Kurumpanai

Kurumpanai is a small hamlet on the west coastline of Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. It has a two-kilometre-long (1.2 mi) natural beach along its western shoreline.

Economy

More than 8,000 families live in Kurumpanai. The people are predominantly employed in fishing as it is the traditional profession. The current generation has begun to employ scientifically advanced mechanisms for fishing.

Education

Kurumpanai includes St. Ignatius Higher Secondary School, a higher secondary school named after its patron St. Ignatius. Almost every house has at least one person who is a graduate or a post-graduate. The younger generation has begun looking for jobs and business opportunities in the metropolitan cities in India as well as overseas.

Employment opportunities

Neither Kurumpanai nor the adjoining villages have any industry that can provide employment to the educated youth of the village. Schools primarily remain a source of employment for educated girls.

Transportation

The people of Kurumpanai primarily depend on the public transport buses that connect to the nearby towns of Nagercoil, Marthandam, Colachel and Karungal. Auto-rickshaws and privately owned cars are also available for hire. The nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram International Airport which falls in the state of Kerala.

Religious orientation

Kurumpanai is an all-Catholic village of approximately 12,000 people. Its Catholic church has the patronage of St. Ignatius of Loyola, administered by the Catholic Diocese of Kottar. The Congregation of Franciscan Missionaries of Mary has established a Catholic convent here.