Break The Stereotypes- TRAVEL!!!!

Myths surround us. They are what we believe in without being truly informed. Yes, they do make for good stories and entertain us at times; but they shouldn’t influence our decisions. Decisions such as to not travel to a particular place due to negative stereotypes associated with it. This brings me to my trip to Tamil Nadu.

My love affair with Tamil Nadu began on a rainy November evening when I landed in Chennai. This city was my door into the state I love to call the ‘Dravidian gift to Humanity’. This was the first time I was traveling alone and was assumably. Even more so, after listening to stories about the famous Tamil hatred for everyone who cannot speak their language. I had also heard that the hatred multiplied many times over if the person happens to be a Hindi speaking North Indian like me. That was not all; people told me the trip was going to be boring, all this Tamil state had to offer was temples, temples and some more temples. One of my friends even went to the extent of saying, “There are more gods in Tamil Nadu than there are people.” That wasn’t been great news considering being religious was not one of my virtues although I did have a keen interest in religious art. Also, being a food lover with a particular liking for non vegetarian kind the worst news that I got to hear was that the food in the Tamil country was awful and I would have to satisfy myself on bland rasam and sambar for every meal throughout my trip. All these thoughts clouded my mind when I was about to take took the bus from Chennai Airport to T. Nagar, a shopping suburb of the city, where I was to stay for the night. I entered the bus to see theat the bus driver was a manifestation of the superstar Rajnikanth himself who thought he was driving aFerrari and not a bus which was ferrying fifty people. As the bus moved through the streets of Chennai at supernatural speed towards my destination, the wind was running through my hair and it was re-assuring in a strange way. It seemed to tell me- everything is going to be okay, you are going to have a great time here and probably it could be better than what you have expected. I looked around and found a sense of well-being; shy girls were exchanging nervous glances with boys who were vying for their attention. I looked at this interesting scene and told myself ‘Yes, this will be a great trip’.

What began from the next day onwards was nothing less than a dream. Tamils are a creative lot and draw inspiration from everything around them to lend Chennai a riot of colours and make the city a canvas of revolutionary or plain creative expressions. The walls of Chennai are probably the most interesting ones in the country with everyone from tamil superstars, super gods to super politicians getting enough visibility.And this is when the reputation of Tamils being a Hindi-hating populace started falling apart. Almost every rickshaw driver tried his hand at Hindi when they realized that I was a North Indian and not one of them. Trust me, this is a good measure as I believe Rickshaw drivers are the rogues of every city- if they are nice to you the city ought to be better. After spending a couple of days in Chennai and already enjoying, I was anticipating even better experiences from my future destinations Madurai, Karaikudi, Thanjavur and Pondicherry.

Madurai, the lazy temple town, was an eye opener into the beauty of Indian way of life. It boasts of a modern railway station complete with a huge LCD screen playing one tamil commercial after another. But you won’t remember Madurai for the station or the LCD screen; it is the sight of the Meenakshi temple that will remain with you for the rest of your life. The gopurams, the towers of the temple, seem to climb into the sky and the temple complex truly seems like the playground of gods hiding within its sanctuary stories of hundreds of years. But that wasn’t everything that Madurai could be credited with- it also had palaces, museums, cinema halls and great restaurants. Also, surprisingly many of these restaurants were non-vegetarian. The food served at every restaurant was inevitably lip-smacking – idlis served with five different type of chutneys, chicken pepper fry, the mutton curry or the plain old sambar- everything seemed heavenly. Also the portions were generous and I had no reason to complain. I always finished a meal not only with a full stomach but also a satisfied heart. This was the case with every city I visited, Thanjavur with the big temple which will remind you of Angkor Vat in Cambodia as it has been built by rulers of the same lineage. The food in Thanjavur was even better, roadside stalls serve dosais with omlettes and it is an awesome combination. I had a brief stop-over at Karaikudu, the erstwhile capital of the Chettinad which is known for its beautiful homes and fiery meat curries. To say the least the place not only lived up but also exceeded my expectations. So, no Tamil Nadu was not only about temples and did not serve bland food. Yes, religion does form an intrinsic part of life in Tamil Nadu but is not the very definition of the state. And the food, to say the least, makes it worth visiting the state a zillion times.

I concluded my trip in Pondicherry which although not formally a part of the state, formed the perfect end to my trip. It provided me a lovely break from the intellectual within me and let me in on my more indulgent side. Every delicious, spicy non-vegetarian meal was accompanied with large yet cheap pegs of Bacardi rum. And, walking on the beach under the moonlight, under the influence of alcohol made it an experience from another world. Pondicherry just adds to the heady mix that is Tamil Nadu. This often misunderstood state has everything to offer from arts, to culture, to history, to beaches, to religion, to good food and more importantly great people. It slips into its sometimes serious and sometimes fun personality much too easily. From the streets of Chennai to the promenades of Pondicherry; from the gopurams of Madurai to the church towers of Velankani- Tamil Nadu is truly a journey within. So, while you do some soul-searching there will be good food for company and don’t worry they wont hate you if you don’t speak Tamil!!!