Pudumadam

Pudumadam is a village in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located of National Highway 47 in road Rameshwaram. Pudumadam is 4 km from Uchippuli which is on the National Highway 49 (NH 49). NH 49 runs from Kochi to Rameswaram. The nearest railway station is Uchippuli but express trains do not stop here. The closest town is Ramanathapuram and is 25 km from Pudumadam. Pudumadam is an isthmus (Thin stretch of land that connects two larger land masses with water on both sides)Pictured right is a typical street in Pudumadam, with palm thatch roofed, tile roofed and concrete roofed houses depicting the reluctant shift of life in Pudumadam from its fine golden sand paths to tar filled roads.FishingPudumadam being a coastal village had fishing as its primary occupation. Some were traders running businesses in Sri Lankan mainland which is only tens of nautical miles from here.EmigrationLater on people started moving out of the village in search of better livelihood. Most of them ended up as labourers in Gulf countries as most people of Pudumadam never gave education a good try. Some earned their living by acting as travel agents and proprietors for well known footwear industries all over India.