construction of the hotels has been detrimental to the environment and ecology of the place and has destabilized the food chain of animals as bison, destroy everything in their path,” says Selvaboopathy. This is a big issue for him and the other farmers as their crops and consequently, their livelihood is at stake. The weather here is perfect for their farming and there are seemingly no other problems as we talk to the farmers.

education generally did not stay in the village after finishing their 12th standard while others joined the farm after their studies. Some went to the government school at Kodaikanal but this placed a high monetary burden on their parents who had to take loans. Things are now changing.

But as we probe further, another problem which bothers the villagers comes to our notice: education. Most of the villagers are not very educated and therefore, don‘t really understand what makes a good school. Till now, those who could afford a good

Attuvampatti is the centre of a novel experiment in education, thanks to “My School Satya Surabhi” (MYSS) which was founded in 1999 under the initiative of Ram and Padmini Mani. We speak to the founders who explain to us that, with a holistic approach,

The fruits of labour - a worker with the fruits cultivated in the hills surrounding the village

this school delivers quality education up to the 8th grade free of charge, to children of daily wage earners, farm labourers and skilled labourers, regardless of caste, religion or gender. “We do not charge a fee,” stresses Padmini Mani. Students come from Attuvampatti, and the surrounding villages of Pallangi, Villpatty and Kovilpatty. They also have yoga, dance and computer lessons. “The mindsets of the parents are changing, when they see their child talking on issues or reading fluently, speaking English, doing yoga, handling the computer,” Padmini points out, the pride in her voice evident. This school can make a huge difference in small villages like Attuvampatti.

Prospects In this place, there are many who can leave the village if they get the chance while others have no other choice

but to follow the family tradition which has been ingrained in them for many generations. MYSS dreams of being upgraded but Padmini Mani explains that the Department of Education rule requires that they have more land to make it into a high school, which MYSS doesn‘t possess right now. “We want beautiful, self-confident, purpose- oriented children and all this can happen only if we take it up to the 10th grade level. We are seriously trying to do that, but we do not have the financial resources yet,” says Padmini with passion. Education is an issue that can be solved in time and with

resourceful people like Ram and Padmini Mani. Given the cost of technological improvements, farmers have to use traditional tools until their finances allow them such luxuries. Right now, it is not a problem requiring immediate attention. Tourism is not a real threat either now but could become one if the influx of people from the plains into Kodaikanal increases exponentially. At present, to the locals, the future of Attuvampatti looks as green as today. Not a cloud on the horizon - just a small, quiet and scenic village in the hills.

Attuvampatti is the centre of a novel experiment in education, thanks to “My School Satya Surabhi” (MYSS) which was founded in 1999 under the initiative of Ram and Padmini Mani

Madurai Messenger Film Review February 2014

My Country is Named Love

Dexter, Demetrius‘s brother, sees in this Indian girl someone similar to them, “You‘re just like us. We‘re Africans but we‘ve never been there!”

Nora Roger reviews Mira Nair’s ‘Mississippi Masala’, a film which explores the theme of racism through the lens of a cross-cultural relationship set in the Deep South and concludes that it is very relevant to the present scenario where, like the protagonists, many young people are ‘global citizens’, unaware of their parents’ cultures and unwilling to share their prejudices Text : Nora Roger France

irected by Mira Nair and written by Sooni Taraporevala, Mississippi Masala is a modern remake of Romeo & Juliet set in Greenwood, Mississippi (USA) in the 1990s. Romeo here is a black American named Demetrius (Denzel Washington) while Juliet is a Ugandan of Indian origin named Mina (Sarita Choudhury). At first you’ll think that the movie deals with their love story way too quickly. They meet, they fall in love, they’re torn apart and maybe love will overcome? But the movie also relates the story of Jay (Roshan Seth), Mina’s father, an Indian man married to Kinnu, living in the country of his birth, Uganda, who has been forced by political circumstances to move to England first and later to the USA. The film is not about romance, but a movie about racism - that being a victim of racism does not safeguard oneself against the prejudice that one can harbour in his/her own heart.

