Madurai # Improve Vocabulary

Guts and Glory: On a Chettinad Food Pilgrimage in South India

Madurai’s towering temples are feats of the imagination, filled with deities and demons draped in jewellery, armed with weapons, and often, bearing more limbs than usual.

[PARA 1]

There are two reasons people visit Madurai: Meenakshi and mutton. Meenakshi is Madurai’s feared and revered temple deity, the three-breasted consort of Shiva, who presides over the scorching city from the cool, stone sanctum of the Meenakshi Amman kovil. The temple is an arresting sight, its gopuram crowded with candy-coloured angels and demons that seem crafted from fondant. Like a gaudy, tiered confection of mythical proportions. But I am more interested in the mutton. Madurai’s no-nonsense Chettinad messes, I am told, serve every part of the goat—brain, intestine, liver, lung, tongue, hooves, and head—and I intend on sampling each one.

[PARA 2]

My hankering for the peppery flavours of Chettinad food dates back to my schooling in Madras. Thanks to generous neighbours, classmates’ dabbas, and a mother who is both curious and a wonderful cook, I am well acquainted with the powers of traditional Tamil cooking. I know, for instance, that a good rasam delivers not just potency but also clarity of thought. That there is no better way to start the day than with a tumbler of filter coffee, and no better way to end it than with a steel plate of sambhar, rice, and ghee, preferably with pappadums. But my most treasured food memories of Madras are dinners at Chettinad restaurants. Decades later, recollections of that feisty mutton pepper fry flecked with curry leaves and glistening with pure coconut oil, still make me quiver.

[PARA 3]

Geographically, Chettinad is part of the districts of Sivaganga and Pudukkottai in Tamil Nadu, spread over some 1,500-odd kilometres of arid scrubland. Today, the region is known for its cotton saris, heritage hotels, and antique markets. But before India became independent, and even before the British colonised our ports, spices, and princely states, Chettinad was part of the ancient Tamil Pandyan Kingdom. Its capital was Madurai.

[PARA 4]

The one thing that has remained constant from the 13th century is the city’s blistering weather. Our auto weaves past rickety cycle rickshaws, ambassador cars, and ladies on mopeds, hair neatly plaited and gleaming with oil. We’re headed to Amma Mess, one the city’s most popular restaurants, known for its delicious, inexpensive fare. Within minutes of scoring a table, we’re faced with seven shiny steel plates piled with food: rabbit roast, pepper quail, dosa layered with keema and eggs, parotta mashed with mutton, a neat mound of pigeon biryani, fish curry, and an omelette stuffed with bone marrow. As my fiancé and I lock eyes across the table like soldiers before battle, a waiter appears. “Madam” he says, smiling. “Ghee?”

[PARA 5]

Later that day, we meet Praveena and Mukunthan, a chatty couple who conduct food trails, introducing travellers to Madurai’s markets and lesser-known culinary gems. Within minutes, we see the merits of walking with a local. Madurai’s Old Town seems like a warren of rickety lanes, but Praveena tells us it’s actually remarkably well planned. The streets are laid out in concentric squares around the Meenakshi temple. Each has a different focus: jewellery, flowers, spices, saris, kitchenware. The layout instantly becomes easier to grasp.

[PARA 6]

It’s past 9 p.m. but the market buzzes like a Mumbai railway station at peak hour. It’s warm and terribly crowded and yet, I can’t wipe the smile off my face. The scent of jasmine, the snatches of Tamil, the roly-poly script on store-fronts, like a queue of plump ladies waiting for a bus: Like an incantation, these sights and sounds invoke long-forgotten memories. It’s strange, the things our brains choose to save. With every recollection, the dust clears a little more, my confidence is boosted, and soon I tentatively ask for a bottle of water—in Tamil.

[PARA 7]

As we eat our way through the market, we learn about Madurai’s earliest association with food. Madurai is named after maduram, which means nectar in Tamil, and according to Hindu scriptures, the city was birthed when a drop of ambrosia fell to Earth from Shiva’s dreadlocks. This is why “God and food are Madurai’s favourite pastimes,” Praveena says grinning. Egged on by our charming and enthusiastic guides, we devour ungodly amounts of meat: chicken parottas, goat’s trotters, uttappam and mutton keema, idli and fish curry.

[PARA 8]

And yet, it’s the vegetarian flavours that have me scribbling in my food diary. From street carts we have slices of tender coconut tree bark, cottonseed and jaggery payasam, and adirasam, a decadent cross between a doughnut and a puff pastry that’s deep-fried in ghee. The cottonseed payasam, Mukunthan says, helps curb respiratory disorders and was traditionally consumed by workers in Madurai’s cotton mills.

