Thursday, August 30, 2012

NORTH-EAST INDIANS in Madurai - Feeling at home


The recent mass exodus of northeast people from the southern metros has sparked a range of debates. Here’s what the people from NE have to say about Madurai
They are easily identifiable anywhere, either in the bus or on the road, chirpy and lively – they are our fellow Indians from northeast. “We are also fast becoming Maduraiites,” smiles Probin Kuli, a construction labourer working for an Apartment builder in Madurai. “Hum bora bhar ke saaman aur man bhar ke sapne ke saath aaye (I came here with bagful of things and lots of dreams in my mind)” says Probin.

The last he visited his home in Tinsukia district of Assam was in 2009 for his brother’s wedding. Since then, Probin has made Madurai his home away from home, earning a daily wage of Rs.200. When recently, rumours spread that northeasterners are being targeted in cities of South India, Probin didn’t pay much heed to the matter. He confidently chose to remain here instead of fleeing.
“Initially, we panicked seeing the visuals of violence in Kokrajhar and the rumours of our people getting beaten up in places like Bangalore. We got calls from home,” says Probin. “But when we enquired with our employers and friends here, many of them were not even aware of such happenings. Those who knew comforted us saying that nothing like that would happen in Madurai. We were convinced that there was no trouble in Madurai.”
Noting that only last month, he was given a hike in the wages, Probin says, “Our Malik is a good man and the local people who work with us are also cooperative though we don’t know Tamil.”
Angom Phatowali, another labourer has been to different parts of the country and feels that Madurai is one of the few places where people from different sects live in harmony. “Many times our friends in Delhi and Mumbai tell us about incidents of harassment they face. . Sometimes we see news of our women being molested in the big cities. But, I have never come across such happenings in Madurai,” says Angom, a resident of five years.
Anubhav Soniwal says, “We have distinct features and our appearance makes us standout and this is one of the main reasons for people to discriminate us. Though many mistake us for Chinese and Burmese, I feel there is no discrimination in Madurai. People are much helpful than those in big cities.”
Sentei Lalrem from Meghalaya, a beautician working at a salon in the town says that she and her friends are sometimes late from work but have never faced any danger. “Once we went for ice creams at eleven in the night. Except for a few men smoking at a petty shop, the road was empty. They didn’t misbehave. I feel safe in Madurai,” she says.
Shabina Nipatra from Jorhat in Assam says, “Though the people of Madurai are not very friendly and outgoing, they don’t trouble either. We are used to wearing modern clothes and this being a conservative town, initially we invited strange looks. But now, after nearly 3 years, I feel people don’t really mind.” She adds, “We are few here and become friends easily. Though we don’t mingle much with the locals, in our respective work places, we come in contact with many and get along well with all,” she says.
If not elsewhere, our northeast brethren surely feel at home in the temple city. After all, it is Madurai, the soil known for its hospitality and as Probin puts it, “Yahan sab jee sakte hain. Sab ke liye jagah hai (Everyone can live here. All have a place here)”

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Distant language, distinct culture

Sourashtras have etched a prominent place for themselves in the city

Newcomers venturing into eastern parts of Madurai, particularly around Thirumalai Naick Mahal, will be surprised by the large number of people speaking a different language among themselves in the area and even switching over to Tamil with equal ease.

They are the Sourashtra people, who’ve made a mark for themselves in a plethora of fields through the past few centuries in this ancient city.




Going towards Vilakkuthoon from Periyar bus stand via South Masi Street or South Gate, one can make inroads into the ‘small Sourashtra country’, choc-a-block with houses and wholesale textile shops spread on the Manjanakkara Street, Panthadi streets and countless other bylanes.

By and by, the areas populated by Sourashtras have extended along both sides of arterial Kamarajar Salai towards Teppakulam. Their population is around 3,00,000 in a city of 12 lakh.

Prominent place in history :

These versatile people have etched for themselves a prominent place in the history of Madurai.

Sourashtras of Madurai can be compared to the Chinese of Singapore. After settling down, there was no looking back for these industrious people.

Nostalgic baggage did not bog them down either.

In fact, most Sourashtras are even unaware of their ancestral land. Unlike several other dominant migrant communities like the Punjabis of Delhi, Gujaratis of Mumbai and Biharis of Kolkata, the Sourashtras of Madurai did not set out in search of El Dorado in the first place.

