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Jam-packed, yet charming

KNOW YOUR AREA Peace amid cacophony, it's Lakshmipuram

PHOTO: G. MOORTHY.

CHOCK-A- BLOCK Brimming with life.

What is it like to live in silence? Pleasant. But what is it like to live amidst rustling noise of utensils and ringing of tricycle bells for decades together? Residents of Lakshmipuram claim that they live in peace and comfort in an atmosphere of cacophony. Just walk down the streets of Lakshmipuram to find out its uniqueness. The nine narrow main streets connected together with cross streets run parallel to each other with East Gate on the south, Khanpalayam on the west, East Marret Street on the east and Nelpettai on the north as boundaries.

Origin

Though nobody is able to recall the origin of the area, B.S. Geetha, a third generation resident, roughly calculates it to be a 200-year-old residential area. She says that the main occupants of the area belong to the Sourashtra community, who are involved for generations in weaving.

"One of the unique features of Lakshmipuram is that it used to be involved in huge trade transactions," she says and adds, "When pin code was allotted this area got number 1 as bulk of the mail for Madurai was meant for Lakshmipuram."

About the origin of the name, Ms. Geetha recalls that people lived a prosperous life in those days here, with huge trade transactions. As they were rich and prosperous they believed that Goddess Lakshmi was residing here and so named the area Lakshmipuram.

Concurs 70-year-old S. Meera, another resident, whose family has been living in the same house for four generations. "I still remember those days. The streets would look very colourful with handloom works. Everybody was rich and content." "Times have changed. Two-and-a-half decades ago, people of other communities started to establish their stainless steel utensil business that has given a new look to the area. Now, it is known only for its utensils," she says. Though the streets are narrow, Lakshmipuram has charming features like regular corporation water supply, easy accessibility to hospitals, educational institutions and bus facilities to all places and so on.

Another notable feature area is the Chinthmani theatre. The popular Tamil film, `Chintamani,' was screened here for more than a year. Following which the theatre came to be known as `Chintamani,' an important landmark of the area. People of different walks of life and different parts of the country have started flocking Lakshmipuram where the land value stands at Rs.3500 to Rs.4000 per square feet. The increase in land price and property division among children have forced many owners to sell their traditional houses, says R. Balasundari. Besides, many owners of houses have rented out the front portion for shops.

"Our only need is regulation of traffic on the streets, especially on the cross streets," she says. The major woes of the residents are the "chaotic traffic" and vehicle tyres getting punctured "mainly due to the minute metal particles" that are often left on the roads.

S.S. KAVITHA

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