[PARA 9]

Every plate of food we eat is memorable (pigeon incidentally, tastes like gamier chicken) but it’s not authentic Chettinad food, our hosts inform us. Like the many migrant communities that moved to Madurai for work, regional cuisines too adapt to survive, especially when they’re served in restaurants. Recipes are tweaked for local palates—a little more oil, a little less cooking time, maybe a dash of colour—and before long they barely resemble the original. “You’ll have to go to Karaikudi for the real thing,” emphasizes Mukunthan.

[PARA 10]

We round off our night with Tirunelveli halwa, a gooey, melt-in-the-mouth dessert made from wheat, just the right amount of sugar, and far too much ghee. Served warm, on a dried peepul leaf, it is the closest thing to maduram I have tasted.

[PARA 11]

Oddly enough for a community that loves meat, the Chettiars were originally vegetarians from Kanchipuram in northern Tamil Nadu. They lived there for thousands of years before moving to a place called Kaveripoompattinam, a small thriving Chola port town in the marshy Kaveri delta. Here, they began trading in plump Kaveri rice and salt from the Coromandel Coast but before long, they were travelling with fleets to Malacca, Sumatra, and Java. Their zeal for commerce grew, and with it, their appetite for the Southeast Asian food they encountered on their voyages. Seafood entered the Chettiar kitchen, and soon pots of crab rasam were gently simmering in their handsome homes.

