namma mejura

It is now confirmed that budget airline Air Deccan will fly between Chennai to Tuticorin via Madurai (DN-145). It will be a day-time flight starting from Chennai by 9.15 am and reaches Madurai around 10.30 am.

After a 20 min stopover, it reaches Tuticorin by 11.15 am and will not touch Madurai on return path. So Madurai – Chennai flyers will touch Tuticorin and fly all the way to Chennai along the coast. This will be an impressive day time flight for kids as the altitude for this ATR-42 flight will be lower than the Jets.

For a 10.30 am flight at Madurai, people have to start atleast by 9.30 am from the City. They will land in Chennai by 1 pm. It will not be very practical for biz people to spend nearly half-a day for Madurai – Chennai flight trip. Vaigai express would be more practical & very cheap.

25 years back there was a tiny planetarium existed in Madurai. It was housed inside a room of Science Education Centre (SEC) at MK University building near Outpost. The dome was nothing but a round, white parachute stretched by strings attached to the walls on all sides. It obviously looked old, perhaps used in the days of WWII. (Parachutes were only round and white in those days). The rim of the parachute had cut-outs of the skyline of Madurai.

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If you ever wanted a well written and fairly accurate information on Madurai, you can find at Wikipedia. I”ve gladly added it to the Madurai sites listed in the right column here.

Under the heading ”Present Problems” it listed out ”Brain Drain” as one of the major problem. Brain drain of Madurai is my favourite lament for more than two decades.

Just a try for Railway reservations from Chennai or Bangalore to Madurai for festival holidays will show it more prominently. The days prior to Deepavali or Pongal, the reservation from Chennai to Madurai gets filled atleast a month in advance, while the otherway, from Madurai to Chennai on the same days have vacant berths/seats. Then again for the 2-3 days after the festival, the trains from Madurai to Chennai will have a long waiting list while the trains from Chennai to Madurai were sparsely crowded.

The rush to buses plying between Madurai – Coimbatore and Madurai – Tirupur are to be seen to be believed. Since these city & town were within 5 hours travelling distance, there will be special buses to Madurai on the day prior to the festival and the special buses will be available in the return direction on the day after the festival.

With the rains filled every ponds and lakes in the state, and the usual warm winter sun gives rise to fresh greenery all around. The sound of water flow in many canals, combined with birds chirping around and insects whizz were music to ears. We”ve been missing this atleast for the past 3 years.

The usually dry Vaigai dam is now full and brimming with water. This will be an ideal place for the coming Xmas to New year holiday week. Ofcourse, the place can only be a one day picnic spot. But with the fresh air and greenery it will be worthy.

After nearly a month of intermittent rains, the Palanganatham traffic jam is going from bad to worse.

On Tiruparankundram side, the traffic jam tail now regularly grows upto (can u beleive!) Pasumalai!! Cars and bigger vehicles have a tough time crossing this point daily. I”m glad to be back on a 2-wheeler. Don”t have to agonisingly wait at the end of the tail.

Months earlier, local newspapers reported on a flyover proposal at Palanganatham. The proposal however, doesn”t look convincing. Seemed it will create more confusion than relieving it.

Now, the only practical solution Maduraiites can look forward to, is the creation of new bye-pass for 4-lane (Golden North-South Corridor) National Highway from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. It will start from Paravai (near Samayanallur) in the north and take a newly laid detour to reach Thoppur (near Kappalur) in the south of Madurai.

Ofcourse, this reduction in passing-thru traffic, when it becomes a reality in 2 years, will be compensated by the ever increasing local vehicle population. But what to do? Officials are always busy!!

After more than a year. The namma.mejura.com is back!!

This time it will be more lively and a must see place for all things Madurai.  Ofcourse, the customery intro is here!!

Madurai lies near the southern tip of India. A cultural capital of Tamilnadu state. It has been the capital of a powerful Kingdom and has architecture and buildings dating back to atleast 2000 years.

Madurai will be pleasant from December 15th to January 15th. We have 3 seasons. Hot, Hotter and Hottest. You won”t need woollen clothings here.

And the city never sleeps! Not in the terms of nightlife like Bangkok, but will be bustling with business activities in a homely way. There is an old saying, ”Even a donkey that roamed in Madurai will never like to venture out”. Well, that”s true!! (hey, I”m not a donkey!!)