Two-and-a-half-year-old Mahadiya is playing in the sandy muttram (courtyard) of her ancestral house on Chidambara Theru (Street) in Udangudi, in Thoothukudi district. The house, with palm wood trusses and a tiled roof, was built by her great-great-great-grandfather. Ms. Mahadiya and her mother, who now live in Chennai, have come to Udangudi to spend their Pooja holidays. Her mother says that playing in the sand will boost her immunity and improve her hand-eye coordination.
Nazar, the present owner of the house, says he preserves it without modern alterations, honouring his grandfather’s insistence on retaining the open courtyard and sandy floor for environmental and climatic reasons. While many houses, though retaining their old structures, have covered the courtyards with roofs, Mr. Nazar has not.
