Dhakshin Chitra

Had been to ECR(East Coast Road), the entertainment corridor of Chennai. It is filled with lot of beach resorts, open air theatres, pubs, theme parks, malls and not to forget lovely beaches. Amidst all these is situated "Dhakshin Chitra". My friend told very good about this non profitable organization and then he took me there.

"DakshinaChitra is a center for the living traditions of art, folk performing arts, craft and architecture of India with an emphasis on the traditions of South India" says http://www.dakshinachitra.net/index.htm.

Initially we were hesitant to enter, thinking that we may waste our time seeing things like in museum. When I stepped in, my opinion changed. They had depicted the cultures and life styles of people who lived in classic times. I say classic because they dont depict very old times, but a classic times with out modernity. They show how people lived in various states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra pradesh. The campus is divided and dedicated for each of these states. First we entered Tamil Nadu. They have streets and houses as in the villages, showing the different cultures. We went in to the streets of Karaikudi streets, farming villages of Thanjavur, and other places. Each houses are replicas of the classic houses. Some are bought directly and transported here. Details of the culture and the details of the rooms and amenities of the houses are described. We saw a weavers house, a potter house. You can also see people working there (mocking). We saw a potter making pots. After he was done, he received aplause from the foreign crowd present. Other activities include "Kili Josiyam", "Pallanguli playing", "Pamabaram playing", etc., Kerala style houses were also present with authentic finishings. Similarly we also saw the houses and cultures of Karnataka & AP.
I would strongly suggest you to visit this place if u go to ECR. This is refreshing, as it takes you away from monotonous city life. The atmosphere inside is calm, green and clean. We also slept there under a tree for some time ;-)

Note: No advertisements to any company intended. Just reflecting the personal experiences