The climatic condition in Thoothai will supports not only for Coconut, Paddy, Sugarcane etc. It will also supports for cultivating ornamental flowers, sunflower, gingelly, corn, turmeric etc. As our village people are not well educated and also there is no enough advisory personnel to motivate them towards a innovative way in the agriculture field.
Atleast people should do experimental try for the below, these are all much profittable:
Flowers (Seasonal), Vegetables, Custard Apple, Lemon, Mango, Suppotta, Turmeric.
Thoothai People Can Try
Improved Paddy Cultivation
Improved Paddy Cultivation - "Semmai Nel Sahupadi"
Department of agriculture was requested to supply certified seeds of paddy with genetic purity and to impart training to all farmers in Thoothai on latest technology of "Semmai Nel Sahupadi" a system of rice intensification for increasing yield by 30% over normal method. Alternatively it may called as Improved Paddy Cultivation.
Thoothaoi farmers were encouraged to take up the technology of raising seed farms. The yield from such farms will be used only as seed which will fetch farmers additional profit of Rs 3/- per kg over normal crop.
Sivagangai District Agriculture Officials motivated farmers about the immense grace shown by Thoothai villagers through Village Integrated Programme for their over all upliftment and requested farmers to follow System of Rice Intensification for increase of paddy yield by 30% which will fetch additional income.
Coconut Farms
The Coconut farms are one of the major part in the agriculture in Thoothai. Usually cultivated coconuts will be sold at the near by areas like Thiruppuvanam, manamadurai etc. Pricing will be fixed according to their sizes, usually it starts from Rs 1 and goes upto Rs. 5. The maintenace cost for a coconut farm is usually not affordable it involves much man power from periodical ploughing to cultivating.
Temples around the village
Every people in our village are worshiping Sri Durgai Amman Temple and Sri Sangaiyaa Swamy Temple. Sri Durgai Amman Temple is located in few hundred meters east from the Thoothai main road while Sri Sangaiyaa Temple is also located at very few hundred meters west from the Thoothai bus stop.
Madurai
Madurai - One of the most important place, which every one needs to visit. Madurai is built around the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. Concentric rectangular streets surround the temple, symbolizing the structure of the cosmos. The entire city is laid out in the shape of the lotus.
Vandiyoor Mariamman Teppakulam
Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam is situated at a distance of about 5 km from the Meenakshi Amman Temple. The area of the tank, and the island pavilion with a garden in the center, is approximately equal to the area of Meenakshi Temple. It is one of the largest temple tanks in South India and gets water supply from the Vaigai River. There is a Vinayakar temple situated right in the middle of the tank, which is dedicated to Lord Vigneshwara, the Elephant-faced God.
According to mythology, earth was dug out from the tank to build the Tirumalai Nayakkar Mahal. The place was supposed to be blessed and was later converted into a Teppakulam (tank). The tank is connected to Vaigai River via underground channels. It has total of 12 long stairs (steps) made of granite on all four sides. The temple as well as the stairs was built by the King Thirumalai Nayak.
Mariamman Teppakulam is famous for the celebrations of the Float festival, which is celebrated in the Tamil month of Thai. The festival commemorates the birthday of King Thirumalai Nayak. The celebrations take place on a full moon night and the pristine water turns colourful as the temple is lit. The deities of the temple come down to the tank in colorful floats, presenting a mesmerizing sight. Pilgrims across India come to Madurai to participate in the festival.
Roadways
Madurai has several major bus stands: Madurai Integrated Bus Terminus (MIBT) at Maattuthavani (North), Palanganatham (South), Arappalayam (West), Periyar (Central) and Anna Bus stand (East). From MIBT, many buses to locations all over the south India operate round the clock. From Arapalayam bus stand, buses to places of western Tamil Nadu like Theni, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Salem operate and Periyar bus stand is where only city buses and private buses to major cities operate. Anna bus stand and Palanganatham are not in operation currently.Apart fom city buses, three-wheeled, black and yellow auto-rickshaws, referred to as autos, are available for travel with in the city. MIBT has pre-paid auto counter where commuters can pay fixed auto-fare depends on destination and hire.