A Similar History The movie opens with a scene from Uganda in November 1972. A car in which an Indian is in the passenger seat is stopped by two policemen. The tension reaches a crescendo. “You can go “, decides one of the two men in uniform. The scene brings to the fore the anti-Indian mood that ruled Uganda in the 1970s, after Idi Amin took over the country in a military coup. The Indians were brought to Africa in the late 1800s as indentured labour to build the Uganda Railway. From among the thousands who arrived there, around 7,000 of them chose to stay after their contracts ended. These Ugandan-Indians became gradually very prosperous as the result of which most of the African population began acting Indophobic. In 1972, when Idi Amin ousted Uganda’s president Milton Obote after a military coup, he expelled all Asians - they had ninety days to leave the country and rebuild their lives elsewhere. As shown in

Mississippi Masala Director: Mira Nair Cast: Denzel Washington, Sarita Choudhury,

Roshan Seth

Language: English Year: 1991

What matters here is not the relationship between white and colored people, but the prejudices existing between different shades of the same color. There is no good or bad, only circumstances and people make it so

the movie, Jay’s family is leaving in extremis. Eighteen years later, they live in Greenwood, Mississippi, where they are forced to live way below the standards they were used to in Uganda. You can compare this phenomenon to that of AfricanAmericans. Brought into America in the 1600s to be slaves or servants, they suffered from racism even if not for the same reasons. Slavery was abolished in 1863, but this didn’t mean that black people were integrated into society. There was, and still is, some resentment from white people against them. The movie shows that things haven’t changed. Demetrius’s father, Williben, a waiter, is also a victim of the same prejudice; with the wealthy white folks he serves not even deigning to look at him.

Brown vs Black Director Mira Nair explores interracial romance through the lead pair - Mina and Demetrius. She focuses on the families both of which are similar due to their history and circumstances. On the one hand these Indians, born and raised in Africa, have never been to India. “I was born here [in Uganda]. I always have been African first, Indian second. Treated like a traitor by my fellow Indians,” Jay, Meena’s father grumbles about his comedown in life, from a prosperous Kampala citizen to working in a hotel chain run by Indian families. Angry and broken, he ruins his life writing letters to Uganda’s government claiming compensation while his wife runs a liquor store and his daughter cleans bathrooms. On the other hand, Dexter, Demetrius’s brother, sees in this Indian girl someone similar to them, “You’re just like us. We’re Africans but we’ve never been there!” Williben, tries to overcome racism and make a decent living for his two sons in America. Each parent grew up with memories of segregation. The new generation seems less affected by the past but seems unable to escape from the shadows that it casts. Demetrius underlines that their “skin is just a couple of shades from” each other. In the beginning, everyone tells us that “if you’re not white, you’re colored” as emphasized by Kanti Napkin (Mohan Agashe) and that colored people have to stick together. White people are shown only to make a point - that racism is still alive. But they are so unobtrusive, that at the end of the film you won’t even realize they were there in the movie. What matters here is not the relationship between white and colored people, but the prejudices existing

between different shades of the same color. There is no good or bad, only circumstances and people make it so. “Cruelty has no color,” underlines Jay in a flashback.

Characters transcend the story The director chose to remove any form of visual technique so that the dialogues prevail. If you look at each one of the characters you may feel something is missing, it seems like they’re not developed enough. But all together they build the story; they transcend it. Mina is a young and sensual 24-year-old woman, who has very fuzzy memories of life in Africa. She’s clearly going through an identity crisis and longs for more simplicity. Even if her family’s never been to India, they certainly follow their culture, share the values and habits. But this UgandanIndian-English-American doesn’t feel like she belongs to any community at all. “I’m a mix masala”, she admits. She grew up with Africans first and white people afterwards. Why can’t she date an Afro-american? She wants to meet different people, to explore the world as she wishes. Sarita Choudhury (born English), with her suave body and voice represents perfectly this modern young woman, sweet and adventurous at the same time. Demetrius is a young and handsome self-made man who follows the American dream, establishing his own carpet cleaning company. He stays in Greenwood because his mother is dead and thinks he has to take care of his father, and educate his younger brother. Denzel Washington embodies this character quite well. Charismatic and very charming, his version of “Happy Birthday” remains memorable even after the movie ends. Both Mina and Demetrius are the results of their parents’ ideas and struggles. Both of them want to help them, be there for them, but at the same time would like to escape and build their own lives. This is not a matter of colour, history or money. Okelo, Jay’s childhood friend, plays a key role in the story. Actor Konga Mbandu who plays Okelo does a fine job of relaying his deeper feelings through his eyes. Flashbacks help to take the story forward. The final message which the movie delivers, “Home is where the heart is”, is very relevant to the globetrotting present generation everywhere.

