Oh! What a change ..5

 Oh! What a change ..5

Recalling several interesting facets of Madurai may at times prove a little hard to maintain precise sequence; the issue stands complicated by virtue of its by-gone status requiring a ‘re-visit’ to a domain that seems to have been presented earlier.

One such is “Rajendra Coffee” a coffee outlet for a very fine hot coffee reputed for its taste neatly presented by those ‘coffee makers’. There were at least 4 such masters to take care of every critical step. Despite popularity the firm stuck to norms of moderation in that they never levied a price disproportionate  to market or quality. Quite interesting it is to recall that the coffee shop shifted venues like proximity to ‘College House’, then on to West Masi street, then to the lane adjacent to ‘Krishna Coffee’  on Town Hall Road, and finally to a deeper place on the very lane. Coffee addicts literally chased the oulet much like the rats that followed the Pied Piper of Hamlein. A friend of mine from Chennai was in total disbelief that the shop asked for Rs 14/- for 2 cups of coffee. My friend kept telling him that we had consumed 2 cups and the man said “yes sir 2 X 7 = 14/-  ok”. Alas they have wound up business due to younger generations’ preference to move out from Madurai.

Madurai was house for some prominent News Papers- The Indian Express, Dhinamani [Tamil] and Tamil nadu [Tamil]. The last of the items was wound up around 1970s and the other two have been witnessing ‘see- saw’ changes of fortune. Gone are the days of robust intellectual independence. Many publishing houses choose to tow some political ideology that may patronize business fortunes.

If there was some grand pride about Madurai, it was city transport network meticulously executed by private fleet owners M/S TVS. Members born  after 1973 may not honestly recognize what is ‘service’ in the transport sector in Madurai.   Even in that distant past as 1967, discipline enforced for commuters was indeed an unbelievable delight. All buses starting from central bus stand would generally leave the platform just after seats are occupied or just with 2 standees or so. The idea was to keep space for commuters on the way.   Overcrowding was scrupulously avoided; it was for the general good of the passengers and none ever objected to such restrictions. Also, the fleet managers would quickly arrange for the required number of buses to evacuate crowd on all festive occasions or special events like conferences etc; extra buses used to be parked in the rear end of bus stand and in a minute’s notice a bus would be mobilized to the right bay.  The tidy looking buses used to command respect for their ‘well-kept’ presentation.

In those days the central bus stand was the lone commuter terminal for city services and long-distance locales in all directions. Town buses used to ply on Masi veedhis –that which is something impossible now.  Most destinations in Madurai could be reached at a maximum of 40 paise or so. Checking passengers for possession of valid tickets was both rigid and routine. Merciless tackling of defaulters was the order of those days.

Preventive maintenance of buses was the strategy behind hassle-free service. Well before the day-dawn, heavy trucks were run on all city routes to scavenge nails/ bolts/ or iron pieces from the previous day’s traffic by using heavy duty magnets   mounted underneath those trucks. That was a healthy route survey to avoid puncturing of tyres on wheels.   Now, on any thoroughfare one or two buses stand crippled from ill –maintenance.

There are some other aspects to consider as typical to Madurai.

To Continue..

Prof. K. Raman