Express News Service
CHENNAI: 45-year-old Chinna Ponnu, clad in a sari and an apron with the words ‘TenderCuts’, picks a hefty blade and begins sharpening it across a board. She turns around, selects a fine piece of meat from the cold storage, places it on a wooden board and slices it into delicate and defined cuts.
The 5’1”-tall butcher doesn’t let her petite size define her. She doesn’t flinch even once, and for the next minute-and-a-half, she gets tucked away into a zone one which she has carved for herself. “Idhu oru kalainge (This is an art),” tells the master butcher from Panruti, with a smile plastered on her face.