Madurai Messenger Film Review February 2014

A Big Fat Family Affair Haruko Kawabe, who reviews the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a sleeper hit of 2002 which went on become the highest grossing romantic comedy of all time, attributes its success to the film’s ability to enable its viewers to identify with its heroine Toula. She says that the film definitely strikes a chord with Asians, including Indians, because of its family-centric theme Text : Haruko Kawabe Japan

y Big Fat Greek Wedding, a 2002 romantic comedy is based on the true story of the script writer Nia Vardalos, who also plays the female lead, Fortoula (Toula) Portokalos. Although the film was made at a mere $ 5 million, it became the highest grossing romantic comedies of all time despite not being in the number 1 slot, making a gross revenue of $241,438,208, besides having a long run of eight months.

Toula’s internal conflict between listening to her parents and listening to her own needs will find an echo here, especially in India, where children are still expected to listen to their parents even when they are well into adulthood 27

Unhappy girl meets dream boy The story revolves around Toula, a Greek girl who grows up in the USA and whose family owns a Greek restaurant, ‘Dancing Zorba’s’. Her father, despite immigrating to the US, is extremely proud of his Greek heritage to the extent of modelling his house after the Parthenon and trying to prove that every English word has its root in Greek, which leads to many embarrassing situations for Toula and her sister. Thus the conservatively brought up Toula is expected to ‘marry a Greek, have Greek babies, and feed everybody till she dies’. However, Toula, now 30 and still unmarried is unhappy and regards herself as having ‘failed’. Toula has become rather cynical, “I wish I had a different life, I wish I was prettier, braver. But it’s useless to dream because nothing ever changes,” and fears that she is doomed to serve in the restaurant forever, until she meets Ian, an American school teacher. After getting her father’s permission, which takes alot of persuasion, Toula starts taking computer classes at a local college, stops wearing glasses and starts wearing makeup and gets a new job in her aunt’s travel agency. She meets Ian again at the travel agency and they fall in love with each other.

The movie beautifully captures both Ian’s tolerance to his new-found ‘family’ and their culture and Toula’s dramatic transformation from “frump girl” to alluring woman

A clash of cultures

My Big Fat Greek Wedding Director: Joel Zwick Cast: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine Language: English Year: 2002

Ian proposes to her and they decide to get married. However, contrary to expectations, Toula’s father Gus is outraged that Toula is dating a nonGreek man and tells her to end their relationship. To overcome Toula’s father’s opposition to their marriage, Ian decides to get baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church and attempts to learn Greek culture. Ian’s parents, white AngloSaxon Protestants and as different from Toula’s family as chalk is from cheese, find the exuberant Greek culture of their future daughter-in-law’s family rather overwhelming and difficult to digest; for example, Ian’s parents’ first meeting with Toula’s parents, meant to be a ‘quiet dinner’ turns out to be a raucous ‘family bash.’ In the end however, Ian and Toula manage to overcome every obstacle placed in their way by Toula’s ‘well-meaning’ relatives and finally get married, with Gus himself accepting Ian and his parents as ‘family.’ The film ends six years later, with Toula and Ian’s daughter begging to be allowed to attend “Brownies instead of Greek

school,” while her mother promises her that, “when you grow up, you can marry anyone of your choice.” The story perfectly depicts the ebullient Greek culture and the juxtaposition of both the cultures - the typical white Anglo-Saxon family of Ian who Gus finds “too dry” and Toula’s extended Greek family (Toula has 23 first cousins to Ian’s 2) - raises a few laughs. Asian viewers including Indians will be able to identify with the Greeks’ definition of ‘family’, where first and second cousins count as ‘family.’

