An open letter The Fort at 375 deserves bettermadrasmusings.com/Vol 24 No 23/vol-24-issue-23.pdfknow if it was Sar speaking at the other end. MMM was not so sure as to which Sar was

WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI

MUSINGSVol. XXIV No. 23 March 16-31, 2015

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INSIDE

• Short ‘N’ Snappy

• Best of Indian architecture

• They built Mylapore‘s temple

•Making T’Nagar worldclass

• Birds in our backyards

Madras Landmarks

– 50 years ago

(By A Special Correspondent)

(Continued on page 2)

The Fort at 375deserves better

One of the best known landmarks of North Chennai, this building is synony-mous with the promotion of Tamil as a musical language. Strange though

it may seem, that was not the view of the scholars and practitioners of Carnaticmusic till the 1930s. That was largely a circumstance of history, for much ofMadras Presidency had, after the Cholas, been ruled by Telugu-speakingVijayanagar rulers and Nayaks and, after them, the musical heartland ofTanjore came under the control of the Marathas.

When a group of thinkers, writers and musicians tried to set this imbalanceright in the 1930s, they met with stiff opposition, especially from the MusicAcademy and the Indian Fine Arts Society (IFAS), the two established sabhas.However, the Tamil lobby had the support of stalwarts such as T.K. Chidam-baranatha Mudaliar, Kalki R. Krishnamurthy and the singer M.S. Subbu-lakshmi. Most importantly, the movement was bankrolled by Rajah SirAnnamalai Chettiar.

The Tamil Isai Sangam came into existence in 1943 as the vehicle for thiscause, the name being given by Rajaji. From its first year, it began hosting aconcert season in December, challenging the monopoly of the Academy and theIFAS. The songs performed had to be only in Tamil. A suitable venue proved tobe a problem and, for the first few years, it held its programmes in the ParishHall of St Mary’s Cathedral on Armenian Street. It later conducted programmesat the Museum Theatre.

In 1948, 23 grounds of land at the eastern end of the Esplanade were takenon lease for fifty years from the Corporation of Madras. Work began in 1949,by which time the Rajah had died. The design was by L.M. Chitale and theauditorium was the first of its kind in the city. Closely supervised by the Rajah’ssons, Rajah Sir M.A. Muthiah Chettiar and M.A. Chidambaram, whose officeswere located next door to the site, the auditorium rose quickly. The architect inan article also gave much credit for several elements in the design to Sir R.K.Shanmukham Chetty, the first Finance Minister of independent India, who hadbecome President of the Tamil Isai Sangam after the Rajah’s passing.

The Raja Annamalai Mandram, a two storeyed building with constructedspace of 20,000 square feet on the ground floor was ready in time for the musicseason of 1952. It was declared open by Rajaji on October 31st that year. It is alavishly constructed structure with generous use of fine timber and perhaps oneof the first buildings in the city to use mosaic instead of the more traditionalgranite. It is noteworthy for its combination of art deco with the traditionalChettinad style of architecture, the latter predominating in the woodwork inparticular.

The auditorium was designed keeping acoustics in mind and soon became afavourite of performing artistes. The first floor hosts the Sangam’s music collegeand also a gallery of instruments. The entrance has a statue to the founderunveiled in 1964 by Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, the Maharajah of Mysore, whowas the next year to become the Governor of Madras.

Some major modifications were undertaken in 1968, to coincide with thesilver jubilee of the Sangam. These were undertaken by S.L. Chitale, son of theman who had designed the original edifice. These changes, largely in the interior,were done to keep out the ambient noise, which had increased sharply in a decade.The seats, 866 in number, were padded and arranged in a circular fashion with

� An open letter

ToThe Chief SecretaryGovernment of Tamil NaduFort St GeorgeChennai 600 009

Dear Sir,

Re: Fort St George at 375

This is to greet you on theoccasion of our beloved

Fort turning 375 years whichlandmark date will be on April23rd of this year. We are surethat several celebrations andcommemorative events are be-ing planned by the Governmentto mark this historic milestone.It is heartening that at the timethis anniversary has come

about, the seat of governmentis once again where it ought tobe, namely within the Fort,which is where much of whatwe call modern India had its ori-gins.

