The Kannadigas find it easy to merge with the mainstream here than their distant motherland.
Think Karnataka and the first thing that comes to mind is the chain of Udupi hotels and restaurants identified by their simple vegetarian fare with a hint of sweetness in everything they prepare (there is a dash of jaggery in all dishes, except rasam ).
Madurai had quite a few Udupi hotels run by the hotelier-community, who migrated in the 1940s from undivided South Kanara district in Karnataka.
According to N. Ramakrishna Rao, whose father R. Narasimha Rao, started the Sri Jaya Vilas Coffee Hotel in 1942 on Chinnakadai Street, though there were many Udupi hotels in Madurai, the Udupi Boarding & Lodging on West Masi Street was the biggest till it closed shop in the 80s.
“Till Pandyan Hotel came up, all the visiting VIPs – from MGR and Sivaji to Kamaraj — used to stay at this hotel, started in 1939 and closed in 1975.” Other popular Udupi hotels were ‘Central’ Udupi (1932-67)) and ‘Chinthamani’ Udupi (1929-73), denoting the cinema halls adjacent to them, and Dhanalakshmi Hotel (1947-91) on Kamarajar Salai.
The Chinnakadai hotel is the only relic of a glorious past.
The city is home to about 250 families from Karnataka, excluding a 10,000-strong Kannada speaking Devangar Chettiars from the Hampi region. While all of them speak Kannada, their mother tongue differs.
While majority speak Tulu (Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty’s mother tongue), some speak Konkani.
V. Mohan of Thiagarajar College of Engineering opines that initially Harvey Mill (Madura Coats), TVS group of companies etc., attracted the Kannadigas to Madurai. Next came the hoteliers followed by bank employees since major banks such as Canara, Vijaya, Syndicate, Corporation and Karnataka banks were started by Mangaloreans (Konkani-speaking Gouda Saraswaths) only. Later on, professionals such as doctors and engineers came and settled down in Madurai.
N. Srikumar of K. Pudur says, “ Despite Madurai becoming our natural home, our marriages are conducted in our native place to make it convenient for our relatives there to attend the ceremony. Also, temples of our family deities are there.”
In order to keep the bond with their motherland strong, the kannadigas get together for Ugadi, Vishu and other festivals under the Karnataka Sangha-Madurai banner. Some times they bring the ‘Yakshagnana’ troupe or else screen Kannada classic movies. But such entertainment highlights have become rare over the years owing to dwindling audience.
Dishes :
Says Harikrishna Bhat, Head, Department of Kannada Studies at Madurai Kamaraj University, “Our people merge with the mainstream wherever they are, identifying more with the local culture than the distant motherland.” Mr. Bhat, from Puthur in Kasaragod district, who has written a book, ‘Madurai nenappugalu’ (memories of Madurai) is now translating Tirukkural from Kannada to tulu.”
Some like K. Krishna Joisa, who is always on the lookout for new Kannadigas to rope them into the association in his capacity as its secretary, rue that Karnataka delicacies like Maddur vada, cherooti and Mangalore holige (boli) are not available in Madurai.
Besides the Kanara people, there are some wholesale coconut merchants (Basappa Mandi in Mudakku Salai and another opposite Cinepriya theatre complex) from Hubli-Dharwad region and few professionals from the Mysore-Bangalore belt.
Industrialist B.T. Banghera and renowned architect Y. R. Ramnath also hail from Karnataka.
Their association has bought a land near university for constructing a building with all facilties.
Dr. J. Vasanthkumar Bhat from Mangalore, who is the president of Gouda Saraswath Community of about 100 families in Madurai, says: “Initially our people came here to make pappads. My father J. Vasudeva Bhat was a Superintendent of Police for Madurai North in the 60s. We originally belong to Kashmir from where we migrated to Bengal and thence to Mangalore. Nowadays, many of our people here do not even speak Konkani.” Some of these strict vegetarians eat fish due to the Bengal interlude in their journey down south.
Shyamala Bhat, who hails from Kumble, says she misses ‘southakai’ (similar to cucumber but bigger) and kovakkai but is all praise for cotton saris here.
By and large, Kannadigas here are a contented lot.
Source : The Hindu Metroplus
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