Cinderella-like transformation The movie beautifully captures both Ian’s tolerance to his new-found ‘family’ and their culture and Toula’s dramatic transformation from “frump girl” to alluring woman. Leaving her father and becoming independent makes Toula also aware of what she wants in life than becoming resigned to what her family has in mind for her. Living away from them, Toula starts to accept her

‘Greekness’ and becomes proud of it, though she initially used to criticise her family for always eating and talking loudly. Toula’s internal conflict between listening to her parents and listening to her own needs will find an echo here, especially in India, where children are still expected to listen to their parents even when they are well into adulthood. Toula is already 30 years old but still Ian has to ask her father if they can date. The music and screenplay are engaging and there is never a dull moment in the movie which is 1 hour, 35 minutes long. The film’s success lies in its ability to enable viewers to identify themselves with Toula - her growing up and sense of affinity somehow reminds us of ourselves. Finally, what touches the viewer’s heart is that true love overcomes all obstacles and the very positive message of Toula taking charge of her own life and transforming it through her own efforts.

Madurai Messenger Book Review February 2014

A Bland Dish

“counted on her husband being a foreigner, a person who called her honey rather than Muni. In a way, George had created her American self, and so it made sense that it was the only one he would see.”

Catherine McMaster who reviews the book The Newlyweds, which explores a marriage of convenience between a Bangladeshi woman and an American man and the dilemmas thrown up in a cross-cultural relationship, opines that the narrative is hampered by the lack of descriptions and poetic language

Interesting juxtaposition of ideologies

Text : Catherine McMaster Australia

he Newlyweds is author Nell Freudenberger’s second novel after The Dissident and is based on the true story of a Bangladeshi woman whom Freudenberger met while on a flight to Rochester. This is the second of her writings to be set in Southeast Asia, after Lucky Girls, a collection of five stories which was published in 2001.

A cross-cultural question

Amina and George are hardly star-crossed lovers. Amina, a 24-year-old Bangladeshi woman and George, a 34-year-old American engineer, meet on Asianeuro.com, an updated version of the village matchmaker. Amina wants a chance to pursue an American college education and career; George wants a stable life and family. After copious emails and an exchange of photographs, where George is attracted to Amina because she is “straightforward”, he embarks to Dhaka to meet Amina and her family. The exchange is a success despite the pidgin English spoken in her village, and overcoming the barriers of nationality, culture and religious upbringing, they wed. Amina journeys to Rochester, USA, “wearing the University of Rochester sweatshirt” that George gave her to begin her American life. How does Amina adjust to a three-bedroom house in the American suburbs with no relatives and no friends close by? When a washing machine is completely foreign and the colloquial American language is difficult to grasp? How does George accept his wife’s cultural views that her parents should live with them? That it is important for her to have a Muslim wedding ceremony and live in separate rooms until such a ceremony is performed? The Newlyweds deals with a woman trying to negotiate two cultures and adapt to a new culture. As Freudenberger says, “Amina knew she was a different person in Bangla than she was in English, she was older in English and also less fastidious. But was there a person who existed beneath languages?” This is a question that Freudenberger leaves unanswered. Amina certainly tries to adapt to her American life through her casual job at Wireworks and then Starbucks and even through her dress, yet there is clearly something missing. How can Amina change that ingrained sense of traditional Deshi self? And the answer is: she can’t. She never

The Newlyweds Author: Nell Freudenberger Publisher: Viking Year: 2012 Price: Rs 550/- (paperback)