The following facts may notbe new to you but we are onceagain bringing them to yourkind attention as they are worthrecalling and establish thegreatness of our Fort – this waswhere the Indian army wasborn, this was where modernIndia’s first bank (the MadrasBank) was set up, this was thebirthplace of one of the oldestcivic bodies of the world, theCorporation of Madras, now

Chennai. It was also where thehealth facility that we recogniseas the General Hospital was setup in 1644, leading to our citytoday being an acknowledgedcapital of medical tourism. Ofcourse, it goes without sayingthat modern governance as weknow of it, and of which youand the Government are incharge, took shape here as didthe oldest archive in the worldfor Governmental records, to-day the Tamil Nadu Archives.The list of the Fort’s claims togreatness is practically inex-haustible. It is a record thatbehoves the Government towork at getting the Fort recog-nised as an UNESCO-listedWorld Heritage Precinct. Awelcome attempt to achievethis was led by the Governmenta couple of years ago, andthough that failed there is noreason why it should not becampaigned for with evengreater vigour now.

Given this context, we alsofeel it is our bounden duty tobring to your notice that thereare several aspects of the Fort’spresent condition that call forimmediate action. The generallevel of upkeep has fallen overthe years, especially in partsthat are directly under theGovernment’s purview. The carparking facilities within the Fortare completely haphazard andthere are very few clearly mark-ed pedestrian areas. With ahuge parking lot in front of theFort itself, and which liesunused for most of the year, it isindeed a pity that so manyvehicles need to come into theFort itself. It is time Govern-ment vehicles too used that lot,and made the Fort only a dropor pick-up area.

Secondly, the number ofposters and hoardings that havecome up within this heritage

Lessons for & from

Pondy Festival

(Continued on page 3)

Last month saw the launch of what promises to be an annualfixture – a celebration of Pondicherry’s heritage. Directly

inspired by the Madras Week celebrations, it was spurred on by therecent collapse of the historic Mairie building in that city. Thefestival was very successful as far as a beginning went, with excel-lent participation by residents, conservationists and, above all,elected representatives. While this calls for deserved congratula-tions all around, it is also time for some reflection on how the eventcan be improved and taken forward in the future.

Unlike Chennai, where the battle for heritage conservation ismore often than not a lost cause and the occasional victory is ofthe pyrrhic variety, Pondicherry has much going for it. For one,heritage enthusiasts and conservationists are not forever set on acollision course with the Government. That was reflected in thepresence of the elected representatives at the festival. And, what’smore, the Government has promised all possible help for theconduct of future festivals of this kind. That is not something thathas happened in Chennai, despite Madras Week having seen eighteditions thus far.

Secondly, owing to its never having expanded into a full metro,Pondicherry has retained a lot of its heritage. Most of the old build-ings are still standing, especially in the White Town. There is alsoa strong realisation that tourism is a source of income for the cityand this is being encouraged. While this may have resulted in an

(Continued on page 2)

2 MADRAS MUSINGS March 16-31, 2015

The telephone rang and The Man from Madras Musings

answered it. A most diffidentvoice piped up, wanting toknow if it was Sar speaking atthe other end. MMM was notso sure as to which Sar waswanted. In these days ofH1N1, the last thing anyonewants is an outbreak of SARS.But the voice at the other endthen asked if it had the plea-sure of speaking to MMM Sar.To this MMM agreed, where-upon the conversation pro-ceeded rather on the lines of aMinister speaking to QueenVictoria – entirely in the thirdperson. A sample is givenbelow:

Voice (V): Good morningSar. Will Sar be in his officethis morning Sar?

lieve that. He wanted to knowwho else was on the committeeand what ideas MMM wouldbring to the table. To all of thisMMM replied, when he got aword in edgeways, that it wasearly days yet and there was noofficial communication of anykind. The reporter rang off,deeply incensed that MMMhad not offered a bite of anysort.

