Late Prof. Bernard Bate.
Professor of Anthropology, Yale University
Mr. Bharati called out just as they did then, beat the drums which spoke to a nascent public sphere - and in doing so, he transported Sekar and I back to the mid-1920s. We went to the places that Mr. Bharati mentioned and walked those very same places such as the andikkadai poththal, the old evening market (now the Meenakshi Park) where V.O. Chidambaram was known to have spoken in 1906 and is mentioned in the Chilapathigaram. In coming months Sekar would continue to build on these experiences by utilizing his unparalleled knowledge of Madurai - and of professionals and specialists in Madurai - and provide me with more and more data regarding these events. Without Sekar, I would not have met Mr. Bharati or gotten the kind of material I did.
Mr. Bharati called out just as they did then, beat the drums which spoke to a nascent public sphere - and in doing so, he transported Sekar and I back to the mid-1920s. We went to the places that Mr. Bharati mentioned and walked those very same places such as the andikkadai poththal, the old evening market (now the Meenakshi Park) where V.O. Chidambaram was known to have spoken in 1906 and is mentioned in the Chilapathigaram. In coming months Sekar would continue to build on these experiences by utilizing his unparalleled knowledge of Madurai - and of professionals and specialists in Madurai - and provide me with more and more data regarding these events. Without Sekar, I would not have met Mr. Bharati or gotten the kind of material I did.
Brooks Anderson
Author
For scholars doing research in India, the Centre offers a wide variety of support services and facilities. In addition to logistical support, the Center also provides highly qualified, well-trained field assistants for translation, introduction to local specialists and scholars, facilitation with government formalities and authorities, and access to local libraries, collections and archives. The Centre is well equipped with computer, audio visual and communication equipment.
For me, the Centre has scheduled and translated interviews with commercial sex workers and women who live in a slum. I simply provided CM Centre with a detailed terms of reference describing my needs, and CM Centre arranged everything accordingly.
In addition, Dr. Vidya provided very helpful feedback on my questionnaires, and Mr. Rajasekaran advised me on the timing of the Mariyamma festival in Veerapandi.
In summary, CM Centre has maximized the productivity of my time in the field. I recommend the Centre strongly.
Michael Collins
It would be difficult to find anyone more knowledgeable about the many facets of Madurai than Dr. V. A. Vidya and Mr. Rajasekaran. I was delighted to hear that they launched the Chella Meenakshi Centre in 2008. During a recent return to Madurai my experience with the staff at the CM Centre greatly enhanced my stay, making my trip both more productive and enjoyable. The Centre's staff possess an intimate knowledge of the city and the plentiful resources available for students, research scholars, and visitors alike. From professional translation services to assistance with lodging, the CM Centre is an invaluable resource located in one of south India's most captivating cities. I look forward to many future encounters with Vidya and Sekar in Madurai!
I taxied into Madurai, Tamil Nadu with a traveler's backpack, drooping eyelids, and optimistic projections for the coming nine months. I envisioned bustling streets filled with flower vendors and tea stalls, reckless auto-rickshaw drivers swerving through a sea of pedestrians, gurus in saffron vestments, and the lingering aroma of jasmine. I was eager to discover South India, develop my proficiency in the Tamil language, and explore this foreign culture as a student resident rather than a fleeting tourist.
Although the initial transition was difficult, the immediate hospitality and logistical support provided by Vidya and Sekar helped ease the social transition and situate me within the surrounding community. Local families treated me, a foreigner inhabiting their neighborhood, with a blend of curiosity and kindness. I was warmly welcomed around many dining tables laden with dosai, idly, and an array of chutneys, and frequently invited inside for tea and sweets. In true Tamil fashion, heaping portions of food were placed before me on a banana leaf and I slowly learned to maneuver my right-hand as a primary utensil.
As a student based in Madurai for two academic terms, I witnessed countless religious and cultural festivals ranging from Jellikattu—vaguely reminiscent of a rodeo minus horses, lassos, and safety precautions—and the Chittirai Thiruvizha festival during which over one hundred thousand Tamils celebrated the Tamil New Year in Madurai. Standing on a bridge in central Madurai at 5am and watching this seemingly infinite sea of devotees celebrating the arrival of Lord Alagar was an awe-inspiring and absolutely humbling experience. These festivals offered a rare glimpse into the vibrant festival culture of Madurai.
While popular Indian cinema often portrays booming metropolises and sprawling urban landscapes, I was struck by the natural beauty of south India where the geography is just as diverse as the colors in the Madurai flower market. I passed weekends trekking tea-plantations amidst the rolling hills of Munnar and relaxing along the coastal enclave of Pondicherry. Madurai offered the ideal base for these travels due to its connectivity with the surrounding region as well as its central location within Tamil Nadu.
