Inside Kovai: The fragrance of Kovai jasmine flowers wafts through Christine Dior, Chanel 5

Among flowers, jasmine is generally considered the most fragrant. And among jasmines, those that grown in the lush, green farms of Coimbatore and its suburbs are considered among the best in the world. Every year, tonnes of little, white jasmine grandiflorum (jathi malli), jasmine sambac (gundu malli) and jasmine articulatum (mullappoo) that are grown in the Kongu region spread their fragrance across the world through some of the best known perfumes in the world. 

Not many here besides the six aromatic solvent extractors located in Coimbatore are aware that the base component of prestigious international perfumes like Chanel 5, Christine Dior etc are extracted in Coimbatore and shipped to destinations like Grasse in France (perfume capital of the world) and even to the United States. 

Inside Kovai: Valparai emptying out as wild animals thrive, atleast 25,000 persons relocate over the last 10 years

Over the last one week alone, four families of tea estate workers who had been living and working in the tea estates that abound  the rolling, lush green hills of Valparai in Coimbatore district, vacated their homes to settle down in the plains. Two more families from the Mudis Estates, a few kilometers away from Valparai town are packing their belongings to relocate out of the scenic hill station known for its cool climate and breathtaking vistas.

Locked homes and fleeing families are not an anomaly in Valparai but indicators of a disturbing trend. According to the census of 2011, the population of Valparai Municipality, which includes 21 wards, is 70,771.  The population during the 2001 national census was 95,107 signifying an alarming dip over just a 

Inside Kovai: Kings and Queens of pulp fiction reign from here

While a plethora of personalities have made Coimbatore famous through their achievements, writers,  especially novelists, still do not find a place in that elusive list.  Ideally, the city ought to be termed the capital  of Tamil pulp fiction as two of the most prolific writers in the field, Rajesh Kumar and Vimala Ramani, claim this city as their home and muse. 

Together, these two writers have published over 2000 novels that have been well received among the public ranging from university vice chancellors to middleclass housewives to the annachi who sells cigarettes in bunk shops next door. 

To the reader of Tamil crime thrillers (non-literary) of the 80s and 90s, writer Rajesh Kumar is a legend.  His thick moustache, dark glasses and dense, curly hair have added such an enigma to the personality that it is hard to believe that he lives in modest two-storrey home in a quiet residential neighbourhood at Vadavalli churning out crime thrillers week after week. 

Inside Kovai: One of the oldest theatres in Kovai still holds on to Dravidian 'spirit'

While most cinema theatres in the city are being pepped up fervently by owners to screen first shows of latest Kollywood flicks that are being released for Pongal, the excitement is palpably missing  at the Royal Theatre on Big Bazaar Street even at noon on Friday, two days before the festival.

The handful of staff working at the 67-year-old movie theatre laze around in the sprawling two-acre campus, barely a kilometer away from the railway station, as their Pongal special movie had been released barely an hour ago. In front of a giant screen, which is one of the oldest in the region, a modest audience of just a few dozen people sit and enjoy the Pongal release screened here.

“The crowds will gradually pick up for the matinee and evening shows to around 200. Come back on Sunday and you will find the theatre full,” says Ali, who works at Royal Theatre. 

Inside Kovai: Podanur, a bustling railway town that has lost its way amid urbanization

The Podanur Railway Station

Of the many towns in India that owe its growth to establishment of a railway junction, the idyllic southern suburb of Podanur located about five kilometers away from here is probably among the oldest in the country.  While the Chennai Central (Madras Central Station) was built and inaugurated in 1871, the Podanur Railway Junction was established as early as 1862 and was a major hub of the Indian Railways then under the British.

Unlike many other railway junctions that went on to become major commercial and industrial hubs taking advantage of the rail connectivity, the Podanur junction spread across several acres today stands an apology for a railway junction as barely half a dozen trains halt here. As for the Railway Colony behind it, the prevailing condition is much worse.

The decades old railway hospital building at Podanur

Inside Kovai - The Walkers Park in Race Course encircles a small patch of land rich in history

Senior citizens enjoying a walk along the Walkers Path in Race Course on cool, crispy evening

 

If you’re in Coimbatore and enjoy a brisk walk or jog in the morning or evening, you are already probably familiar with the Walkers Park in the Race Course area. For decades, the 2.5 kilometer long neatly maintained path along the Race Course Road located in the posh Race Course area has probably been the only spot in the city where over 10,000 strangers rub shoulders with each other every other day in an effort keep themselves fit.

But, not many are aware of the rich past of this small stretch of land, which historians claim, used to be a horse racing venue way back when Ooty was not yet in the map and hence drew its name. “Between 1804

A file shot of the Old Race Course Area about a 100 years ago