While Freudenberger’s partiality is directed towards Amina’s perspective, she also narrates the cultural difficulties for Amina’s husband George as he struggles to accept her traditional sensibilities and notions of family. Live in in-laws are certainly not what George had in mind, yet Amina cannot fathom having a child without the help of her parents. As an old African proverb says, “its takes a village to raise a child”, for Amina no other way is possible if they finally have a child. Basic notions of the collective and the individual human condition are explored here. Freudenberger uses George and Amina as a platform to discuss different cultural ideologies of a collective dependent society versus the independent and individual culture of American capitalism. Until the age of six, Amina had been raised by her Nanu (grandmother) in the village of Hatibatpur where Amina lived with her Nanu, her Parveen Aunty and Parveen’s daughter her favorite cousin Micki. Raised in a shared collective society, privacy is not a word that is compatible with Amina’s Deshi culture. In fact, Amina reveals how she shared a bed with her mother until her departure to the United States. Such collective shared values are hardly compatible with George’s views on independence and privacy. George aspires for a simple and quiet life, nuclear family structure and order. Amina wants her parents to live in their comfortable Rochester home. This is the most difficult cultural difference the couple encounters. George cannot fathom living with his parents-in-law, Amina cannot abide living without them. Freudenberger uses this difference to highlight the attitude of Western society towards the elderly, which has become ‘ageist’. As Cathy, George’s pious and fastidious aunt says, “it is wonderful to have a child who wants to look after you.” It is these moments in Freudenberger’s The Newlyweds that make her novel somewhat interesting. She uses the example of a mixed race marriage as a platform to discuss notions of family and the self in particular cultures, mainly that between East and West. A depiction of Americans and Asians, Christians and Muslims, liberals and conservatives are all meshed together in her cultural melting pot. The sterile and at times monotonous marriage of George and Amina are a base for Freudenberger to then explore other peripheral characters and their backgrounds. The cousins of George and Amina, Kim and Nassir respectively, play a large role in the narrative fabric of Freudenberger’s The Newlyweds. Kim, George’s eccentric but beautiful cousin struggles under the severe restrictions of her mother Cathy and her own unsuccessful cross cultural marriage with wealthy Indian, Ashok. Nassir, Amina’s distant relative who served as a love interest during the course of her teens, has returned to her village after living in London. After her arrival in America, he continues to contact Amina via email and remind her of her former life as a simple Dhaka girl.

Narration marred by blandness The interference of these past relationships becomes a barrier that George and Amina face in their far-fromperfect marriage. While Freudenberger does write with a powerful sense of empathy and international sensibility, I found her prose lacking any real depth. She prosaically and unemotionally recounts the microenvironment that is George and Amina’s marriage and switches back and forth between past and present. While her subject matter is good, it is her lack of descriptions and poetic language that makes the reader quite detached from her characters. Freudenberger does not use overly descriptive language to enrich her complicated characters or stimulate their characterization. Kim, Freudenberger’s most multilayered character, is left without any real resolution and merely just falls away from the page. Kim’s on-off relationship with Ashok is never finalized and in a pivotal moment, when Kim returns to her mother’s house after not communicating for months, Freudenberger leaves the action hanging. Kim stands there awkwardly at the door as she explains in not so many words, “I’ve talked to Ashok, and we’re trying to make it work.” Kim then merely disappears from the page. This lack of finalization leaves the audience questioning, where did she go? Freudenberger’s concept of a mixed race marriage is certainly applicable in today’s globalized society. Yet her skills don’t match her ambition. Her banal if at times bland observations of a woman negotiating two cultures made it a tedious read. This is not to say that at times it was not interesting, just rather formulaic and lacking in descriptive prose. Her writing style lacks any real depth as the situation is only described and the writer lets us free to think how the situation could be better for this mix-wedding. For those looking for a good read about cross-cultural relationships, Corrine Hofmann’s The White Masai and Betty Mahmoody’s Not Without My Daughter would definitely be better choices.

Madurai Messenger First Impressions February 2014

Bollywood Fantasy vs Madurai Reality Nora Roger rues the fact that her expectations about Madurai, mostly based on her acquaintance with Hindi movies, were wide off the mark, though she admits certain aspects such as the importance given to family and values such as courtesy and kindness are definitely still relevant in reality as portrayed in the reel world Text and Photos: Nora Roger France

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Real life imitates art - Bollywood films may be larger-than-life but still reflect the core values which Indians cherish

efore I came to India, I watched one Bollywood movie a day. I knew that these movies could not be a correct representation of the country but at least they would give me an idea about it, I thought. They don’t create these films out of nothing, do they? I have seen almost fifteen films of the actor Shah Rukh Khan; all of them show organized and smiling crowds, lots of beautiful bright colors, temples, incredible homes and landscapes. I was amazed by the beauty of the women, dressed in classy colorful saris with their magnificent hairstyles and I was astonished by their grace in every movement. However, I have read that an Indian girl should not show too much skin, but they do so in these movies. It is probably due to the Hollywood influence.

