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Compassion in Action: Dr JesuraJ mascarenhas anD

the Pasam trust

Plus: Sala Kannan’s delectable blog veggiebelly.com

April 2012 Volume 2, Issue 29

sponsored by:Free

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Editor

Dr. Nandini Murali

Sub Editor & Journalism Manager

Ingelise Jones

Journalism Supervisors

B. Pooja

Archana Sundararajan

Coordinator

J. Venkatesh

Designer & Technical Support

T. Jesuraja

Reporters

Leonie Rodenbuecher

Ariane Lecuyer

James Lees

Morten Levinsky Thorsboe

Katharina Irrgang

Kim Clarys

Anne Punt

David Wilkens

Kourei Yoshibi

Tyler Karahalios

Principal Photographer

Nicolas Brangi

Cover Photograph

Katharina Irrgang

Sivakasi Projects Abroad Pvt. Ltd.,

Contact:

editor@maduraimessenger.org

MADURAI MESSENGER

No. 17, T.P.K Road

Pasumalai

Madurai – 625004

Tamil Nadu

India

Tel. 0452-2370269

ConTEnTSApril 2012 | Issue no. 29

EDITOR’S CORNER

01 A Black and White Era in JournalismCOVER STORY

02 Healing Hands of HopePASSION

09 Destination DeliciousA DAY IN THE LIFE OF...

12 In the Driver’s Seat MAKING A DIFFERENCE

16 Giving from the HeartCAREER

20 Truth Above All Else ART

24 Art for the SoulTRADITION

27 A Glorious Architectural HeritageFIRST IMPRESSIONS

32 Ask and it is Given! 33 Incredible India34 Hospitality Redefined

TRENDS

34 All that Glitters…38 All the World’s a Facebook!

VILLAGE VOICES

40 Sholavandan: A Pastoral Idyll CULTURE KITCHEN

43 Bon Appetit! BOOK REVIEW

46 Two Voices, Two WorldsFILM

48 Hear Him Roar!

Veteran journalist P. Krishnasamy passed away recently. Although his obituary was splashed in all the English and Tamil newspapers, I, however, was not aware of it until his journalist daughter Padmini Sivarajah told me. For English

language newsreaders in and around Madurai, P. Krishnasamy needs no introduction. His regular columns in The New Indian Express, Madurai edition, never failed to inform and educate readers; perhaps making them a little wiser in the process.

My association with Krishnasamy Uncle goes back more than 15 years. I had featured a well-known academic and feminist activist as the cover story for a popular women’s magazine in Chennai. A few days later, I received a phone call. The caller introduced himself as “journalist P. Krishnasamy.” I sat bolt upright. He called to let me know how much he liked the cover story and described it as “one of the best pieces I have read.” I felt as if I had won the Pulitzer Prize for journalism! Over the years, we got to know each other better. Krishnasamy Uncle was a mentor and a father figure for me. He was always there with a word of encouragement and approval. Yet, he was never patronising. The decades of “newsprint in his veins” never stained him. He was a journalist and a gentleman.

Krishnasamy Uncle was very supportive even of a fledgling magazine like Madurai Messenger. He often called to let me know how much he enjoyed the magazine. It was a moment of pleasure and pride; a rare honour for Madurai Messenger when we featured him and his journalist daughter Priya Bala on the cover (MM, November 2011). Our volunteer Adam al Ghafri who did the story found the interaction with the father-daughter journalists most memorable.

When I requested P.Krishnasamy to talk to our volunteers, he readily agreed. He was a simple, no frills person. He had them spellbound for over two hours with his scintillating account of his path through journalism and some of the world leaders he had interacted with. He exuded dignity and quiet strength. Yet behind this façade of geniality was a razor sharp brain with a keen grasp of issues. His wit and sense of humour sparkled.

In another unforgettable gesture, he even readily agreed to be the guest editor of the December 2011 issue of Madurai Messenger due to my sudden illness. In fact, the very last interview in his life and career was the one he did for Madurai Messenger just a couple of days before he died. My colleagues Pooja B. and Archana Sundararajan, who had accompanied volunteers to his home, were shell shocked to hear of his death. He had so much to share with them. As always, P. Krishnasamy left a lasting impression.

I was supposed to meet him about two weeks back at his home. As I was held up at another meeting, I called to tell him that I would meet him in the evening. But that too did not happen and I once again called him and promised to meet him the next week. That sadly was not to be. Our paths were never destined to cross again. It will remain one of the most poignant regrets of my life.

P. Krishnasamy’s life was a metaphor for a black and white era in journalism where music had meaning, dialogues communicated, visuals were honest, and simplicity was a means to communicate greater depth.

Dr. nanDini murali Editor

A Black and White era in Journalism

eDitor’s corner

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Madurai Messenger cover story April 2012

Healing Hands of Hopethis is the story of one man who had a dream to transform medical care for those people living in poverty in rural india. supported by friends and colleagues abroad, a loving family and an unshakeable faith, Dr. Jesuraj mascarenhas provides a vital service to people in and around Kodaikanal, tamil nadu. ariane lecuyer and leonie rodenbuecher meet this extraordinary but humble surgeon

By Ariane Lecuyer, France

Leonie Rodenbuecher, Germany

Healthcare in India has an urban focus, yet 70 percent of the population live in rural areas

with limited or no access to adequate medical services. One remarkable surgeon, Dr Jesuraj Mascarenhas, is addressing this gap through The Pasam Trust, a hospital that provides free medical care for the 40,000 inhabitants living in Kodaikanal and surrounding villages in Tamil Nadu.

even crosses borders into Kerala and Sri Lanka, leading to an increasing number of thankful public. “Help, help, help, without expecting anything in return,” as Dr. Mascarenhas told us. He is engaged in a long and limitless fight against poverty.

out of the ordinary Learning about his life feels like a story straight out of a movie. Jesuraj Mascarenhas was born in 1942 into a very poor family in Thoothukudi (Tuticorin), a port city in Tamil Nadu. A family of fishermen, his father broke this tradition by becoming an accountant, which at the same time changed his son’s life forever. Nevertheless, this seemingly better occupation didn’t change the poverty of the family. He and his sister, for example, used to wake up in the middle of the night and sit out on the road to make use of the public lights to do their homework. Immersed in this environment, he was subsequently choked at the sight of all these deprived people around him who didn’t have the opportunity to receive adequate medical care. His secret ambition started to grow in his heart: he wanted to become a doctor to help them.

He couldn’t imagine not learning medicine. The only problem was his family’s economic situation. It was like a brake on his dream. Yet, one day his luck would change. The young Jesuraj met a German priest at his local church who was so impressed by the boy and his remarkable motivation to the point where he decided to take Jesuraj to Germany, and give him the opportunity to learn medicine. And so, in 1963, he left Thoothukudi bound for Munich with the aim to come back some years later with all the skills necessary to build an efficient care system in Tamil Nadu.

To move to Germany was not the beginning of an easier life, quite the contrary! The first mandatory step before entering a medical university was to pass a high school exam in German! Helped by the priest and his colleagues from a hostel where he was working, he learned this new language in record time and passed this important exam. But sadly, two years after his arrival, his priest friend died leaving him totally alone. It meant he needed to work harder to pay for his accommodation, food etc. It was the start of the most difficult part of his life. He was working nights to build the underground in Munich and had to attend school all day at school to learn medicine.

With so many challenges, he says he could not have completed his studies without help from others. For example, his friends took notes for him when he was sleeping in class. “Then my life became a bit better. Until then, it was hard,” he told us. Once he felt he had learned as much as possible about all kinds of different medicine needed to treat the various sicknesses faced by people in India, he decided it was time to go home. Of course, it was difficult for him to leave his friends in Germany, and his two children had spent several years there, but he had to pursue his childhood dream.

A dream becomes realityTo improve medical care and social circumstances in India, Dr. Mascarenhas needed to find a place that was seriously inadequate in this field. He found Kodaikanal, a town where the mountainous road prevented doctors from giving good medical care, particularly in small villages. Here, he didn’t know anybody so he started to work by himself, walking from village to village to give medicine and provide medical help to

“His reputation even crosses borders into Kerala and Sri Lanka, leading to an increasing number of thankful public. “Help, help, help, without expecting anything in return,” as Dr. Mascarenhas told us. He is engaged in a long and limitless fight against poverty“

A humble and quietly dedicated caregiver, Dr. Mascarenhas specialises in general surgery, ophthalmology, tropical medicine and general medicine. He completed his medical studies in Germany, where he learned as much as possible about medicine, before returning to his home country in 1985 to establish the Pasam Trust and use all his knowledge to help people in need.

Now 70 years old, he must have inexhaustible energy to have been practicing surgery for more than 40 years. His secret must be his motto, “Bear one another’s Burden”(Galatian 6:2) which he has followed throughout his life.

The Pasam Trust started modestly, but it is now a hospital, a mobile clinic, an awareness programme and a lifeline to all the patients he treats. His reputation

Dr. Mascarenhas and his team perform surgery on a patient in The Pasam Trust hospital

Dr. Mascarenhas enjoying his first years as a doctor in India, delivering care in villages around Kodaikanal

4 5The mobile clinic, recognisable by the doctor’s motto “Bear One Another’s Burden” Dr. Mascarhenas shows volutneers Leonie Rodenbuecher and Arian Lecuyer The Pasam Trust photo album

people in the street. At first, he treated just a few people, but word soon spread, and the number of patients increased, as did his popularity. He then built small huts in each village to allow him to work during the rainy season. He spent much of his time fighting against malnutrition and poor hygiene, two main factors that leave poorer people more susceptible to disease. Fortunately, his friends in Germany soon became involved in the project, seeking financial support and effective medicine to send him. Thanks to their support, he was able to purchase a small bus, regular packs of medicine and finally a hospital!

“I wanted to live like this, going from village to village,” he told us.

He explained how much he enjoyed working by himself, just as it was when he started. But when the opportunity came to build a hospital, he couldn’t refuse. It allowed him to expand considerably and improve his work and most importantly, to perform surgeries.

A caring havenIndeed, it took almost three years to build the hospital, which was completed in 1991. He could have built it in a faster way by taking short cuts, but he felt this was unethical. Today, he is very proud to know that he never spent money on anything other than helping people, ensuring that his entire project was ethical. Since its creation, the hospital has slowly improved thanks to the German Association and other generous donors. They recently added dentistry to their services and are now planning to build a maternity department, a service severely lacking in this area.

Dr. Mascarenhas has a team of 35 staff including three permanent doctors, as well as volunteer doctors who

regularly come from Germany, the US, Switzerland etc. Together, this large family perform miracles for patients.

One of the most prevalent conditions in the area is tuberculosis. Dr. Mascarenhas and his team treat more than 200 patients per year for tuberculosis. The treatment needs six months to be effective, but most of the time, patients start to feel better after a couple of months and decide to stop treatment early. Stopping treatment like this results in the disease returning even worse than before, and is often incurable with the same medicine.

In order to overcome this hurdle, Dr. Mascarenhas and his team decided to take money from the patients for this treatment. They ask for Rs.200 as a deposit, with the goal to give it back after six months provided the patient takes the medicine properly. This ingenious idea is the only case where they ask for money. It’s a good illustration of how they don’t only have to fight against sickness, but also against financial issues.

Dr. Mascarenhas often has to find solutions to resolve the lack of responsibility shown by patients, or even sometimes against superstitions and religious beliefs. For example, during November, according to the Tamil Calendar, there is a month called Adi during which Hindu people traditionally can’t do anything auspicious or important. This is a big dilemma for medical care because it means that for one whole month, patients stop visiting doctors or taking medicine. It makes it even more complex for Dr. Mascarenhas who must convince them to surpass this religious conviction.

Slowly but surely, he gains their confidence of each patient. He not only treats them, he also listens to them. His devotion to his patients is profound. Since the beginning, patients have considered him to be a shoulder to cry on. Indeed, people even come without any sickness come just to talk to him, usually about social problems. It’s always a difficult situation for him, because he has the feeling that he can’t help them

concretely, and yet the fact that he is always willing to make time for them is already a big help.

The travelling clinicDr. Mascarenhas has created many different projects that have improved the living standards around Kodaikanal. He and his team regularly visit around 40 villages where they provide free treatment to the local people. These ‘camps’ happen every week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, in a different village each day.

Half of the staff stay in the hospital to take care of the accommodated patients and those people who visit the hospital. The other half of the nurses, volunteers and doctors travel to work in the camps. Every week the teams switch their assignments, so that everybody is responsible for both. Most of the villages only have homeopathy medicine available for general cases, which does not cater for the variety of ailments, so this team makes a substantial contribution to medical care.