WORDMEANINGSYNONYMS
1. ToweringVery high or tallColossal, gigantic, imposing, lofty, magnificent, massive, mighty, monumental, prodigious, soaring, stately, tall, elevated, sublime, surpassing
2. ImaginationThe action or process of forming images or conceptsThought, artistry, awareness, fancy, fantasy, idea, image, imagery, ingenuity, insight, inspiration, intelligence, inventiveness, originality, resourcefulness, thought, vision, wit
3. DeitiesA god or goddessDivinity, idol, immortal, creator, goddess, godhead, celestial, demigoddess, divine being, supreme being
4. DrapedTo cover or hand with cloth or other fabric, especially in graceful foldsCloak, clothe, cover, dangle, don, dress, enclose, envelop, fold, hang, sprawl, swathe, wrap, array, display, droop, drop, enwrap, line, model, roll, spread, spread-eagle, suspend
5.ReveredTo regard with respect tinged with awe; venerateAdmire, adore, apotheosize, appreciate, be in awe of, cherish, defer to, deify, enjoy, esteem, exalt, hold in awe, honor, look up to, love, magnify, pay homage, prize, put on pedestal, regard, respect, think highly of, treasure, value, venerate, worship
6. ScorchingBurning very hotBlistering, fiery, searing, sizzling, sweltering, burning, hot
7. SanctumA sacred place, especially a shrine within a temple or churchAltar, chancel, shrine, temple, holy place, sacrarium, sanctorium
8. FondantA thick paste mad of sugar and water and often flavored or colored, used in making of sweets and the icing and decoration of cakes.
9.MythicalOccurring in or characteristic of myths or folk talesAllegorical, fabled, fanciful, fictitious, imaginary, legendary, mythic, storied, unreal, whimsical, chimerical, created, fabricated, fabulous, fairy-tale, false, fantasy, fictive, folkloric, invented, made-up, mythological, non-existent, pretended, supposititious, traditional, untrue, visionary
10.HankeringA strong desire to do or have somethingCraving, pining, yearning, ache, druthers, hunger, itch, longing, thirst, urge, want, weakness, wish, yen, fire in belly, munchies.
11.GenerousShowing readiness to give more of something, especially money, than is strictly expected or necessary.Acceptable, benevolent, big, charitable, considerate, fair, good, helpful, honest, hospitable, lavish, reasonable, thoughtful, tolerant, unselfish, willing, altruistic, beneficent, bounteous, bountiful, easy, equitable, excellent, free, greathearted, high-minded, honorable, just, kind, kind-hearted. Kindly, liberal, lofty, loose, magnanimous, moderate, munificent, noble, open-handed, philanthropic, profuse, soft-touch, ungrudging, unsparing, unstinting
12.AcquaintedMake someone aware of or familiar withAbreast, conversant, informed, advised, enlightened, familiarized, apprised of, clued in, familiar with, in the know, versed in
13.PotencyThe power of something to affect the mind or bodyCapability, efficacy, efficiency, vigor, authority, birr, capacity, command, control, dominion, energy, force, go, hardihood, influence, juice, kick, might, moxie, muscle, pep, potential, power, puissance, punch, sinew, snap, sock, steam, strength, sway, virtue, zap, zing, zip, what it takes
14.TumblerA drinking glass with straight sides and no handle or stem;Clown, dancer, gymnast, performer, aerialist, artist, athlete, balancer, contortionist, funambulist, stunt person, trapezist
An acrobat especially one who performs somersaults
15.FeistyLively, determined and courageousBubbly, courageous, excitable, fiery, gritty, gutsy, high-strung, lively, scrappy, spunky, active, alive, difficult, enthusiastic, frisky, full of pep, game, gutty, hot-blooded, mettlesome, ornery, peppy quarrelsome, sensitive, thin-skinned, tough, truculent, zestful
16.GlisteningShine with a sparkling lightBright, burnished, glassy, glazed, gleaming, lustrous, polished, shining, shiny, silky, sleek, reflecting, slick, smooth, brilliant, silken
17. QuiverTremble or shake with a slight rapid motionConvulsion, flash, glimmer, glitter, oscillation, palpitation, pulsation, shake, shimmer, shiver, shudder, sparkle, spasm, throb, tic, tremble, tremor, twinkle
18.ScrublandLand consisting of scrub vegetationBackwoods, bramble, briar, brush, chaparral, creeper, forest, hedge, hinterland, jungle, outback, plant, scrub, shrubbery, thicket, vine, wilderness
19.BlisteringIntenseFiery, heated, scalding, scorching, searing, sizzling, sweltering, torrid, baking, boiling, broiling, burning, roasting, blistery, intense, broiling, burning, roasting, blistery, intense, red-hot, severe
20.GleamingShine brightly especially with reflected lightBright, burnished, glassy, glazed, glistening, lustrous, polished, shining, shiny, sleek, reflecting, slick, smooth, brilliant, silken, silky
21.WarrenA network of interconnecting rabbit burrows
22. RicketyPoorly made and likely to collapsebroken, decrepit, derelict, dilapidated, flimsy, ramshackle, shaky, wobbly, feeble, fragile, frail, imperfect, infirm, insecure, jerry-built, precarious, rachitic, rattletrap, rocky, tottering, tottery, tumble-down, unsteady, wavering, weak
23.BuzzesMake a low, continuous humming soundHum, murmur, whisper, drone, fizz, fizzle, hiss, purr, ring, ringing,whir
24.IncantationA series of word said as a magic spell or charmEnchantment, hymn, abracadabra, bewitchment, chant, charm, conjuration, conjuring, formula, hex, hocus-pocus, hoodoo, invocation, necromancy, rune, sorcery, voodoo, witchcraft, wizardry, ala kazam, black magic, mumbo-jumbo, open sesame
25.AmbrosiaThe food of the godsDelicacy, nectar, heavenly food, immortal food
26.ScribblingWrite or draw carelessly or hurriedlyCacography, graffiti, graffito, griffon age, hieroglyphics
27.TweakedTwist or pull sharplyTease, twist, jerk, pinch, pluck, pull
28.TradingThe action or activity of buying and selling goods and servicesCommerce, deal, dealing, exchange, industry, manufacturing, market, sales, selling, trade, traffic, transaction, affairs, bargaining, barter, commercialization, contracts, game, industrialism, merchandising, racket, undertaking, buying and selling, capital and labor, free enterprise, production and distribution
29.ZealGreat energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objectiveArdor, determination, devotion, diligence, eagerness, earnestness, fanaticism, fervor, gusto, inclination, intensity, passion, perseverance, sincerity, spirit, urgency, verve, warmth, zest, alacrity, bustle, dispatch, drive, enterprise, fierceness, fire, hustle, initiative, intentness, keenness, mania, push, readiness, vehemence, yen, stick- to-itiveness, what it takes
30. SimmeringStay just below boiling point while bubbling gentlyBoiling, heated, hot

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IELTS Band 7 Dehradun 323, 1st Floor, GMS Road, Above Axis Bank, Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun , India – 248001

IELTS Speaking Sample Answer # Volunteer Work

Volunteer work is the one that you do by your choice. The one which you do for free, out of your own wish. Often times, this is the work where you are paid very less or not at all paid. However, one gets to learn a lot through volunteer work. Let us today, have a look at some of the questions related to volunteer work.

Why do you think people volunteer?

I believe there could be several reasons for people volunteering. Some people volunteer because they feel for the cause and want to do something about it. There are some who volunteer because volunteering teaches you a lot. You learn team work, leadership, patience, organizing things and so much more.

