CUDDALORE: With rundown buildings straight out of an Edgar Allan Poe novella and dense thickets, this ghost island tucked away in the Pichavaram backwaters hides within a glorious past. As the legend goes, M G Ramachandran was shooting for the blockbuster ‘Idhayakkani’ at the backwaters in the early 1970s, when a nearby island bustling with life caught his eye.
He visited the place and unsurprisingly, from that day onwards the island came to be known as MGR Thittu. The area became more populated over the decades. A school, an anganwadi, and other facilities cropped up. The lush green island spanning 60 acres, with nearly 5,000 coconut trees and other vegetation, near Chidambaram resembled a paradise on earth. That is, until that cataclysmic Boxing Day of 2004.
The waves swallowed the whole island, killing 56 people, including 28 children. Those who were destined to live with the burden of loss, managed to swim to a nearby casuarina farm. They now live in a village on the mainland, still struggling to recover emotionally and economically from the devastation. “I will never forget that day,” said K Anbazhagan, a 70-year-old fisherman. “I was in Pazhaiyaru for some work and rushed back soon after I heard the news. As I neared Killai, I heard that my village had been destroyed. Soon, I found out that my mother, sister-in-law, and nephew were among the dead.”
Memoirs of isle community
It was once home to 160 families. Most men in the village were involved in fishing, while some worked abroad. Women primarily earned a living by selling fish and making karuvadu (dry fish). T Kalaichandiran, the local panchayat chief, recalled that families from Muzhukkuthurai had moved to the Thittu (sand dune) around 70 years ago as it was ideal for fishing and they could dock boats close to home.
Another resident of the area, P Murugan, said they even had two-storey buildings in MGR Thittu. “Construction was a strenuous exercise. We had to transport all the materials, including cement, sand, and bricks, by boat. We also had an overhead water tank and a Lord Murugan temple there. The grand Chithirai festivals on the island were attended by over a thousand people from nearby villages,” he added. All seems like a grandmother’s tale now.
Watershed moment
With her husband in Singapore, K Puratchi Selvi was residing with his family at MGR Thittu in 2004 when the waves came calling. “We were swept away. I survived only because my hair got caught in a thorny bush. But, my three-year-old son was dragged away. His body was found two days later.” Now a mother of three, Selvi says the pain of losing her firstborn remains.
Some escaped on boats, while others swam to a casuarina farm in Muzhukkuthurai. With the relief money provided, the survivors purchased some land and named the area MGR Thittu for posterity, and also for documentation purposes. The people had also salvaged the idol from their old Murugan temple, which now lay in a shambles, and placed it in their new temple. “We perform pujas and abhishekam with seawater every year to honour those departed,” said a villager.
Continuing challenges
Though they have resettled, the villagers still face several challenges. Kalaichandiran noted, “Drainage issues persist in the new area, and we need the panchayat’s support. Additionally, we have been urging the government to dredge the Vellar estuary, as boats capsize frequently in the region. In recent years, two villagers lost their lives in such incidents.”
Residents of nearby towns, such as Parangipettai, believe that the area has the potential to be a tourist destination. “MGR Thittu can be developed like Pichavaram with boating and other attractions,” said M Thiyagarajan. “However, it currently lies in neglect, turning into an open bar with broken bottles scattered around.”
The abandoned island remains a symbol of survival and resilience for its displaced residents. They continue to fight for recognition and development while keeping the memories of their loved ones alive.