The next day, the voice wasback, with double the dose ofdiffidence. It begged Sar’s par-don but what could it do Sarwhen its Sar had assigned it adifferent task the previous day.MMM wondered as to whatprevented the voice from mak-ing a call to that effect, but thatclearly was not in the rulebook, written no doubt in

1875. The voice then wantedto know if Sar was in Sar’s of-fice for the voice was a shortdistance away and could ittherefore drop off the invita-tion. To this MMM agreed andafter a considerable lapse oftime, the voice and its ownerappeared in person. The mis-sive was handed over to MMMwith much bowing and scrap-ing. It requested MMM, alongwith a couple of others, tocome to a Government officefor a meeting on a certain date.

The appointed date duly ar-rived only to have the voicecalling once again. The meet-ing, it said, was off, because thetop Sar, whose idea the wholething was, had been called awayfor some greater good. The newdate, it said, would soon be in-formed to Sar and so could Sarkeep himself free. In otherwords, MMM was in suspendedanimation or adjourned sinedie. Such are the ways ofGovernment.

Colours of Royapettah

Have you been to theRoyapettah hospital of

late? Before you take offence,let The Man from MadrasMusings assure all of you thathe does not wish you ill. All hemeans is that he wonders if youhave recently passed by thathistoric edifice. In case youhave, you may know whatMMM is writing about.

Till a couple of years ago,this noble pile, by which MMMmeans the old building, waspainted a sickly pink. It wasthen painted yellow for a whileand then one day reverted tothe old pink. Then there camea day last year when it becamered, more or less the sameshade as Central Station. Andmind you, it did not look bad atall, particularly after the bor-ders and the ornamental brickarches were painted white to

Much ado over nothinggive it a nice contrast. Thecompound wall, however, re-mained a prominent eyesore.It always had posters on it andsome were of such a lasciviousnature that many a motoristwould pause to gaze raptur-ously at them, only to be col-lided with at the rear by some-one who did not pause to standand stare.

Such accidents were moreor less commonplace here andthe locals had perfected a rou-tine. The police would con-tinue resting near a tree unlessit was a particularly disruptiveincident. In all other cases,those from nearby shopswould direct traffic, the soda-vendor would give the injureda cooling drink and, after theusual colourful exchange of

SHORT ‘N’ SNAPPY

MMM (M): Yes, but can Iknow why you are asking this?

V: Our Sar wants to inviteSar to be a part of a committeeSar. When can I call on Sar,Sar?

It transpired that a Sar inGovernment circles had readsomething that MMM wroteabout and, rather than take of-fence, had decided to draftMMM into a committee thatcould hopefully set somewrongs right. MMM was flat-tered and immediately ac-cepted. But that was not all.The voice at the other end hadbeen instructed by the Sar tomeet MMM in person andhand over an invitation and itwould not rest until it had ful-filled its mission. It was in vainthat MMM tried to explainthat in this time and age a per-sonal invitation was most un-necessary and an email oughtto do the needful. The voicewas shocked. It clearlybelonged to an era when mes-sages from panjandrums werebrought in ornate scrolls onelephant back, accompaniedby the tom-toming of drumsand a retinue of dancing girls.A personal visit it had to be,said the voice and, so, MMMfinally gave in. It was agreedthat the voice, together withthe body that embodied it,would visit MMM the next dayand hand over the invitation inperson. MMM half-wonderedif he ought to put together a re-ception committee.

The next day, however,produced nobody. The voicewas conspicuous by its ab-sence. A day later, just asMMM was beginning to forgetabout it, there was a call froma newspaper reporter, whosounded all excited. Was ittrue, he asked, that MMM hadbeen nominated to a commit-tee? To this MMM replied thathe was not so sure but the re-porter was not willing to be-

words of endearment betweenthe collider and the collided,everyone would go his respec-tive way.