“The camps are very interesting but also exhausting. I can take a rest only when I’m working at the hospital,” said a nurse. This is because the team has to treat a lot of the very poorest with only the medicines and equipment they brought with them on the bus. Sometimes there are not enough pills, bandages or other utensils to keep up with the demand. Years before they were able to afford the buses, they travelled by foot to people’s houses.

“My friends in Germany collected money to buy the mobile clinic which made things easier,” explained Dr. Mascarenhas. Now several big vehicles are parked in the gateway of the hospital. “I like going with the mobile clinic because I am able to help the people directly. If I didn’t do this, who else would?” he insisted.

Awareness through educationThe most important aspect in the fight against poverty is education. The wise doctor explains to us that social

“He explained how much he enjoyed working by himself... But when the opportunity came to build a hospital, he couldn’t refuse“

Madurai Messenger cover story April 2012

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advancement decreases poverty. While he sees the bigger picture, his focus is on tackling the root of the cause. He not only mitigates the symptoms of the barely-there medical system, but also improves the situation itself.

Hundreds of children in the schools around Kodaikanal receive check ups from Dr. Mascarenhas and his team. He examines them for eye diseases or defects. Night blindness, a disease caused by malnutrition and a deficiency in Vitamin A, is common here. A major cause of this is the lack of vegetables in their diet. As a result, many children need glasses.

To try and combat this, Dr. Mascarenhas organises awareness programmes about healthy eating and hygiene in schools with the hope that the children will share this knowledge with their parents. The Pasam Trust also gives students Vitamin A pills which have been sent from Switzerland. The doctor also supports the education of young nurses. Through the Trust, he helps fund university education for a small number of nurses each year on the condition that, once qualified, they train at his hospital for their first two years. He does this even though he is fully aware of the possibility that some of his mentees won’t finish their education because of marriage and family commitments.

Reconstructing lives One of the important services provided by the Pasam Trust is reconstructive surgery. Every year, plastic surgeons from Germany, whom Dr Mascarenhas met during his medical education, come to India for around two weeks. They form two teams and operate on as many patients as possible for free. People come from all over India to seek reconstructive surgery. Sometimes there are even patients from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Moldavia.

In the last past two years, 2000 victims of terrible accidents have asked to be operated on, but unfortunately, the clinic hasn’t got the necessary facilities or time to treat all of them. Patients have to send photographs of themselves so that the team is able to select which patients to take on and create a time schedule to see as many patients as possible in a short space of time.

For the patients‘ accommodation, they use all rooms in the clinic, and even clear space in the surgery hall for over 150 beds. Many of their patients are female burn victims due to kitchen

explosions, family problems, following harassment or suicide attempts. After treatment, The Passam Trust keeps in touch with the patients and gives care for as long as is needed, which can sometimes take several months.

Although this project is a great opportunity for poor and sick people to receive medical care, they are sometimes not able to take advantage of it because they can’t afford the time, or the associated lack of income, needed to attend the clinic and for their recovery.

Serving othersHow does Dr. Mascarenhas find the strength to build up this impressive project and to work so selflessly day after day for indigent people without any thoughts of retirement? When you visit his house, it is easy to see where he gets his motivation from. The walls are draped with paintings of Jesus and quotations from the Bible.

“God gave me two hands and I wanted to use them,” he said enthusiastically. “We didn’t get our hands just for ourselves, we got them to serve others.”

‘Pasam’ is the Tamil word for ‘Love’ and this is exactly what he stands for. Love for others. “In an encounter with other people, our hearts grow. The most beautiful thing in life is to live for others,” he said, satisfied with what he achieved.

Every aspect of the Pasam Trust feels linked together by this love. His religious motto: “Bear one another’s burden” is painted on the walls of the clinic and on the mobile clinic buses. It represents Dr. Mascarenhas’ view of life.

Every day at 6:00am, he visits his church together with his driver. Even in the clinic, there is a small tastefully furnished ‘prayer-room’ which features a window through which the sun shines on the Saint. “Physical force is not sufficient to carry on with this work, you need spiritual strength. Physically, I’m tired but my spiritual strength keeps me happy,” he said with the very same strength he mentioned.

Support is not enoughIn addition to his faith, he draws inspiration from his family and his supporters around the world. “My wife took a lot of work out of my hands and helped me with the administration. Since she died, I have much more work to do,” he says. After his wife Pamela died from cancer in 2010, he couldn’t stay in their house because she was always on his mind. So he plunged even more deeply into his work and started to help at the hospice during his free time.

Their sons are both doctors but live abroad in the USA and Ireland. “I feel sorry that my sons are not coming back here,” the doctor regrets, “One of them got married to a Tamil girl; so my mission now is to bring them back here.” As he talked, we could tell that his greatest wish was for at least one of his sons to continue his life’s work

“Every year, plastic surgeons from Germany, whom Dr Mascarenhas met during his medical education, come to India for around two weeks. They form two teams and operate on as many patients as possible for free“

Madurai Messenger cover story April 2012

The Pasam Trust, based in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu

Uma Priney, a five-year-old child is hospitalised with severe burns

and maintain everything that he has established.

“I wanted them to study abroad to gain valuable experience for continuing this clinic. But for the moment, they prefer to stay overseas,” he said. Nevertheless, he is convinced that the help he and his team provides to the locals won’t disappear. The Pasam Trust has enough supporters to find a successor.

In fact, Dr. Mascarenhas has won several friends who have supported his projects until now, particularly in Germany. Without this financial and moral support, it would not have been possible to set up the Pasam Trust and build the hospital. “I never wanted to build a clinic, but my German friends came up with this idea and collected money to put it into action,” he told us.

But unfortunately, many sources of capital dry up. “Lots of my friends

V. Sangatha, a young nurse working at the Pasam Trust

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are retired now and cannot afford to give much from their income,” the doctor regrets. With limited funds, there is also a need for young motivated surgeons to come to the mountainous area at their own cost. “I can gain lots of experience as a volunteer in this hospital because I have the opportunity to help and improve the situation here,” explains Marga Meininger (23) a medicine student from Germany. She is just one of the volunteers working at the Pasam Trust.

“What I really enjoy are the camps because I enjoy feeling needed, and get a lot of thanks from the people. They really appreciate that we come and help them,” she enthused. But people who are willing to volunteer for no money are one in a thousand.

George Robert, an Indian social political science student, joins the doctor twice a week and works in the Development Department. He is disappointed that many good ideas fail due to the lack of resources. “Even if we find some really nice ideas, without money we can’t do anything. Still a lot of

people need his help and he has the power to help them but the lack of funding makes it impossible,” he said.

no work in heavenDr. Mascarenhas and The Pasam Trust provide health care for about 100,000 people in the region. These are people who can often not afford care, nor do they have the time to spend out of work to be treated. The Pasam Trust provides help to those people who are most in need.

“Panam Ileana Ponatthuku Samanam” is a Tamil expression which says “Without money you are a dead man.” Without Dr. Mascarenhas, his team, and all of their supporters, this could well be the cause for thousands of locals.

Dr. Mascarenhas shows remarkable dedication and compassion for his patients. But we get the feeling he never stops working. One day a patient thankfully said to Mascarenhas, “Doctor, you will go to heaven!” The doctor replied, “No I don’t want to. There is no work for me in heaven!”

self-confessed meat lover, anne Punt, meets vegetarian sala Kannan, creator and writer of Veggie Belly, a vegetarian food and travel blog. enchanted by south indian vegetarian food and this mouth-watering blog, anne expands her palette and challenges her beliefs about food

Destination Delicious!

I am not a vegetarian. Never have been. I love eating meat. However, being in India seems to have changed my

opinion on vegetarian food. In my host family, we usually eat vegetarian dishes and I’m becoming fonder of it. Now, I not only don’t miss eating meat, but becoming a ‘semi-vegetarian’ has started to make me think about why I do eat meat. Why kill so many animals when you obviously don’t need to eat meat?

Sala Kannan, 32, the writer of Veggie Belly (www.veggiebelly.com), a blog about vegetarian food in destinations all over the world, seemed the right choice for many of my pressing questions about vegetarianism. We met Sala at her parent’s house in Madurai. Sala lives in Portland, Oregon in the US with her husband. She was born in London, UK, but raised here in Madurai. She grew up on amazing South Indian vegetarian food.

A taste beginsWhen she was young, she loved playing outside on the grass with a little open wood fire made from twigs with a pan on it. The cook used to give her some dosa batter to play with, which she claims, is where her interest in cooking began. As she grew older, she started to read cookbooks, but it was when she first lived on her own, that she began experimenting with recipes. That was also the time she realised that she loved cooking. Her maternal grandmother taught her

By Anne PuntThe Netherlands

Interview: Leonie Rodenbuecher

Photographs: Anne Punt

some of India’s famous recipes, but the rest, she learnt herself. When her friends regularly started asking for her recipes after she had cooked for them, she started to put them together on a website, which grew into the well-read blog that it is today.

A veggie lifeSince discovering the vegetarian lifestyle, I began to wonder what makes this way of living so attractive to Sala. She explains, “To me it is the most non-violent way of living.” There are so many consequences associated with what you eat. There is the philosophical consequence of killing a living animal

to eat its meat. There is also an environmental consequence, because meat takes up more resources to ‘grow’, than vegetables, When you cut vegetables, they’ll grow back, but a pig or a sheep doesn’t.

Vegetarianism is more sustainable.Each year 735 billion kg of grain is used worldwide to sustain the world’s livestock, enough to fill a freight train with so many carriages that it would circle the world six times. This grain has to be artificially grown and the transport alone required to deliver it to farms, burns excessive fossil fuels. Not to mention the animal waste that is

Madurai Messenger cover story April 2012

The sign outside The Pasam Trust lists the services available Dr Mascarenhas at his desk, ready for the next patient

Sala Kannan, the passionate vegetarian

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After talking to Sala and eating some samples of her delicious food, I came to realise that being a vegetarian isn’t dull at all. Most people - including myself - see big plain green salads popping up in their minds when vegetarianism is mentioned. But the variety of recipes showcased by Sala made it clear to me that vegetarian meals are actually a delicious way to expand your diet.

I am in shock about how much the meat industry affects our planet. I do believe that big changes have to be made in the way we choose and consume food. But it is only after taking the first bite of Sala’s mushroom ragout that I decide to give this veggie thing a try!

Visit: www.veggiebelly.comSources: www.sustainabletable.org www.devegetarischerestaurantweek.nl/aanbeveling/

produced by these farms, that releases massive amounts of greenhouse gases into the air contributing to global warming. Livestock production is responsible for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. I bet my other meat loving friends aren’t aware of this either. Although I’m still not a true vegetarian, these facts shock me.

Although Sala is very content with her vegetarian lifestyle, she doesn’t want to preach it. “If you want to read my blog because you’re a vegetarian looking for new recipes, that’s great, but if you want to read because you decided to consume less meat, that is fantastic too!” She respects people who want to eat meat, like her husband. For him, she occasionally prepares meat, mostly seafood. She has eaten meat herself as well, but she didn’t like the taste, nor the idea of eating an animal.

Culinary journeyHowever, her blog isn’t only about food, it’s about her journeys all over the world. Her blog posts feature new types of ingredients, new restaurants, new recipes and new experiences from the various destinations she visits. She loves to travel and learn how people live, eat and cook. Although she has so far been to over 36 countries on six continents, at first she didn’t want to write about it. But when people started getting curious about how a vegetarian manages to find veggie meals all over the world, she decided to start involving her travels in her blog as well.

Whenever she goes abroad, she places her destinations on Facebook, and asks her readers to come up with good places to go, to stay and to eat. This has helped her make a lot of friends and she often stays in their homes. I totally agree

Focus on foodBeing a photography enthusiast myself, I straight away noticed the beautiful pictures that accompany all her recipes. The bright colours make the food look extremely tasty. While going through her blog posts, I found out that she writes about her photography as well and gives clear examples on how she gets the food to look so good. Sala tells us she has taught herself photography by studying other food-

bloggers and magazines. When people started asking her how she gets such vibrant shots, she happily shares her knowledge. It was great to find out that she doesn’t use anything artificial in her photos. After each picture is taken, she eats the meal.

Recently, she took her photography to another level, by giving workshops in food photography. A recent workshop in Chennai was a success, so she’d love to continue giving them.

