South Scrutiny

I arrived at Erode, Tamil Nadu on the morning of 21^st June. My friend Banshi and I, we decided to take breakfast at platform only. The first bite of uttapam with tomato chutney and coconut chutney, and I fell in love with this place. My God! It was yummy.

Do you remember good old Doordarshan? Whenever something remotely obscene or indecent was to be said, it will blank it with sound of ‘tuunn...’ For example,’ tuunn..., tuunn..., main tumhara khun pee jaunga’. If you had asked me before 21^st june about my views on south India, it would have been complete ‘tuunn...,tuunn...’ only.

The irony is that I had never visited south Indian states – Karnatka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala before this visit. But I always deeply hated the idea of visiting them. For me, south India meant hot scintillating summer, no water in the tap and black people in lungis and sarees eating rice with both hands muttering some unknown language and the sweat from their foreheads falling into the food.

Now, after spending two weeks in ‘hardcore’ Tamil cities of Erode and Madurai, when I am returning back to Gujarat, I miss the taste of that tomato chutney.

First, the food. Its not all about idly, dosa, rice and no spoon. It’s about the style of serving them, it’s about the things with which they are served. I had the opportunity to eat in the traditional tamil style at my friend Srinivasan’s house. We sat on the floor and dinner was served on banana leaves. The real taste of food is not due to it’s core content – rice, but because of spicy chutneys and sambhars with which it is served. Even rice is full of spices and variety – tomato rice, lemon rice, curd rice and sour tasting rice – the name I don’t recall. The menu is not so restrictive. Uttapam, vada, pongal, puri, parotha (its not the north Indian parotha), biryani – they can make anyone’s gastronomic juices flow. One interesting dish I ate at Srinivasan’s house was chilly parotha. It’s similar to chilly paneer, where a thick parotha is broken into pieces and cooked in chilly gravy. The food is no doubt tasty but certain things look different and peculiar. Even in good restaurants, they serve on banana leaves kept over plates. They certainly save lots of dish washing charges. And, no spoons. Absolutely none. You have to eat with hands. The only use of spoons was that they kept it over the bill so that it doesn’t blow away in fan! Also, they always give bill before you have finished your meal. And, with food-tainted hands, it is difficult to pay them without washing your hands. Wash-basins, hence, are a must.

Coming to language, most people understand basic English. It is a great thing. Although I have never tried, but I doubt if many people will understand English in north Indian states. Tamils are too emotionally attached to their language. They prefer speaking in Tamil and to a certain extent hate Hindi. I picked a few Tamil words – ‘nira’, ‘sundal’, ‘runda’ etc. It was quite an experience when you have to communicate with someone believing them to be deaf and assuming yourself to be mute.

Lifestyle of Tamils is unique. Their dressing style is very traditional. Women wear sarees with usually thick golden borders. Girls wear salwar kameej. Every day they will buy jasmine flowers and thread them together to wear it in their hairs. It’s like a ritual. Almost every female I saw had ‘gajras’ in their hairs. Skirts and jeans are extremely rare. Men wear white shirt and white lungi. Modern men wear formal pants and coloured full sleeved shirts which are many a times red bordered and flower-printed. It looks so funny.

People are found of jewellery. They are very religious. Madurai, anyway, is a city of temples.

Everything is not so good also. People drive rashly. Crossing the road is very difficult. Tamils are also not much concerned about hygiene.

Coming to my favourite topic – girls. I liked Tamil girls. Despite their uncool dresses; oily, plaited, combed and gajra-ed hairs; dark shade of skin and all other factors that make a girl non-existent in north India; I wish I could talk to and befriend any such Tamil girl. They have this element of ‘lajja’ in them. Whenever you look at them, they will shy away, leaving behind a trail of curiosity. You feel like a boy and they behave like a girl. It’s not like Delhi, where if you glance at a girl, she will gaze you back so intensely as if you are butter chicken masala for them!

Ah! I want to explore south more. I need more south tours. :)