Everything under the sun at chennai

The Friday market at Pallavaram has a 100-year-old history. Antiques, bicycles, vegetables, auto-parts, pots... You can even buy yourself a live goat atthis high-energy space which brings a village to the city

Empowering

The Elimai line of travel products uses colourful textiles woven by the differently-abled residents of Krupa Home

“The most popular section at the campus of Krupa Home is the weaving room, and almost every resident wants to get in there and spend some time,” chuckles Dr Radhika Soundararajan, coordinator of this 10-acre residential facility for adults with disabilities run by AIM for Seva at Sriperumbudur, near Chennai.

“There is colour, activity, songs and fun at our loom room, and quite naturally, other residents who are usually involved in gardening, marble paper making or agarbatti assembling, also want to sit at this unit. The loom room is always cheerful and filled with positivity,” she explains. There are three looms at Krupa, and four of the residents are trained in weaving with assistance from three helpers.

“We engage the differently-abled residents in hand loom weaving as a therapeutic rehabilitation for their physical, mental, social and vocational abilities. The warp and weft is restricted to creating brightly-coloured rough textiles with check and stripe prints, ” she says.

Even though they were making bags and a few other utility items with the woven textiles, Soundarajan wanted to take it to the next step by developing concept products. “We approached Fariha Begum who had worked with Bhawani bedsheet weavers of Tamil Nadu and created her line of leather bags, Therku. She visited our centre and was excited to see the close knit rough handloom woven by Krupa residents. Based on her suggestion, we decided to launch travel line products,” she says.

“The material woven at Krupa has knots and is uneven and rough. But each knot has a story, and in fact we attach a weaver tag to all the products in the line,” says Soundarajan. Elimai (simplicity in English) offers passport holders, laptop cases, sling and tote bags, shopping bags and book bags.

They are working on adding more utility products in this line. “When we showed the Elimai products (the finished product has been developed by Fariha) to the weavers of our home, they were thrilled by the outcome. They also came up with some suggestions,” she says.

The idea behind Krupa is to provide shelter for differently-abled adults and enable them to be meaningfully occupied as it adds to their sense of self worth and happiness. Residents treat the various units in the facility at Krupa Home like their office and spend the day working; Sunday is their day off. “Sundays are chaotic at Krupa Home. Sundays seem to be boring for the residents. While on other days, there are activities that keep them involved. Everyone here likes go to office even on a Sunday, probably to the loom room,” smiles Soundarajan.

Elimai products are available at AIM For Seva, Mylapore, 10 am to 5 pm, 24987955

Summer in a glass

A grocery store that’s almost a century old sells what’s arguably the best mango drink in the city

It’s 2 pm and the sun roasts us as we hop off the scooter to grab a drink at C Kunhiraman General Stores under Royapuram Bridge. An unlikely place for such a stopover, one would think. But the humble shop has built a reputation for its mango milk, badam milk, and lemon and grape juice. There are hardly any customers inside the store, but there’s a small crowd at it’s entrance — bikers, pedestrians, women travelling by auto — they’ve all stopped by for the juices.

Most of them are regulars and swear by the drinks, which — though available through the year — sell by leaps and bounds in the summer. The store sells 50 litres a day during this season, informs K T Ashok who runs the store. Equally popular is the in-house mango ice-cream. “We’ve been selling the juices for over 50 years,” explains Ashok.

Served in plastic cups, the juices and ice-cream are sold at a counter at the entrance. Chunks of the fruit float inside the mildly-sweet grape juice. The tangy lemon juice, though nothing spectacular, is pretty refreshing. But the thick, sweet mango milk is the most sought-after of them all. The drink, served at just the right temperature, is perfect for the summer.

We down two cups of mango milk and wonder if we should order one more, when K Surendar, who assists in preparing the juices, catches our attention. He ladles the juices from the freezer for customers — it’s peak hour and he works non-stop, with almost mechanical precision. Ladle, pour, serve; ladle, pour, serve.

Surendar is clearly proud of the antique freezer. The rectangular metal structure has six compartments for cylindrical containers that stores the juices. “This freezer can maintain the temperature of the drinks for a full day, even if there’s no electricity,” he boasts. The mango milk is his favourite, too. So, how many cups of it does he drink a day? “I don’t keep count,” he laughs.

The store sells 50 litres of juice a day during this season, informs K T Ashok, who runs the store. Equally popular is the in-house mango ice-cream

The great Indian millet loaf

INGREDIENTS

·         Wheat flour 600 gm

·         Ragi flour 100 gm

·         Millet flour 100 gm

·         Broken wheat soaked 200 gm

·         Salt 20 gm

·         Dark  jaggery 30 gm

·         Olive oil 45 ml

·         Ginger powder 5 gm

·         Fennel crushed 5 gm

·         Honey 10 ml

·         Yeast 20 gm

·         Water 450 ml

METHOD

Put all dry ingredients into a bowl.

Add water and knead till smooth dough is formed.

Shape and put into moulds or roll into 60 gm balls to make burger buns.

Let the dough rise to double the size, or till dough bounces back when you poke it gently.

Bake at 220c for 25 minutes for the 300 gm bread mould or 14 minutes for the bun.

Best had with home-made butter, malai, or extra virgin olive oil.

Recipe courtesy vishak chandrasekaran, chef

Karaikudi antique market

* The Karaikudi antique market (Muneeswaram Kovil Street) is a tourist staple, but we enjoy strolling through the Kallukatti Main Bazaar (Koppudai Amman temple area). Featuring a host of artisans, you can find jewellery, metal work and traditional woodwork here. It is a reliable source of authentic craft.

* Workshops of Chettinad’s famous Athangudi tiles — inspired by the early 20th century mosaic tiles made in Maastricht, Netherlands — are everywhere. Try your hand at making them at Sri Ganapathy Tiles (Athangudi road), the first workshop to start producing the colourful glazed cement tiles in the 1950s. All the rooms at Saratha Vilas are laid with tiles from them.

* Stop by the chariot makers (Pallathur road, next to Sathiyan Theatre) to admire their meticulous work, and also make time to observe the artisans at the Bronze Workshop (Palanivel East Street, Ariyakudi) firing their pieces.