“When people started asking her how she got the pictures so vibrant, she happily shares her knowledge. It was great to find out that she doesn’t use anything artificial in her photos. After each picture is taken, she eats the meal”

Madurai Messenger Passion April 2012

A sample of Sala Kannan’s delicious vegetarian cooking! Sala Kannan’s popular blog – veggiebelly.com

with her when she says she loves to experience the true feeling of a country by staying and spending time with someone who lives there. When we wonder whether that is dangerous, she replies, “I guess I’m kind of reckless!” She explains that she is always careful about who she stays with, preferably with families. Luckily, her own family and husband are very supportive when it comes to her flying all over the world.

Hunger for moreSince the blog is so popular, where does Sala want to take it next? Begin a restaurant, write a cookbook? She explains that she wouldn’t want to start a restaurant, especially, now that America’s economy isn’t strong. The first thing people do in tough financial times is eat at home instead of going out for dinner. She does confess, however, that she would love to write a cookbook in the future.

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sharing a day in the life of a local indian gives volunteers the chance to experience occupations first hand, and gain a deeper insight into the culture. James lees kicks off this new series with the lively story of armarsingh, one of maduriai’s auto rickshaw drivers, and gets to know the man behind the wheel

In the Driver’s Seata Day in the life of a ricKshaw DriVer

By James Lees Melbourne, Australia

They are the warriors of the roads; the unsung heroes; the men who risk life and limb to bring a daily service to the people of Madurai. Armed with their trusty horn, a

faithful ‘auto’, and a resistance to pollution, (both noise and air), these men combat the roads. It’s risky. It’s dangerous. It’s fun, and it’s their life. This is the day in the life of an auto-rickshaw driver.

9:00am My chariot for the day is a ‘share-auto’, a large auto-rickshaw that acts as a small public bus. Anyone can ride, as long as they’re all heading in the same direction. Amarsingh, my charioteer, is waiting patiently outside the

Amarsingh - the rickshaw driver in action!

Madurai Messenger a Day in the life of... april 2012

It can be a life or death situation on the roads of Madurai

English language startles me. Her name is Sumathi. “I am a teacher and have 43 students,” she says, with a bright smile. I ask her to introduce me to the rest of the passengers and she speaks to them in Tamil. They are all on their way to the Periyar bus stand. Some are heading to the hospital, others are on their way to work.

As we travel around Thenkarai Pond and back onto Thirumangalam Road towards Periyar, the rest of the passengers begin to relax with my presence. The language barrier makes it difficult, but aided by my new friend Sumathi, we talk about cricket and family life before arriving at the bus station. As each passenger departs, Amarsingh yells to other potential customers on the platform and a few heed his call. From what I can grasp, he spoke of our next destination and those heading our way, bundle in beside me.

As the morning progresses, our auto has served a diverse group of people, reflecting the melting pot that is Madurai city. I’ve met young men and women heading to university, people on their way to work, and retirees off to visit relatives or friends. They may not engage in conversation but they are our friends. We are a part of something bigger. The roads around the city are tight, the traffic is chaotic and it’s an assault on the senses. The exhaust fumes combine with the sidewalk food stalls to create a tantalisingly toxic concoction. The potholes bounce us around like a pinball machine and we take corners with precision and haste.

The only time we slow or come to a complete stop (other than dropping off passengers), is for cows playing Russian roulette with the oncoming traffic. Each one waits patiently

in line until it’s their turn to cross. The traffic slows and stops until the animal reaches the other side safely. Then, we’re off again, back in the race.

11:00am “We have coffee now,” Amarsingh yells as we pull up outside a small roadside stand. Finally a chance to catch my breath!

As we sit in the dormant rickshaw, Amarsingh and I share contrasting stories of family life. Our words are slow and measured to ensure the other understands. He tells me he is married with two children and rummages in his wallet for their photos.

Outside the auto, a frail older lady hobbles past with an old tree branch for a walking stick. Her sari is torn and covered in several shades of brown dust. Her left foot is bandaged with a dark muddy cloth and she offers us a toothless grin. We smile back and Armarsingh continues fishing in his wallet. This time he shows me a photo of his father. “A proud man,” he says and hurriedly puts it away. Just as quickly as we had stopped, the auto rumbles to life, and we’re off again.

We head onto Bypass Road and a long line of lorries and buses crowd the street. With a few quick “beep beeps” of the horn, Amarsingh steers into the right lane, hits the throttle and we shoot past. Further ahead, a cart towed by bullocks is holding up traffic. I brace myself in the back seat, waiting for him to hit the brakes. But, with a slight dip of the throttle and a sharp swerve to the left, Amarsingh guides us into a gap between two cars, and we continue on our way. It was close, a little too close, but just one of the moments he shrugs off with another quick beep.

Despite the close calls, I’m surprised by my lack of fear. I’m

“ I brace myself in the back seat, waiting for him to hit the brakes. But, with a slight dip of the throttle and a sharp swerve to the left, Amarsingh guides us into a gap between two cars, and we continue on our way. It was close, a little too close”

office and greets me with a firm shake of the hand. He’s a tall man, close to 6 feet, with dark tanned skin and thick black hair. He radiates warmth and a proud yet humble nature.As I settle in, he tells me, “Hold on, Sir” and we’re off down Thirumangalam road, Moolaikarai. Our first stop is Bethany Nagar bus station on Vilachery Main Road where four women dressed in bright saris jump in. As they carefully arrange themselves in the cramped surroundings, Amarsingh yells over his shoulder that I’m a reporter and they offer inquisitive stares.

I break the ice with a quick “Hello,” and a 22-year-old teacher reciprocates. In fact, she’s eager to talk and her grasp of the

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held with excitement and reverence for this man and his auto. His calmness in the front seat comforts me. There’s an understanding that says, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll make it through this day unscathed.’

We’ve hit the main intersection now and the light is red, signalling the traffic to stop. All the autos and motorbikes scurry for position and our auto joins the chorus of howling, snorting machines, itching for take-off. Without warning, we’re off, pushing and barging our way through to continue our hunt for passengers.

1:00pm Lunch time cruises past. I’m famished yet we don’t stop. I envisioned sitting around a table with my new friend and his entourage of auto drivers, sharing stories of the day, our near misses, customers we’d picked up and our plans for the weekend. Instead, the afternoon rolls on.

2:00pm I’m beginning to tire of my joy ride. The incessant noise is unbearable and the fumes overpowering. How Amarsingh and his comrades do this day in, day out is becoming an even greater mystery than how we managed to miss colliding with the bus at the last turn.

3:30pm Our hunt for potential passengers has led us to an unfamiliar part of Madurai and we pull up alongside a group of autos.“ These are my friends,” he says and points to a group of men nearby, wearing their tattered auto uninforms like a badge of honour.

They all have their own unique story and are eager to share. But the most unique story is saved for Armarsingh. His pride and passion for his family was evident in the photos he showed me throughout the day. Yet, interviewing him reveals his remorse for a life which, in his words, he has “thrown away.” It is a heart breaking story. His resolve for the future, however, is undeniable.

A new lifeAmarsingh has only been an auto driver for five months, yet his skills and knowledge of the city suggest otherwise. At the age of 20, he avoided study and chose to follow in his father’s footsteps to become a lorry driver. “I drove for the Corporation of Madurai,” he says, and, during his 13-year contract, travelled around Madurai city collecting the roadside waste bins and dropping them at the local power plant. “It was tough work,” he says. The hours were long and the heat was extreme, especially during summer. Yet, the worst part, he says, was the rubbish itself.

“The smell was terrible,” he explains, and it caused him to drink heavily. In fact, he tells me that he was drunk for the most part of his 13 years in this job, which affected his family life. “I feel I have wasted a lot of it,” he says.

Had he applied himself when he was in his early 20s and studied properly, Armasingh feels he would now be working

for the government as a public transport driver. He tells me it would have been “A good, proper job,” and he admits it would have given his family a better life.

Lucky for Amarsingh, however, one day, nearly two years ago, “Something inside me changed,” he says. As I push him harder on this point, he fails to offer a decisive moment in which this change occurred. Instead, he says “I just reflected on my life one day and realised what I had become.”

He realised that he needed to change for the benefit of his family and friends, and so he did. Not an easy thing to do, yet it is an achievement he takes in the same way in which he avoids the buses on the road. He is calm and content, and moves onto the next obstacle. “I want my family to have a better life than I did,” he says, “and I hope God will help me with that.”

4:30pm My day with Amarsingh is coming to an end, much to my relief. Then suddenly, he turns to me and says,

“My house for coffee?” Due to my exhaustion, I can barely mumble an “Ok” before we arrive at a local school where nine children come running to greet us. “My family,” he says as he helps the children into the auto. They perch themselves around me, all smiling and giggling cheerfully. “I thought you had two children,” I say to him. “All my family,” he replies with a smirk and steers the auto around the tight streets to his home on the hillside above Pasumalai.

As we arrive at his home, I begin to realise what he meant by ‘all my family’ as I am introduced to his wife, brothers, sisters and neighbours. In total, about fifteen people emerge from the nearby houses to welcome me with big-hearted smiles while Amarsingh stands in the background, looking on with a content and reassuring grin. He jokes with his brothers and plays with the children, and I begin to see what ‘that moment’ two years ago must have been.

Amarsingh is the voice that says ‘don’t worry, you’ll make it through this day unscathed.’ His family turns to him for guidance and direction. Their respect for him radiates like a bright, warm light. This reverence, he believes, is something he regained. But perhaps he never lost it. Perhaps he only lost the direction in which to find it, and the faith to believe it. This is a question that he avoids answering, much in the same way that he avoids the cows on the street as he drives his auto rickshaw. “My life is in the hands of God,” he says. “I have changed my life for the better. The rest, I leave to Him.”

“ Amarsingh is the voice that says ‘don’t worry, you’ll make it through this day unscathed.’ His family turns to him for guidance and direction. Their respect for him radiates like a bright, warm light”

Madurai Messenger a Day in the life of... april 2012

Amarsingh with his large supportive familyVolunteer James Lees (centre) with Amarsingh (left) and his entourage of rickshaw drivers

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no matter what your vocation, there are volunteer opportunities all over the world waiting for you. you just need the interest, time and motivation. some people volunteer to experience another culture or as part of their studies. others want to give something back and help those in need. ingelise Jones sits down with volunteer christiane niewerth to gain insight into her special indian experience

Giving from the Heart

By Ingelise JonesMelbourne, Australia

Every volunteer’s story is individual. Some seek the public spotlight of recognition for the

things they do, others would prefer to be quiet achievers, motivated purely by the cause. That said, let me begin by saying that this volunteer would rather not be praised for anything she has done. This is not supposed to be a story about some amazing feat of generosity. For pharmacist Christiane Neiwerth and many volunteers like her, there is a strong element of humility. They don’t see themselves as heroes or selfless charitable model citizens. As Christiane said, “I don’t want to be in your magazine as the big hero.”

What Christiane would prefer is to draw attention to the fact that there are countless numbers of people in need in India, and around the world for that matter. She’d rather not be praised, but she’s happy to help set an example of what makes a good volunteer, and she’s even happier if her own experience inspires others to do something, no matter how small.

Heart on her sleeveThe moment I first sat down to have a conversation with Christiane, I was struck by her compassion for others. As we discussed her journey through life up until this point, I felt it was a story worth sharing.

A pharmacist from Mainz in Germany, Christiane (31) volunteered with Projects Abroad for four months from October 2011 to February 2012. Giving of her time and expertise was one thing, but during her placement she had a secret mission: to find a worthy cause for the money she and her friends from home had raised.

In fact, she found two: St Joseph’s Hospice and Arulagam Hospice. After a

Madurai Messenger making a Difference April 2012

two months as part of an exchange programme. Here, the seeds were sown for a passion that has driven her to this day. “I had a wonderful experience with my host family and fell in love with the African continent,” she enthused.

It was an eye opening experience to be immersed in an unfamiliar but fascinating culture. She lived in a small village where, she explained, “There was no electricity, no water. I was the first White person they had ever seen in their lives. I decided that the African culture is so interesting and I wondered how would be when you live there, not as a tourist.”

So after high school, she went back to the continent, but this time to Malawi for one year to work as a tour leader for groups of European tourists. It was during this year that she was introduced to Doctors Without Borders.

Christiane recalled, “These were doctors were [working] in a very conservative place where they still believed in witch craft and traditional medicine. I was fascinated by the way they had to combine modern medicine with traditional medicine.”

Her passion for medicine had begun. However, as she told me, “I never wanted to be a doctor, but I always wanted to do some kind of development aid. I was always interested in medicine and how it works in your body.”