For years the hospital andthe local councillor put up ap-peals on the wall requestingthat it be spared of posters.They grew plants below it toprevent easy access but thatonly added to the problem forthe bushes provided a conve-nient place for committingnuisance, this despite a payand use toilet being a stone’sthrow away. And then some-one in the hospital decided totake matters in hand. The wallwas scraped and given a roughfinish to prevent posters beingpasted. The bushes were re-moved and the wall waspainted white. It looked lovelytill the hospital no doubt dis-covered that it had a stock ofgreen paint. For some reasonthey decided that the com-pound wall was the best placefor it. And so bilious greenclashes with the red and white.MMM shuts his eyes eachtime he drives by. Hopefullyhe will not be collided with.

Tailpiece

Walking into a templerecently, The Man from

Madras Musings saw thenotice seen in the picturebelow. Surely a place ofworship ought not to havespite of any kind was MMM’sfirst thought. But we are likethat only.

– MMM

Pondy Festival(Continued from page 1)

The Fort at 375deserves better

(Continued from page 1)

precinct in recent years is trulyalarming. These have been in-discriminately put up on allavailable surfaces and greatlydetract from what is a uniquehistoric enclave. We are sureyou agree with us that the Fort’sdignity as a seat of governanceis much impaired by these.

We are also deeply con-cerned with the proliferation ofsnack bars and kiosks vendingtea and coffee. You will agreewith us that the presence of alive kitchen with minimum firesafety measures poses a threatnot only to the built heritagebut also to the people millingaround it. In addition, such eat-eries are not maintained welland are surrounded by garbage.We also bring to your attentionthat a full-fledged vegetable andflower bazaar springs up eachevening near the North Gate ofthe Fort. This may be a conve-nience for the employees of theGovernment, but it could alsobe a security hazard. It would befar better if a fair price shop isopened somewhere within thepremises.

The Namakkal KavignarMaligai has recently been refur-bished and inaugurated. What

distresses us is that constructiondebris has still not been clearedfrom its rear. We felt stronglyabout the presence of a highriseinside a heritage precinct, butnow that it is there, can we atleast hope that debris from itwill be cleared forthwith?

While we are highlightingthese issues with the parts thatfall under the Government’sdirect scrutiny, we are by nomeans stating that the partsunder the control of the Armyor the Archaeological Survey ofIndia do not have issues of theirown. We will be highlightingthese problems to them sepa-rately.

We are addressing thesethoughts of ours to you not withany intention to criticise butwith the hope that the Fort,which is dear to all of us, can berestored to its full glory and cel-ebrated this year. We trust thiscommunication will be receivedin the right spirit and lead to acleaning up and conservationexercise as well as a celebration.

Thanking you

Yours faithfully

For Chennai Heritage

S. MuthiahEditor, Madras Musings

overdose of showcasing – too many coffee shops, restaurants, bis-tros and bed-and-breakfast places, it is a refreshing change to seeat least one Indian city that looks at development differently, assomething that can be done even while retaining and putting thepast to creative re-use.

That said, the festival needs to broadbase itself if it is to survivein the long run. It is currently restricted entirely to the old WhiteTown. The other half – Black Town – was conspicuous by itsabsence. The only exception from the latter was Ananda RangaPillai’s house, which was highlighted but there again it was only hisconnection with the French that was presented. This will not do.One of the reasons why Madras Week has sustained thus far is thatefforts have been on to take it to all parts of the city. Even thereluctant northern wards have been roped in, albeit with marginalresponse, thanks to the repeated conduct of heritage talks andwalks, besides events in schools. These have gone a long way inpromoting awareness.

Another observation is that the local participation in the event’sorganisation in Pondicherry was at best muted. The catalysts aremainly people from North India or abroad who have made Pondi-cherry their base. This does run the risk of getting the festivaldepicted as an isolated celebration by a group that has no localroots. Getting people whose families have lived in Pondicherry forgenerations to become involved can change this. The festival canalso make an effort to get the temples of Pondicherry highlighted –some such as the Manakkula Vinayakar shrine need no publicity,but others, such as the temple for Sengazhuneer Amman, whichtoo is old, could do with some attention. The participation ofschools in greater number would also bring in the parents, therebymaking it a people’s event.

