Tag: madurai

Pathetic Maintenance of Big Cinemas


Exactly a year I was thrilled to see the Launch of new twin screen by BIG cinemas. This cinemas is the first multiplex for Madurai and they have credits of launching best Hindi movies.

They have scrutinising process before entering the screen & cigarettes, hans, pan parag etc were not allowed.

• To my surprise we were not screened this time.
• Toilets were badly maintained & it stinks. Totally unusable.
• Even there is some bad smell inside the theatre.
• Seats were also not maintained properly.

It is sad to see such corporate run theatres falling short of maintenance. This is where Satyam Cinemas rocks over Inox / PVR / BIG.

Chaotic trip of Madurai


It all started when i realized that I left my house keys (Madurai) in my car only after boarding the bus. It was too late then to coordinate & collect the keys. Also the keys were not in my office. Finally it was with a friend and thankfully his house was near the bus route and I collected his Scooter & house keys.

Upon reaching home  was shocked to see the state of home… All doors & windows were open with A/C & fan running. All the mattresses & pillows were clumsy and dirty. Floors were full of dust. Rest rooms were also nasty. Had to start the day by cleaning the house. Had to disturb Major to make some arrangements for washing pillow cowers & mattresses. Then I swiped the floor and mobbed & still it is in a bad state. Requested my admin clean the house.

Then when i wanted to brush found that my mom has not kept the brush in the bag. Also when i went to take bath towels were not kept. Normally my mom use to do that for me and she is good at that. For some reasons she was busy yesterday and things were messed up.

Overall these days when I come to Madurai house-keeping tasks becomes my first day work before starting my official duties. I can say I’m only 50% settled and by evening things must be ready.

Also with all these rush came to office without having breakfast. Just ordered for a sandwich & time to prioritize my tasks.

Alleppey Experience


It was very stressful and I went to Kumily along with my Madurai 3 weeks back. There we planned & decided to goto Alleppey, Alapuzzha & spend a day in House Boat. From then we were counting days the day. I travelled to Madurai last Thursday and reached Madurai. Then following are the events that happened;

  • Reached Madurai refreshed & Took bath.
  • Then went to Manoj’s juice shop and Laxman picked me up in 10 min.
  • From there we went to a supermarket and made some purchase.
  • From there went to Marverick GYM met friends & asked Sathish to get ready.
  • Then went back to Manoj’s house and picked him form there.
  • Manoj went to attend a small Shop-opening & Laxman and I went to Medical shop and brought some medicines.
  • Then went to Toddy shop has toddy.
  • Picked up Sathish & started to drive to Alleppey by 12 noon.

We took Theni, Cumbam, Kimily – Alleppey road which is a Ghat Road. As usual it was a pleasent Gods own Country and i’m thrilled to see houses which were big and small towns having good looking girls, posh houses, good roads etc.

As usual it was Laxman driving style which made me & sathish sick and we had to sleep to avoid side effects. After hectic 6 hours drive we reached Alleppey with the help of Google Maps which navigated us to the place.

Then we stayed in a hotel called Arcadia Regency. To be frank it was a good hotel in apprearance otherwise;

  • It had a swimming pool which was small & poorly maintained.
  • Rooms were very average with flickering lights.
  • Toilets were average too.
  • Service was also poor.

But we had a wonderful party & we all crashed to sleep without our conscious and i was the first to crash to bed. Then it was Laxman & I who got up early in the morning and then we went to buy fish for people who are Non-Veg and wanted to have Sea food. We first went to the beach and we were told catching was poor that day and the minimal amount of fish they caught had to sent to the market. We immediately went to the market and brought different verity of fish & crabs for Rs.5000/-.

Then we had a swim in the hotel swimming pool and we proceeded to board our House Boat and we were 3 hours late.

We sailed some 50 KM that day before we halted by 6 PM. Again it was great fun and we all were partying hard and last guys to crash were Laxman & I. Then i slept in the morning and got up a hour before we landed again.

