MADURAI: “We didn’t take a headcount. Perhaps you could try counting from the photograph we clicked in front of our ancestral home,” said C Thirugnanan, one among the 300-odd family members who came together to celebrate their 100-year-old home in Karaikudi in Sivaganga district on Sunday.A total of 65 families, some based in Dubai, Malaysia and Canada, were in attendance at the house in Velangudi village. Built by Periyannan Ambalam and his younger brother Subbiah Ambalam from 1922 to 1926, the house stands on an acre with 30 rooms and four kitchens. “When they built it, our forefathers wanted it to stand tall even after 100 years, and wished our family live here together. Even though many reside in different countries, we came together on this day,” Thirugnanan said.“If not for this house, we doubt if all 300 of us would have been connected the same way,” said Saravanan Solaimalai, a fourth generation of Periyannan Ambalam, who is based in Dubai. He initiated renovation work on the house and organised the centenary ceremony. “It was in 2016 that some of us came to the house for a function. We then decided that 10 years later the centenary would be celebrated in a grand manner,” he said. Planning, renovating, and collecting money began a year prior to the D-day, he said. “I used to run around in this house and my ayya (father) would scold me that the house may get damaged if I ran so fast,” said Leela Solaimalai, Saravanan’s 79-year-old mother. “Memories from even 50 years ago are distinct in my mind,” she said. She makes sure to spend at least 10 days every year in the house, especially during Navratri and Pongal.Saravanan said they wanted to pass on the legacy to the sixth generation. Among old photographs of family members are one with the army of Subhas Chandra Bose in Malaysia. “300 people living together in a house could be difficult. But even today there are families in Karaikudi who live in joint families,” said 21-year-old Anvitha S. “My father often drew the family tree and explained it to me, but I never met them or knew their faces,” she said. At the ceremony, Anvitha met her cousins, practised dance, and performed it in front of the family. Various competitions for children, like singing and dance, and pattimandram (debate) for older people were organised on the occasion, she added.“Building a house is an emotion. Everyone builds a house thinking that their family must live in it for 100 years. We are glad to make it a reality,” Saravanan added.
