alagar

Colours, Coin, and a Question

April 23, 2016ByteSize, Travel Talesalagar, blogger, celebration, chithiraifestival, crowd, culture, Dance, destinations, facesyoudontforget, festival, Festivals, India, instapassport, Love, Madurai, music, paint, passion, pretense, renewal, Tamil, tamilnadu, tradition, traveladdict, travelblogger, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust, work

He appeared with a tap on my shoulder, cutting through the jostling crowd at Madurai’s Chithirai Festival. While chaos swirled around us, he stood calm, his face a riot of colour—deep devilish pink, adorned with glinting trinkets.

He smiled and held out a vessel. Ah, money, I thought. It paints the town red. Or, in this case, a shade of pink that refused to be ignored.

Carefully, I wrestled my wallet free, handed him a few notes. His eyes widened.

Was it the amount?
The act of giving itself?
Or my awkward attempt at wallet gymnastics in a jostling sea of people?

Surprise gave way to a grin, and suddenly—out of nowhere—he blessed me with a peacock feather.

I asked for a picture. He stood, smiled, then vanished into the festival, dancing to a new tune, swallowed by the crowd.

But his azure blue eyes lingered long after.

And a question stayed with me—Do we all wear paint to earn a living?

(at Madurai, India)

The Beat of Tradition, The Dance of Renewal

April 22, 2016ByteSize, Travel Talesalagar, azhagar, blogger, Blogging, chithiraifestival, culture, Dance, destinations, farmers, Festivals, folklore, instapassport, Madurai, music, renewal, Rural, tamilnadu, tradition, Travel, traveladdict, travelblogger, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust

You can’t miss the beats—they travel miles, weaving through memory and the moment.

Folklore spills onto the streets of Madurai, as rural dancers take center stage—bare-chested, bells jingling, raw energy flowing. Nothing polished, nothing rehearsed. Just movement, music, and meaning.

This is Chithirai Festival.

There’s no perfect synchrony, no scripted spectacle for the screen. Yet, there’s joy. A gay abandon of culture, faith, and spontaneous rhythm. A festival that isn’t just performed—it’s felt.

A new warp and weft to an old tradition.

A treat to the senses. A soothing of the soul. A renewal—of memories, of roots, of fresh dreams taking flight.