Moolakarai to Madurai

Athichanallur

Ancient human settlements were along river banks and in coastal region. Probably our ancestors were from Athichanallur settlements along side of river thamirabarani. 

In earlier days korkai was one of the capital of Pandya Kingdom and a port city known for its overseas trading. When I searched for the present day korkai on map it is situated well within the land. wondering how it could be a port city during the Pandya Kingdom, surfing the internet I came to know that sea has receaded and due to the geological changes korkai has come well within the land. once it has been a coastal town and the river thamirabarani ended at a place near Thoothukudi into the bay of Bengal and not the present day punnakayal.

To my knowledge our ancestors are from moolakarai a small village near Tiruchendur, not so far away from korkai! May be in ancient times Moolakarai and korkai were on either banks of river thamirabarani!

This is the story of my forefathers who have migrated from moolakarai to Ramanathapuram near kulathur and then to the Pandiya capital Madurai. 

Moolakarai 

(Moolakarai vadabathra kaliamman temple is the only binding we have in Moolakarai now.)

In late 1800s or early 1900s, there was a epidemic outbreak of some kind of fatal disease probably plague in Moolakarai ! Fearing for life a group of people with their families migrated towards North along the East coast. Probably they would have walked along with their families and cattles. Not sure how they crossed the tamirabarani river! On their way as they came across a small Kingdom, the Petty King gave a piece of land for the immigrants for their settlement. Probably the land must be fed by a pond near by. It's Ramanathapuram near kulathur in east coast road now. Here we have our ancestral house ( Modified in recent years)

 and a temple with vadabathra kaliamman and Mariamman as deities( sibling goddesses)

and a karuppasamy temple.

The immigrants happily built homes and cultivated monsoon crops. But in late 19th century probably during the 1876-78 Indian famine due to monsoon failure and draught, some families or some family members migrated to Madurai, a trade City. Even if you visit this place now it's a very dry place full of karuvelam trees.. The bus stopping for this place is named as Odamaram stop!!

My thatha is a middle order son with one elder brother one elder sister two younger sisters and one younger brother.

At the age of.......My Grand father along with his brothers went to work in shops to earn bread to their family. He has run ration shops in..........and then with that experience brothers together ran a grocery shop in Munichalai.... Street. In the year.......he started his grocery shop in a rented building in Munichalai 12th Street which he occupied till his retirement in the year....... Popularly known as annachi kadai as people around used to call him annachi.. With this shop income he owned a four room terracotta tiled house which was built in the year........... Later in 1992 the old house was demolished and the new existing ayyamma house was built. With the grocery shop income and efficient financial management by ayyamma he educated his three sons and one daughter and married them to suitable life partners. Blessed are we grand daughters( Three including me) and grand sons (Four  of them) to share our years with him. Just wondering his agility and ability in handling situations. His day starts by 5 am. He is a humble honest pious and punctual person. What all good qualities you expect from a person you can see in him. Even after retiring from his shop he was busy engaging himself in household work, buying things, cleaning my scooty, drying and folding clothes etc.. My kids ( His third generation) were lucky to have him in their childhood memories. I remember thatha drying newborn kynita dresses during a rainy season by staying back in first floor and flipping sides of kuttima ( that's how he calls kynita)dresses to dry in sun that comes in between rains in Tiruchendur home! The family get together ( celebrating ayyamma and thatha .......th wedding anniversary) at Bangalore few days before he left us is an unforgettable day. (26.06.2016). 

We had an opportunity to interview some of his experience and life history. And finally after having led a contended and meaningful life on Earth, he left us on 06.07.2016 to bless us from heavenly abode! 

Here are some additional inputs from Mari chithappa

Appa 1932-2016 please check the birth year.

Thatha’s dad, Theivakkan and mom, Sivathaarasi settled in Ramanathapuram very well; they had several acres of agricultural land and owned a big land with palm trees. Their kids went to school in Kulathoor. Thatha, I think after he finished 8th grade moved to Madurai with his elder brother, Samyayya, I think when he was 14-15years old and worked in a store (it may be Saroja store at the east masi street near Thaer Mutti, - Velraj annan or Senthurpandi Annan can verify this) for few years before both brothers together started their own store at the Munichalai road, near Ismailpuram 7th street and their younger brother, Chinnakkan joined with them later. They all lived together in Ismailpuram 7th street- got married lived together for a while. I don’t know when but I think after Velraj Annan was born, the brothers separated their business. Thatha got money to start our beloved grocery store at Ismailpuram 12th Street (May be in between 1958-1960),!periya Thatha kept that original store and chinna Thatha got money to start a grocery store in Subramaniya Puram or Jaihindpuram area (later on he didn’t do well maintaining that store after his marriage and he joined back with Periya Thatha, then he started a new grocery store later in Anna Nagar). Thatha did great in his business at Ismailpuram 12th street shop and smartly he bet for the ration shop with the government and got the dealership to distribute government grocery items, rice and sugar mainly to local people in surrounding area through the ration card. Thatha used to be called Ration Kadayakkarar! This period the business was good and flourished! Our shop famously called as the Ration Kadai! Till then, 1966/67 we were living in a house behind the shop for rent; then after Kamaraj chithappa was born only Thatha built our beloved 11Arunasalapuram street house and I guess we moved there in 1967/68.