Over all it was a great experience because we went with friends. But it has other challenges too like;

  • Sathish went ill and he is hospitalized for last four days because of food poisoning.
  • Rooban got hold of Malaria.
  • This was not the right time to travel as it was too hot and not enjoyable. But tariff of house boat are at its low because it was off season.
  • One great lesson too. We went there thought a friend and he arranged a boat for us and they charged us Rs.9000/- for house boat for a day. But when went enquired later the charge for the boat was Rs.6000/- only. So visit different House Boat  agents and take best call.

Other than that it was a great experience and here are some snaps of our House Boat;

Laxman & I (Me wearing CSK Jersey)

Way to the Room & Kitchen

Hall with Dinning Table & Television

Front View of House Boat. Rooban & Manoj in the terrace.

Thekkady Experience


It was a hectic month of April and we slogged and finally reached our Months target. But excessive work load and personal financial commitments took its tool and I started suffering from severe Fatigue. I was able to feel it as i was unable to take decisions, my planning were slow and really i was unable to work. I badly wanted a break.

Then i called my friend Laxman and asked him if we can go for a vacation. Again I was not in a position to loose any of the working day. Since it was vacation Laxman, Sathish & I decided to goto Thekkady, Kumily. We started our drive from Madurai by 8 AM on Saturday.

Kumily is just 120 KM from Madurai and we reached the place in 2 hours in spite of having breakfast in a place near Madurai. This place is special for Mutton dishes and no other dish would be available here. Since i’m a Veggie i had to settle with Papad, Vegetables & Curd.

Upon reaching Kumily we went to a resort named Greenwoods and we were given a authentic welcome. I’ve seen such welcome given to Cricket players in airport or at hotels. We were welcomed by offering a jasmine garland, keeping a sandal bindi & tender coconut water.

The we checked in the room and we immediately proceeded to Pool, the playing room & then we drove some 15 KM towards Kattapana to taste Toddy. But the toddy was old one and it took a tool on our stomach immediately. Then we returned to resort and started partying.

Then next day morning i had good Keraly ayurvedic Massage to reduce the body heat and immediately we proceeded to Thekkady. But the park was closed due to over rush. But we made some shopping and we were stratled to see how place was changed. I’ve been here 20 years back as a child and it has none of what the place sports now. The lodge we stayed was bad. But this time there were many 5 star resorts & Hotels, Shops etc.

On returning we vacated the room and we drove back to Madurai. En route we made a halt near a Vinyard in Cumban and brought some fresh grapes & drank some fresh grape juice. From there we drove non-stop to Madurai and reached Madurai by 4 PM on Sunday.

I must say this 2 days stay really was rejuvenating and bought me back to my routine & fresh. This trip was really exciting as it was not a tedious journey as it is just 2 hours drive from Madurai and also the the travel is a gift to ones eye as we have to cross lust green farms, mountains, vineyards, rivers et more.

Also Greenwoods Resort provided a great experience. When every i want a break i’ve planned to simply goto Kumily & stay in Greenwoods Resort for 2 days and i can be back fresh.

Nostalgic feelings


We miss or feel the importance of something only when we are away from them / it. Likewise last year I use to feel very lonely in Madurai and I use to feel how life has changed and how a guy like me known for friends have become so lonely in a place which is an alien to me.

Exactly a year back I use to spend each and every moment of time alone or with a handful of people with whom I cannot connect well. Yes one of such friend is a kid doing first year medicine.

Though I didn’t realize that I was having ball of a time last year without any control from parents. Today when I think back those days looks very entertaining where there was a lot of time and I had control over the time and myself.

Now all I can do it think back those days with envy.

Watching Yadhumagi


Being a Sunday & Sunaina starrer I decided to watch the movie YadhuMagi. Right from first scene it is boring and scenes move without any connect.

Just only an hour has passed and crowd has gone restless. Only enjoyment is listening to the comment of the crowd.

One thing I’ve decided is to watch the movie fully. But for sure No Review for this movie.

Roads of Sewage


Yesterday on reaching Periyar bus stop in Madurai we decided to take a walk to house. It was fun walking with friends discussing agenda for the trip.

After planning to revive People Justice my eyes blinks at something that creates news. While walking on Ellis Nagar bridge I came across this street filled with sewage water.

