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Tanjore is a place which is rich in culture and history. The author narrates a memorable trip to the beautiful temple city.
Tanjore or Thanjavur is a town situated in the state of Tamil Nadu in south India. It has a strong association with the history of Tamil Nadu. It was ruled by many great kings like Cholas, Nayakas and Marathas. This town is well known for its paddy production and is popularly known as ‘Storehouse of Paddy’. ‘Chola Nadu Chorudaitthu’ is an adage that can be found in Tamil Literature which highlights the quality of good hospitality. It is a sign of prosperity and assures that no one is deprived of food. Moreover, it is a place of origin of rich art and culture. The biggest testimony stands in the form of the temple in Tanjore. It is a world heritage site. The temple of Tanjore is called Bruhadeesvarar Temple and was built by Raja Raja Chola.
My travel experience with this place is filled with many memories of hot and sweltering summer days. It all happened during the summer vacations. We hired a mini-van to accommodate all our family members and started to travel to Tanjore. It took about 7 hours to reach the place from Chennai. Though we started early in the morning, by the time we reached the temple, it was noon. Without chappals in the big temple corridor, our feet turned red and we jumped and hopped, trying to find shade. We were unable to sit because of the rock flooring. As we entered the main part of the temple, we were overjoyed, as it was cool. We did the darshan of the lord and forgot about the sufferings.
Tanjore is a place that inspired many poets and poetess to write their best works in Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit and Marathi. The great trinity of Carnatic music was patronised by the great kings of Tanjore. The king Karikaalachola built a dam across the river Cauvery, which is a famous tourist attraction, as it is built with rocks and named as Kallanai. There are many Saivites and Vaishnavites shrines in and around Tanjore. Tanjore dolls, Tanjore Paintings and Tanjore plates are three major symbols which depict Tanjore’s cultural heritage.
There are many Universities and Libraries in Tanjore. One of the Marathas’ mahal has now become a world famous manuscripts library called ‘Thanjavur saraswathi mahal’. During all these visits, we also relished tender coconuts, raw mangoes, cucumbers topped with red chilly powders, guavas, ice apples, ice creams, fruit juices and the special halwa made out of moong dal called Asoka, which is a speciality of Thanjavur. Musical instruments like Veena, Thavil, Mrudangam and Kangira are finely crafted in this place. With loads of memories and shopping bags we got back to Chennai.
Image Source: Facebook/Tanjore City
Anuradha Sowmyanarayanan is a Tutor, Blogger, poet, Book reviewer and a passionate reader. Her interest in reading &writing paved way for this blog way back in 2016. From her school days, she had won many read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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