Village story teller: Road trip - Paramakudi

Day Two & Three –
Sunday – 450 kms – Krishnagiri to Namakkal to Madurai airport to Paramakudi
Monday – 75 kms – In and around Paramakudi
Breakfast was a treat. Nothing special for most, but it was simple and refreshing.
We left with the morning truck traffic towards Namakkal, where a friend was waiting for us. Our objective for the day, was to reach Madurai airport by 2:30 to pick up a friend who was landing there at that time. Along the way, there were plenty of places to eat, lots of truck traffic carrying heavy goods, showing robust construction/engineering activity somewhere down the line which was very encouraging and greenery and beautiful mountains all around. We visited the very old Anjaneyaswamy temple there at Namakkal. The southern states revel in their respect for age old traditions and upkeep of these small historic temples that are yet so vibrant. We left Namakkal just before 12 for Madurai airport and had lunch at a small restaurant there before heading off to the airport. We lost our way, a little bit, as we took a wrong exit and had to get back on to the highway and take a U turn to get back on the right track. The flight had landed early and my friend was already waiting there. That day we paid around Rs 350 in tolls, the drive was more pleasant, the roads seemed to be safer, with plenty of places to eat. It felt a lot more relaxed compared to the previous day.
Lesson 4 – Trust Google to get you there but be prepared for some "off the beaten tracks" roads. A sturdy car really helps. Choose wisely. We left the airport for Paramakudi and midway, decided to go directly to the farm. The road from Madurai to Rameswaram is still under construction with only portions complete. Google kindly took us through narrow village roads that we didn't know existed, though we had been coming there regularly for 10 years! At the farm, the trees had grown tall and the peacocks were just heading off at the end of their day! After a couple of hours at the farm, we headed back into town and had dinner and crashed for the night in a small room we call home, in Paramakudi. We had covered over 1100 kms by now. The next morning, we were back at the farm checking and then to the near by temples. The first temple had a large dry pond, where peacocks danced hoping for rain. The priest invited us back on Aug 3rd where he said 1500 people from the village would renew their wedding vows! This was the 18th day of Aadi, from what I understood with my limited Tamil. We headed to Nainar Kovil where we had breakfast after visiting the temple. We then headed back to the farm and spent the morning planning the day's work including a visit to the bank, getting a JCB to plow some land, getting through some electricity board connections and then spending the afternoon fertilising the trees with Urea, Phosphate and other fertilisers. We headed back to town and spent a good hour with the bank manager freeing up funds, closing loan accounts and ensuring our work progressed unhindered. By then it was clear the electricity board and the JCB would not happen that day. So we bought our fertilisers and headed back to the farm. We had lunch at the farm cooked there by the local farm hand. We then got down to mixing and fertilising the plants. After 20 trees my back was done. It was back breaking work walking in ankle deep muddy water, and trying to get the fertiliser buried in the soil next to the tree, but not touching it! We had bought 200 kgs of fertiliser and after we had done around 50 kgs, we were done. Another guy was cutting off the lower branches of the trees with a sharp sickle to ensure the trees grow tall and strong. We considered that work to be easier but soon his hands were blistered! We then got back into the tractor and took a few pictures to at least pretend we had contributed as farmers. After dinner, which was the left overs of the morning lunch, we headed back to our room in Paramakudi.
There is a small village close to Paramakudi, on the way to Nainar Kovil, that weaves hand made silk saris. A good place to visit, if you want to see what villages in India can offer.
Weather – Cloudy, humid and hot. Tolls – Rs 350