I don’t know how people live in this locality which is polluted and hazards to live. Already Madurai has enough mosquitoes and survey tells mosquitoes in Madurai drink 5000 liters of blood a day.

After People Justice is back I’d definitely want to work for the welfare of people.

Trip to MegaMalai


Last week went for a days outing with my friend who wanted to introduce me to his Friend who wanted to invest in some Software Company. Since that person was in Theni we thought having a meeting in some adjoining hill station would be a nice spot and we freezed on Meega (Cloud) Malai (Mountain).

We started from Madurai by around 5 PM on thursday and we reached Theni by 6.45 PM. There we picked the investor friend and brought all snacks, food and spirits from Theni. En route to Madurai was a highly scenic with Lust Green Fields, Mountains, Lake and in-between small towns where in you can get all local stuff. I came across this Karupatti Mittai (Chocolate) which is hand made and famous in this District. Then there was this temple where every vehicle which passes by stops and offers prayers and donation.

By the time it was 8 o clock in Theni and we proceeded to MeegaMalai which was some 4 KM from there. On the plains of the Hill there was a Check post set by forest department and we were told entry is closed after 6 PM onards. Since one of my friend is an Advocate we were let in because Advocates in Tamil Nadu enjoy unrealistic benefits. We were told road to the hill was bad but after driving a certain distance we found that there was litrally no road at all. Then we were caught on another place where there is a Panchayat check post where in they collected Rs.50/- for entry. Still i cant figure why we paid that money as we found there was nothing done by Panchayat.

Then we reached the hill top by 10 o clock and we had to wake up a Hotel Owner whom we were asked to contact to get a room. Then he took us to a Panchayat Guest House and we were told that was the best guest house in the place. We paid Rs.500/- for a day and the room was mediocre. That day we slept after having Dinner.

Next day we went to Pechiammal Hotel and had our Breakfast. Then we went to a Dam and from there we went to a Tea factory. This factory and the entire hill was leased by Brooke Bond and subsequently it was sold to some Indian company. There are nearly 5000 people working in this factory and they were given facilities like houses, schools, medical aid, subsidized food etc. This entire hill belongs to the company until 2046 when the lease expires. We were told roads and facilities were of high standards when it was under the control of Brooke Bond. Today there are litrally no roads.

Also the company is not interested in developing infrastructure which will lead too much inflow of tourist. So, until this company is there this Hill will always be isolated. But in general we were happy as we were given access to explore the factory run through plantations and then we also had business discussion and there was noting for me to complain about.

The very evening we reached Madurai and it was business at night as usual.

Watched a man die’ing


Went to a Hospital in Madurai to see one of our employee who got admitted. He was in ICU and went in to see him. Sadly a guy next to his bed was die’ing and this happened in front of my eyes.

On enquiry the man was trying to board a running train and he slipped to catch the handle and fell down injuring his head.

When he was dieing his wife was with him watching him die and we were watching the monitor where pulse was falling. Doctors tried their level best pumping his heart. Atlast they declared him dead.

It was a very miserable experience in my life where in i watched a human die & seeing his wife handling the situation was even sad.

God mist be crazy to expose me to such experience.

Experience in Train


Normally i’m a unplanned person and i never planned my travel ahead. So, most of the time i’m left with no other option than to travel in Bus. Also the distance of Railway station from my house in Chennai and Bangalore made me not to even think of traveling in train.

But in Madurai my house is less than a KM from the Railway station and also my friends say Train travel is much cheaper. Only then i realized Train is 300 – 400 times cheaper to Bus travel.

Then i booked my tickets to Madurai a day before in Tatkal and thankfully my tickets got confirmed. I was such a nerd that i didn’t know any nuances of railway terms and for everything i had to call my friend and disturb him.

Then i got a parcel for my lunch and i boarded my train. It was so crowded that people were standing and traveling and every time i got to stand near the door to stretch my legs i return to see someone sitting in my seat.

Then it was time to befriend fellow passengers and talking to them about their profession, where they belong to etc. Then we exchanged phone numbers and not even a single person has called me ever since.

In eight hours train reached Madurai and the Journey was mixed bag as i didn’t have any like minded fellow passenger. But i enjoyed the experience of traveling alone in a Train.