It has been a year since I left the city, but Thrissur is still very much alive in my memories. The second and last part in the series on the city that will always have a special place in my heart.
A couple of months in the city, and the city had slowly begun to grow on me. I had started to like the sights and the sounds of the city and its people. For someone like me, who had spent a major part of her life in a city like Cochin, Thrissur was a totally different world altogether. The first thing that any person who comes to Thrissur would fall in love with is the Vadakkumnathan Temple – situated right in the heart of the city, the sprawling structure of the temple has majesty and heritage written all over it. One cannot but look and marvel at the beauty of the temple, every time one passes by it, which is almost all the time that one heads out to the city, thanks to the way the city has been built, around the temple. Other temples in the city like the 'Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple' and the 'Thiruvambadi Sree Krishna Temple' are also a visual treat in themselves.
How can one talk about Thrissur and not mention the famous “Thrissur dialect”, which has always got Keralites interested, as can be seen by the popularity of movies where top actors in Malayalam films have portrayed characters who hailed from Thrissur; from Mohanlal in ‘Thoovanathumpikal’ to Prithviraj in ‘Indian Rupee’ to Mammooty in ‘Pranchiyettan and the Saint’ to Jayasurya in ‘Punlyalan Agarbathis’, and the recent ‘Vasootan’ or Kunchako Boban in ‘Jamna Pyaari’, the characters they portrayed in the movies and their dialogues continue to bring a smile on our faces every time we watch those movies. There were times, when I had picked up my phone to scold someone, but ended up laughing and saying “Its O.K” after listening to their side of the story, thanks to the ‘Thrissur dialect’. I would not admit it, but I had actually started to like the ‘Enthutta’s, ‘Vayo’s, ‘Rupiya’ and the likes that found their way into my conversations with the Thrissur Gedis :-)
Thrissur is also
a haven for foodies, with so many good restaurants in the city that serve mouth watering
food. Being a vegetarian can be tough when it comes to finding quality vegetarian
restaurants in any city. However Thrissur doesn’t disappoint vegetarians even, what
with two equally amazing vegetarian restaurants – ‘Hotel Pathans’ and ‘Hotel Bharath’, and what can I say about the
food served in both the hotels, well, it’s nothing short of ‘Heavenly’.
But the best thing about Thrissur is its people, so warm, so good at heart, always ready to help one another. One of the best things about the people of Thrissur in my opinion is their unity. Talk about “Intolerance” to someone from Thrissur, they would probably laugh. Onam, Vishu, Ramzan or Christmas – every festival is celebrated with the same spirit by the people of Thrissur. The very famous ‘Thrissur Pooram’ is a classic example of Thrissur’s unity. Where else can you imagine a temple festival been celebrated with equal vigor by a Hindu, a Muslim and a Christian other than in the city of Thrissivaperur.
Studies and work have taken me to different states and cities in India, and each city that I have been in, has left an everlasting impression on my mind. However the city of Thrissur is very special to me and is very close to my heart as the city and its people have transformed me in more ways than one; they made me a better person – both personally and professionally.
Thank you
Thrissur for those wonderful memories, for those lessons in humanity and management :-), and for accepting me as your own. The beautiful temples, the 'My Idea' team, my showrooms, the team at the Thrissur
Zonal Office of Idea, the angelic elderly couple who were my landlords, the heavenly ‘Masala Dosa’ at the Bharath
Hotel – I will miss all of this, but I know that the city and the people of Thrissur will continue to live on in my
memories, forever.