It is believed that their migration was prompted by Muslim incursion into Somnath to plunder its temple — by Ghazni Mohammed in the 10th century and later by Allauddin Khilji’s troops in the 12th century.

Transformation :

Having settled down en masse in Madurai along with the Nayaks from Vijayanagar, they have been taking part in the development of the city with their intricate weaving skill, business acumen, contribution to arts and education and delectable cuisine.

But for them, the tie-and-dye Sungudi (junnadi) cotton saris, synonymous with Madurai handlooms, would not have become famous.

The language they brought from the Saurashtra (as spelt in Rajkot and also Latha region, north of Suratof Gujarat, underwent transformation in diction as they started moving southwards in the 12th century through Devagiri in Maharashtra and along the Konkan coast to Andhra Pradesh (the then Vijayanagar) to Madurai. It has little resemblance to what is spoken now in present-day Gujarat.

Having imbibed Marathi, Konkani and Telugu and a heavy dose of Tamil, their language has slightly deviated from its Indo-Aryan roots owing to the influence of the languages spoken where they migrated to.

In fact, it astonishes many visitors from Gujarat to hear their old-world language spoken down-South, since their original language has been overridden by more dominant Indo-Aryan languages such as Hindi and Urdu due to commercial reasons.

The zealous community’s resolve to speak their mother tongue at home and with fellow Sourashtras outside has assured not only the preservation of the language but also all their age-old customs and traditions.

Distinctive :

K.R. Sethuraman, Saurashtralogist and a Sakitya Akademi awardee, says, “During betrothal (des) ceremony, we have this ritual called ‘baulas’ when the relatives of the bride and groom exchange information about their ancestry details of three generations to establish their identity (gothra) through a question and answer session.” Through this ritual, knowledge of our passage from one famous temple town of Somnath in Saurashtra (Kathiawad region) to another famous temple town of Madurai is passed on to the next generation.

Another distinctive feature that traces Sourashtras’ cultural roots is the ‘deepakheli’ or ‘brindavana kolattam’ (dancing with sticks), performed during weddings and other important ceremonies. It resembles the more famous ‘dandiya raas’ of Gujaratis.

According to Mr. Sethuraman, though Sourashtras practise distinctive traditions through their lineage, they have absorbed so many local traits as well. “Unlike their counterparts in Gujarat, our women do not cover their head in front of men or inside temples. It is one of the many definitely Dravidian traits followed by our people.”

Though Vaishanavites, they have no qualms about worshipping at Shiva temples. Of deeply religious and charitable disposition, Sourashtras have been patronising many famous temples in Madurai and have built choultries (roadside inns) at numerous places.

Dowry system is also not prevalent among the Sourashtras in MaduraiGenerally law-abiding and honest people, they’ve proved their mettle in many spheres to contribute to the overall development of the city.


Source - The Hindu Metroplus

Different strokes for different folks

People from all corners have made Madurai their home and hearth


As dawn breaks, overnight trains spew dishevelled humankind at the Madurai Railway Junction.

The natives walk away in a brisk pace to the Periyar bus stand or autorickshaw stand with confidence and purpose. But quite a few others from other States and faraway lands collect themselves and their luggage on a different soil where they encounter a tongue twister of a language as they squeeze their way out through a motley crowd of paging people, metal detectors and a whole lot of eagerly waiting crowd to ‘receive’ them.

They emerge out in the open for a face-off with the autorickshaw and taxi drivers busy marking their target among themselves with shouts of “yellow churidar is mine,” “big-suitcase Sardarji for me,” “Don’t touch fat ‘saettu’ (Marwari),” “leave foreigner with torn jeans trouser for me” and the like.

For the bewildered outsiders, wriggling out of the mob is quite a task, amid a dissonant sounds of revving autos, offer of help in touristy Hindi and English — Meenakshi temple going madam?

And above all the thunderous Madurai Tamil piercing the sultry air, in a place where yelling rather than talking is customary for locals. “Phew! What a wild crowd”… newcomers may wonder. But the reality is quite the opposite. This is a melting pot of a city, though not on the scale of Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore, but in its own old-world way.

This ancient trading centre, through the ages, has been attracting people from far off places in the country.

