{"id":72727,"date":"2018-05-25T12:23:54","date_gmt":"2018-05-25T10:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/?p=72727"},"modified":"2018-05-25T12:23:54","modified_gmt":"2018-05-25T10:23:54","slug":"south-india-tamil-nadu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/south-india-tamil-nadu","title":{"rendered":"Southern India: Tamil Nadu, between sacredness and nostalgia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reported by Serge Barret, photos by Alain Parinet.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

At midday Chennai<\/strong>In the heart of old Madras, thousands of people - one wonders if it isn't millions, such is the compactness of the crowds - flock to this ultra-shopping corner of the economic and cultural capital of India. Tamil Nadu<\/strong>. An old bazaar with tired architecture; a district of popular alleyways where the smallest cm\u00b2<\/sup>\u00a0is transformed into a stall; and fresh vegetables, fruit in pyramids on which the vendors are perched, fabric in stacks, silk galore, aluminium saucepans, jewellery, gilded ornaments and flowers, lots of flowers, preferably orange and in garlands...<\/p>\n

And the crowds! And the noise. Oh, the noise! It's the sound of horns, thousands of moped horns being sounded at the drop of a hat, the Indians taking the word \"horn\" literally. So they warn. They warn when they start, they warn to say they're going to pass and they warn again when they pass. Then they start again with another pedestrian. And, as the crowd is dense, they're warning non-stop. The result is an appalling din that makes you want earplugs, or even a tarmac agent's helmet. As we'll see later, it's the same all over the region, if not the whole of India. It's even said to be a cultural trait. You devil!<\/p>\n

\"india-chennai-plage-sari\"<\/a>
The country's fourth-largest city, Chennai, formerly known as Madras, immerses visitors in a popular and colourful atmosphere, with sari-clad women in the streets and scenes of family life by the beach.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"india-gare-egmore\"<\/a>
Egmore station is another colourful example of the Indo-Saracenic style, successfully combining elements of Mughal, Gothic and Italianate architecture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Right in the mood<\/h2>\n

The fact remains that this morning stroll gives you a direct taste of the popular Indian atmosphere. Add to this the shimmering elegance of the women in saris<\/strong>men in vests and white dhoti<\/strong> or madras<\/strong> - in other words, a piece of cloth simply rolled up and tied at the waist. rickshaws<\/strong> a few cheeky cows getting away with just about anything, endless haggling at the stalls and, if you look up, the beautiful remains of old bungalows.<\/p>\n

In fact, that's the place to start. In direct contact with ordinary life, far from the palaces of the rich and the gaudy villas of the stars of MGR Film City<\/strong>the Tamil equivalent of the Bombay<\/strong> whose extravagant settings are a delight for incentive groups<\/strong>. But after such a warm-up at Parry's Corner - the shock of India, they say - you'll be glad to be back in the comfortable leather of an air-conditioned, and above all soundproofed, minibus for a city tour<\/strong> to get a better idea of the city as a whole. In other words, India's fourth largest metropolis, a gigantic succession of districts, with no real centre, and seven million busy inhabitants.<\/p>\n

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It's hard not to leave with your arms full of memories of a visit to the many stalls in Parry's Corner, Chennai's shopping district.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"india-kanchipuram-weaving-silk\"<\/a>
In Kanchipuram, silk weaving is a speciality that goes back centuries. The quality of the saris produced in the family workshops has made the town famous.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Witnesses to the British raj<\/h2>\n

With culture in mind, the walk will begin at the fort Saint-George<\/strong>the first British stronghold in the country, in 1653<\/strong>by the East India Company<\/strong>. Don't expect to find the ramparts and battlements of the old Vauban-style fortifications here, as little or nothing remains of them. On the other hand, you will get an idea of Indo-Anglian taste as you stroll between immaculate buildings with black columns and even a church, Sainte-Marie, the first Anglican church in Asia<\/strong>. Today, the complex is occupied by the government institutions of Tamil Nadu.<\/p>\n

Not much remains of the marvels of the time when Chennai was an English colony: buildings abandoned, need for space, new and anarchic constructions... But there are still a few splendours. The Indo-Saracenic Supreme Court, for example, stands next to the old lighthouse, 38 metres high. There's also the railway station, still in use, whose laterite-red walls and white domes are magnificent reminders of the days of the British Raj<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In the evening, we'll head for the beach<\/strong> - 13 km, the second in the world after Rio<\/strong> - - not without passing through the fishermen's quarter lined with buildings abandoned since the ravages of the 2004 tsunami<\/strong>. It's not exactly pretty, but it gives you a sense of the scale of the disaster and the inevitable when you're sitting by the sea.<\/p>\n

At the end, the vast expanse of sand opens out onto the heavy swell of the Bay of Bengal, where the city's inhabitants like to meet up in the late afternoon. The sea is dangerous, so bathing is rarely practised here, and when it is, it's Indian-style, in other words fully clothed, in trousers or a sari. We prefer to enjoy the sea breeze, show off our latest silks or succumb to the food truck-style offerings of the countless gypsy caravans, which bear a striking resemblance to the merchants in Peynet's Four Seasons. There's also plenty of fun to be had, with games as charming as they are old-fashioned, balloons bursting with darts, picnics, and children climbing on wooden horse turnstiles suspended from chains. It's all very cheerful and refreshing.<\/p>\n

Then there's dinner. An experience that this first South India dinner<\/strong> which is practically the same as biting into a handful of red chillies<\/strong>. This is the defining characteristic of Tamil Nadu cuisine. Fortunately, restaurateurs generally offer two versions of the same dish: one incendiary and the other more in tune with Western palates. Either way, it's delicious. From chutneys<\/strong> of course, and tandoori vegetables<\/strong>but also, and above all, exceptional curries<\/strong>including prawns. For dessert: a coconut-pistachio rice pudding to die for! Note that the typical Tamil dishes<\/strong> are generally based on rice accompanied by lentils and vegetables flavoured with tamarind. Meat and fish are simmered in chilli and coriander powder. Fans of vegetarian cuisine will be delighted: all the restaurants have a dedicated section on their menus. In fact, it is one of the best in the world.

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