Would you like to work as a volunteer?

Definitely yes. I would love to work as a volunteer for an organization related to education, because I do feel that this is something that every individual has a right to have, but very few are able to get the quality education. Anyone who initiates it in some way, I would volunteer. Or may be in some time, start it off on my own.

Have you ever done any volunteer work?

Yes, I was a volunteer for a group named Soften in our organization. The group organizes lot of activities for the under privileged children and I was part of their three day workshop. During that period, lot of kids from the adoption homes and other sections of society came and it was great to listen to them, their stories, their experiences and so much more.

Is volunteering worth the time it takes?

Yes it is. I believe it is more of two way relation where the more you give, the more you gain. There is so much of experience that comes along with it, so much you get to learn and so much of excitement that it makes up for the effort it takes.

What could you do to help if you had no money?

Helping has nothing to do with money. May be I cannot give someone the money but I can surely give what I have, like my knowledge, my experience, the things that I have learnt. It is great to be able to share your knowledge and for the one who receives it, it is surely a pure joy.

volunteer work

What is volunteer screening?

Volunteer screening is the process in which people are screened or judged so that they can be given work that best fits their personality.

What situations need volunteer workers?

Situations which affect the larger group of people needs volunteer work. Because at that time, you cannot think about money and then one also needs lot of people. Like, when there was a Tsunami, lot of people died, so many were homeless and then there were many who could not find their loved one. It was such a massive destruction, that required help from the entire planet.

Can you think of different types of volunteer work?

Volunteering has its own different shades. There is this volunteering where an individual goes to an organization and works on one of their projects. It could be for a month or a year. And then there is gap year volunteering. This is the volunteering which students tend to do during their gap year.  It provides them with the necessary skills for placements. Also, there is travel volunteering wherein the individual can volunteer for different causes while traveling.

Would you volunteer to help people outside your community?

Definitely yes. Volunteering or for that matter helping has nothing to do with community. If I can help anyone I will be more than happy to do it.

Have you read a book about volunteer work?

There is this book that I read, chicken soup for the soul. It was a great book, almost an eye opener. It talks about 101 inspiring stories that talk about volunteers and their experiences and how they gave back what they got.

What types of volunteer work would be unpleasant for you?

I think volunteering for something like “trying to ban valentines day” or for that matter “the organizations bringing religious law and order”. These are things I would prefer not to go forward for. Because, they go against my opinion about how things should be.

What benefits other than personal satisfaction could you personally get by volunteering?

Volunteering has its own great advantages. It increases your social and relationship skills, it helps you make more friends and in some way be more connected with your society. Even more, it helps counteracts the effects of stress, anger and anxiety. Some believe it also helps in fighting depression. Then there are people who are alone, like the older people, volunteering gives them the sense or purpose for life.

Can a volunteer be treated the same as paid staff?

I think it is quite a tough thing to do. Because, a volunteer is more often selected more easily as compared to a paid staff. There is certain skill set that is required, but with volunteer it is less of risk. It might be possible that a volunteer makes a mistake but with a paid staff the chances should be less.

Should you volunteer if your main reason is to benefit monetarily or materialistically?

I think, at the first place, the main motive for volunteering should always be to benefit others. However, if one thinks of it in a monetarily or materialistically manner and does it, I think they still should do it. Because at the end both sides gain a lot.

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IELTS Speaking Sample Answer # Fashion

Fashion is part of our lives, shaping how we do things, dress up and behave. It is not just about wearing those fancy clothes, but also how we do things, the shoes we pick, the books that we read, the way we make our house look. It is an art that shows how to do things in a more creative way. Let us today have a look at some of the questions related to fashion.

What would you think of a women who cut off all her hair and went around bald as a fashion statement?

I think it would depend on the country the woman is living in. For somewhere like in a western country, it might be just a fashion statement. But, for a country like India, doing this for fashion statement requires lot of courage, because hair has lot of importance in our culture. And in situation like this, I am more likely to respect the woman.

What do you think of a man who is bald for fashion’s sake?

I believe it is the individual’s choice to do whatever they want to and with men having less boundations when it comes to experimenting with hair, I think it is completely fine to go out and explore oneself more.

What do you think of women who wear short mini-skirts?

I believe it is here choice of what she decides to wear. A mini skirt might make someone feel more confident, because there is no extra baggage along with it as it does not hits the knee. So, I think may be a woman who wears a short mini skirt is more likely to be free spirited, carefree and fun to be around.

fashion

Do you think that the clothes we wear reflect what is inside us ?

