Countryside.

As we sped on the inner roads that are also in good shape with negligible pot holes,the tourist car driver lamented that whilst North India had witnessed unprecedented,heavy rainfalls, not a drop fell on this place, the whole year around.
Yet I saw groves upon groves of Tamarind, Neem ,and teak trees. As well as plantain trees in large clumps waving their green leaves. They are watered by a network of canals of river Tamaraparani and pump sets.The lush paddy fields and sugar cane boughs of Kumbakonam are missing here.

We covered the temples of Nava tirupathi[ 9 vishnu temples]each in a village of within 25 kms radius of each other, dedicated to Vishnu as well as to a corresponding deity of Navagrahas.In this journey I saw old women in villages walk around leaning on sticks twice their height,.Children trip and dance over streets that are totally empty , bereft of vehicular traffic of any kind,on their way back from school.Nearly all houses are pucca with mangalore tiles for roofing. Mud houses with thatched roofs are very few and far between .

Where have all the bullock carts gone?Once ribbed as -speed breakers.I didn't see a single one. The bounty of the land --bananas , were stacked into lorries , mini vans and onto the noisy three wheelers.

Villagers ,men,women and children bathe in canals working up a rich lather of soap like the lifebuoy soap commercials and also wash their clothes.Whilst women walk down ,men alight from their mopeds ,parking them on the road side and enter the water to enjoy a bath in the gently flowing streams. These are flanked by huge banyan trees , with parrots swinging and squeaking on their aerial roots.

Green parrots with red beaks seem to be also fond of temple towers and the gardens of Jasmine, tulasi and Madulai[anar] plants bordering them .The silence of these remote temples with their sparse attendance ,is shattered by their delicious calls and the rustling sound of wind whispering through palm fronds.