Past perfect

I spent my youth unable to fathom why I was born into the Chettiar community - I simply didn't fit in. As a child, growing up in a modern metropolis gave me this totally inflated opinion of "I'm superior to the man in the village". The ancestral homes lacked modern-day amenities and having electricity for more than 10 hours at a stretch was a matter of luck. The next couple of years were spent exhausting a good deal of my time and energy arguing with my grandmother over the need to do away with certain customs. Most of them I could not comprehend and the ones that I did, I resented. Now I exploit every waking hour delving into the past, basking in the glory of my heritage and trying to see better reason for every little custom. Walking today through a home that is over 75 years old, bursting in its seams with stories of years gone by, stories of our culture and of our ancestors gives one a whole new perspective. It's only when one gets to see, feel and breathe the rest of the world that one starts comparing, and that's what got me ticking. Today I am passionately in love with Chettinad, by virtue, I reminiscence, about the days spent there. I feel very connected to it emotionally and my memories of weddings and events are very vivid. No place stirs me quite the same way, even though I was not often there during my formative years. Perhaps because I keep going there at irregular intervals I've been able to be in touch at a very comfortable level. It remains unchanging for me while the rest of the world changes.

For me, Chettinad today signifies bonding, a place for family reunions. I wonder if one can ever do justice to the complexities of this fascinating place and its community. I hope to shoehorn all of its nitty gritty details in the coming paragraphs so that you will remain in awe of this community. So come with me as I travel back in time to discover the glory of the past, the story of Visalam and of Chettinad. It's an amazing place with loads to see.

K.V.AL.M. Ramanathan Chettiar had this house built for his eldest daughter Visalakshi. (This is very unusual because houses in Chettinad were never built for daughters, only for sons; a woman considers her husband's house as her own.) It worried him that his daughter had no family home.

When his daughter married, her husband’s ancestral home was not with the family, it was much later around 1963 that the family was able to buy it back.
Just 90 kms from Trichy and 105 kms from Madurai, Visalam sits on National Highway 210, in one of the major villages, two stops before stepping into the very famous town of Karaikudi. The contractor
for this house was Narayanan and the carpenters were from Thirunelvelli. The house was built during the war, a period when procuring
steel and cement was extremely difficult. The cost as per our books is Rs. 5 lakhs. This house may not have been lived in on a daily basis, but this is where my parents were married in 1960. It was used as the bridegroom’s house. I was the one who got my grandmother’s name and though I have never seen her, nor her me, I have this unexplainable attachment to her. My mother, Valli Muthiah, inherited this home, being the only child of Visalakshi. This house was used to display my dowry and also that of my two sisters, Sharadha and Meenakshi, and this is where it remained stored too.

My parents made me an offer sometime in the 90s to live in Visalam. The heart said “Yes, yes, go on, take it”, but my mind looked at the offer differently. I would need a lot to maintain this big home and I was married into a family at Rayavaram, so how was I going to fit in here. Here was my head overruling my heart and I’m glad it did.
Ever since I had this deep-rooted desire to see Visalam bustling with activity and that is where the idea to have it run as resort was born. I could not have chosen better people than CGH Earth. My father, Sr. RM. Muthiah, had great respect for all of the Dominic family and up until the time of his passing away, often patted me on my back about making a good choice.

Visalam has played host to the ex-Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M.G. Ramachandran while he was at Chettinad for a wedding
and to Dr. T. H. Somervell, an eminent British surgeon, who was here as a guest of K.V.AL. M. Ramanathan Chettiar. Dr. Somervell was part of the team of Irvin and Mallory who climbed Mount Everest 30 years before Tensing.

Chettinad as it is

Situated between Pudukottai in the north and Sivagangai in the south, the 74 villages of Chettinad stretch over 600 sq. kms. of mostly arid land with a splash of green at irregular intervals. Chettinad, the land of palatial houses, enormous temples and excellent cuisine can convey volumes to the newcomer. From the days of trading diamonds, gems and salt under the Cholas, these townsfolk have made great progress. The weather is warm and life in Chettinad is slow-moving and comfortable. The Chettiars spend their lives circumscribed by traditions and responsibilities handed down by the previous generations. It is only now that we have a new generation which is able to think about themselves as separate identities.

In the name of the daughter: K.V.AL.M. Ramanathan Chettiar built the house for eldest daughter Visalakshi (in pic above)

Chettiar accomplishments

The Chettiars are a very prominent business community, often referred to as the Jews or Marwadis of the south. In the early years, they moved out of India to foreign lands like Burma, Ceylon, Java, Sumatra, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam (Saigon) and spread their culture in those lands.

Chettiar homes

Our homes are undoubtedly our most prized possessions and our ancestorsare solely responsible for this splendid heritage, which is today ours to enjoy. Some of these homes boast floor plans with living areas in excess of 15,000 sq ft. Within them lie ornate doorways, heavy doors with massive locks, Italian marble platforms, teak beams, solid teak and stone pillars, chandeliers, ornate woodworked ceilings and much more. The result was a unique atmosphere, a sense of old world charm, which merges with the character and earthiness around. The family possessions like silver ware, vessels in brass, steel and aluminum and all that they carried from southeast Asia were stocked in storerooms. They had a keen eye for diamonds and invested a fair share of their money in jewellery.

Having said all this I may have created and image of an ostentatious display of wealth and power and social standing, but it's just the opposite. The Chettiars underplay their actual worth. They dress simply, are in no way flamboyant (maybe from fear of the evil eye) and show no disparity in status with other fellow members of the community.

Chettinad's colourful mix

As a visitor, when you ramble through the narrow streets, you will stumble, literally on stones and worn out roads, and figuratively in stupefaction that there is so much untouched by tourism. Today, there is a curious mix of old stately mansions, English-styled bungalows, partially ruined homes, wedding halls, shops and schools. Somewhere in between will be the temple, with its gopurams in colours varying from washed-out to recently painted tomato red, cobalt blue, parrot green and sunflower yellow. The main streets hum with activity in some villages and others only glimpse an occasional bus off-loading or picking up a couple of village folk. There is so much here for everyone to see, but nothing beats the local cuisine. Today, Chettinad is known for many things besides its homes. There is the basket weaving industry and the flourishing, local Authangudi tile making industry, the stone carvers, silver smiths, wood carvers, the diamond merchants and many more like them. As many people have found out, believe me, visit once and the community's charms and the warmth of the hosts will lure you back again, and again. The writer is the great-granddaughter of K.V.AL.M. Ramanathan Chettiar, who built Visalam. Visalam, CGH Earth's newest property, is scheduled to open its doors to guests in March.

The writer is the great-granddaughter of K.V.AL.M. Ramanathan Chettiar, who built Visalam.