Kanchipuram is a pleasant rural town. The people are villagers. Generally they are not aware of their own great town. Visitor is always a respectable guest to them. They are usually very kind to visitors. Appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes you may find a man dressed in the simplest South Indian dhoti and shirt, riding down the road on a bicycle, but never be sure regarding his wealth. Most of the city's millionaires lead that kind of life. They are very down to earth personality but some of them are making habit of leading a luxurious life. A car is not so necessary for the veterans of the city's centuries-old silk industry. Inside the not-so-impressive house you see on a side street, you might find a bunch of handlooms running round the clock, earning up to a few hundred rupees every hour. Still, the bicyclist millionaire has all the time on earth when a visitor stops him and asks for directions and suggestions. As it goes with any part of rural India, women can be quite shy and may not appreciate a stranger stopping them to ask for directions or any form of help, especially if the stranger is not a woman. Avoid them. Don't get unnerved if they neglect you. It's not that they hate you. That is their nature to shy. |