In sum, we would give the Pondicherry heritage festival thethumbs up sign while, at the same time, patting the organisers ofMadras Week on the back. The surest sign of success is when othersbegin to emulate an example.

March 16-31, 2015 MADRAS MUSINGS 3

It is with mixed emotions, of anguish and amusement, I readthe news that the Corporation of Chennai is seriously plan-

ning to develop a ‘nature trail’ along the Cooum at an estimatedcost of Rs. 8 crore, no meagre sum.

Anguish at the fact that, instead of tackling the fundamentalissue of restoring the Cooum to good health and making thewater flow, the authorities are engaged in wasteful peripheraland non-essential activities like creating ‘nature trails’. Amuse-ment arises at the total ignorance and limited understanding ofthe authorities of the concept of a ‘nature trail’.

I wonder what the teams comprising officials and non-offi-cials learnt on their junkets not too far back, at public expense,to San Antonio and Singapore. Did they see ‘nature trails’ alongbanks of rivers and water bodies filled with untreated sewage,filth, garbage and stinking? Mention must be made here of the‘ostrich’-like behaviour of the authorities in raising the side wallsof bridges across the Cooum, obviously to prevent us fromseeing the ugly sights of the river. What about the stench andstink?

A play-back of the efforts to restore the Cooum is necessaryto understand how the present situation has come to pass. TheCooum has been a victim of neglect and political foot-balling.Around the 1970s the then Government planned to make theCooum navigable, and even today unused structures for boatlanding and pick-up sites can be seen. With the change ofgovernment, this laudable project became ‘untouchable’ forclose to two decades. You can imagine the disastrous conse-quences of such neglect.

In the mid-1980s, the Government of the UK, through itsaid wing, provided a grant to the Government of Tamil Nadu,through which a team of consultants from the UK, experiencedin managing water bodies, analysing water quality and recom-mending mitigation strategies, was deployed. A counterpartmultidisciplinary team of officials was identified to work along-side the UK consultants. The Indian team was also given train-ing in UK in various aspects of managing water bodies. (Itshould be remembered that the river Thames, which was oncethe most polluted river in Europe, has been restored, and todayyou can see salmon flourishing in its waters, which are also putto a variety of uses, including floating restaurants, enriching theLondon experience.) By the 1990s, the UK consultants com-pleted their work and submitted a practical, time-based strategyfor restoring the Cooum. Till today, no meaningful follow-upaction has been taken on most of the recommendations in thereport.

A revealing sidelight which needs mention is the fact thatattempts were being made to sell these reports as wastepaper!The author had the unenviable task of mentioning this at a pub-lic function in the presence of an Honourable Minister, in thehope that the sale would be stopped.

Another thoughtless project that, fortunately, has beenstalled by the present State Government for the time being is toprovide connectivity from Chennai Port for container move-ment. This was to be done using a road elevated on huge solid

Cooum ‘Nature Trail’ a cruel joke

MADRAS MUSINGS ON THE WEB

To reach out to as many readers as possible who share ourkeen interest in Madras that is Chennai, and in response torequests from many well-wishers – especially from outsideChennai and abroad who receive their postal copies very late– for an online edition. Madras Musings is now on the web atwww. madrasmusings.com

THE EDITOR

pillars erected in the bed of the Cooum, on which the containerswould trundle through the heart of the city. The clearance of thismulti-crore project does not appear to have been subject to publichearing. In addition to restricting flow of water in the Cooum,the only carrier of storm and flood waters, the associated impactson security, noise, air quality, and the huge inconvenience in caseany of these monster containers falls, do not appear to have beenstudied adequately and presented to communities living along-side the Cooum. With the large outlay provided for this project,it would have been possible to identify an alternative solution, ifnecessary, by providing larger outlays. The present proposalthat compromises quality of life in the city for all time to come isvery short-sighted. The project deserves to be shelved perma-nently.