Madurai is connected by the following major National Highways:
NH 7 : (North-south Corridor Expressway) Bangalore – Salem – Dindigul – Madurai – Tirunelveli – Kanyakumari
NH 45B : Trichy – Madurai – Thoothukudi
NH 49 : Madurai – Rameswaram
NH 49 Extn : Madurai – Theni – Bodi – Cochin
Bridges have been constructed across the Vaigai river to connect Madurai at various points. Flyovers have been constructed within the city to overcome traffic congestion. Four lane express highways to Chennai and Bangalore make Madurai well-connected by road.
Airways
Madurai Airport is approximately 9 kilometers from the Madurai railway station, and it offers 11 daily flights to major Indian cities like Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore. It also offers flights to Hyderabad, Pune, Goa and Ahmedabad through Chennai. Airlines that serve the Madurai Airport are Jet Airways, Air Deccan, Paramount Airways, Star Aviation (upcoming) and Indian Airlines. International flights from Madurai to Colombo, Singapore and Gulf countries are proposed in the future. The nearest international airport is in Tiruchirapalli International Airport, which is 130 km from Madurai. The airport code for Madurai is IXM.*Sources: Wikipedia, Madurai.org
Sand Quaries - A Threat
Residents on the southern bank of the Vaigai river near Thoothai on the Madurai - Ramanathapuram Road have expressed fear that their villagers may face acute water shortage in near future.
While sand is being quarried in large quantity from the riverbed on the northern side of Thoothai,
in the recent past had an indirect impact on the groundwater table in the area, farmers said.
Earlier, they were able to tap groundwater within 60 to 80 feet in the hamlets. But now the groundwater table has gone down beyond 100 feet.
Further, setting up of a sand quarry on the River riverbed is all set to affect the sub-surface water availability.
Apart from posing a grave threat to the water resource, quarrying of sand has raised fears among the villagers whether the much awaited road link facility would withstand for long or not.
Road damaged
Apart from causing an irreparable damage to natural resources, continuous movement of heavy vehicles laden with blue metal on the Madurai - Ramanathapuram Road has left huge craters on the carriageway.
Further, parking of sand lorries on the highway has led to frequent traffic hold-ups .
It has created problem for motorists on the Madurai - Ramanathapuram Road.
Emergency Services
One of the major problem in Thoothai is "Emergency Service". There is no sufficient emergency health care facilities. In case of any emergencies such as Heart Problem, Accidents, Stroke, Maternity etc; People needs to travel 30 Kms to reach Madurai for better treatment. Though there are number of nursing homes at Tiruppuvanam, Tiruppachethi, Manamadurai and Sivagangai, but there is no sufficient medical facilities / equipments.
To over come this issue, Government should introduce some new facilities like near by emergency services. Not only in Thoothai, this should be introduced in every villages in India. This may save many life.
How to Reach Thoothai
Thoothai is located at 30th Km from Madurai - Rameswaram highways. From Madurai (Periyar Bus Stand), daily 3 times buses are directly reaching Thoothai. 99b is the only direct bus root number from Madurai (Periyar Bus Stand) to Thoothai. Other than that, 99 series, towards Tiruppachethi, T. Velankulam, Idaikkattur etc. will stops in Thoothai Main Road (Thoothai Vilakku).
Or else, through 32 Series from Madurai (Periyar Bus Stand) to Tiruppuvanam, we can reach Tiruppuvanam; from there we can switch to Tiruppuvanam - Manamadurai buses (17, 21, 27) to Thoothai.