Multitude

There is this multitude of Telugu speaking Naickers, Sourashtra speaking people from Gujarat and English-speaking Anglo-Indians, who’ve not only lost touch with their roots but also merged into the mainstream to add colour to the Madurai mosaic. Though these people are now scattered all over the city, the Sourashtrians are found mostly in the Tirumalai Naicker Mahal area and adjoining eastern parts of the city. The Urdu-speaking Muslimsfrom Central and northwestern India are concentrated in Khaji Mar Street and Mahaboobpalayam respectively. The Anglo-Indians, though diminishing in numbers due to steady exodus to foreign countries, live mostly in Railway Colony, Ellis Nagar and S.S. Colony. Weavers, speaking Kannada, also migrated from Karnataka. So did Malayalees from Kerala. They have made Sellur their home. Pre-Independence Madurai saw a good number of Kutchi-speaking MemonsGujaratisMarwaris and others from Rajasthan and Sindhis from undivided India setting up their businesses and homes in the vicinity of Meenakshi Temple.

Joining mainstream

There are also quite a few people from Punjab, Orissa, West Bengal and even a handful of Pathans from faraway Afghanistan. Many of them come in search of a business base and once they establish themselves, they bring their kith and kin to form a community.

Over the years, some of these communities have joined the mainstream to talk the Madurai slang and behave like the natives do. A few others still hold on to their Kutch or Marwar roots to perpetuate the matrimonial and business contacts. A majority of the Naickers have switched over to Tamil from their anyway Tamilised Telugu over the generations.

On the other hand, Sourashtra people follow their customs and food habits and speak their own language, though garnishing it with Tamil words. Anglo-Indians marrying into Tamil families are also happening now and then.

Most of the migrants have become natives of the soil so much so that some of the good educational institutions and top business houses of Madurai are run by them. Not for nothing that Madurai is called Koodal Maanagar (city of confluence)

An ancient city and once the seat of Pandya kingdom, with virtues and valour much written about through the ages, this city is a perfect example of what Tamil Nadu as a whole is known for –— “Vandharai vaazha vaikkum Tamizhagam” (Giving a living to those calling).

Yet, Madurai remains unpretentious. It can never boast of the stilettos-filled shopping malls or big gulp multiplexes, or even the true blue fast food joints you find dime a dozen in big-time cities. It is hard to find even a trace of it here. But there are umpteen reasons to derive simple pleasures in this small city that never sleeps. Those who’ve taken roots here will vouch for the good qualities hiding behind the brusque behaviour of the locals. Unlike in the apartment culture of megapolises, where neighbours greet newcomers with a blank stare, people here are forthcoming and trustworthy too.

Simple trust and unbridled interest — the hallmark of villagers — are found in abundance here. While the outright approach may appear indecent and invasion of privacy in the initial days, once the bond with neighbours, hawkers, shopkeepers and locals strengthens, the outsiders get to know what true Madurai is all aboutAnd, indeed, many go on to make Madurai home.


Source - The Hindu Metroplus

ANGLO-INDIANS in Madurai - A touch of English charm

The national award winning Tamil film 'Adukalam' provided a peep into the Anglo Indian community of Madurai, who have a 200-year old connection with the temple city and have paved the way for its many developments.

People from this community were among the Europeans who helped the colonising forces develop Madurai for their convenience, many of which stand strong even today. The forefathers of most of Madurai's Anglo Indian community came here about 125 years ago, to work in the railways and also as teachers, doctors and lawyers.





Even today, one can witness elderly women who were trendsetters in this region, dressed in elegant western wear. The community is concentrated around Mahaboobpalayam, S S Colony and Ellis Nagar in Madurai and their houses still have a very English touch to them. Moses Pears, president of the Madurai branch of the All India Anglo Indian society says that they make great effort to preserve their traditions and make it a point to come together during festivals and social gatherings. Their weddings are solemnised in churches followed by civil ceremonies and they maintain very close family ties. Christmas and Easter and are celebrated with a lot of religious fervour. Walking into the Railway Colony in Maduraiin the month of December will definitely give one the feel of an English Christmas with the fragrance of baking and Christmas trees filling the air.

A fun-loving community, they have also produced many outstanding sportsmen like Adolphus Claude Smith, Neville Rozario, Kalvin D'Cruz and Ashley Cleur who made their mark in Indian hockey. Ninety-one year old Jane Cleur and 84 year old Ida D'Costa talk fondly of Madurai's connection with these people, right from the pre-independence era.
Most of the present day Anglo Indians of Madurai, were born here and continue to be based here though  they do make trips to visit their relatives living in Europe and Australia. People from Madurai have a special connection with the Anglo Indian community and maintain close friendships with them. "In the earlier days, if you wanted to master the English language, you had to attend the Railway School. It was dominated by teachers from the Anglo Indian community, who ensured quality education," says Sugumar, a former student of the school. When the Railway institute celebrated its centenary last year, the Anglo Indians were felicitated for their immense contribution.