She returned to Germany and focused on her studies, and then her career, but she never let go of her dream to do development aid. In 2011, after working for seven years as a pharmacist, she decided it was time. Originally, she wanted to return to Africa, but it was too difficult to get a work visa. The big German companies said she needed a Masters in Development Aid followed by three more years of work before they would send her there. At 31, this was too long term. Time was of the essence. She wanted to work in a developing country immediately.

Some ‘googling’ later, she found Projects Abroad, who initially offered her a role in Africa, but she then decided that perhaps she should try another culture. India was calling. She also liked the idea of living with a host family and having someone take care of her. As one of only two pharmacists to have come to India with Projects Abroad so far, she was somewhat of a pioneer.

Back home, she works in a pharmacy dealing with medicines and people all day long. In India, she decided to work in the laboratory, something she had not done since university.

Christiane had a memorable four months working at the AVN Arogya Ayurveda Hospital Research and Development Centre in Madurai through the Projects Abroad Medical Programme. She described her

visit to each of these special places, she knew she’d found the right recipients to make her friends proud and more importantly, to make a difference to the lives of those in need.

A developing dream Christiane had a dream to work in developing countries from an early age. At age 16, while in high school in Kiel (near the Danish border), she got the opportunity to live in Kenya for

“She’d rather not be praised, but she’s happy to help set an example of what makes a good volunteer, and she’s even happier if her own experience inspires others to do something, no matter how small”

The children from Arulagam Hospice and the gifts she gave them

supervisor, Rohini, and her team as remarkable. “Rohini was a very nice person. She was always smiling and always positive. She is a very good pharmacist. I haven’t met a person like her before. She has everything in her mind. She can do everything without paper,” she said.

In the laboratory, Christiane worked with two pharmacists who spoke English, and three assistants that didn’t, but somehow they all managed to communicate with each other. “They called me “Akka’ which is ‘big sister’ and I called them “Tanga chi” which is ‘little sister’ in Tamil,” she said with an obvious fondness for them. “This is why I love this project so much. I got to know Indian people well. I didn’t come to Madurai to meet volunteers, I was here to get to know this culture and the people,” Christiane insisted.

Christiane Niewerth receives a gift from Suresh Kumar – a scarf he knitted for her

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Her secret missionThroughout her four months in the laboratory, Christiane kept her fundraising to herself. She didn’t want to make a big story out of it and she didn’t want to be influenced by anyone. She wanted to wait and see what causes she came across.

Interestingly, her fundraising appeal didn’t actually begin with her. Two of her friends in Mainz, Markus Slerzik and Nicole Dignel hold a birthday party every year in October. Instead of receiving gifts, they ask their guests to

and give them new clothes. This was so strong in my mind. I thought to myself ‘they need clothes’ so this is what I got,” she said.

Christiane bought 140 lungis, 120 bed sheets and 60 nighties for the patients. Her gifts were received with great praise and thanks, but she didn’t like the attention.

“They told me that I must have been sent from God. But I don’t agree. I realise that it’s easy to give and go,” Christiane emphasised. But it obviously impacted on her so much. She quickly added, “The staff who work there and the volunteers who go there for one or two weeks, they are the ones who are extraordinary. If I’m honest, I don’t think I could work there. I saw the patients and I felt so sorry for them but I don’t know if I would have the emotional strength to keep my distance,” she admitted.

Compassionate careChristiane was equally affected by the Arulagam Hospice, after spending Christmas 2011 with the 17 children who live there. These children are HIV positive. She knew it was a place where her gifts would be appreciated. “I liked this place. The staff here really take care of the children,” she said.

The children were aged three to 19 years, but unable to speak English. Christiane needed a translator for words, but she needed no help to exchange joy with them. She bought a combination of clothes, toys, books and comics. She was careful to get items that could be shared, so nothing was individual.

To show their appreciation, the children performed for her, singing and dancing in a performance that she said will remain one of her most treasured memories from India. But her most memorable moment was with one of the boys, Suresh Kumar, who was in seventh standard.

“He was always having eye contact with me and he was very shy, sitting in the

back and watching me. There was a toy that I could see he really wanted, but he was too shy to come forward, so I saved it for him and gave it to him later. He was so proud and so happy,” Christiane said.

Suresh then gave her a scarf that he had knitted. She was so touched and said it is now her most treasured possession. She plans to wear it in Germany, no doubt with immense pride and a memory of not just a boy, but of a spirit who in the face of ill health, still manages to enjoy life.

The time is nowAs she reflected on her experience in India, Christiane wanted to stress how important it is that people continue to volunteer in India. She enjoyed her four months immensely, particularly her project and the people she met. She also felt extremely lucky to have had such supportive a host family, the Saradhas.

“My host mum was so nice from the beginning. She really liked the idea of giving to the hospices and gave

me so much help on where to go shopping. She said to me ‘thank you, thank you, thank you so much. I am an Indian woman and you do this for Indian people. Thank you, thank you,” Christiane recalled.

But it’s praise like this that makes Christiane feel uncomfortable. “I’m really not this ‘great’ person. I’m going back to Germany, and to my life and I won’t be thinking about the poor people in India everyday. But I am here now and I see it and I face it every day. So now I want to do something. I really feel so sorry for these people. I was born in Germany and they are born here. That is the only difference there is,” she said firmly.

Christiane is humble to say the least. She’s not looking for recognition. She was just a facilitator of a gift from a group of people who wanted to give. “I like this country. I like these people. In the beginning, it was just an idea and then it began to come from my heart,” she enthused.

Christiane (right) and Austin Sudhakar (left) from Projects Abroad, with a staff member at St. Joseph’s Hospice

“This is why I love this project so much. I got to know Indian people well. I didn’t come to Madurai to meet volunteers, I was here to get to know this culture and the people”

“I’m really not this ‘great’ person. I’m going back to Germany and to my life and I won’t be thinking about the poor people in India everyday. But I am here now and I see it and I face it every day. So now I want to do something”

“People often give money to children and not often to old people. This place is still in my mind… On one hand, it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve been, and on the other, it was one of the saddest places I had ever seen in my life”

The many gifts Christiane bought for the children at Arulagam Hospice and the patients at St. Joseph’s Hospice

Madurai Messenger making a Difference April 2012

donate money towards a particular local project. In 2011, with knowledge of Christiane’s plans to volunteer in India, they approached her about giving the money to her, entrusting her to find a worthy project to support. It started with 160 Euros raised at the party. News of her mission soon spread, and donations kept coming. She ended up with a grand total of 560 Euros, which in Indian Rupees, is a small fortune. Moved by the care given at both St Joseph’s Hospice and Arulagam Hospice, she had found the right projects. Rather than a cash donation, which she felt was potentially susceptible to not reaching the people it was intended for, she decided to buy useful items for the patients at the hospices. She spent four days shopping for the gifts with help from Austin Sudhakar and Nadia Chellam from Projects Abroad.

Beauty and sadnessSt. Joseph’s Hospice is a place where elderly people come to spend the last

days of their lives. These people are usually destitute, mentally challenged or disoriented, or those with no family to take care of them. At the moment, they have about 160 female patients and 140 male patients, with an average of one person dying each day. After visiting this place, Christiane found it unforgettable.

“People often give money to children and not often to old people. This place is still in my mind. It is a beautiful place,” Christiane began. “The one who was showing us around, she was so great. She was touching the patients and talking to them, and smiling with them, and laughing with them. On one hand, it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve been, and on the other, it was one of the saddest places I have ever seen in my life,” Christiane explained with heartbreaking sincerity.

“The patients come. First they cut off all their clothes and burn the clothes. Then they cut their hair, shower them

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Truth Above All Elsehow to Be a Journalist

for journalists, the truth is paramount. Kim clarys, a journalism student in Belgium, meets three journalists in madurai who gave her some insightful advice about writing from the heart and seeking the truth

By Kim ClarysBelgium

The late Krishnaswamy, a passionate journalist for 60 years

Journalists… We are a different breed. Sometimes it feels like we stand on our own. So many people

only see us in a negative light, and may

forget that we are passionate writers.

They can overlook the correspondents

who try to move their audience by

the power of expression. There are so

many misinterpretations. Sometimes

it feels the world has forgotten about

journalists who love the written word

consequently this can cause a distortion in our connection.

Passionate professionAs a student of journalism at the Free University in Belgium, I am aware that there are journalists in the world who care and who want to share their advice to future journalists. I had the honour to meet the passionate Krishnaswamy two days before he sadly passed away. How

change society. You can’t be focused on the good salary. Your ultimate goal should be to become a good journalist, an honest reporter,” he said.

A spark withinDr Nandini Murali, Editor, Madurai Messenger, who also has far-reaching experience in the field, agrees with Krishnaswamy about the fact that it’s easy to become a journalist, but difficult to be a good journalist.

“For me, both journalism and writing are an art and a craft. The craft of

journalism can be learned, but the art and that passion can’t be taught. You either have it or you don’t. How to become a better writer can be learned, but that spark, that urge, has to be there. That can’t be taught. If you have it all, these things will come and fall in place,” Nandini explained.

Regarding education for journalists, Nandini advises a broad knowledge. “Explore your horizons, don’t just study

journalism,” she said. One should only do it at a Master’s level because otherwise it stifles creativity and creates boundaries. Instead, study psychology, literature, international relations or maybe economics.

Simplicity is blissIt’s a path that Teena Limitton , Correspondent for the Madurai Times, a section in the Times of India also followed. She studied visual communication in Chennai and management in the UK before she decided to pursue her love for writing.

At only 26 years of age, she already has a taste for the traditional way of writing. All she needs is pen and paper. She started writing from an early age because she loved to build a story, and experience the joy of witnessing the effect it can have on the people who read it. Her advice: simplicity is bliss. There is no need for writing in a difficult way just to show what you’re capable of.

and the sometimes far reaching consequences that come with it.

A good journalist stands for truth and wants to help bring about change. They wish to mean something. Journalists have power, and with that power comes responsibility. This status sometimes creates a difficult relationship with our audience. There are moments when we disappoint our readers, and

lucky I was to encounter a journalist who was in the field for 60 years and still had the writing spirit. He told me that he actually stumbled into the profession because he really needed a job and opted for the first and best opportunity. Still, while listening to this passionate man, I rediscovered my own love for journalism.

“Journalism is like riding a tiger. If you want to continue, you have to be on the tiger all the time. If you fall off, the tiger will eat you. You have to do this job for six months. If you don’t like it, just

quit it. Because, after that, it becomes part of your system and then you won’t be able to get it out,” said the veteran journalist.

Krishnaswamy was lucky to find that passion in the job he fell into, and explained that the desire to write is a must. “You can’t choose this occupation if you don’t have a true dedication to it. You must do it with good intentions to make positive contributions, and to

Madurai Messenger career April 2012

“Why should people have to grab a dictionary just to read their daily newspaper? You need the point, not the words“

Teena Limitton - just starting as a journalist, but already with a strong opinion

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“Why should people have to grab a dictionary just to read their daily newspaper? You need the point, not the words,” she insisted.

Just like Nandini and Krishnaswamy, Teena states how difficult it is these days to stay true to your heart. Sometimes, you have to go along with the crowd because people want to get the pretty pictures. The newspapers today have become a product to sell, which has had an effect on the truth. Some reporters don’t want to let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Read to writeFor Krishnaswamy, facts are sacred. He was incapable of turning away from

“The craft of journalism can be learned, but the art and that passion can’t be taught. You either have it or you don’t. How to become a better writer can be learned, but that spark, that urge, has to be there. That can’t be taught. If you have it all, these things will come and fall in place”

Dr. Nandini Murali, Freelance journalist and Editor of the Madurai Messenger

truth, honesty and fairness. But he saw an evolution in corporate news, a development he refers to as political pollution. Despite this pollution, he states that you have to be true to yourself and your context.

Teena has her own way to cope with it. “You will get a chance to stand your ground and then you have to use it properly. You’ll be gazing at the stars and suddenly you’ll get your chance and when the time is there you should be bold enough to use it,” she advised.Nandini also prefers to be thorough and not to turn away from the truth. As a journalist you can’t do half the work, you have to commit to it. “I need to delve into a story. No superficiality, no

glossing over or skimming the surface. You have to research the topic. I would spend a whole day with you and get to know you as a person. When I write about someone, I try to capture the soul of that person.”

There is one last piece of advice on which all three journalists agree: read. You have to understand the art of reading before you can capture the skills of writing. With this, they don’t mean just hard core literature. You have to dive in to all kinds of work: from Charles Dickens to Stieg Larson; from fiction to non -fiction; and from magazines to newspapers. Get involved and discover your talent. But most importantly, free your mind so you can free your writing.