Definitely yes. For most part, what we choose to wear is what we feel about things or ourselves. Sometimes we tend to wear bright and then the other times dull. I think clothes along with the accessories we choose to reflects what is inside us. But, then that is only until a certain degree. Clothes or for that any thing cannot entirely reflect what is inside us.

What do you think of people who always and only wear black?

Their choice. I think, they are more likely to be organized and remain hassle free. Not because they wear only black but because they choose to wear the same color, freeing them from the confusion of choosing what to wear.

What do you think of people with tattoos?

People with tattoos are more likely to be extrovert, in my opinion. Because they choose to show what they feel about other things or show their opinion about other things, and I think it is a great thing to do. However, it does not mean that the ones who don’t have tattoos are introverts, I think the ones with tattoos are more likely to raise their opinion.

Do you have a tattoo?

No, but I would love to have a tattoo once I find something that reflects my thought.

Do you know someone with a tattoo?

There are many friends of mine who have tattoo. There is a friend who has two tattoos and then there is this one friend who has his grandmother’s name tattooed on his chest. A friend who has birds on her hand.

What do you think of people with body piercing?

Body piercing is very common in my country with almost every one having it. Some of them do it because of religion, others because of fashion. No matter what, I think it is cool. But, the ones who tend to do lot of piercing, I don’t find it very attractive.

What would you think of a high school student who always wore very conservative clothes?

There could be two things, either he/she belongs to conservative family or may be it is the individuals choice. But, being a high school student, it is more likely that he or she belongs to a conservative family.

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IELTS Speaking Sample Answer # Painting

Painting is that form of art that allows you to bring in colors to the canvas, the art that allows you to express yourself with colors. Black, blue, white, red, yellow. There is so much that you can do, so much that you can get when you paint and so much that you can express. Although, not every one can express greatly with painting, there is surely something that we can put on that white canvas. Let us today have a look at some of the questions related to painting.

Do you like paintings?

Yes, I do love paintings. I think that paintings can help one to express things better. So, instead of 10000 words hanging on my wall, I will prefer a painting of something on my wall.

What are some famous paintings that you like? 

There is nothing peculiar about the paintings that I like.So, you can say that I don’t follow the great artist and buy paintings just because they drew them. When I buy painting it is mostly because I can relate to them. There is this painting that I have of a woman who is staring at the sky and feet on ground. I loved it because of the way and colors used to show it.

Can you paint?

I am a novice painter. So, yes I can paint, little bit here and there but not very well.

What type of painting do you do?

I like using colors to express myself. So, it is not like a home painting or a woman or something particular. It is just random colors thrown on the canvas, trying to figure out the sense of their existence.

paintings

Have you ever sold one of your paintings?

No, not yet. I think there is so much that I need to learn before I could start selling my paintings.

Are you impressed with people who know how to paint?

Yes, too an extent. It is always great to meet people who know a form of art.

Do you have a painting of yourself?

No, not yet and I think I might not have it as well. But, yes, I would love to have painting of my parents in my home.

Do you like to watch a person painting?

Yes, it is so relaxing to watch someone paint. The painter is almost completely drown in the painting and the way he or she uses brush and the colors, it is great to watch.

 

How much are you willing to pay for a beautiful painting?

I think I can almost around 1000 for a beautiful painting but not more than that. I do love paintings but then I am not such a die heart fan of them that I go on and spend my entire salary on just one painting.

Do you know Leonardo da Vinci and his paintings?

Yes he is the famous painter who painted Mona Lisa. Apart from being a painter, he was also an architect,a scientist and so much more.

Do have paintings at home for decoration?

Yes, I do have some painting at home, at entrance and then some in my bedroom and few in the hall. Every painting says something about the room and the person living in it. Like, the one that I have in the my room is of a woman who is looking at the sky. It is something that I relate to, because it tells me that one should go ahead and follow his or her dreams.

If you could be given the talent to paint, what would you paint?

If ever I could paint well, I think I would love to paint the lives of ordinary people. I believe that definitely there is so much about the lives of the celebrities but then at the same time there is so much extra ordinary about the lives of ordinary, the everyday problems, the everyday issues, the laughter, the tears, the relations, the mediocrity. In everything there is so much of greatness.

How do the colors make you feel?

Colors make me feel alive. There is so much to express with colors. Red, blue, black, yellow, white. And then there are so many shades of these colors. You can express, love, anger, fight, happiness, sadness, excitement and so much more with just colors and it is all so much amazing.

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