Ghar ghar ki kahani

Shirish Joshi on Dakshina Chitra which offers a peek into the diverse lifestyles of Tamil Nadu and Kerala during the past two centuries

Dakshina Chitra (vision of south), situated by the sea, 21 km from Chennai, is a project of the Madras Craft Foundation that promotes art and culture. It offers a glimpse of the diverse lifestyles of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and Karnataka (work underway) and Andhra Pradesh (still to be started), in the last two centuries.

Ancient houses in Tamil Nadu and Kerala have been lifted and placed in this timeless setting. A majestic carved wooden doorway of a century-old merchant house from Chettinad welcomes one to the museum. It is also the gateway to the Tamil Nadu section.

As soon as one enters, one is drawn towards the elevation of the 100-year-old Chettinad house of Tamil Nadu. The raised platforms on either side of a doorway represent a spacious verandah and the sloping tiled roof, supported by conical columns of teak.

The Chettiar houses are large and can accommodate up to four generations. They have large courtyards symbolic of the community’s perception of leisure.

A majestic wooden doorway, richly carved, opens into the courtyard. The wooden interiors and the rooms facing the courtyard have a skilful display of craftsmanship. The inner courtyard leads to a narrow street lined with row houses of the Brahmin community of Tirunalvelli.

A house abutting Chettiar’s is the Sattanur House, home of agriculturists from the Mayavaram village of Thanjavur District and belonging to 1847. This 150-year-old house has representations of the fertile delta region of the Tamil Nadu, besides precious exhibits of crafts and paddy.

Then there are the weavers’ houses from Kanchipuram. The silk town of Southern India needs special mention. It has a gallery inside with vibrant exhibits of the weaver community and their produce. The entire layout is blessed and guarded with the icons of Gods.

The Kerala section has the all-wooden 200-year-old houses of Travancore with typically sloping tiled roofs. Besides its faithful reconstruction, its contextual exhibits such as bell metal products, textiles, coconut and various other shell products are quite interesting.

A two-storeyed house built with laterite and timber, represents the wealthy Menon community of Kerala. There is also a Syrian Christian house from Kottayam situated against the backdrop of a two-storeyed Hindu house from Calicut.

In 1984, three women, Deborah Thiagarajan, an architect, Geeta Ram an expert in craft and Indira Kothari, took the initiative to launch Dakshina Chitra.

They were given a grant of 10 acres on lease by the Tamil Nadu Government on part of which they constructed the Tamil Nadu and Kerala houses.

One can spend anything from two hours to a full day at Dakshina Chitra. For a tourist and a craft enthusiast, a visit to Dakshina Chitra is truly an exhilarating experience, not to be missed while on a visit to Chennai.

HOME