No rose-tinted glasses I finally landed in Madurai in the beginning of January. The first impression, I might say, was not that great. I guess this is the so-called “cultural shock”, even if everything was not completely unlike what I expected. Still, you cannot genuinely imagine the reality of this place, since you have never been here. My habits and logic seemed to have been turned upside down. It wasn’t the power cuts, the bugs and the rats or being all dressed up when it is thirty degrees outside. I never cared about that. But the noise, the dust, the crowds, the crazy driving, the spicy food... these disturbed me. I realized something though: Bollywood actually is a relevant reflection. The incessant sound of vehicle horns, the mad traffic and the insanitary conditions - these are things you’ll get used to. In the end, it’s not the external factors that matter but the values which the movies carry that do: importance to family, respect, kindness, tradition and beliefs. These you can witness everyday in Madurai.

Reality prevails Before leaving France everybody told me “You have to be strong, you’ll have kids running after you to sell you stuff!” Far from the depiction in Danny Boyle’s movie Slumdog Millionaire, the only kids running after me are those who want

The Glance That Started It All Though her first glimpses of Madurai hardly lent themselves to compliments, Catherine McMaster refused to be swayed by them and instead chose to focus on her cultural experiences, such as the village Pongal celebration and the larger-than-life Tamil movies, which she readily embraced Text and Photos: Catherine McMaster Australia

irst impressions are important and can often have a lingering after effect. However, often, appearances are deceptive. Three words came to mind when I first stepped off the plane in Chennai to change planes for Madurai; dirty, noisy, smelly. Such a description hardly lends itself to an appealing image. But underneath this first impression of chaos, commotion and people, a harmonious tranquility and beauty lay in this country and in its people that I would soon discover. Before journeying to any foreign country one always does a little research. But no amount of guide books, documentaries or blogs can prepare you for the actual real experience of living, working and travelling in India. The first few days can be quite daunting. Cultural shock hits you head on as you are thrown into a kaleidoscope of vibrant colourful saris, the jarring and continuous sound of honking and the constant bustle of people.

Taking the challenge head-on to practice their English, who are curious about me. Moreover, when I visited the Meenakshi temple, the locals explained to me where to leave my shoes, because I had to remove them before entering the temple. Afterwards, they permitted me into the line that was only for women, letting me cut in front of the others. Another local offered me some of her food, while I was inside. When I took the bus to go back home, a man gave me his seat. A few examples of kindness, but strangers in my country won’t help you that easily. In some sanitized and well planned cities, you can have comfort but not so much humanity. If you are planning on visiting India, remember that the trip won’t be about dancing or singing a Hindi song in a colorful street but you can enjoy yourself despite all the shortcomings. Keep in mind the proverb “you can’t judge a book by its cover” and you won’t be disappointed.

Whether it is catching the local bus, eating with your right hand or trying to grasp a few words of the Tamil language, the culture and lifestyle here is so decidedly different from anything that I have been previously used to. The cure for any type of cultural shock I have come to discover is to just completely embrace all of these differences with an open mind. For my first week in Madurai I was fortunate enough to experience the celebrations of the Pongal festival in a nearby village.

Festivals in India are in abundance and are truly unique. Upon arrival in Salvarpatti, we began to play games immediately, with the first competition among women to choose who would be the best cook of the famous Tamilian dish, pongal. Now, Australians are competitive, but the word competition took on a completely new meaning here. Women baited and taunted each other as they pushed their heavy sarees aside to light the wooden fires. One could hardly see or hear amidst the smoke and cries of the village women. It was to the untrained eye, a chaotic mess. But beneath this chaos of smoke, sarees and screams, was an ordered and harmonious process.

