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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Changing with times

— Photo: S. James

SILK STREET: A view of East Veli Street in Madurai.

Every street is known by its landmark and East Veli Street is no exception. But it holds a unique spot too.

If you stand facing South at the one-point signal connecting Munichalai Road to East Veli Street, you get to see the Meenakshi Amman Temple on your right and an old mosque on the left. And facing South is the world famous 217 years old St.Mary’s Cathedral. And opposite to it on the northern side is the statue of well known leader C. Annadurai.

“This is a peculiar cross section which in one swirl of movement gives you a bird’s eye view of four historic monuments in the city,” declares Mr. N. Ramadoss Gandhi, Secretary GMS-MAVMM Polytechnic College.

A resident of Madurai for over four decades, this particular junction on East Veli Street has always fascinated him the most. Though he rues the busy nature that the road has acquired over the years.

What used to be a quaint residential locality in the good olden days of King’s rule has today changed with times to accommodate the boons and banes of modern day development.

Today, East Veli Street is crowded with shops selling a variety of vessels and utensils, bed furnishings and hardware, steel rods and pipes, fabric and garments, textile showrooms, hospitals, hotels and of course is the address of several ancient and well known buildings. These include the city’s most famous cine-hall of yesteryears, Chintamani.; the oldest and well known road bridge, the 141 year old Albert Victor Bridge; the 159 years old Christian Medical College and last but now the least, the St.Mary’s Cathedral bult in 1791.

Packed with history, architecture and religion, East Veli Street is, however, still remembered as the place famous for cotton handloom sarees from Kanchipuram, Tirupur.

But last 20 years has seen a marked change in this trade too. The place is now better known for “reshmi (silk) sarees”, smiles Mr. G. Mohan of Sree Gowri Silks.

In about 700 metres of space on East Veli Street are packed 70-odd shops of silk saris doing brisk business round the year. The only zone perhaps which fell into silence briefly is the Nel Pettai from where 100-odd paddy shops were shifted to Mattuthavani seven years ago. In the area now though stands a multi-storeyed residential complex called the Krishna Avenue adding a new kind of cacophony to the existing din.

Remarks Mr M.N. Ramar of Padmashri Kitchen World, “the East Veli Street with its ancient touch is also home to latest and happening things like modular kitchens and designer jewellery from Titans.

The 40-odd plantain shops that used to cramp Vathalapettai too have been shifted to ease the area of congestion and facilitate better vehicular and pedestrian movement. In fact, the city traffic police have made it a two-way traffic zone for light vehicles on a stretch of East Veli Street between Anna Statue and the Amsavalli junction, where stands one of the oldest Non-vegetarian restaurants, the Amsavalli Bhavan.

Though the road beyond Amsavalli junction upto St. Mary’s Church is still one-way, light vehicles like vans, cars, autorickshaws and two-wheelers are allowed a right turn from the Munichalai Road at the Amsavalli junction to proceed to East Veli Street, Nel Pettai, towards Anna Statue. And those coming from East Marret Street are allowed a left turn at the Amsavalli junction to take the East Veli Street.

But then, traffic regulations have never hampered plans or deterred people from visiting the place when they have made up their mind either for shopping, eating out at Amsavalli or visiting the Church.

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