ashokism...

Oct 29, 2026

Popli bros -a part of Madurai's sporting history

Standing proudly on West Tower Street, near Central Cinema, Popli Bros is one of Madurai’s oldest sporting goods establishments, with a history dating back to 1913.

Hand painted original signboard

Founded by Late Shri Gian Chand Popli (G.C. Popli), the store traces its origins to a time when organised sports were gaining popularity during the British colonial era. The Popli family, originally from Sialkot in the Punjab province of undivided India, made Madurai their home, bringing with them an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for sports. For generations of Madurai’s sports enthusiasts, schoolchildren and aspiring athletes, Popli Bros has been a familiar destination for cricket bats, footballs, hockey sticks, trophies and a wide range of sporting equipment. Over time, its offerings have expanded to include musical instruments and other recreational products.

Vintage image

Equally captivating is the building itself, with its distinctive vintage façade, ornamental balcony railings and decorative figures standing guard on either side. In an era when commercial establishments are increasingly defined by modern storefronts, Popli Bros retains the charm and character of old Madurai.

More than just a sports shop, Popli Bros is a living reminder of the city's mercantile heritage—a business that has served generations and continues to hold a special place in Madurai's collective memory.

Oct 28, 2026

Urban façade

The Big wheel of Madurai

One of the biggest curiosities of my childhood in Madurai was a giant, green-colored wheel that towered above the stone compound wall of the Madura Coats campus. As a child, I would often wonder what this enormous piece of machinery was and why it stood there. As I grew older, I assumed it must have been some old industrial equipment preserved as a relic of the past. However, I never really made an effort to find out its history.

On a recent visit to Madurai, as I drove past this familiar landmark, curiosity finally got the better of me. I decided it was time to discover the story behind the Big Wheel. What I learnt was fascinating. The giant wheel is part of what is believed to be the world’s first flywheel power plant, installed at Madura Coats in 1913. It was used to power the New Mills at Madurai for 48 years, until 1961. Today, in 2026, the remarkable machinery is 113 years old and continues to stand as a monument to the city’s industrial heritage. For generations of Madurai residents and mill workers, it has been a familiar landmark and a reminder of the city’s early industrial progress.

For me, it was one of those mysterious objects that formed the backdrop to my childhood, silently standing tall behind a compound wall - a childhood curiosity that has finally revealed a remarkable chapter of the city’s industrial past.

A followup up story was the hot water that was discharged by the mill and flowed out into a small canal from here during the days of the fly wheel power plant. The canal was called the Suduthanni vaaikal ( hot water canal in Tamil). This continued till the mill received electricity for its power requirements. But the canal still continued to be called the same even during my childhood days where we used to fish local guppies for our aquariums.

May be the loco shed of the railways next door too majorly contributed to the hot water discharge as it was the days of steam engine.

My friend Chella recounted an interesting information he had heard from his dad who was once an employee in the mills. It was said that people suffering from leprosy used to sit along the canal with their legs immersed in the warm water, possibly believing it offered some cure or relief.

Oct 27, 2026

Madurai's first departmental store

One of the little excitements of my childhood in the 1980s was a cycle-rickshaw ride with my grandmother to Remuki Stores, somewhere along East Avani Moola Street, just a stone’s throw from the Meenakshi Amman Temple.

Founded around 1975–76 by a Gujarati Shah family, Remuki was a pioneer of the supermarket format in Madurai. At a time when the city’s shopping experience was largely dominated by traditional provision stores, Remuki offered something rather different.

This was where Grandma went to pick up a few "exotic groceries"—things that were not always easy to find elsewhere in the city. Remuki was the place to go for premium-quality groceries and imported products, giving it an air of sophistication that set it apart from the neighbourhood stores.

For me, though, the attraction went beyond groceries. A bar of Cadbury’s chocolate and a few Eclairs toffees were mandatory purchases on every visit! After all, a shopping trip with Grandma was not complete without a little something for the young accomplice tagging along.

Somewhere along the way, the original store shut its doors, taking with it a little piece of Madurai’s retail history. Its branch on 80 Feet Road in K.K. Nagar continues to survive, but for those of us who remember the original, it is merely a poor reminder of a once-popular city landmark.

Remuki today at kk nagar

Remuki Stores was more than just a place to shop. It was part of a childhood ritual—a cycle-rickshaw ride, an outing with Grandma, the discovery of unfamiliar goodies, and, of course, the irresistible promise of a Cadbury’s chocolate!