The Periya Veedu Experience
Words by Ramkumar Nair
Photographed by Naveen Sekar
Human beings leave behind a mark, a footprint, an endowment to future generations. Very often in art, ideas and expression help us travel into an epoch in history. I went in search of one such footprint that was left behind, tucked away in a small pocket where globalisation had not hegemonized art, artists and its people. Athangudi is a tiny village of around 2000 people who all knew each other. In its nucleus, stood Athangudi Periya Veedu, a century old Chettinad House that represented a slice of history, standing tall in the millennial era. The blend of architecture and engineering rendered the structure too perfect to fathom.
We were welcomed with a sight to behold, the grandeur of ceilings left the writer in me speechless and the photographer in Naveen excited! Art was everywhere, grandeur was everywhere. Paintings of Meenakshi Temple and Pamban bridge amongst others adorned the ceilings. Stories of Ram and Krishna were immortalised on the walls which were as smooth as eggs, and rightly so, egg whites were an important component that went into making them.
"The tiles here are made completely by hand, you can never find such work anywhere in the world," proudly exclaimed Manian Anna. Subramanian, our point of contact at Athangudi told us that the artwork came from Italy and teak from Burma. The story of how the teak got to India is monumental in itself. The teak was set afloat in Burma and the ocean currents brought it to Indian shores. Colours greeted us at every corner, subtle and fine. We could not help but notice that the edifice stood tall and commanding, but co-existed harmoniously with the natural sphere around it.
I was there for 5 hours, rummaging and hunting for tales that the house would narrate to me in its hundred years of existence. I sat in a corner marvelling at all the art around me, so safely preserved in its pristine form. These expressions have stood the test of time, and more importantly the test of humans. The artists are long gone, the art has metamorphosed, but the artwork remains. I envy the blessed artists who have triumphed over time itself. The biggest success of art is to have an impact on generations, the grandeur and opulence effectuated their success. I bid adieu to Athangudi Periya Veedu and tipped my hat to the artists who have created transcendence over time. It made me contemplate if I would ever leave behind my footprint, if my art including what I write now would ever have such nameless existence. Art in Athangudi is blissfully provocative.