Spending on peripheral issues only wastes scarce publicmoney and will not solve the basic issue of cleaning and restoringthe Cooum. The ‘nature trail’ is one such. The money identifiedfor this purpose can be better spent on providing well-managedtoilets for the public, improving the roads, and stormwater drains.

The issues involved in cleaning the Cooum do not requirerocket science. The following only need to be done:

1. Plug all outfalls of untreated sewage. Many government andpublic bodies along the banks are also guilty.

2. Relocate all encroachers and unauthorised settlers alongthe banks. This will be the biggest challenge. But, with calibratedhandling and assistance from credible NGOs, this will not beinsurmountable. A proposal to construct a 23 km wall after re-moving the encroachments is a good idea.

3. Dredge the river to remove the deposits/sludge of decades.The selective testing of the inherent quality of the deposits isnecessary to determine their toxicity and selection of suitabledumpyards. Disposal into the sea is not an acceptable option.

4. The possibility of using seawater to flush the river and re-turn it, as is done in Dubai and some Gulf States, is worthy ofconsideration.

5. The above actions require large financial outlays. WithIndia’s present financial credibility, thrust towards national clean-liness, and concept of smart cities, institutions like the WorldBank or Asian Development Bank should have no hesitation incoming forward to support this initiative. India is no stranger tothese institutions.

Finally, without strong commitment, sustained unbiasedpolitical will, and a designated multidisciplinary team of officials,not susceptible to transfers, supported by reputable NGOs,nothing will change and the Cooum in its present state willcontinue to remain a blight on Chennai’s face, as it seeks toproject itself as an inviting and favourable destination for globalinvestors.

A ‘nature trail’ along Cooum will not add value to the city.

P.M. Belliappa, IAS (RETD.)Former Chairman, Tamil Nadu

Pollution Control [email protected]

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ñ THE EDITOR

Saree – sorry!

I agree that the colour picturethat you published on the

back page of MM, March 1st,was appealing.

I don’t know if you havesimply taken the second sen-tence of the caption from somecatalogue, or if you haveappended it. (Editor: It was thetitle of the exhibition.)

In any case, I found it ratheramusing. The caption writerperhaps had the phrase “thewhole nine yards” in his or hermind as can be gauged from thevoluminous folds of the gar-ment. That I appreciate verymuch.

What the caption is silentabout is the style in which thesaree is worn by the woman. Ibelieve some holding back onthe part of the caption writer isthere. This for a heritage-conscious journal nostalgic foranything ancient is strange.(Editor: We saw it only as a pic-ture, not as a bit of heritage orof the old being comfortablewith the new. Perhaps weshould have thought of thelatter.)

C.G. RishikeshA5, Madhurima

32, Conran Smith RoadGopalapuram

Chennai 600 086

First appearance

K.S.S. Seshan, the author ofthe article National Anthem

& the Cousins (MM, March 1st)writes that the article was origi-nally published in The Hindu onMarch 15, 2009.

– The Editor

enough space between the aisles for the patrons to file in and out. The seats werealso fixed on a gradient, thereby enabling those at the rear to get an unimpededview of the stage. More importantly, the hall was enclosed with sound absorbingmaterial that was aesthetically hidden behind teak panelling. The Indian Insti-tute of Science, Bangalore, provided advice on acoustics and this ensured thatthe hall still is a delight to attend music programmes in.

The whole building is maintained very well, though it must be said that theseats in the auditorium are now ageing rapidly. The Mandram today serves as apopular venue for events in North Madras. But it is at its best in Decemberwhen it hosts its annual festival and confers the title of Isai Perarignar on asenior musician/scholar.

