A sunday at Pazhaverkadu

 From feasting under a Peepal tree and listening to parai beats, to walking through Palmyra trees — a group of 40 eco-crusaders painted the Pulicat lagoon green
The trail started at the Ennore  Thermal station, continued to  the Pulicat lagoon and ended at  the Chintamani temple. Larger  birds like the painted stork and greater flamingos were spotted alongside other bird and insect  species  Naaz Ghani
The trail started at the Ennore Thermal station, continued to the Pulicat lagoon and ended at the Chintamani temple. Larger birds like the painted stork and greater flamingos were spotted alongside other bird and insect species  Naaz Ghani

CHENNAI: Pazhaverkadu, a township built along the mouth of the Kosasthalaiyar river and the Pulicat lake, set the history-drenched background to the finalé of the month-long Chennai Kalai Theru Vizha on Sunday. Off late, the inhabitants of this area have been threatened by the proposed construction of the Adani Port, and the festival was aimed at highlighting the age-old traditions of these communities through a nature walk, heritage tour and cultural performances.

Nature on show
Starting at the Ennore Thermal Station annexe, the group of 40 was all ears as environmental activist Nityanand Jayaraman led the conversation with, “The construction of the thermal power plants has affected wetlands in the area. The ash has affected the biodiversity in these areas and has spiked air pollution levels”. And indeed, the biodiversity was on display as the walk through Kadalkanniyur’s forest of Palmyra trees elicited squeals of excitement as fan throated lizards, common ghost crabs, whipped scorpions made an appearance. The trail continued to the Pulicat lagoon and ended at the Chintamani temple where larger birds like the painted stork and greater flamingos were spotted alongside other bird and insect species.

Heritage tour
Not far from the Pazhaverkadu fish market lay the Dutch cemetery bearing witness to the sombre Dutch architecture, with domed structures built over the graves of the first Dutch officials who had colonised the town. The 500-year-old St. Mary’s Church lay a short distance away. Local lore has it that a fisherman who’d found the wooden idol of St. Mary and had attempted to cut it into firewood, had turned blind with the cut on the deity bleeding. Thus stands the St. Mary’s Church with the mythical idol inside, a thin slash across the folds of Mary’s dress, still observed to this day.

A short bus ride away from the church lies an 11th century temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, overrun by banyan and Ashoka trees. The teak wood used in its construction which still hold the temple roof, reflects the once rich trade of teak wood in the region. Just a stone’s throw away is Chinna Pallivasal, a mosque built-in 1708, housing a 1915 metal sundial embedded in stone with intricate markings in Arabic to indicate the time. A large circular vazooh (a practice of cleaning oneself before performing namaz) station fitted with taps right in front of the mosque’s doors.

Lunchtime saw everyone sit under a large Peepal tree, devouring the vegetarian and prawn biryani made by the fisherwomen of Pulicat. With stomachs full, a summer siesta was inevitable before moving to the Pulicat lagoon for the cultural performance.

Culturally rooted
The festivities by the Pazhaverkadu fish market kick-started with the Chennai Kalai group who had the audience clapping to the beat of their parais, with local Silambam artistes showcasing the ancient art of stick fighting. But the performances by the children of Pazhaverkadu were the highlight of the evening, as they danced to a song written and sung on stage by Kale Shah, ex-commisoner of Pazhaverkadu. The song was a comical take on getting Adani group to reconsider their plans of constructing the port and ruining the livelihoods of the local folk. The evening came to an end with an energetic performance by the Casteless Collective who had the crowd up on their feet.

A showcase of traditional arts

The festivities by the Pazhaverkadu fish market kick-started with the Chennai Kalai group who had the audience clapping to the beat of their parais, with local Silambam artists showcasing the ancient art of stick fighting. Fisherwomen dressed in flamboyant yellow and blue saris also took to the stage with renditions of songs from their culture. A display of martial arts by the children, and a Bharatanatyam performance by the students of DG Vaishnav College followed.

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