Having spent over 6 months in Coimbatore between 2009 and 2011, one of the most striking things to me is how much the city has grown over the space of just two years. I’ve seen roads go from 2 to 6 lanes, farmland become hotels and condos, and seen the Coimbatore airport go from an old Air Force building to a state of the art terminal. The city truly is booming right now, and I hope that is all for the better. While rapid growth is certainly good for the economy of the city and its residents, there can be a downside to unbridled growth- the poor can get pushed out of areas they have lived for generations, traffic seems to get worse by the day and basic infrastructure such as electricity and sewage have unable to keep up with the influx of new people. I see many signs that Coimbatore is trying to do it right- that is grow in a way that is responsible, and I hope the city keeps up the good work.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
My Kovai III: A Rapidly Changing City
Having spent over 6 months in Coimbatore between 2009 and 2011, one of the most striking things to me is how much the city has grown over the space of just two years. I’ve seen roads go from 2 to 6 lanes, farmland become hotels and condos, and seen the Coimbatore airport go from an old Air Force building to a state of the art terminal. The city truly is booming right now, and I hope that is all for the better. While rapid growth is certainly good for the economy of the city and its residents, there can be a downside to unbridled growth- the poor can get pushed out of areas they have lived for generations, traffic seems to get worse by the day and basic infrastructure such as electricity and sewage have unable to keep up with the influx of new people. I see many signs that Coimbatore is trying to do it right- that is grow in a way that is responsible, and I hope the city keeps up the good work.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Arnold in India
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Going Veg
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
My Kovai II- Where to Eat
One of the most interesting places to have lunch in Coimbatore is at the mess hall of Shanthi Social Services, a non-profit serving the people of Coimbatore. Shanthi is basically a successful component manufacturer that decided to give back to the city, rich and poor, by offering incredibly cheap, incredibly delicious all-you-can-eat "Meals" for 25 rupees, (about 50 cents). The food is superb and you are guaranteed to leave full and happy, and see a cross section of the city in the process.
Anandhaas is probably my favorite chain of vegetarian restaurants in the city. The meals here are also fantastic, and this chain has probably my favorite masala dosa in all of Tamil Nadu. I've been going here since '09 and I put the blame squarely on Annandhass's shoulders for spoiling me to the point where I cannot find a masala dosa Stateside that compares. Also, the Annandhass by the airport has some of the nicest waiters/servers around- one of my favorite parts of eating here is I get to say to about 20 of the people that work here. The service is great and the people are so sweet!
Finally, Selva Bhavan has been another go-to at lunchtime at work, as it's only a 5 minute walk from the office. Again, great veg food, an awesome staff, and probably some of the best prices I've seen in the city. It's going to be hard to go back to the States, I'm used to paying 40 cents for lunch here! Also, I love how most restaurants in TN call themselves "high class vegetarian"... I've been very scared if you see one that call themselves "decent veg"... I don't want to know that means!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Madurai
Photo via WikiCommons
Last week I visited the ancient city of Madurai- it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world- people have been living there for over 2500 years! Folks around here call it an “improved village”. Despite having a population of a million, it dosen’t feel like a city at all, or at least a modern one. Almost all the streets are narrow and tight, with barely enough room for a car to get though. Compared to other large cities in India, who have seemed to embrace change/modernity, Madurai still feels like a city from another era. It’s also the only city I’ve seen in Southern India that still has cycle rickshaws!!!
Gandhi also had ties to Madurai, and his time in the city inspired him to stop wearing western clothing (seen as elitist) and wear only home-spun cloth, which was worn by the common man. Many other key figures from the Indian independence movement also hailed from Madurai. There is a Gandhi museum in town, but it was unfortunately closed when I was there.
Food is another pleasure of Madurai, which is known for their idlys. I had some fantastic idlys while in town, with 5 different types of chutney and was eating like a king. I also had an unusual masala dosa while in town, with full cloves of garlic. I’ve never had a masala dosa prepared like this, and it was delicious, although I’m sure my breath was not afterwards. Finally, I got to indulge in a sweet native to Madurai, called jigarthanda. It’s a cool drink with ice cream in milk flavored with almond resin and it was equally delicious and refreshing.
History is the real star of the show in Madurai, and I got to take in three fantastic spots while in town. First, we went to a huge palace built in the early 1600’s called the Tirumalai Nayakar Mahal. It was the palace of a South Indian king by the same name and now serves as both an architectural marvel as well as a museum.
Next, we went to a holy spring in the mountains on the outskirts of town, called Pazhamuthircholai, where we had a bath in the holy water and received a blessing. The temple priest gave us flowers on the way out, and we put these on our car for good luck and safe travels.Finally, we went to the Meenakshi Amman Temple, easily the highlight of any trip to Madurai. It is a huge complex, with several huge gopurams (towers) covered with Hindu deities. Unlike most temples in India, this is one of the few where non-Hindus are not allowed in several parts. I believe this is because the Meenakshi Temple is regarded as one of the holiest in all of India. It is also one of the oldest. Although most of the temple was built around the 1500’s, (after it was destroyed by invaders), the actual site has been a place of worship since at least the 600’s. Enjoy the pics of the temple complex- it is too overwhelming and huge to do it justice in a blog post. I regret that it took me three years in India to see Madurai- I don’t think any trip to Southern India is complete until you get to experience this place!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Dharmalingeshwarar Mountaintop Temple, Madukkarai
Unlike most temples, you have to earn your way to this one. It is about a 400 foot climb up very steep stairs to the top, and we had full sun on us for the way up. Thankfully, there are four shaded areas to sit along the way, so you can give yourself a rest before continuing the climb. The stairs are often literally cut out of the mountain, and this adds to the mix of man and nature that defined this place for me.
Once we neared the top, we removed our shoes (customary in Hindu temples) and finished the climb. All I can say of the top is that it was breathtaking (and not from the climb). The view was incredible and being welcomed in a sacred temple is a humbling and empowering experience all at once.
After lingering for a while, watching the clouds move over the mountains from west in Kerela, it became clear rains were coming eastwards, toward us. We figured the hike down could get treacherous on wet rocks so we reluctantly headed down. About halfway down it started to rain quite heavily, but thankfully it lasted only briefly. The reward for this was incredible though, a double rainbow, all the way. I knew what it meant- it was our reward for being adventurous and rolling with it despite the rain. Have I mentioned I love India? Thanks S & V!
Going to the Movies
I wrote a blog giving my take on the Tamil movie industry back in 2009, if you are interested in knowing more, give it a read!
Going to movies in TN is a real pleasure and is a different experience than in the States. For one, you get reserved seats, so you can buy your tickets and then go elsewhere, showing up right at showtime and have your seats guaranteed (in the States you have to show up early to a popular film to stake out good seats). Also, all movies here have an intermission of about 10 minutes, which is a nice break to stretch and get snacks. This is also especially nice because movies here are often much longer than US films, averaging closer to 3 hours. Finally, crowd participation is a big part of the moviegoing experience here- you can expect cheers for heros, boos for villains, and catcalls for the heroine. In this way, the experience is not unlike seeing a movie in PG County, MD!
Oh, and of course, the movies here always include a few song and dance numbers!
I now live close to a movie theater here, and have been taking pics of the movie posters that plaster the walls everywhere in my neighborhood. Take a look- some of them are pretty great!