Madras Landmarks

– 50 years ago(Continued from page 1)

The best of Indian

architecture

4 MADRAS MUSINGS March 16-31, 2015 March 16-31, 2015 MADRAS MUSINGS 5

If you had ever wished to time-travel from Lothal of the Indus

Valley Civilisation to the RajivGandhi sea link in Mumbaitoday, looking at, on the way,some of the marvellous creationsspanning civilisations – theMughal invasion, the colonialexpansion, and, finally, the 67years of independent India – youshould have spent a long whilelooking at the 37 panels in theINTACH Exhibition held inChennai recently showcasingIndian architecture through theages. The exhibition was concei-ved by the 82-year-old architectSarayu Joshi, who took up theproject at the request of the Bel-gian Government when someBelgians asked, ‘What do rockcarvings look like?’ Within abudget of Rs. 1 lakh granted bythe Indian Government, the ar-chitect chose the right mix ofexamples from the earliest timesthrough to the present on thetheme ‘Temples, Forts and Pala-ces: Splendours of Indian Archi-tecture’ and exhibited them in asmall church in Belgium. Thesame exhibition was what wasshowcased in Chennai.

An introduction to the exhi-bition said that a synthesis ofcultural traditions spanning 2500years had been covered in theexhibits and “its ethos has beenconstantly enriched by people ofdifferent races and religions whohave lived together for genera-tions, each group practising itsown religion and way of life.”Each panel had pictures of amonument, a map showingwhere it is located in India, and anote on the architectural style,its historicity, and the architect,where known.

The remnants at Lothal,dating to the 3rd to the 2ndmillennium BCE, during theIndus Valley Civilisation, pointto that ancient city being theprecursor to modern-day urbanplanning. Artefacts, steatiteseals, human and clay figurines,stone and bronze blades, and castmetal objects were some of theremains shown. Streets laid outin a rectangular grid patternpointed to town planning even inthat era. A long brick-lined rect-angular tank could have been adock for sailing vessels.

Varanasi is considered to bethe oldest inhabited city in theworld, dating to the 8th CenturyBCE. Piety here is driven by its3.5-km-long riverfront and thecontinuous rows of stone steps,called the ghats, that help thefaithful to take a dip in the river’ssacred waters.

The exhibit featuring SonarKila in Jaisalmer (c. 1156 CE)urges you to visit Rajasthan tobask in the splendour of the‘golden glow’ of a fort built withhoney-coloured sandstone. Andin it are buildings and havelisembellished by ornate carvingsand lattice work.

Vijayanagar (14th to 17th

Century) was described in 1522by the Portuguese traveller Paesas the “best provided city in theworld.” An area of 60 squaremiles was covered by “innumer-able lakes, waterways and gar-dens as large as Rome and verybeautiful to sight.”

Mandu in Madhya Pradesh,dating back to the 15th Centuryis now a ghost town and “itsromance lives in the ballads ofthe tragic love of Muslim rulerBaz Bahadur and the Hindubeauty Rupmati.”

The fort of Mandavagarh

towers majestically over a part ofthe Vindhyas, isolated by a deepravine. The Muslim invadersafter defeating the Hindu ruler in1304 built palaces, mosques,and tombs here in a wondrousarchitectural style.

Closer home at Mamalla-puram is the ‘Descent of theGanges’ or ‘Arjuna’s Penance’, agrand sculpted frieze adorning agigantic rockface measuring 30metres in length and 15 metresin height.

Fatehpur-Sikri representsbuilding art in India attaining itsmost “sumptuous form” amal-gamating Indian and Persiantraditions.

The Great Stupa at Sanchi issupplemented with severalstupas, each a hemisphericalstructure with a central chamberenshrining relics of a holypersonage.

New Delhi, a creation of theBritish, designed by Sir EdwinLutyens and Herbert Baker andinaugurated in 1931, largelyreflects the European Palladianstyle, but incorporates elementsof Mughal, Buddhist, and Hinduarchitecture.

The next set of panels fea-tured cave temples and monas-

teries, largely a Buddhist tradi-tion where a gracefully sculptedBuddha is the highlight. ThePhase I of this architecturalendeavour started in the 2ndCentury and Phase II wascompleted in the 7th Century,only to be forgotten and aban-doned, till the British, in theirhunting expeditions, discoveredthem in the 19th Century. Youtravel from the 6th CenturyMahesh Murti at Elephanta, acave temple atop a hill, to therock-cut Kailasha Natha templeat Ellora of the 8th Century,

interspersed with Luna Vasahi atMt. Abu and the KandanyaMahadev temple at Khajuraho,which is well known for its sculp-tural friezes representing eroticpostures – all of these combiningdevotion with breathtakingworks of art in mountainoussettings.