A surreal experience This melting pot of tradition, culture, chaos and song extends to the cinema here in India. The culture of Indian cinema radiates in Madurai. Life-size pictures of famous actors and actresses line the city walls and posters of the latest films appear everywhere. The newest sensation is Kollywood (Tamil Nadu’s version of Bollywood) film Jilla. A mixture of musical songs, hip-hop combined with classical Indian dance, comedy and dare devil stunts blend together in a three-hour extravaganza. Going to the pictures is certainly an experience in itself. The crowd hisses and cusses when the villain appears, cheers when Shakti (the protagonist) enters and sings along to all the catchy Kollywood tunes. Such burlesque style of entertainment is unparalleled in Australian cinema and I enjoyed my first

The winner takes it all - the pongalmaking contest during the Pongal festival celebration at Salvarpatti

experience of Kollywood immensely. Kollywood is unique to Tamil Nadu and is closely intertwined with its culture. My first impressions of Madurai have certainly altered since my arrival. Sifting through the continuous commotion of cars honking, vendors trying to entice every passerby, the chants that begin at 4 a.m., the smell of ghee and other spices, there is an earthly and spiritual essence to this city that immediately draws you in. I have only been here for one week but I have already seen and learnt so much. You can’t help but be captivated by the enchantment of India and I am already feeling that my month in Madurai is going far too quickly for my liking.

Madurai Messenger Lasting Impressions February 2014

A Stepping Stone to International Cooperation Saying ‘sayonara’ after her three-month long stay is not easy, admits Haruko Kawabe, whose second stint in India was a valuable experience in learning to adjust to a different lifestyle and culture and an experiment in putting into practice her knowledge of International Development Cooperation Text and Photos: Haruko Kawabe Japan

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The might of the pen - a volunteer conducts a ‘Voices of the World’ workshop on journalism for students of a local college

y three-month placement at Projects Abroad is ending soon. I, who was studying International Development Cooperation at the university in my home country Japan, came to Madurai with the aim of working with the Indian people and to know about India. I am really happy that in these three months that purpose has been perfectly achieved but more importantly, I have learnt so many things in Madurai, such as what working in India is, what I can do or can’t do in India, what international cooperation is, what volunteering is and so on.

A lesson in humaneness My first interview in Madurai was amazing and unforgettable for me. I interviewed an ordinary auto rickshaw driver whose acts of charity to the poor and disabled people by offering them free rides has made him an extraordinary human being. I remember I was so nervous and tense before the interview, but he welcomed me with a nice smile and offered me thenkuzhal, one of the savories prepared for the Diwali festival. I rode in the auto rickshaw as a passenger while I interviewed him. I remember becoming really emotional and moved by the narration of his life story, which included memories about the difficulties he had faced and his strong faith. He became emotional too while speaking to us and at that time I decided I would do my best and would write a good article about him to tell as many people as possible about his story.

The power of the press Also, the workshops for the Voices of The World project were an enriching experience for me. I have held four workshops at two colleges. Initially there were only 2 volunteers at the workshops including me, which gave me many opportunities to handle these workshops on various topics connected with journalism. At the Velammal College of Engineering and Technology, I held my fourth and last workshop on the topic ‘Freedom of the press.’ I chose this topic because I wanted to talk about my studies at my university to young people. I have always been interested about ignorance which is the main cause of disorder in the world and problems such as war, poverty, and so on. I thought talking to young people with an interest in writing would help them to have more passion to become journalists and I wanted them to be aware of

the importance that journalists play in reducing people’s ignorance.

Making new friends The 3 months I spent in Madurai were unforgettable; I learnt many things in Madurai and tried to teach people many things. I made many good friends here with not only other volunteers from other countries but also with the Indian staff, my host family, and the local people in Madurai. When I return to Japan, I will go back to being just an ordinary university student. I will continue to study International Development Cooperation. I’m sure this experience in Madurai will enrich my study. Now I surely think that, “those who cannot cooperate with everyone cannot talk about international cooperation. Minor cooperation that we build up step by step will one day become international cooperation.”

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