Madurai Messenger career April 2012

Paintings on the roof of Meenakshi Amman Temple

thousands of people flock to madurai to visit the famous meenakshi temple every year. step inside and it’s hard not to be captivated by the paintings on the ceilings. anne Punt, a self-confessed “art school drop out” who nevertheless loves art, gazes at these beautiful works of art and attempts to uncover their meaning

Art for the Soul

By Anne PuntThe Netherlands

Everyone who visits Madurai visits the Meenakshi Temple. It is the heart and history of the city. In almost every street you walk down in the city centre, you can look up

to one of the towers. In the first few days of my stay, it was this curiosity that led me to the temple.

When I first walked inside, I was struck by the feeling that both history and religion lingered in the air. I walked amongst the temple’s famous statues for a while, which impressed me very much. But I couldn’t keep my eyes off the big, beautiful, brightly coloured paintings on the ceilings.

Because of my limited knowledge of Hinduism, I couldn’t comprehend what they were about. But, being an art school drop-out with a lasting love for arts all around the world, I found the paintings so intriguing, that they remained in my thoughts for days afterwards. I was eager to learn more about them and so I met with Pulavar Vijaya Raghunathan, a writer and Meenakshi Temple guide. He showed me around and shared amazing explanations about these paintings.

The blooming lotusThe first thing that was made very clear was that there is a difference between Modern and Moral paintings. When we walked in through the East Entrance, the first paintings we saw were eight modern Lotus paintings with images of Goddess Lakshmi, the presiding deity of wealth and prosperity. These round, colourful paintings seemed to look down on you from whatever angle you watched them. Their stories are all different, but every Lotus painting featuring Goddess Lakshmi is there to soothe the heart of whoever is praying to them. Some people pray for wealth, others to boost their fertility, or others for good fortune. Later on, I found out that not only were these Lotus paintings extraordinary, the meaning of the lotus itself gave me goose bumps.

In Hinduism, the lotus is a very important symbol. It is said to uncover the creator God Brahma in padmasana (the lotus position), when it blooms. When unfolding its petals,

it suggests the expansion of the soul. It also symbolises the four elements of earth, air, fire and water. Robert Lawlor, a symbologist who lived in Pondicherry explained in his book Voices Of The First Day: Awakening in the Aboriginal Dreamtime: “The roots are in the earth, it grows in and by means of water, its leaves are nourished by air, and it blooms through the power of the sun’s fire. The lotus is therefore the perfection of the fourfold order of the natural world.”

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Madurai Messenger art April 2012

Bold and brightThese Modern Lotus paintings were the first paintings that really spoke to me. The forms and bright colours are so different from any art I’ve ever seen in Europe. To be honest, at first I found them overwhelming. The brightness of the colours and the simple figurative forms seemed a bit too comic-style to me, especially for a religious place like a temple. But then again, when it comes to religion, I am accustomed to the sombre, even gloomy atmospheres and art found in medieval churches and cathedrals of Europe. Nevertheless, the Lotus paintings still amazed me. I think the fact that these paintings are in such contrast to the surrounding stone statues and pillars, is what made them particularly appealing.

For me, these paintings represent the happiness and fortune that Hindu religion can give to devotees. The simple forms show that everyone is free to interpret and learn about Hinduism in whatever way they choose. The old statues and pillars seem to exhale Madurai’s Hindu history, and perhaps tell the historical stories that are intertwined with this religion.

All the Modern paintings were created by people from Tanjore (Thanjavur) over 300 years ago. At the time, the Nayaks of Thanjavur, the rulers of Tamil Nadu in the 16th and 17th centuries, encouraged all forms of art in the region. Painters from Thanjavur are famous for their use of bright colours and rich compositions. The Modern paintings can still be recognised by their bright, almost fluorescent colours, but because of the chemicals in the paint, the paintings fade quite quickly.

They therefore need to be restored every 12 years, which is done during the Kumbhabishekam, a ritual festival celebrated with the aim to revitalise the sanctity of the temple. The last time the paintings were renovated was in 2009.

Captivating the crowdsWe walked to another hall to see more paintings. Most of them display forms or acts (Lilas) of Lord Siva. Many also feature his wife, Goddess Meenakshi, and their two sons. It was impressive to see and hear that these paintings explain the story of Lord Siva.

I was not only captivated by the colourful displays of Lord Siva, but even more so by the variety of people gazing at

“n Hinduism, the lotus is a very important symbol. It is said to uncover the creator God Brahma in padmasana (the lotus position), when it blooms. When unfolding its petals, it suggests the expansion of the soul”

Volunteer Anne Punt, fascinated by the paintings

The Siddha Vinayagar statue inside the temple

the wedding of Lord Siva and Goddess Meenakshi. So far I understood, but then I found out that the woman standing on the far right side of the painting was Rani Mangammal, the woman who ruled Madurai in the 17th century, when this painting was made. This fact was a little confusing to me. It got even more confusing when I was told that in the next painting, Rani Mangammal gave her sword to Goddess Meenakshi, to grant her status as ruler of Madurai, also called Pattabhishekam.

Rani Mangammal, however, is not a deity. I found out that sometimes a painter uses his imagination to make a message clearer. The Moral paintings, as their name suggests, are there to teach morals and values. Many tales of many figures, religious or historical, are intertwined in these paintings. So, in these particular paintings, there is an illustration on how to have a proper

Paintings depicting the life stories of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Shiva

them. In that very moment, all of India’s differences seemed to disappear to make space for a shared feeling of amazement. Whether Indian or a tourist, a Hindu or a follower of any other religion, and no matter how literate or illiterate, these paintings seemed to have an equally powerful impact on everyone.

In another part of the temple, I stumbled upon somewhat different kinds of paintings. I noticed that these paintings looked a lot older than the Modern ones. The colours were less vibrant. The minimalistic style reminded me of old Egyptian paintings found in the pyramids. The graphic images of

men and women doing “things” were clearly there to tell a story rather than to show their beauty (which makes them beautiful to me). These were the Moral paintings.

These paintings looked less vibrant because the paint is organic, made of vegetable dyes, stones, shells and sand. The paint is a lot more durable so these paintings hardly need restoration. I wondered whether this is done for eco-friendly reasons, but I was told that the paint has been made this way for centuries.

The first painting explained to us by Pulavar Vijaya Raghunathan, was about

“Whether Indian or a tourist, a Hindu or a follower of any other religion, and no matter how literate or illiterate, these paintings seemed to have an equally powerful impact on everyone”

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Madurai Messenger art April 2012

wedding between gods, and how a God has to rule a country? I really tried to understand and find out more about these stories, but in the process, somehow, I just got more confused...

opening mindsFinally it hit me. I was looking at these paintings with my Dutch background. Not that Dutch art is close-minded, but our world famous Christian paintings portray Biblical tales. Although the time at which each of these Christian paintings were created can be identified by looking at the style, there are no details of that specific time intertwined in the story. It became increasingly clear to me that in Hindu mythology, Gods and their acts can be more freely interpreted than I had imagined. The whole intention of these Moral paintings is not to preach how to live a good life, but more to give an example and allow the spectator to think and

“The whole intention of these Moral paintings is not to preach how to live a good life, but more to give an example and allow the spectator to think and feel… Whatever the individual interpretation may be, is the lesson”

feel. My feelings about the Lotus feelings must be right… Whatever the individual interpretation may be, is the lesson.

This lesson opened my eyes. Who would have thought that Hindu and modern Dutch art would have so much in common? Our modern art, in contrast to our religious art, is completely open to interpretation. The importance lies more in the feelings they evoke, rather than the actual picture. In recent decades, a common style was to use abstract forms to show a figure and its emotions. This figure could be a person, an animal, or any object. The emotions usually challenge the viewer’s imagination. Some might see a political statement, others could see a cry for help, and others could see a broken heart, all in the same work. Although Hindu art is much more figurative, the fact that even here in Madurai, the art is all about interpretation, made my world a little smaller, in a good way.

Painting depicting the celestial wedding of the deities of the temple

The ancient Meenakshi Amman Temple is the landmark of Madurai, and an icon for Tamil

Nadu. The breathtaking design is a showcase of the Hindu religion, featuring a unique structure, beautiful figures and vibrant colours. A perfect example of South Indian architecture, it dates back more than 3,000 years.

The tradition of temples is just as old as India itself. There are multiple architectural styles in India, reflective of its many different sub cultures. It is, however, easy to recognise the ancient South Indian temple, which varies from the northern temple in a number of ways. In my research of these magnificent wonders, I wanted an expert’s opinion, so we went to interview local architect Ganapathy Masilamani (46), who told me about the architecture and the religion behind them. His architectural explanation was at times slightly technical, but his knowledge of ancient temple architecture is unquestionable. He started out by telling me the similarities.

north and SouthThere are two different styles of temple architecture: Nagara (Northern) and Dravida (Southern). “Basically, the evolution of the temple architecture follows the architectural knowledge and the wealth of the kings, but there are some similarities,” Ganapathy Masilamani said.

A Glorious Architectural heritagethink of india and it’s hard not to picture a hindu temple in all its colourful mystical glory. intrigued by these beautiful structures, morten levinsky thorsboe and nicolas Brangi speak to architect ganapathy masilamani and visit two temples in madurai to admire their beauty

Text By Morten Levinsky Thorsboe, Denmark

Photographs By Nicolas Brangi, France

The grand exterior of the Alagar Kovil

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There is a basic model that applies to all temples in India. In the middle of all temples there is an idol, a god to which each temple is devoted. Each idol has undergone certain procedures prescribed in the ancient art of making sculptures to make it worthy of being prayed to. It is enclosed in a small room called Garbhagriha. ”Garbhagriha means the womb in Sanskrit. The idea being that the idol is the foetus. Just like a womb, it is in a dark place with no ventilation,” he said. There is a small opening into the chamber allowing believers to see the idol while they pray.

The Garbhagriha is surrounded by one or several halls that may contain markets, courtrooms or other idols. Ganapathy Masilamani said, “The temples were not just religious places but also social places. It was the seat of social activity. And it also served as a fortress.” This explains why there is almost

Madurai Messenger tradition April 2012

“Garbhagriha means the womb in Sanskrit. The idea being that the idol is the foetus. Just like a womb, it is in a dark place with no ventilation”

Ganapathy Masilamani, the architect and expert in temple architecture

Alagar Kovil attracts 10,000 visitors a day, and 15,000 per day on weekends

always a massive wall enclosing the temple. Temples also feature the Gopuram, or a temple tower, which serves as the entrance to the temple.

“Many of the later Indian temples are made out of soft rock,” he said. Soft rock is easy to shape and control, whereas the hard rock is tougher and is therefore harder to control. “The South Indian temples are made out of harder rock and the North Indian ones are made out of marble and softer rock.”

In the Nagara-inspired temples, the tower or Sikhara, is situated just above the idol. “It normally ends in a pointed edge which is made out of bronze or copper or something like that,” Masilamani said. In the North Indian temples, the Sikhara is the highest part, and then there are identical stories which grow smaller and smaller. “A bit like a pyramid,” he explained.

However, in Dravida temples, the entrance is marked out with the tallest tower and not the Sikhara. In other words, “In North Indian architecture, the entrance is not tall and not given too much importance, whereas in South Indian architecture, the entrance (Gopuram) is the tallest tower and the Sikhara with the idol is small and hardly ever seen,” Masilamani said.

The Gopuram (entrance) to the Marrimam Teppakulam

Painting of Goddess Mariamman in theMariamman Teppakulam

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Madurai Messenger tradition April 2012

Alagar Kovil has a spectacular Gopuram

A beautiful painting of Arulmigu in the Mariamman Teppakulam The Mariamman Teppakulam temple on Kamarajar Salai, Madurai

The golden exterior of the Mariamman Teppakulam Tank

On the opposite side of the Kamarajar Salai (road) you find the Marimman Teppakulam Tank, a golden temple surrounded by a tank (or moat), which fills with water from the Vaigai River during the rainy seasons from October to December. It is also home to the Theppathuvizha, commonly known as the Float festival, one of the most important festivals in Madurai, held in the month of Thai (January). During the festival, the Mariamman idol is carried into the Tank. This celebration attracts visitors from all over the world.

Preserving the Temples The temples of Madurai are an artistic and architectural treasure trove. They give Madurai its epithet as ‘The Temple City’ and make it a destination for devotees from all over India and the world. These beautiful temples are of great cultural and religious importance. Preserving them for posterity is a responsibility to be shared by all of the people of Madurai.

Ganapathy Masilamani, who has built several churches and mosques, has never dared to design a temple because the Shilpa Shastras, or the ancient Indian art of building temples, set strict rules about architecture and building methods. “We have a lot of temples, so we don’t need more,” said Masilamani pragmatically.

