At the very tip of India

On the southern most tip of India was Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari. I visited this wind swept pilgrimage destination before the rows of souvenir stalls were constructed. I sheltered under a stone structure erected near the ocean but was interrupted by hawkers selling bottles of sand. Chanting like mantras, they claimed the bottles’ contents came from sand by the three seas—the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean which converged at India’s southern point.

have you ever had an oil bath?

Featured photo courtesy of: Katia Flores Torres — Wikimedia Commons

I grew up in a city where summers were sticky and the thirty plus degree heat didn’t subside even by midnight. If I turned on the tap for a glass of water, the liquid was warm. During the high humidity of summers my clothes clung to me from perspiration that stuck like sap from a tree. So Tamil Nadu’s heat would be nothing for a seasoned tropical dweller. Right?

Curry or starve

When I first went to India, western fast food hadn’t infiltrated its borders. Travellers either ate curry, or didn’t eat. I had a quick introduction into South Indian cuisine and wondered how I’d survived without the amazing flavours, even though my mouth burned.

the magic of rasam

Whenever I felt “something” coming on, that tummy rumble or slight fever, I nipped into a Rameswaram restaurant and ordered a stainless steel cup of rasam.

Rameswaram’s arulmigu ramanathaswamy temple

Ramanathaswamy means the master of Rama, so the 12^th century temple was dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Darvidian structure holds great significance to Hindus and devout believers try to make at least one pilgrimage in their lifetime. As well, the island is believed to be the site where Rama (as told in the Ramayana) stood gazing across the sea to Lanka where his wife, Sita had been captured by the evil king. 

First glimpse of a tamil nadu island

I arrived in Rameswaram by train on India’s south-east coast over a clanking bridge that connected the island to the rest of Tamil Nadu. In those days, there was only the railway bridge to the island from the mainland, so with no cars, everyone walked or biked along the island’s main sandy street.

my first encounter with india

My Air India flight arrived from Singapore at something like two in the morning. Like a lost lamb, I edged my way through the chaos of coolies and taxi drivers badgering for business. After I slunk into the back of a wonky taxi seat, the driver whizzed through the darkened Chennai streets (Madras back then). 

Pongal

I ate a Tamil Nadu breakfast while my eyes wandered over a menu painted on the wall above, deciding what to eat for breakfast the following morning.

Journey into the past

When I first set foot in Chennai decades ago, I stayed near Egmore Station. On my recent return, I decided to venture back to see if there was anything I recognized from all those years ago.

Around Chennai

Chennai had stately old buildings but unfortunately, many stood in stained neglect. I idled on busy corners to uncover their past glory while crowds dodged by .