Festivals in Thoothai
Pongal festival is counted amongst the most famous and popular in our village. This harvest festival is mainly celebrated in Thoothai and it has three days duration. The three days of the festival have different names like Bhogi (first day), Pongal (second day) and Mattu Pongal (third day). The villagers decorate their houses with beautiful motifs using rice flower during the Pongal festival. Pongal is actually the name of the sweet made of the first rice. During the second day (Maattu Pongal), our villagers will clean their cattle and decorates them, later they will worship those and provides pongal to them.
One of our notable festivals is the Karthigai Deepam festival. Kaarthigai Deepam is a festival of lights, celebrated in the Tamil month of Kaarthigai. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the Kaarthigai month which coincides with Krithikai star. It is also considered as the extension of the Deepavali festival. In some houses, they double the number of lamps every day from the day of Deepavali and this way, they end up with a number of lamps on the day of Kaarthigai Deepam.
It is celebrated in a special manner in Thiruvannamalai. Lord Shiva asks Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu to find out the exact location of his head and his feet. Since Lord Shiva takes a gigantic form, they are not able to find out anywhere. Then Lord Shiva takes the form of a jyothi (light of fire) on the hill of Thiruvannamali. Therefore, this festival is also known as Annamalai Deepam. Here, a special torch is lighted on the zenith of the hill and it is believed that Lord Shiva's jothi will be visible on this day.
Lord Muruga took the form of six babies in a lake called "Saravana Poigai". On this day, all his six forms were united by Parvathi(his mother) and this way, he had six faces. Special poojas are performed to Lord Muruga.
Agriculture
Farming or agriculture has been the principal occupation for the people in Thoothai village since the ancient period. Farming in Thoothai villages is the mainstay for a majority of the total population, as they earn their livelihoods from agriculture. The people cultivate various types of crops throughout the year.
The climatic condition in Thoothai is perfectly suitable for agricultural activities and has been one of the major reasons behind people choosing farming as their principal occupation. In ancient Thoothai, farming was highly dependent on the monsoon condition and hence, most of the crops cultivated during that period were monsoon type crops. In the contemporary period, the dependency on weather has lessened with the advancement of irrigation technology and different types of crops are being cultivated in Thoothai.
People in Thoothai villages are involved with the agriculture sector in various ways. There are many people in Thoothai who cultivate crops independently in their own lands. They occasionally take help of others to do the farming. Another type of farmers in the Thoothai are those who do not have any land of their own. They help others to cultivate crops in their lands. In this way, these people are dependent on agriculture for earning their livelihoods. There are also many people in Thoothai who are involved in contract farming. In contract farming a person takes care of someone else`s land and cultivates crops in the land. He gets a certain portion of the cultivated crops at the end of the season as his rewards. This is a very common practice in Thoothai. In this way also, farming in Thoothai is providing occupation to many people.
Our Thoothai
Serenity, tranquility, quietude and innocence lace the village life in Thoothai. With the nameless - endless vast green fields, flowing rivers, chirping birds, with the swaying coconut trees, whispering the tale of love and languish to the clear blue sky, Thoothai villages bewitch, mesmerize and captivates.
Agriculture is the primary occupation of the village and is therefore reckoned as an unchangeable part of our village culture. Traditionally, caste and our village are considered as synonymous with each other. In Thoothai village life the presence of all the castes with the hierarchy of the Agamudaiyar is noticed. The caste system which originated long back has however remained unchanged in the village life in Thoothai. Although, caste system in its original sense has collapsed yet caste identities are very much present there in the village life in Thoothai. People of all castes within a village address each other by kinship terms, reflecting the fictive kinship relationships recognized within each settlement.
In short about our Village
Thoothai is a village in Sivagangai District of Tamilnadu, India. Located at 30th KM from Madurai towards Rameswaram Highway. Thoothai is surrounded with Coconut farms, Paddy field and Sugarcanes field. In short we can define it as a Green Village.
One more nature's gift to this village is river Vaigai. Starting from Periyar dam - Kerala, the river is passing through our village too and finally ends it's journey at Indian Ocean.