Alagar KovilOne of these old beautiful temples is the temple of Kallalagar Perumal (Alagar Koyil) around 20 km outside of Madurai. Its origin is not completely known, but one of the caretakers of the temple (who wished to remain anonymous) was certain that it is around 3000 years old and believed to have built by the Pandya kings of Madurai. Whether this is true, we do not know.

This magnificent temple, which is situated at the foot of a mountain, has all the characteristics of Dravidian architecture. The first sight that greets

you is the great wall that surrounds the temple. The temple pond is also a great sight. The perfect square that almost looks like a Greek amphitheatre has been totally remade, and the water glinting in the sun makes it a real masterpiece.

Then there is the temple itself. The big Gopuram towers over the entrance hall where you will find almost as many monkeys as humans! The temple attracts around 10,000 visitors every day and more than 15,000 on weekends. The popularity of the temple, however, is not the beautiful architecture, but the location.

Mariamman TeppakulamAnother spectacular temple in Madurai is the Mariamman Teppakulam, which was created by King Thirumalai Nayakar in the 17th Century. There are actually two temples. On one side you find the main temple, which is used for ceremonies throughout the year. This temple’s Gopuram is particularly striking.

The Mariamman Teppakulam Tank, the star of the show in Theppa Thiruvizha, the annual Float Festival

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But even in the mind blowing craziness of Madurai, where I now live, there are always places of complete serenity to relax the mind. Whether it is at home, eating dinner with my lovely host family, or in one of the beautiful temples in the city. And especially at Yogi Ramalingam’s yoga centre, where the yoga exercises are always accompanied by soothing music and the Yogi’s big smile. All of these places bring back the familiar warm and welcoming feeling that India gave me, the day I arrived.

the highlight of Dutch national anne Punt‘s trip to india is the natural curiosity of indians. having grown up in a western culture that views asking too many questions as intrusive, she finds the genuine curiosity of the indians who are unafraid to ask questions rather liberating!

Ask and it is Given!

By Anne PuntThe Netherlands

Weeks ago, I started preparing for my trip to India. Long conversations with friends who have considerable travelling experience, book

recommendations and a lot of Dos and Don’ts. But nothing prepared me for Madurai.

From the moment I arrived at the Madurai Airport, this city hasn’t stopped amazing me. The road to the Projects Abroad main office must have been one of the most memorable car rides of my life. The stream of traffic criss crossed as it weaved its way. The beautiful lakes, fields and distant mountains flashing by were enchanting.

On my first visit to the city centre, I couldn’t help but stare at all the colours surrounding me, especially my first visit to the Pudhu mandapam (the tailors market), with its many little shops and the buzz of the hard working tailors. Outside were the little stalls with unknown goods and unknown smells. Women in their beautiful saris were passing by with curious smiles on their faces. Children were asking questions, but they didn’t really seem to understand the answers.

The moment we sat down on the side of the street, some women came towards us to ask where we were from and what we were doing in Madurai. After a somewhat difficult conversation due to the language barrier, I realised that this may actually be one of the main reasons I’ve grown to love this place so much. It is liberating to see that people here aren’t afraid to be curious. I was always taught not to ask too many questions, because it might be offensive. Most people here are so genuinely interested; it is not at all offensive, but rather welcome!

I also came to realise that Madurai is a place of many contradictions. Besides the overwhelming first few days, full of colour, nice people and great experiences, there is also the stressful side. The rickshaw drivers were all trying to convince you to go in their rickshaw. And while in one, they drive recklessly through the chaotic traffic, with its constant noise. The smell of rotten fruits and burned plastic often overwhelms you. It’s a lot to get used to, especially when you’re accustomed to clean and quiet streets, as I am in The Netherlands.

Madurai Messenger first impressions April 2012

The strong pillars of the Meenakshi Temple

impressed by two girls who sat amongst the men. They were sitting there in their beautiful traditional clothing, not afraid to state their opinion.

As I arrive home, I notice that we’re far away from the noise. The silence only gets interrupted by a passing train or the hum of crickets. My Indian “Appa” enthusiastically tells me how ‘Kim’ is also a name for a Japanese boy and “Amma” (my host mother) wants to know if my camera has an exchangeable lens. As evening falls, a pleasant coolness descends on the place and I think to myself “yes…I do love incredible India! “

for Kim clarys, discovering madurai is like falling in love! Despite the noise, chaotic traffic and stares of the local people, madurai charms this first time visitor with its changing gender roles and the warmth of its people…slowly but surely!

Incredible India

By Kim ClarysBelgium

On my first rickshaw ride to the city centre, I was immediately thrown into the chaos that

the locals call traffic here. Surprisingly enough, I didn’t worry at all and completely trusted the driver. I loved sitting in a rickshaw. It was temporary relief from the oppressive heat. Tracey Chapman’s Fast Car pops up in my head and I enjoy the ride.

As soon as we arrive in the city, my new girl friends and co-volunteers take me to the Tailor’s Market, which is popular with locals and tourists. On our way, people want to take pictures with us. We agree to take one with a family, but we decline

The enthusiastic children of Madurai

the boys. I wonder how they see me, how they see the pale girl with blue eyes and short brown hair that’s so different from them. Different or not, several Indian people welcome me to their country with a handshake and a warm smile. When we take the bus, the girls explain to me that men only sit next to men and women only next to women. Such a paradox! The city is sometimes so conservative, but at the same time, Indian women seem to be able to go far professionally here. I also see a lot of men taking care of the children, and at home I already have seen “Appa” (my host father) cooking. When I did my first Voices of the World workshop for students at a local college, I was

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Madurai Messenger first impressions April 2012

All that Glitters…People have been adorning themselves with jewellery for thousands of years. whether it signifies luck, fashion, superstition or commitment, jewellery is found in cultures all over the world. in india, it is an ancient tradition and something found on just about every indian woman. Katharina irrgang begins to learn more about its meaning in madurai

By Katharina IrrgangGermany

Sparkling rings, shimmering bracelets, and glittering necklaces. For thousands of years, people

have been decorating themselves with precious jewellery. Cleopatra, the legendary Queen of Egypt, for example, apparently wore jewellery on every part of her body - from anklets to bracelets to earrings. No wonder the craft of the goldsmith is one of the oldest professions in the world.

Krishna Moorthy blowing fire on the jewels to make the jewels flexible

I visited a local goldsmith in his workshop in Madurai to learn more about this craft, and the labour involved.

A golden touchWorking as a goldsmith is a long held tradition in S. Krishna Moorthy’s (29) family. He learned the craft from his father, just as his father had learned it from his grandfather. Normally, seven people work in the workshop, but on

this day it was just S. Krishna Moorthy and his father. The others were away because of Shivaratri, a Hindu festival celebrated every year in reverence of Lord Shiva.

S. Krishna Moorthy and his team make chains, bracelets and toe rings, but their specialties are earrings and finger rings. They usually use gold because their customers like to invest in gold.

course, wonderful company. This experience was incredibly touching because despite the language barrier, or the fact that we were strangers, or it being three o’clock in the morning, this man and his family went out of their way to make us feel welcomed. It was an experience rather foreign to us. Something like this would never happen at Los Angeles Airport. It was an unforgettable welcome to a beautiful country.

Immediately, all my fears were allayed and I knew that my time in India would be filled with the same warm hospitality, generosity, and kindness that this family had shown us.

a nervous tyler Karahalios was quickly relieved of her fears about india as soon as she experienced the warmth of its people… a warmth, she says, that is unlike any other she has encountered in her travels

Hospitality Redefined

By Tyler KarahaliosCalifornia, United States

To be honest, I was a little apprehensive about coming to India. In October 2011,

I embarked on an eight month adventure with a group of six other American volunteers. Under the care of Projects Abroad, we are travelling to five countries. So far, we have experienced crazy and chaotic Ghana, diverse and exhilarating South Africa, and the magnificently beautiful Peru.

Whenever people asked me about my concerns for this trip, I would always respond that I was anxious about India: from how Indians dress to the religions they practice; from the food they eat to the language they speak; from how they drive to how they don’t wear shoes inside homes and temples (which I actually quite enjoy now). Everything about India seemed to be so culturally

different from the US.

Upon arrival to Chennai, I was absolutely exhausted. After three days of travelling, we walked out of the airport at 12:30am and were greeted by a wave of heat, a cacophony of honking, and a surprising number of people at that hour.

We then entered the departure area at the airport ready for our journey to Madurai, only to find the exact opposite of what we had encountered outside. It was completely dead. Apparently it doesn’t open until four in the morning. With no security to go through, no open shops to browse, and no restaurants with food to devour after days of

Tyler Karahalios’ friends Alixe Varnel and Mary Patterson, sitting in a circle at Chennai Airport on their first night in India

surviving on airplane food, we formed a circle and all fell fast asleep on the floor.

When I woke up, an Indian man had settled nearby. Without us asking, he offered us some of his food. He didn’t speak a word of English, but generously shared his naan and chili powder with us.

A few minutes passed before his family joined us. Our new friend, his two English speaking daughters, his wife, and the seven of us, formed an even bigger circle. We spent an hour together enjoying good food (we shared our Reese’s chocolates and sweet tarts from the US), great conversation, and of

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Madurai Messenger trends April 2012

eternity, like gold or silver. And of course they wear rings for as part of a style statement as well as for luck. S. Krishna Moorthy, for example, wears a ring for luck.“ This is a scorpion with a pearl and this should bring luck to me,” he says with a hopeful smile.

Savithri Ramesh sheds more light about these kinds of rings. “Some people believe that certain stones can improve their life in different areas. For example, in finances or mental strength. According to the star sign in which you were born, you should wear certain stones. Often people wear these stones in the form of rings.”

Style statementsAfter learning a lot about precious and valuable jewellery, I wanted to find out more about costume or fashion jewellery that may not be so valuable. I went to two jewellery shops that sell costume jewellery. At Fancy Stores, I meet G. Raman, (83). He likes selling jewellery because it gives him joy. He sells all sorts of ornaments for women except rings and anklets. Why do people wear his jewellery? He answers, ”They wear it so that other people will be able to differentiate them. It gives them an identity.”

The second shop I went to was a family business. The owner’s son, V. Shiva Karthik (24) says, “People wear jewellery to look good and mainly for fashion.” So the answer to my question as to why he is wearing jewellery is no surprise. His answer was simply, “For fashion.”

When you think about the reasons why people wear jewellery, and compare the past with the present, the same reasons apply: beauty, fashion, superstition, as a status symbol, an investment, and sometimes maybe just for fun.

Women, and also some men, are still obsessed with jewellery just as Cleopatra was more than 2000 years ago. Although symbolism sometimes changes into a fashion statement, one thing is certain—jewellery is likely to remain universally popular, and this traditional craft seems likely to stay alive for another 2,000 years.

“Some people believe that certain stones can improve their life in different areas… according to the star sign in which you were born, you should wear certain stones. Often people wear these stones in the form of rings”

A stunning wedding chain!

The famous Naga ring

Beautiful bangles made by Savithri

When gold rates increase, people tend to buy a lot of gold jewellery. Here in India, it is also a status symbol to wear gold jewellery.

S. Krishna Moorthy says that they use 22 carat gold, making the ‘golden share’ amount to 91.6 percent. The purest gold is 24 carat, which has 99.9 percent golden share. This gold, however, also contains small portions of other metal because it is almost impossible to find gold that is not contaminated by other metals.

He loves his job even if it is very difficult and dangerous. “You can’t do this job longer than 25 years,” he says, “because some of the poisonous chemicals we use, such as cadmium and radium, can cause cancer.” Furthermore, back pain is one of the biggest ailments suffered by goldsmiths, because they work the whole day sitting in a strenuous position. It is hard to believe that a profession that creates such beautiful things can be so hazardous.

Chain of loveI immediately forgot about these hazards when he showed me a wonderful wedding chain. “This model of wedding chain became a fashion statement because one actress wore it in a TV series and now every woman wants it,” he tells me.

It was actually a very simple chain with a pendant featuring some stones on a rectangular gold plate. Maybe it was the simplicity that made it so beautiful. This is one striking example that shows how symbolism and fashion fuse together.

Fascinated, by this wedding chain, I wanted to know more about its symbolism. I met Dr Savithri Ramesh, (49), a creative person who makes Tanjore paintings and has been making costume jewellery for the past five years.

“The bride’s parents give the wedding chain to the bride during the wedding and she will wear the chain until her husband dies. Also, when girls get married, their parents give them a certain amount of valuable jewellery, like bracelets and earrings,” Savithri Ramesh tells me.

