Documenting a lifestyle

BE IT art or architecture, jewellery or cuisine, or its fabled hospitality, the Chettiar community has always maintained a style of its own. The 76 villages (they were 96 at one point in time) that comprise Chettinad, 80 km West of Madurai and the same distance North of Thanjavur, are reminders of a glorious and rich heritage of a trading community, that has to this day, preserved its uniqueness.

The past and present of the merchant community, its lifestyle and rituals are comprehensively compiled in "The Chettiar Heritage", a coffee table book. It is authored jointly by historian S. Muthiah, his sister Meenakshi Meyappan (of the Spastics Society of Tamil Nadu) and Visalakshi Ramaswamy (involved with Dakshinachitra) with photographs by V. Muthuraman. While the research and text are by Mr. Muthiah, the women have orchestrated the photography and culled out information on the lifestyle, from a multitude of sources. It took them three years and quite a large amount of their personal funds, to put together what is their "pet project".

The book throws light on the Nattukottai Chettiars of Chettinad, a community that had a deep impact on the economy of such nations as Burma, Ceylon, Malaysia, Singapore and even Thailand and South Africa. Explains Mr. Muthiah, "The Chettiars or the Nagarthars were at their peak between the middle of the 19th Century and the 20th Century, making great contributions to the development of these nations. But with these nations becoming independent, the community's prospects and prosperity dwindled. They had to sell to survive and educate their children." Says Mrs. Visalakshi, with some regret in her voice, "Things have improved since then, but it will never be the same again."

That explains the sad state of affairs in several districts of Chettinad, where some elegant mansions have been razed to the ground for want of funds. "Also, with more and more looking for greener pastures and choosing the fast pace of the city life over the quiet of the village, there is no time for the upkeep of these mansions" she elaborates. However, there are quite a few who have woken up to the fact that these houses stand as a testimony of a bygone era and there has been a seachange in the attitudes.

How did the book come about, one wants to know. Muses Mrs. Visalakshi, "Meenakshi (her sister-in-law) and I were just discussing the state of affairs of the community. We then felt that there was a need to document the life of the Chettiars. And before we realised it, the project had become a reality." Adds Mr. Muthiah, "We wanted a record kept before everything vanished".

The highpoints of the book are the glossy photographs, 800 in number, which tell a story of their own. The stand out ones are those of the spectacular facades of houses, the clan temples and of course, the fabulous jewellery collection that is every woman's dream. "It was easy for us because Muthuraman too belongs to our community and knew exactly what to shoot and where to go," says Mrs. Meenakshi.

Several aspects are tackled extensively in each of the 13 chapters - history, rituals, architecture, beautiful clan temples, festivals, artistic artefacts, food and most importantly, its people. The Chettiars are known for their service to society, be it in renovating ancient temples or establishing educational institutions.

The pride is evident in their voices when the trio talk about their community. "Though almost 80 per cent of the community members now live in other cities or abroad, everybody goes back to Chettinad. Any event, happy or otherwise, viz., marriages, death ceremonies or a sadabishekam means a family get-together," explains Muthiah. The community is divided into nine clans, with a couple of sub-clans.

"The Chettiar Heritage", being released this evening at the M.CT.M Chidambaram Chettyar Matriculation Higher Secondary School premises, is well worth adorning the shelves, though the price of the book may be on the costlier side (Rs 3,000). Those interested in getting a copy may write to The Chettiar Heritage, c/o Mrs Meenakshi Meyappan, 118, Santhome High Road, Chennai-28.

SAVITHA PADMANABHAN

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