Here's an article published in The New Indian Express some years back. The article by Mr. KS Sundram recollecting his memories of the ever famous 'Iruttu Kadai Halwa'.
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- Published Date: Nov 5, 2009 11:13 PM
- Last Updated: May 15, 2012 11:40 PM
The shop opens at 5 in the evening and closes at 10 in the night. So, the shop has earned its name — Iruttu Kadai Halwa.
My birthplace Tirunelveli is famous for producing stalwarts of the
freedom movement like V O Chidambaram, Subramanya Bharathi, Vanchinathan
and litterateurs like Vanamamalai, T K Sivasankaran, Vannanilavan and
Aadhavan. But, of late I am pained at the way this historic temple town
is portrayed in Tamil films. Films like Tirunelveli and Tamirabharani (a
perennial river flowing through this town) became box office hits only
because of the gruesome caste violence depicted in them.
In one of a Tamil films veteran artiste Manorama boasts that she belongs to Tirunelveli which is famous for ‘halwa’ and ‘aruva’ (a broad, heavy knife). While I don’t know much about the ‘aruva’ the reference to Tirunelveli halwa made me nostalgic about my childhood years.
Just opposite to the historic Nelliappar temple, in East Car Street, there is a halwa shop with no signage. The shop is dimly lit and opens at five in the evening and closes at 10 in the night. Because of this unique timing, the shop has earned its name — Iruttu Kadai Halwa. It has a hoary past. It was established by a family from Rajasthan, about 90 years ago, when the forefathers of the present owner descended to this town and settled.
The present shop, though inconspicuous, is famous in entire Tamil Nadu and word has spread to far-off places as well. In fact, if one were to Google ‘Iruttu Kadai Halwa’ more than 200 links would be displayed going on to show the extent of its popularity. While MNCs are spending crores of rupees to advertise their products, this shop has earned its name through the mouth-watering delicacies and through references in numerous Tamil films.
During my school days, I stayed with my grandparents at Tirunelveli. Once in a month I was given half an anna. I would go to the Nelliappar temple in the evening and after spending some time in the temple, I would dash to the halwa shop. The money would fetch me 50 gms of halwa. Once I asked the owner the secret behind the unique taste of the halwa and he jocularly remarked that the uniqueness could be attributed to the Tamirabharani.
After seven years in the town, I shifted to Madras with my parents for my graduation. Every year I used to visit Tirunelveli and the Iruttu Kadai halwa would be my favourite hangout where we friends could be found discussing everything from politics to cinema over a plantain leaf holding piping hot halwa.
Over the years the taste has only improved and it is still inexpensive by market standards. But when I shifted my base to Bangalore, I stopped visiting Tirunelveli, as all my relatives had left the town by then.
Four years back, my brother went to Tirunelveli on official visit. He went to the Nelliappar temple to offer prayers and he found the famous halwa shop busy supplying halwa to customers. The shop still did not have a name board.
I feel that this shop deserves a marketing study, because, the owners of the shop still stick to age-old tradition of commerce and are content with having their faithful following of customers.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/opinion/article126741.ece?service=print
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I was fortunate, thanks to aunty and uncle's recent trip to Singapore, for bringing back a packet of this renowned taste for us.
In one of a Tamil films veteran artiste Manorama boasts that she belongs to Tirunelveli which is famous for ‘halwa’ and ‘aruva’ (a broad, heavy knife). While I don’t know much about the ‘aruva’ the reference to Tirunelveli halwa made me nostalgic about my childhood years.
Just opposite to the historic Nelliappar temple, in East Car Street, there is a halwa shop with no signage. The shop is dimly lit and opens at five in the evening and closes at 10 in the night. Because of this unique timing, the shop has earned its name — Iruttu Kadai Halwa. It has a hoary past. It was established by a family from Rajasthan, about 90 years ago, when the forefathers of the present owner descended to this town and settled.
The present shop, though inconspicuous, is famous in entire Tamil Nadu and word has spread to far-off places as well. In fact, if one were to Google ‘Iruttu Kadai Halwa’ more than 200 links would be displayed going on to show the extent of its popularity. While MNCs are spending crores of rupees to advertise their products, this shop has earned its name through the mouth-watering delicacies and through references in numerous Tamil films.
During my school days, I stayed with my grandparents at Tirunelveli. Once in a month I was given half an anna. I would go to the Nelliappar temple in the evening and after spending some time in the temple, I would dash to the halwa shop. The money would fetch me 50 gms of halwa. Once I asked the owner the secret behind the unique taste of the halwa and he jocularly remarked that the uniqueness could be attributed to the Tamirabharani.
After seven years in the town, I shifted to Madras with my parents for my graduation. Every year I used to visit Tirunelveli and the Iruttu Kadai halwa would be my favourite hangout where we friends could be found discussing everything from politics to cinema over a plantain leaf holding piping hot halwa.
Over the years the taste has only improved and it is still inexpensive by market standards. But when I shifted my base to Bangalore, I stopped visiting Tirunelveli, as all my relatives had left the town by then.
Four years back, my brother went to Tirunelveli on official visit. He went to the Nelliappar temple to offer prayers and he found the famous halwa shop busy supplying halwa to customers. The shop still did not have a name board.
I feel that this shop deserves a marketing study, because, the owners of the shop still stick to age-old tradition of commerce and are content with having their faithful following of customers.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/opinion/article126741.ece?service=print
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I was fortunate, thanks to aunty and uncle's recent trip to Singapore, for bringing back a packet of this renowned taste for us.
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