The KONGUNADU CHRONICLES

Markets here teem with fresh spices and local ingredients, while tigers and elephants roam the jungles. Away from the madding crowds, Kongunadu, the northwestern region of Tamil Nadu, is a delightful find.

- MARRYAM H. RESHII

THE ONLY PROBLEM with having Kongunadu as my favourite spot in the entire universe—one of them, anyway—is the blank stares I draw when I announce it to people. Most disconcertingly, even folk from Tamil Nadu seem uncomprehending, when I declare my love for Kongunadu. It is all in line with my hypothesis on the creation of hype. Put simply, hype forces a single element out of many, to become famous. That way, everything else can effectively recede into the background, while the object of fame becomes hyped to the exclusion of all else. Thus, while the Chettinad region in Tamil Nadu has risen to pre-eminence, Nanjilnadu, Pandyanadu, Cholanadu, and Thondainadu, besides Kongunadu, remain firmly in the shadows. It took me three visits to get up close and personal with the full range of the region’s charms.