Eulalie Laschever
Mid-August 2009 I arrived in Madurai on a 9-month Fulbright grant to research the Policy and Implementation of HIV Prevention through Education. The project mapped the web of service provision between conception at the state and national level and the reflection and idiosyncrasies of the implementation in various service sectors. The project required accessing an extensive network of contacts in a variety of positions. CM Centre helped me navigate the complicated social and bureaucratic landscape and procured over 60 interviews with over 115 people; attendance at 4 trainings; and participation in several awareness events related to HIV prevention-all within seven months. CM Centre allowed me to hit the ground running in an unprecedented fashion. Within a week of my arrival in Madurai-even before my housing was fully negotiated-CM Centre arranged an interview with a UNICEF HIV/AIDS Program Specialist. This heralded the beginning of a productive and impressive research pattern. More than the quantity of interviews, the quality of the interviewees truly impressed me. Not only did CM Centre procure interviews with directors and outreach workers of NGOS, counselors at testing centers, college professors, and high school teachers from the range of school types, but also with government officials along the whole chain of services distribution. From representatives at TANSACS, APAC, and TAI-the controlling umbrella organizations for all HIV/AIDS services in Tamil Nadu-down to representatives such as the Chief Education Officer, the director of the District Health Training Center, and the director of the District AIDS Prevention and Control Unit. In addition to the wonderful professional services, I found every member of the staff not only exceedingly professional and competent but warm and friendly. Truly some of the best friends I made while in Madurai were those I worked with.
Kassia Karr
I first met Vidya and Sekar of the CM Centre during my time studying with the UW Madison College Year in India program in Madurai in 2007-2008. I returned to Tamil Nadu in the summer of 2009 to conduct research on women and non-governmental organizations working in the field of sustainable agriculture in rural India. Sekar was instrumental in arranging contact with a number of organizations and individuals I met with over the course of a month, in Madurai and Chennai as well as in nearby towns and villages. The CM Centre was also very helpful in facilitating my accommodations while I was staying in the area. Their office is a welcoming place with great facilities, not far from the heart of downtown Madurai. I would highly recommend their services to anyone undertaking research in the region!
Dr. Diane Mines
Professor and Chair
Department of Anthropology
Appalachian State University,
Boone, North Carolina.
The CM Centre staff provided indispensible service for my recent fieldwork project near Madurai. I accomplished more data collection—and of higher quality—than I would have otherwise. From field assistance, to accurate transcriptions of many hours of voice recordings, to assistance with practical needs (gaining permissions to browse local libraries and archives, making appointments and finding contacts, making travel arrangements and reservations, renting a scooter from a good mechanic, etc.), the professional staff anticipated and made easy every move. The expert field assistance provided with enthusiastic energy by Rajasekaran, the Centre's Field Director, not only led to great data-collecting conditions, but made the work smooth, fun, and interesting. I will use the Centre again and again for my future fieldwork. Furthermore, I would highly recommend the Centre as a secure and inviting place for students traveling to India for independent research or service work, and to my non-Indologist colleagues wishing to familiarize themselves with some aspect of Indian culture, history, or arts.
Eleanor A. Power
I first came to hear of the CM Centre in the summer of 2009 through my brother, an old student of Dr. V. A. Vidya and Mr. Rajasekaran. As a graduate student in anthropology, I had settled on the Madurai area as the place to conduct some preliminary research, but lacked the connections or resources to make that happen. My sole connection to the CM Centre, though, was enough to fuel an entire summer of research and set the groundwork for my ongoing dissertation research. With their help, I attended a number of festivals for Mutthumariyamman in the area. Devotees of Mariyamman enacted various vows at these festivals, walking across beds of hot coals, carrying mulaipari (sprouting plants) on their heads, and piercing their cheeks with 10-foot-long spears. Attending the festivals was a wonderful experience and a great boon for my research. With no knowledge of the city or of the language, it was only through the help of the CM Centre staff that I was able to accomplish anything that summer. They were even able to set me up with a kind and generous host family and a bicycle, adding still further ease to my life in Madurai and letting me focus on my work. I have returned to Madurai every summer since then to continue my research, and each time I have relied on the CM Centre in one way or another. It was with their assistance that I located the village where I am currently conducting my dissertation research. And it is thanks to the CM Centre that I was able to navigate the local bureaucracy of the Foreigner Regional Registration Office. The CM Centre has been an invaluable resource to me. Without them, my dissertation project would likely be of a very different shape. I am always grateful for their help and friendship.