Glory of Chettinad

"Civilisation is a stream with banks. The stream is sometimes filled with blood from people killing, shouting and doing things historians usually record, while on the banks, unnoticed, people build homes, raise children, sing songs, write poetry and even whittle statues. The story of civilisation is the story of what happened on the banks."

Will and Ariel Durant

NESTLED in the south of Tamil Nadu lies Chettinad. And, nearly 80 km west of Madurai and about the same distance south of Thanjavur, was its nucleus - 96 villages that the Chettiars founded and which earned them their preferred community name Nagarathar - the townsfolk, or the sophisticated.

Here they basked in glory for over a century, building fortress- like mansions (which is why they are called Nattukottai (land- fort) Chettiars). With teak from Burma, satin wood from Ceylon and marble, each was a repository of an indelible heritage. But World War II and the rumblings of independence across South and South-east Asia shook up the community. The villages shrunk to 75 and the Chettiars had most often to move out to start life again. However there was still hope, with education playing a significant role in the community's resurgence.

Despite the relentless pace of the modern age, this conservative merchant community has moved on, striving to maintain its rich customs and traditions, best revealed in page after page of The Chettiar Heritage. This spellbinding pictorial record would not have been possible but for members of the community who understood the spirit behind the venture, say the authors S. Muthiah, Meenakshi Meyappan and Visalakshi Ramaswamy. Playing a pivotal role in this exercise has been photographer V. Muthuraman who, as a Nagarathar, has understood his Chettinad well.

Divided into 15 main sections, the book tells the complete story of the community. While the text is brief, it is the pictures that are the foundation of the book. The chapters that stand out are "The homes of Chettiars", the moving "In the villages today", "The glitter of metal and stone", "Artefacts from home and abroad" and "Faces of yesterday and today".

The Chettiar Heritage was released in Chennai on December 11, 2000 at the M.CT.M. Chidambaram Chettiyar Matriculation H. S. School. Master of ceremonies Ms. Alagu Muthu described the book as a compilation of 1,00,000 words and 800 pictures spread across 288 pages that tell the story of a South Indian merchant community. Author and historian S. Muthiah then "flipped through the pages visually". The slide show revealed the proud conservativeness. Be it the nine-clan temples, the festivals, rituals (ear piercing and shaving the head), the cooking, jewellery and the Ravi Varma lithographs - a must in every Chettiar home - the images on screen were testimony to a passion to resurrect a unique past.

Kumararani Meena Muthiah called it a "common autobiography", while Dr. Deborah Thygarajan highlighted the importance of heritage tourism.

In his presidential address, Mr. M.CT.M. Petachi said it was a "unique book no South Indian community had ventured to do. What was needed was a less expensive version and an edition in Tamil".

MURALI N. KRISHNASWAMY

The Chettiar Heritage, S. Muthiah, Meenakshi Meyappan, Visalakshi Ramaswamy, Chennai 2000, p.288, Rs. 3,000.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Features
Previous : Time, trace, transitions
Next     : Better business.com