Her parents, for example, gave her earrings with nine diamonds on each stud. This custom has its roots in the past. Traditionally, only the sons inherited the land, so women at the time of their marriage, were given valuable jewellery.

Marriage is just one of the many reasons why people wear jewellery. S. Krishna Moorthy explains, “Every body part on which people wear jewellery indicates a pressure point. If you wear jewellery

on these special points, it stimulates the nerves. The blood flow increases, for example, when you wear toe rings.” Traditionally in South India, women wear one toe ring on each foot to symbolise they are married. The same meaning applies to nose piercings. When a woman wears one in each nostril, they want to show that they are married. Savithri Ramesh says it has also a medical benefit, “Nose piercings and ear rings are placed on acupuncture points.” Nowadays, some women wear toe rings just on one foot, or nose piercings without being married. For many women, it’s just fashion.

One of S. Krishna Moorthy`s specialties are finger rings. During the interview, he’s working on a ring. “People order rings, they talk with me about the design and I make the ring. We will make everything the customer wants and needs,” he says. Engagement rings for women are the most common. The time he needs to make a ring varies. Usually, if it’s just a simple ring without difficult ornaments, he works on it for about five hours. But for a special ring called a “naga ring” he needs 25 days because of the complicated designs.

In the West, a wedding ring is regarded as a sign of commitment and eternity. And like the commitment of marriage, rings are made of metals which last an

“The bride’s parents give the wedding chain to the bride during the wedding and she will wear the chain until her husband dies”

G. Raman (centre) with two jewellers, in G.Raman Fancy Stores in Madurai‘s Pudhu mandapam, commonly known as the tailors market

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All the World’s a Facebook!

online social networks have radically changed the way we connect with each other. citizen of the globe and avid facebook user morten levinsky thorsboe investigates the growing popularity of social networks in india

By Morten Levinsky horsboeDenmark

Facebook, Twitter and Orkut have been massive successes around the world. With more than 845 million

users, according to zdnet.com in 2012, Facebook is now the biggest of all social networks. It is therefore no surprise that the number of users in India has exploded in the last few years, now reaching more than 34 million users according to allfacebook.com. Every year, the number of Facebook users in India is growing by more than a 100 per cent, which makes it the largest social network in India, knocking down Orkut from the top spot.

The average age group who use Facebook in India is 15-24 years, but Facebook is growing so fast that there is also an increasing amount of users in other age groups. If you break up the users by sex, you will find that almost 80 percent of the users are males and only 20 percent females. This is a pattern you will find in almost all of the social networks here. According to the Asian Correspondent, the six most used social networks in India are: Facebook,

you have a lot of connections. I think Orkut is going slowly down.” This shows me that some people switch from Orkut to Facebook because “everyone else” is doing the same.

B. Karthik Kumar, who has around 60 Facebook friends, uses Facebook twice a day and has been an active user for two years. He also tells me that he uses Facebook in his education to share information with fellow students, and he therefore can’t imagine a life without it. This could also be one of the main reasons why Facebook is spreading so fast.

But one of his classmates, M. Abishek Karthik, (20), disagrees. “It would be difficult, but yes,” he says, when I asked him if he could live without Facebook or other social networks. He has more than 330 friends on Facebook, but also uses the less popular website, Twitter.

followed by Orkut, Ibibo, Twitter, LinkedIn and BharatStudent. But why have Facebook, Twitter and other social networks suddenly become such a success in India?

There are of course several reasons. The most obvious is increased Internet access. A lot of people now have Internet access at home. With several different social networks on the Internet, many in specialised fields, there is a forum for everyone.

Connecting with easeEngineering student B. Karthik Kumar, (20), says that Facebook is “Easy to use” and that it is “comfortable.” He also gives us one of the reasons why Facebook has become the biggest social network in India in a very short time: “I used to use Orkut, but today I only use Facebook. It easy to use and

“Every year, the number of Facebook users in India is growing by more then a 100 per cent, which makes it the largest social network in India”

Madurai Messenger trends April 2012

“In Twitter you can follow other people and see what has been happening,” he says, but when I asked him what he preferred, he did not hesitate a second before responding, “Facebook! Because I have a lot of friends and it is the easiest to use.” This seems to be the same for all the people I have interviewed. “It is easy.” This might be the key to Facebook’s success.

Internet café owner Kathir, (26), tells me that the interest in Facebook is also increasing as evident from the browsing patterns of users in his shop. “Before, our customers used Yahoo and Msn, then Orkut became popular but now it is Facebook.” Kathir himself uses Facebook, and has more than 200 friends and mainly uses it to keep in touch with customers. The reason that Facebook is growing so fast is, he explains, “People want to chat and keep in touch with their friends. Even seven-year-old boys are on Facebook.” Kathir is very happy about the increasing interest in Facebook. “Facebook keeps my business in good condition,” he says.

A networking revolutionEven though many people today can’t imagine a life without Facebook, it is a very young social network. It was launched by American Mark Zuckerberg in February 2004. He developed the idea while studying at Harvard. Its main purpose was to gather information about students and make it easier for them to communicate with each other over the Internet. This simple idea has been maintained in the development of the website, but there are a great number of new applications and extra features constantly being added to the website. This constant development and improvement of the website might be another key element as to why it is so popular today. It is also an extremely user-friendly interface.

In the beginning, Facebook was only available for universities and high schools, but in 2006 it was opened for everyone and ever since, the number

of active users has continued to grow each year. From 2010 to 2011 more than 250 million people joined Facebook giving a total of 750 million users. The only question that remains is when the success will stop . . . if it ever does?

With the enormous interest for social networks on the Internet there have of course been some problems with all the different websites. There has been a massive criticism of Facebook regarding its online third party policy and issues around child safety. There have also been a lot of censorship chases where Facebook has been sued.

There have also been problems with third parties interfering and hacking the network. In Bangalore, 200,000 accounts were hacked in November

2011, although Facebook officials denied it. But they cannot deny that spamming is a big problem and that they have to constantly improve security measures to ensure user privacy and safety.

Even so, social networks, and especially Facebook, are taking India by storm and it is only a matter of time before India is the world’s biggest user of social network sites. Everyday, more people in India are joining the websites to start communicating with other people from all over the globe. This connects all of us even closer than before and makes us citizens of not just our own countries, but of the whole wide world. In some ways, the world is getting smaller, but there is a whole new world of possibilities opening for the people of India.

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The happy kids of Sholavandan!

our featured village this month is sholavandan, a Panchayat town of 21,661 inhabitants, 26 km away from madurai. here, ariane lecuyer finds a prospering village steeped in antiquity on the banks of the river Vaigai

Sholavandana Pastoral iDyll

PlaceSholavandan is well-known for its temple dedicated to Jenaigai Mariamman, Nevertheless, it’s mostly a ‘daily life town’ rather than a tourist place. Its people have access to a government school, police station, hospitals, fire services, and a railway station. All of this permits them to enjoy a comfortable and easier life than perhaps those in many other villages.

Agriculture, especially cultivation of coconuts, constitutes 80 percent of the activity. This is only possible because the village is located on the banks of the River Vaigai.

Past Sholavandan is steeped in antiquity. It dates back to the 3rd century BC during the ancient Sangam period, a time when it was known as ‘Solaikuruchi’ and ‘Senagapuri.’

By Ariane LecuyerFrance

During this historic period, the town belonged to the Pandya Kingdom. The story goes that a war was fought between the Chola and Pandya rulers at this very place. But the Chola King was so charmed by the greenery of this place and hence surrendered. The town was called Cholavandan [Cholan+Uvandan]. Uvandan stands for fall in beauty in Tamil. He was impressed by its fertility, a fertility that surpassed even that of Thanjavur, the granary of South India.

Madurai Messenger Village Voices April 2012

“Here, Basha and his team had the ingenious idea to give computer classes and driving lessons free of charge in order to increase people’s chances of employabilita“

So he called this town as ‘Chinna Tanjai’, which means ‘Little Thanjavur’ in Tamil.

PanchayatBesides being a comfortable town to live in, Sholavandan is also a Panchayat-town in the Madurai district. Panchayat towns are places were the government sets up an assembly to decentralise administrative functions to a local level. This local assembly is important for the people, because its members mostly live in the same town or in its surroundings. They can therefore see for themselves the problems and issues that they have to address and interact easily with the people.

Basha, the Executive Officer of Sholavandan Town Panchayat, has been working here for eight months and has already realised that the most important issue at the moment is facilities. His aim is to provide drinking water, build latrines and provide safe roofing to every house. Last year, 16 000 houses were remodeled. Supported by the state government, the plan is now to remodel a further 10,000 this year.

As in any other town, Sholavandan has also had to address poverty. Here, Basha and his team had the ingenious idea to give computer classes and driving lessons free of charge in order to increase people’s chances of employability. The Junior Assistant of Sholavandan Town Panchayat, Souai Muthu, explained that the aim is to give all necessary skills to enable people to set up their own business. On visiting one of these centres, I realised how big a step it is for the population to have this opportunity.

Students who attend these classes unanimously agreed that they found them “helpful.” They now have the possibility to think about a good career and thereby create better prospects for their family. The daily three-hour training sessions are spread over three months and should cost Rs. 8000, but are totally free of charge.

Despite his busy life, Basha is happy to do this job because he knows that he is helping citizens. “I enjoy serving people. Even if they are always asking for more and more improvements, they all realise how important the Panchayat is in their everyday life,” he said.

Adding a sense of purpose to the Panchayat’s efforts is the helpful presence of Pandiyammal, the lovely

Chairperson of the Panchayat, who was elected by the inhabitants as their representative. Together, they work hard to give Sholavandan a perfect middle ground between the people’s voices and the government.

ProblemsDespite these improvements, some problems still remain unsolved, especially concerning access to work.

Basha showing us the vehicle used to teach students to drive

The Chairperson, Pandiyammal (second from right), with the Panchayat board

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“Because his family and friends are living here, he is sad to leave but, according to him, there is no other choice. He is hopeful that he will return soon to improved job prospects because he wants his children to grow up here“

Indeed, if agriculture is the main activity, it’s also because of a lack of choice.

M. Dinesh Kumar, 21, is a good example of a young person growing up in Sholavandan. He is now a driver and unfortunately cannot get a job in his hometown and hence plans to go elsewhere in search of a job. Because his family and friends are living here, he is sad to leave but, he said there is no other choice. He is hopeful that he will return soon to improved job prospects because he wants his children to grow up here.

Nevertheless, the most challenging issue for the people of Sholavandan is water. Of course, they have access to drinking water but it is still only through street taps that have very old outside tubing. Basha is aware of this and wants to solve the problem soon by building an underground system.

PeopleSholavandan is also the ancestral home to the famous politician, Dr. Subramaniam Swamy, previous Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of Law and Justice during the years 1990-1991. He studied at Harvard University and worked in the United Nation Secretariat in New York. Today, he is still active in the Janata Party and also publishes his own books. To have a person of such internatioal stature coming from a small town such as Sholavandan makes inhabitants even prouder of their home town. “People who live here are so friendly,” said Sekar, a coconut factory owner. His remark summed up the warm and welcoming nature of the people of Sholavandan. Despite its many issues, I didn’t meet any inhabitant who had any ill feeling towards Sholavandan and its system. Most of the people who are born here, want to stay. If their dreams and aspirations lead them in search of greener pastures they will never leave without resolving to return in the future.

Like M. Dinesh Kumar, Sekar too is a son of the soil. He took over his father’s coconut factory more than 30 years ago. According to him, this town is his native place, he grew up here and thus the thought of leaving has never occurred to him. Sholavandan is his home, and home is, after all, where the heart is…

Happy memories - M.Dinesh Kumar talks about his childhood in Sholavandan

Sekar and his colleague looking at their coconut factory with pride

Madurai Messenger Village Voices April 2012

Bon Appetit!

french volunteers ariane lecuyer and nicolas Brangi take on the challenge of cooking some dishes from their much-loved home country. they quickly realise their limitations, and prepare two simple dishes with mixed results… but they receive much applause for their ability to entertain!

By Ariane Lecuyer, FranceItaly

Nicolas Brangi, France

Frog legs, snails, cheese, wine… French food has an excellent reputation all around the world,

even if most people don’t really know any specific dishes from our country. “I was curious because French cooking is famous. But to be honest, I didn’t really know any typical French dish,” Marcel de Korte from The Netherlands told us.

My French comrade, Nicolas Brangi, and I then realised that all the volunteers shared the same state of mind. They were curious and excited to learn from us and taste our food. So, with pride and a little pressure, we did our best.

