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Saratha Vilas – Mansion in Chettinad
I have heard so much about Chettinad and Chettiars that when I had the opportunity to experience real Chettinad culture and tradition, I did not want to give it a miss. My hosts Bernard Dragon and Michel Adment, both French Architects and interior designers, who owned Saratha Vilas are the co-founders of the association ArcHe-S (Architectural Heritage Safeguard), which initiated the Revive Chettinad Heritage Campaign in partnership with UNESCO. They are well travelled in India and have a thorough knowledge of South India.
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Antique Shops of Chettinad
Seriously, I was in seventh heaven when I walked through these lane with about 20 plus shops selling antique pieces leftover by the Chettiars!! It was a Sunday and only about half the shops were open but I just could not leave that place. There were enamel wares, tiffin carriers, pickle jars, basins, spittoons, kettles, radios, steel and wooden spice boxes, porcelain and enamel plates and trays, beautiful mirrors, lamps and the list can go on. Many of these pieces have been bought and brought into India by the Chettiars when they went travelling to Sweden, Japan, Austria, Germany, England and Czechoslovakia for business. You need to bargain down the…
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Chennai Street Markets
Two places to witness street markets in Chennai - Ranganathan Street and Mambalam Vegetable Market. You can get all you want vegetables and local and imported fruits at very cheap price. Some of the vendors are so friendly to foreigners and some just don’t look at you. You will also find spice grinding mills, poultry and meat stalls in the same vicinity. The markets are usually crowded up till about 11 am and then it starts becoming busy after 4.30 p.m. Traffic is very congested during the peak period.
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People Watching in Chennai
I like to take time to watch people. First find a café that overlooks a busy street. Buy a coffee and just sit and stare. I will always remember a line from a poem by W.H. Davies "What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?" Precisely, it is only when you take time to observe people that you will begin to love yourself and appreciate all the good things that is happening to you. While staring, don't forget to keep a ready smile for the weary pedestrian or to wave your hand at a passer by. You never know - you may…
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Dawn at Royapuram Fishing Harbour
Dawn is the perfect time to visit the Royapuram Fishing Harbour. It is truly and exhilarating experience to see the action of the fishermen, the fish vendors, middlemen, the visitors and the mountains of fish being unloaded from the boats and canoes in the dark. It is noisy with all the bidding from the auction of the fish and people haggling. Bring a jacket along as the wind will be very cold and wear shoes.
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College Street – Mecca for Book Lovers
It is simply amazing! Hundreds of thousands of books of all sorts are sold at the College Street bookstores in Kolkata. I did not know where to start my walk and what to look at. When the giant bookstores are closing down in many countries, this place is having a roaring business. This street is on the same road as the famous Presidency University. My trip to College Street was even more interesting when I witnessed some rallies and protests!
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Streets of Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as City of Joy to many, is a highly polluted place and very dusty, busy and noisy! Cars, taxis, trams, men-pulled rickshaws and pedestrians make up the bulk of the road. I found it interesting that while there is so much of poverty and begging kids around, there are also the equally wealthy travelling comfortable in their air-conditioned cars or eating lavishly at some fine dining restaurants. Though, I swore never to go back to Kolkata again after a terrible lung infection of carbon monoxide, at the point of typing this, I think I will go back – it is indeed a love-hate relationship with this place.…
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People watching in Pune
It is only in the countryside that you get to see more people in ethnic clothes! When travelling, I want to see people the way they are - the villagers are innocent and mostly shy people but their hospitality is so warm. They are always ready to share their food - language is not a barrier here - just with gestures they will convince you to have a drink or eat something in their houses. I love people and I do not class people into groups. In my eyes, all men are equal!
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Shivaji Market
When in Pune, visit the Sivaji market. You might consider being a vegetarian for life after seeing all that healthy, fresh looking vegetables on sale there. Most of them were probably just plucked from the trees that morning. The vendors were very friendly and the whole lot of them were like one huge family!! Check out the two women who are chiselling the mortar and pestles.
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Handicrafts of Kerala
Kerala is well known for its beautiful handicrafts. These items range from brass and bell metal works, silk sarees, wall hangings, coir products, ivory works, lacquer products, sandalwood carving, wooden toys, jewellery, coconut shell products, and cotton and silk fabrics.