Only in the dictionary.....

Dear friends,

I was thinking about this for a long time. ( how long ...don't know)

When my son was reading Tamil with his father, this word, what I was thinking to write about, was being mentioned there.
struck me, so I thought, this is the topic for this week's scribbling from me.

So go ahead and read... and get to know the word, what I am talking about.

I looked for the equivalent English word in the Tamil-tamil-english Dictionary.
i got it and am writing with confident. hope so:

In those days this word took the form of a place where travellers used to take some rest during their long journeys and with hospitality from the owners they will be rejuvenated and continue their journey.

Forget this matter, nowadays we use different types of transportation.

Maybe this also one of the reasons for its disappearance from the' face of the houses'.
I think you are nearing the place I am describing about.

With apartments and flats (ok, both are the same) sprouting up like mushrooms,
this part of the house called 'PIAL' is being erased from the houses and put it somewhere in the park as benches.

When I was a kid, every house in our street had 'thinnai' ( pial) where we friends used to play, when adults are talking about their day-to-day activities, ideas, suggestions, gossiping and what not, is discussed there.
I used to sit with my parents and grandparents after our night work and talk and talk and talk, till we go to sleep.
I was literally in tears when I went to my house and saw that the thinnai has been removed to accomodate the traffic on the road.

PIAL is seen only in the dictionaries, felt in our memories and maybe seen in the cinemas where 'village' plays an important role..(grameeya manam)

Any memories of that part....of the house...friends...

sriniketan

yes!Remember during my visit to the south india and my mom's home in tirunelveli pattabathu agraharam had this pial in every home and so cute with a backrest to sit relaxed, some homes in bangalore too have these which are very old and yet to be changed as apartments..sunkan

Sri....I talk more about friendship...It never ends with regards to me....As there is something for the people to learn till their last moment of life...

We are still a big group of friends...if anybody can remember us...can be done only with that....our dreams, goals, emotions, fantasies of that age, food, snacks and what not...Some of us were in love....the frustrations, worries, joy and romance in that love....So, needless to say, it is one among us...

Sriniketan,


We showed our children a house with thinnai and muttram when we were in thanjavur.

It is a dream house for me and vyas to have a house with all this, to retire..hope we achieve that.

When i was a small kid, I remember, I used to sit in the thinnai with my GF. My Grandfather was a very great man in the place. so i used to have those paper machie bowls...(2 of them.) one used to have ( some 1 paise /2 paises)

When the pori fellow goes he will come take a 1 paise and just put some pori in the other bowl....just pat me and go. and the same with the acchu vellam paati.... as i grew up, Playing pallanguzhi on the thinnai, making vadams in the muttrams with granny are some memories....

Sri,
Even now when we go to our village, we enjoy this place having tea/coffee and gossips with cousins, meet our relatives, oh really that days we enjoy, missing now.
love,
latha

Hi Sunkan,
Old charm always has its charm.
Fear of losing it made me write this...

sriniketan

Oviya,

Maybe true friendship might be rare...but it can be felt among true friends..sometimes it is difficult to find some, but it is worth the effort on our part, isn't it!

sriniketan

Best wishes for your dream house, Shanthi and Veda..

Sure, thinnais and muttrams give us immense pleasure, and is one among the list of things we enjoyed, isn't it!

My children, on their visit to Chennai, went to see my grandpa's home in Kancheepuram, where the above said parts are still in tact.
They liked that house a lot!

sriniketan

Hi Lata,
Villages are the only places where they still have pials, maybe someplaces in cities where flats didn't make their appearance.
Memories associated with pials are always enjoyable..
As Shanthi mentioned it is the playground for us at that time of age...

sriniketan

Hi Sri Mam,

You have chosen a good topic.During my summer holidays I used to go to my Uncle's home which is in Tanjore.It is common to have Thinnai in front of each house there.Till now most of the houses have this.I like my uncle's house because of this thinnai.Inside the house Ralli(square place where there wont be any roof) also there.The structure of his house is very attractive.But now a days I couldnt go there often.Still those sweet memories make me feel happy always.