We already knew that we would find it difficult to find the necessary ingredients. Indeed, the two main ingredients used in French cuisine are cheese and meat. It is of course, quite uncommon to find both of these here,

Nicolas Brangi cutting onions for the Ragout

and when you do, it does not taste the same as in France. We knew that whatever we chose to cook would just not be the same.

We then spent more than two weeks thinking and discussing which meals would work. We also wanted to cook meals that we both liked (and it was maybe more difficult because we didn’t

have the same culinary tastes!). The first idea was crepes! It is one of the most famous and easiest French dishes. All we needed was flour, eggs and sugar. But to find another dish, especially a savoury one was more difficult. Until the last moment, actually just a few hours before we went to buy ingredients, we were still not sure about it. Then Nicolas decided to make a ragout.

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“To make a stew in India is not as easy as I thought. I only realised this in the middle of the supermarket, some hours before we started to cook”

The hardest part.... Ariane Lecuyer flipping the crepe in the pan

A French Ragout in India with nicolas BrangiI decided to prepare a “ragout” also known as “The dish of the poor”, a typical French dish which became popular during the 18th century. This potato soup is simple to cook and very cheap, so we only need basic ingredients, and yet it is very nutritious. Traditionally, we just eat it with a spoon and bread in a bowl.

I thought of making a stew because at first, it seemed to be easy and quick whereas most traditional French dishes are more complex and need a lot of time. However, to make a stew in India is not as easy as I thought. I only realised this in the middle of the supermarket, some hours before we started to cook. I couldn’t find two ingredients, La Roux cornstarch and paprika, two things that are essential to make a perfect ‘ragout’. Without them, it was edible, but not great. I also realised while we were eating that I should have added more mustard in the ragout to make it taste better.

And some crepes for dessert with Ariane LecuyerTo cook only a crepe was almost too boring. It takes just a few minutes to mix everything in a bowl and to cook it in a pan. Besides, a lot of volunteers already knew the recipe, so I decided to make crepe suzette, which means cooking a sweet sauce as an accompaniment. Fortunately, I didn’t have any problems finding the ingredients, so I could follow the recipe just as we would back home.

As with the ragout, crepes have always been a popular dish in France because they are easy and cheap to prepare. The history of crepes dates back some 7000 years BC. But it wasn’t until the 13th century that it started to become famous in Bretagne, a region on the West coast of France. Today, Bretagne is considered to be the home and master place for this dish. The funniest part of the workshop was when all of us started to cook together. Nicolas and I decided to cook at the same time, which allowed us to split the group and get everybody involved in the preparation. While some peeled potatoes, others mixed the crepe dough or made the caramel sauce. It was a lovely feeling to have everybody contribute.

Finally we tasted typical French dishes! Some people liked them and some others didn’t. So if you want to know how it tastes, we think the best solution is to try for yourself!

Volunteers Kathi Irrgang and Leonie Rodenbuecher were excellent assistants in our Culture Kitchen

“Indeed, the two main ingredients used in our cooking are cheese and meat. It is of course, quite uncommon to find both of these here, and when you do, it’s not the same taste as in France. We knew that whatever we chose to cook would just not be the same”

Madurai Messenger culture Kitchen April 2012

RagoutFor 4 persons

1kg of potatoes 5001 onion1 teaspoon of oilchicken or vegetable stock1 tablespoon of flour1 bay leafA handful of chopped thyme1 pinch of paprika1 tablespoon of tomato paste1 tablespoon of corn flourSalt and pepper to taste

Method:Cut the potatoes and onions into small pieces. Throw all ingredients into boiling water. Once the potatoes are cooked, serve and eat!

Our crepes are ready to eat!

Crepes SuzettesFor 8 to 10 persons

Dough: 250g wheat flour4 eggs200ml milkA pinch of salt50g butter

Sauce: 2 oranges2 lemons125g butterCinnamon Sugar

First prepare the dough by mixing all ingredients together. It would be easier to start with the flour and eggs, before adding the milk salt and melt butter. The most important point here is to remove all lumps.

Use a ladle to spoon the dough onto an oiled flat pan. Just 4 minutes on each side should be enough.

For the sauce, you have first to make caramel by putting sugar and water in a saucepan. Never stop stirring the caramel or it will become hard. When it starts to brown, add the butter, the cinnamon, and the orange and lemon juice.

Finally, you just have to spread the sauce on each crepe before eating it. Enjoy!

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read the blurb of this novel, and you will not learn much of the plot, but instead develop a curiosity about the story that awaits you. read the editor’s note at the beginning, and your intrigue will grow. read the first few pages and you will be hooked. ingelise Jones reviews The Other Hand by chris cleave and attempts to not spoil the story!

Two Voices, Two Worlds

What would you give for another person’s life? Sometimes we meet people who change our lives forever. Certain events or decisions we make

shape who we are, and who we become. And sometimes, our fate can be so intrinsically linked to the fate of another.

In The Other Hand, Chris Cleave captures the voices of two women from two vastly different worlds; two women who are intimately bonded by one tragic event. But just because two worlds collide doesn’t necessarily mean that they can, or will, join.

Prepare yourself to be captivated by the innocent but wise voice of Nigerian teenager Little Bee, and the honest but flawed voice of British middle class journalist Sarah Summers. It’s a page-turner from start to finish with each chapter alternating between these engaging voices.

Cleave exposes the stark contrasts between African and British life; between a small war torn Nigerian village and the modern but traditional country of England. He cleverly intertwines journalism, the English language, the UK Home Office, asylum seekers and African conflicts amidst themes of love, commitment, tragedy, loss and bereavement. And, in the process, he challenges the way we see ourselves, and our own realities.

Without giving too much away, in a beautifully crafted opening, you will meet Little Bee, a young girl being held in a detention centre in England after escaping the volatility of her home in Nigeria. Speaking the ‘Queen’s English’, her voice can be heard with such clarity. Her observations are on one hand naïve but on the other hand, poignant, and sometimes shockingly so.

As you begin to see the world through her eyes, you learn that she carries both horror and hope in her heart. Her strength is quite astounding considering all that she has been through. She will bring tears to your eyes and yet most likely, she

By Ingelise JonesMelbourne, Australia

Madurai Messenger Book review April 2012

Sarah is, in fact, profoundly lost and it is only through Little Bee that she begins to unlock her own truth. As Sarah states, “There was something in her voice – so old and tired – that terrified me.” (p.131)

Cleave vividly captures the inner tragedy of Sarah and Little Bee, and even of young Charlie. He explores the way we create our own coping mechanisms to deal with tragedy and trauma. Whether it is the safety of literally hiding behind a mask, as Charlie does adopting the disguise of batman, or metaphorically hiding from the world behind a protective veil, or even hiding from our self.

“Isn’t it sad, growing up? You start out like my Charlie. You start off thinking you can kill all the baddies and save the world. Then you get a little bit older, maybe like Little Bee’s age, and you realise that some of the world’s badness is inside you, that maybe you’re a part of it.” (p.299)

Sarah Summers and Little Bee will challenge you and your own perceptions of the different worlds in which we live. They will shock you and raise your awareness of very real and horrific situations. They will speak to your heart, but they will also delight you and make you smile. And one thing is certain. Their voices will linger in your consciousness for a long time to come.

“As you begin to see the world through her eyes, you learn that she carries both horror and hope in her heart… She will bring tears

to your eyes and yet most likely, she will also make you smile warmly”

“Cleave vividly captures the inner tragedy of Sarah and Little Bee, and even of young Charlie. He explores the way we create our own coping mechanisms to deal with tragedy and trauma”

will also make you smile warmly, and perhaps even laugh out loud. Little Bee finds many similarities between herself and the Queen of England. Her insightful comparisons are highly entertaining but often brutal.

“The Queen smiles sometimes but if you look at her eyes in her portrait on the back of the five-pound note, you will see she is carrying a heavy cargo too. The Queen and me, we are ready for the worst. In public, you will see both of us smiling and sometimes even laughing, but if you were a man who looked at us in a certain way, we would both of us make sure we were dead before you could lay a single finger on our bodies. Me and the Queen of England, we would not give you the satisfaction.” (p. 72)

Through Little Bee, Cleave shines a light back on the English language and

culture, inferring the literal and subtle meanings so commonly found and easily misunderstood by outsiders. The English culture is, of course, one which breeds a lifestyle so easily taken for granted.

Sarah leads a life of privileges, freedom, rights, order and luxury. She is the Editor of the popular magazine, Nexie, and her husband, Andrew, is a columnist for The Times. Together they have a four year-old son, Charlie. It’s a life so heartbreakingly different to Little Bee’s world, until that fateful day which changed everything.

Cleave delves into the pain associated with the insistent burning curiosity and desperate need to know about something that happened without you; to know about the outcome of an event and the fate of another person for which you feel responsible.

As we get to know Sarah, we experience her deep pain, her loss, her desires, her guilt, and the complex layers of self-analysis in which they exist. We learn that the decisions she has made throughout her life continue to haunt her.

“Taking Andrew O’Rouke’s name was the second real decision of my life, and it was wrong. I suppose Little Bee would understand me. As soon as we let go of our real names, she and I, we were lost.” (p.178)

Author of The Other Hand, Chris Cleave

Title: The Other Hand

Author: Chris Cleave

Publisher: Spectre

Year of Publishing: 2009

Cost: Rs. 350

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secret mission. Singam agrees which ensures that a sequel is inevitable.

Suriya gives a convincing performance as the heroic and handsome Singam and Vivek plays Singam’s comical sidekick with an exaggeration that looks more like a cartoon than an action movie. The pretty Anushka plays the innocent rich girl and supports our confused Singam to rebuild his confidence after he is repeatedly humiliated by Mavil. Prakash Raj, a national award winner, does well as Mavil, but we do feel it is similar to some of his previous roles, for example, in Gilli.

The two and a half hour long film is entertaining, and the director has built the plot in circles that connect different sequences in the movie in an original way. The biggest hit song from the film was “She stole my heart” which certainly stole many Indian hearts.The second half of the film seems to move faster than the first half. The action scenes are particularly entertaining. Though the movie seems predictable, especially to a Westerner who is not accustomed to Kollywood films, Priyan’s excellent cinematography should be commended. Overall, an entertaining film for Kollywood fans. Singam (lion) roars proudly.

Hear Him Roar!singam took tamil audiences by storm in 2011. heart throb suriya puts the action into singam almost as much as he steals the hearts of his fans. morten levinsky thorsboe reviews this Kollywood hit

By Morten Levinsky ThorsboeDenmark

Singam is a classic comic action masala film. It has everything a good action film needs: A car

chase, a bad guy, beautiful girls and a hero to save the day. Kollywood heart throb Suriya’s 25th film was an instant success in Tamil Nadu in 2011. In fact, it was such a big success that Singam 2 will find its way to the big screen soon.

The director, Hari, takes us in to a world of violence, romance and humour. The story begins in Nallur, the small village where our hero Singam ( Suriya) is a policeman. Everybody likes him, except for the bad guys who he mercilessly beats up. When Singam talks, everyone listens and he solves a lot of problems just by using words, but he is equally good at using his fists. He joined the police force because of his father (Radha Ravi), who admires them. Singam is often accompanied by his comical sidekick Eatu Erimalai.

Madurai Messenger film April 2012

One day our hero meets Kavya (Anushka), a beautiful girl from Chennai and daughter of Mahalingam (Nasser), a rich man who is on vacation in Nallur. It is love at first sight and everything seems to be happy, but then we meet the bad guy Mayil Vaaganam (Prakash Raj), who is a kidnapper and the Mafia leader of Kata Panchayat in Chennai. When Mavil needs to go to Nallur to sign a bail, but he sends one of his henchmen to sign instead. But our honest and brave police officer Singam, who is in-charge of the Nallur police station, gets angry and demands that Mayil come in person and sign. Mayil, who has no power in Nallur, came to Nallur to sign the bail and leaves humiliated.

A big chase between Singam and Mayil begins. At first, Mayil wants revenge and starts to humiliate Singam in all possible ways. It culminates when Kavya’s sister is kidnapped by Mayil. Singam gets promoted to Assistant Commissioner of a specially formed anti-kidnapping task force. The action packed film ends in a fierce and brutal dual between Singam and Mayil, resulting in the death of the latter.Singam and Kavya ride back to Nallur, where they are stopped by the home minister who assigns Singam a top

Director: Hari

Cast: Suriya, Anushka, Prakash

Raj, Vivek, Radha Ravi

Producer: Puri Jagannadh

Music: Devi Sri Prasad

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