Source - TOI

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

TELUGU Community in Madurai - In sync with local customs

The Telugu population has completely amalgamated with the city’s profile.

If there is one community that has assimilated totally to the Madurai way of life, without even a trace of their origin, customs or festivals, it is perhaps the people from Andhra Pradesh.

With an estimated population of 200,000 in the citythe Naidus, Reddiars, Arya Vysyas (Telugu Chettiars) and numerous other groups, besides Brahmins – in the order of their numerical strength - settled down in these parts during the 200-year Nayak rule between the late 16th and early 18th centuries.

History

It was the time when Vijayanagar empire extended its control into Pandya kingdom after coming at the behest of a Pandya king to help oust Muslim invaders. After vanquishing the invaders, the Vijayanagar king appointed dependents or Nayaks to govern the land, paving the way for the Nayak dynasty.

According to S. Rajagopal of Small Industries Product Promotion Organisation, to facilitate ease of administration and protect the territory, the Nayak appointed 72 ‘Palayakkarars,’ who took up agriculture during peacetime. For this, ‘Kammas’ (warriors) were put in charge.

“Before the arrival of these people, Madurai region relied on river and canal irrigation. Coming as they were from a dry region (believed to be Rayalaseema region) where well-water irrigation system was prevalent, they introduced the same here, replacing ‘etham’ with ‘kamalai’ (process of pumping water to the fields).”





Work culture

For making the ‘kamalai made of leather, the ‘madhyas’ (cobblers) were brought. Soon, well diggers, carpenters and others started settling down here, the reason why many manual workers in Madurai speak Telugu.

There are ‘Kammas,’ ‘Balijas,’ ‘Velamas’ (of the Madurai Muniyandi Vilas fame) and other sub-sects in Madurai. While Telugu - with a generous mixture of Tamil - is spoken at home in some families, a majority of the Naidus know nothing but Tamil, and play a major role in political, financial and literary spheres in the State.

Edifices

It is to the credit of the Nayaks that many grand edifices such as Tirumalai Nayak Mahal, Rani Mangammal palace (now Gandhi Museum), besides Mariamman Teppakulam, and temples were built in and around Madurai.

Reddiars, though not as many as Naidus, have also made Madurai home. There are about 10,000 of them in the city and more than a lakh in the outskirts. “About 90 per cent of us are hoteliers. Name any famous vegetarian restaurant in the major cities of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Tirupati and Bangalore, it will be owned by a Reddiar,” says K.L. Kumar, proprietor of the Temple City group of hotels.

According to him, the Reddiars were nomads once and during the rule of Tirumalai Naick, they happened to catch a thief fleeing away from the palace. As a reward, the king gifted 25 villages in the Nanguneri region from where they spread out far and wide. Their forefathers, as workers, learnt the ropes of hotel business in Sri Lanka.

Mr. Kumar says majority of their people in Madurai are ‘Tirunelveli Reddiars,’ the soft-natured hoteliers while the others, the ‘Tirumangalam Reddiars’ (some are into the Muniyandi Vilas Military hotel business) and ‘Vadipatti Reddiars’ are into agriculture and other jobs. There are many sub-sects prefixed by the place in Andhra they came from such as Kandalar, Rajendrathar, Dhooriyar, Eenkilar etc. The first of the Reddiar hotels in Madurai was ‘Ambal Café’ (1945) opposite College House.

Comparatively less in number (about 1,000), Arya Vysyas or Telugu Chettiars run successful businesses in Madurai. M. Vijayanathan, industrialist, says before coming to Madurai, their people had settled down in Combai, Thevaram, Chinnamanur, Uthamapalayam etc. “Once, our people ran a bank, ‘Pathinengrama Arya Vysya Bank,’ which later merged with Vysya Bank. Wherever our people are, there will be a Kanniga Parameswari Amman temple, looked after by a Telugu Brahmin.”

All Arya Vysyas speak Telugu (with less Tamil words) and are vegetarians. Mr. Vijayanathan (79) says, “Those days, when boys were sent to schools and colleges in far away places, girls were sent to study under the Telugu Brahmin at the local temple, the reason why old women in our community can speak, read and write good Telugu.” Arya Vysyas are believed to have come from the Tenali, Guntur, Vijayawada region of Andhra Pradesh. “We used to run provision stores and jewellery stores in Madurai once. The former business has been taken over by the Nadars and the latter by Chettiars,” Mr. Vijayanathan says.

