As Mamallapuram prepares to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping for the second India-China Informal Summit later today, the coastal town in Tamil Nadu is a picture in contrast. The colourful arches, speckless roads, traditional flower and plantain decorations convey a festive mood at the venue of the meeting but it’s dampened by the area resembling an abandoned village under a thick security blanket. In only a few hours, though, the sounds of Tamil folk musical instruments and motorcade sirens will break the quiet. 

The Tamil Nadu government has deployed thousands of police to secure the venue and the route that Modi and Xi will take from the airport. The police are coordinating the logistics and surveillance with central security teams as well as their Chinese counterparts. 

Residents and shopkeepers in the area say they have never seen an event like this even though Mamallapuram, about 50 km south of Chennai, is a major tourist destination. The Group of Monuments at Mamallapuram, founded by the Pallava kings in the 7th and 8th centuries, is a Unesco world heritage site. Nearly 11.5 lakh people visited the monuments in 2017, around 6 per cent of them foreigners. 

Though the government has not ordered the shops shut, most of them are shuttered as the Archaeological Survey of India has temporarily prohibited the public from visiting the monuments. 

Temporary barricades have been put up, starting from a 30-km radius of the venue.

A few artisan shops that are open have stacked their display windows and shopfronts with hand-sculpted statues of the Budhha and Hindu deities. “Officials from the government took a six-foot Buddha statue and a dozen other pieces from our showroom to display it at the heritage monuments,” says a sales worker at Valluvar Arts and Crafts.

One of these open shops is run by Sajjad from Kashmir who sells carpets, jewellery and handicrafts. “I usually bring items from Kashmir every two months, but because of the lockdown I haven’t been able to bring any stock,” he says. 

Sajjad, who did not want to disclose his last name, is in Mamallapuram for the last 20 years. He could not contact his family back home for nearly two months after the valley was put on lockdown. “Since a few landline phones have been restored now, my parents have been going to a police station and calling me.” 

Sajjad, like many people in Mamallapuram, is glad that the place has got a makeover because of the summit. “About 45 Kashmiris have shops in this locality,” he says. “This is my second home. Even though we have had almost no business in the past few days, we are glad that Mamallapuram was chosen for an important meeting.” 

Sajjad’s shop in Mamallapuram.

Several stores in Mamallapuram sell Tibetan and Kashmiri handicrafts. In spite of the sensitivity of the Kashmir and Tibetan issues, the shopkeepers say the local police conducted a routine verification; there was no additional scrutiny for them. 

Deputy Commissioner of Police for Adyar, P Pakalavan, who is overseeing security for Xi and Modi’s route from the airport, says they have detained at least 42 Tibetaans in the city for planning to wave black flags at the Chinese president. “For such high-profile events, we prepare for all sorts of protests,” Pakalavan says. “So far, we have not got any inputs of protests by political parties or any other community. There are teams engaged in surveillance to ensure this is a smooth affair.” 

The official added that all Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation liquor outlets located along the road leading to the venue will be shut to avoid any disturbances. 

The Facebook page of the Tibet Students’ Association of Madras has put up a post claiming that they were made to sign a statement saying they “will not indulge in unlawful activities” by the police as a “precautionary measure”. The post adds that the association’s president and one member have been detained, along with several other Tibetans. “They should be able to express their protest peacefully against the Chinese leadership. They are not causing any physical threat to anyone,” says the association’s former president, Tenzin Phuntsok Doring. “Tibetans feel that India provides freedom of speech and expression. When I was president of the association in 2012, we protested peacefully near the US Consulate in Chennai for Tibetan freedom, but all of us were detained. A similar situation is happening now.”

A temporary arch erected at the entrance to the Unesco sites.

Modi, too, has faced protests every time he has visited Tamil Nadu since last April, with people taking to the streets and trending #GoBackModi on social media. Indeed, even today, #GoBackModi is trending on Twitter, in both English and Chinese.

Although Tamil Nadu’s Opposition parties are also arrayed against Modi, they have expressed support for the summit. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief MK Stalin and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Vaiko have both applauded the prime minister for choosing Mamallapuram as the venue. While welcoming the decision on Tuesday, Stalin recalled past trade connections between Tamil Nadu and China. 

“It is about putting the nation above politics,” says the DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai, recalling how the party’s founder CN Annadurai had given up his demand for a separate Tamil nation during the Indo-China war of 1962. “Anna did not want to create a dispute in our country which was already in danger. Similarly, our party president now has made it clear that it is prestigious for the state to hold a significant bilateral meet. We are always for the larger picture.” 

As recently as last month, Stalin planned a statewide protest against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s pitch for making Hindi the official language of the entire country. It took Governor Banwarilal Purohit’s clarification that Hindi would not be imposed on the state for Stalin to withdraw his protest. 

Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, meanwhile, has urged the people to give Xi and Modi a rousing reception. 

Since the movement of the public has been restricted, shops have downed shutters.

But residents of Mamallapuram don’t know if they can even peek at the two leaders, who will zoom past their doors. But they are happy for the attention their small town has received. “We have always received tourists but now with this meet, we have been put on the global map. People all over the world must be reading or watching news about Mamallapuram,” says Sashi Sethu, who runs a hotel in the town.

Travel arrangements

• After Xi lands in Chennai, his official car will take him to ITC Grand Chola, where he is staying.
• Modi will take a helicopter from the Chennai airport to the Mamallapuram helipad. He will stay at the Taj Fisherman’s Cove.

Security measures

• At least 43 special officers and 10,000 police officers are on duty, from the Chennai airport to Mamallapuram.
• Around 500 CCTVs have been installed.
• There will be cultural programmes at 34 locations along the route of Xi’s motorcade.
• Coast Guard ships will be patrolling close to the shore while naval ships will be deployed in territorial waters.
• Almost 15,000 fishermen have been restricted from fishing for three days.

The itinerary

October 11

• 5-6 pm: Modi and Xi will tour three monuments, Arjuna’s Penance, Five Rathas and Shore Temple.
• 6- 6.30 pm: Cultural performance 
• 6.45- 8 pm:  Dinner

October 12

• 10-10.40 am: Private discussion between Modi and Xi
• 10.50-11.40 am:  India-China delegation level talks
• 11.45 am-12.45 pm: Lunch in honour of the Chinese president