Pious

A distinct trait of all these people with their origin in Andhra Pradesh is that when they welcome or bid bye, they stand up erect, raise their folded hands up to the chest, instead of the customary one-handed wave, and do so in all politeness. Very pious people – Varalakshmi nonbu is important in their religious calendar – but then they have lost all contacts with Andhra, even its fiery hot food.


Source - The Hindu

SOURASHTRIANS in Madurai !! - Weaving their way into Madurai

The Sourashtrians first came to the temple city from the erstwhile Somnath region of Gujarat about 300 years ago, mainly because their skill in weaving impressed the monarchs of Madurai, namely Thirumalai Naicker and queen Mangammal who invited them to weave their royal clothes.

People from the community were given permission by the then monarchs to encroach the roads to dry their dyed thread and yarn, by putting up their looms. They mastered the art of dyeing using the water from Vaigai river, which they found was good for the thick dyes. Also known as 'silk thread makers', the Sourashtrians were given homes near the king's palace in the heart of Madurai city and even now, over 1,000 houses around the Thirumalai Naicker mahal belong to them and are architectural wonders of the bygone era. Walking on the streets around the mahal in the evenings can transport one back in time and women sitting on the doorsteps of closely packed houses, stringing jasmine flowers and decorating their hair is a common sight.





Weaving was their only trade till about 50 years ago. The resemblance between the design of Sungudi sarees of Madurai to the Bandhani of Gujarat stands as testimony to their origin. According to C K Narasimmachari, an octogenarian who has done a lot of research into this community, there are a little over two lakh Sourashtrians in Madurai. People from this linguistic minority are also found in Paramakudi, Dindigul, Thanjavur and other parts of Tamil Nadu. "We are culturally as well versed in the vedas as the brahmins, but are classified among the backward classes," he said. According to him, queen Mangammal set up a committee to review their expertise as brahmins opposed their claim. The committee finally did endorse that they too were vedic experts.

The contribution of people of this community to the development of Madurai is immense. The 101-year-old Sourashtra Higher Secondary school introduced the free meal scheme for its students much earlier than the government, says R Sridhar, a businessman. Known for having close knit families, the joint family system is very much prevalent among them even today, where many generations are seen living under one roof. They also believe in following various rituals and elders are given the prime importance in households. The Sourashtrians also actively participated in the freedom struggles of the regionN M R Subburam (1905 - 1983) spearheaded the freedom movement in the region by embracing Gandhian principles, for which he later came to be known as 'Madurai Gandhi'.

The famous Tamil playback singer T M Soundararajan belongs to this community. So were famous yesteryear stars like M N Rajam, Devika, Kanaga to name a few. Being religious, they have also contributed to the growth of Hinduism in this region. Their festivals are similar to the people of Madurai and they are now a very integral part of the social system.

People from this community love socializing and their cuisine is relished by people from all sectors. Variety rice, including lemon rice, tamarind rice, tomato rice and sambar made with mutton are some of their specialities. About half a century ago they started branching off into various business ventures, including textiles, education, banking and other commercial establishments and even today, some of the most successful businessmen in Madurai belong to this community. Politicians who have contributed to Madurai's development have also emerged from this society, like former MP AGS Rambabu. Organisations like the Sourashtra Club and Sourashtra Sabha help bring these people closer and also hold speech competitions for youngsters on a regular basis to ensure the sustenance of their dialect. A Ramkumar, a teacher, says that saving their dialect and making sure that the younger generation was familiar with it was one of the priorities of their community.


Source - TOI

MALAYAALIS in Madurai - Neatly woven into Madurai's social fabric

Every year, Madurai witnesses a very extravagant Malayali cultural extravaganza when members of Vaedi, a cultural organization of Malayalis in Madurai, join together to celebrate Onam with all its cultural and traditional festivities.

Madurai has two well-known local associations for people from Kerala --- the Malayali Samajam, which is over 50 years old, and Vaedi. The latter is the more active one and has around 100 families as members. Once every quarter, the families get together and also showcase the skills of their children through cultural performances like dance.





A place that gives a feel of Kerala within Madurai is AVN Arogya Hospital on the outskirts of the city. Stepping into the premises of this healthcare centre gives you the true glimpse of Kerala culture with its buildings having tiled roofs surrounded by lush green gardens. The Ayyappa temple too is a replica of the one in Kerala.

According to Dr Ramesh Varier, director of AVN Arogya Healthcare, Onam is celebrated in a big way by all of them in Madurai, but it is an occasion to celebrate with one's parents. So usually, it is a meeting of families, but the festival is once again celebrated in Madurai post-Onam about a month after the original festival to keep the spirit alive.

The celebrations include floral floor art the 'pookolam' and a meal cooked with original Kerala delicacies, by cooks from Kerala.

S Jayanarayanan, secretary of the Malayali Samajam that was started in 1962, said they had 91 life members and 100 others. Samajam activities were revived since 2009, when they started promoting their cultural events and helping the poor in their community. A survey conducted by them showed there were about 1,500 families from their community in Madurai, he added.

Counting the number of Malayalis in Madurai would be impossible, for this is a community that has mingled with locals in every possible way. There are persons like J S Sukumar, who is more of a Tamilian than a Malayali, the only thing giving him away is his fluent Malayalam when in the company of people from Kerala.

Malayalis in Madurai speak their native language when at home, but teaching children the script has become a problem to many of them. "My son is more fluent in Tamil rather than Malayalam," said K George from Kerala.

The Malayalis have contributed to the holistic development of Madurai in more than one way. There are outstanding doctors, teachers, engineers and architects in the city as well as the ever-famous friendly tea stall owners.


Source - TOI

GUJJUS in Madurai - A slice of Gujarati flavour in the temple city

The Gujarati community, who have contributed to the development of the temple city in a big way, began their journey from the Rann of Kutch to Madurai, 125 years ago and over the years, have made this town their second home.

Being contractors by professions, they were instrumental in constructing many bridges and buildings in and around Madurai. What began as a professional journey, ended up with them deciding to settle in Madurai to save time on travel which took many days a century ago. Many landmarks in Madurai were constructed by Gujarati contractors, including the majestic collector's office building near the Gandhi Museum. Mavji Chauhan was the contractor of this heritage structure.





Passionate about their language and script, they inaugurated the 'Shree Madura Gujarati Library' way back in 1925 so that people from their community could have access to books in their own language. Even today, the library continues to flourish with more than 5,000 books in Gujarati, frequented by the young and elderly. Among the teachers, Ranjan Bhatt is much sought after for her expertise in the language. "Many children are sent for Gujarati language classes without fail, as they do not get an opportunity to pursue the language in schools," says Gujarati resident Sangeeta Desai.

This clan of 'little Gujarat' in Madurai, does not discriminate among themselves in the name of caste be it Vaishnav, Brahmin, Jain or Kutchi, and also a group of about 40 to 50 Khoja Gujarati Muslims who are fluent in Gujarati and Kutchi. According to former president of the Gujarati Samaj, Chandrakant Patel, the Shri Gujarati Bandhu Samaj was formed in 1931 to help them keep in touch with their roots. It was followed by the Truthful Society, Navjivan Samaj, Gujarati School and the Gujarati Seva Samaj. All these associations came under one roof in the year 1963 when the Shree Madura Gujarati Samaj was formed. The building for this samaj was constructed in the year 1972. Today, the samaj acts as a home away from home for Gujaratis, where they can relish authentic Gujarati food, including shrikhand (sweet yogurt), dhokla and batata vada.

At present, there are two organisations, namely the Shree Madura Gujarati Samaj (estd.1963) and the Gujarati Seva Samaj (estd.1976), with membership from about 225 families living here. These families are engaged in different trades ranging from textiles, educational institutions, plywood, teak & timber wood, grocery, utensils, electrical goods, bicycles and even computers.

Being away from their home state, the Gujaratis have made a lot of effort to ensure that the younger generation does not lose touch with their tradition, culture and language. Nearly all the festivals that are celebrated in Gujarat be it Holi, Diwali, Janmashtami or Navratri are celebrated here with much fervour and enthusiasm. Both samaj come together at various occasions of celebration or grief. For a native of Madurai, the best way to experience a north-Indian festival is to get invited to a celebration at the samaj.

People from this community have contributed in a big way to the development of Madurai, one among them being Lalji Vora who was instrumental in giving Madurai its first mall, the Milan mall, about two years ago. People from the Gujarati community have thus carved an integral role in Madurai, adding colour to the multicultural hues in the city while also paving way for its development.


Source - TOI