Rani ki Vav in Gujarat (1068CE), Tikse Monastery in Lada-kh, and the Man Mandir Palaceshowcase Hindu creations pre-dating the Mughal Qutb Minarand the Jami Masjid in Cham-paner, Gujarat. Humayun’sTomb, the finest Muslim mauso-leum which, should serve as amodel for others, features a char-bagh (an enclosed garden dividedinto four quarters by water chan-nels representing the rivers ofparadise) with the tomb at thecentre. Akbar’s Tomb and theTaj Mahal follow Humayun’stomb in layout and style. GolGombaz (1659) is the tomb ofMohammed Adil Shah andsymbolises Indian architecturalingenuity and sophistication. Itsdome 37.9 metres high is the lar-gest in India. The Great Imam-bara in Lucknow is a grandiosecomplex built by Asf-ud-Dauli asflood relief work in 1784.

Then it’s on to the GoldenTemple at Amristar (re)built in1764, after the earlier HariMandir Sahib of 1589 had beendestroyed by Afghan invaders.

The Convent of St. Francis ofAssisi in Goa is representative ofthe Portuguese creations in the16th to 17th Century period.Then you visit the Jantar Mantarof 1728 CE in Jaipur, built bySawai Jai Singh II as a cluster offive observatories and used eventoday for weather forecasting.

You then, as you move on tothe more familiar Chatrapati

Shivaji Terminus, a VictorianGothic architectural style build-ing conceived by the Britisharchitect F.W. Stevens, wonderwhy such an imposing structurewas conceived for a railwaystation.

Without realising it, you arealready in the British era, wel-comed by Victoria MemorialHall in Calcutta, an Indo-Saracenic palace-style buildingshowing a romantic and eclecticfusion of European styles withindigenous features such asMughal domes, central archesand minarets, Buddhist motifs,and Hindu-pillared roof pavil-ions. You next learn that Chatra-pati Shivaji Vastu Sanghralaya isthe Prince of Wales Museum,built in 1937. It is another Indo-Saracenic masterpiece combin-ing the stylistic idiom of Euro-pean features and indigenousstyle. Then you are at the Falak-numa Palace in Hyderabad, builtby an Italian architect, with anItalian marble flourish to it. It istoday probably the most starredhotel in India.

From here, the architecturalvariety moves faster with mini-malism predominating, startingwith art deco re-lived in the

Liberty Cinema in Mumbai.Chandigarh was designed by theFrench architect Le Corbusier,appointed by Jawaharlal Nehru,who was criticised for imposingWestern values on Indian ethos.But the erstwhile province ofPunjab needed a new capitalafter its western half went toPakistan along with its capitalLahore and Nehru, looking tothe future, wanted somethingmodern. The Akshardam Tem-ple is a modern re-creation oftemple architecture. The Baha’itemple in Delhi, designed by theIranian designer Fariburz Sabha,represents a lotus opening itspetals at dawn. The 5600-metre-long Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link con-necting north Mumbai withsouth Mumbai is an aestheticallydesigned engineering marvelbuilt across the sea along the

The great festival in Mylapore – (Courtesy: Vintage Vignettes.)

coast. Modern architecture isshowcased with architect Char-les Correa expressing themodesty of Mahatma Gandhi’slifestyle in Gandhi SmarakSanghralaya, a memorial mu-seum to the Mahatma, inAhmadabad. The Belgian em-bassy, resembling a fortress ofrocky outcrops, designed bySatish Gujral, is another strikingpiece of modern architecture.

As you leave, you hear theeager voices of children withnotebooks in hand, walkingaround the panels, guided by ateacher. Each school was allotteda slot for viewing the exhibitsand a quiz was organised for chil-dren when they completed theviewing. They were also asked tosketch any architectural marvelof their choice. These sketcheswere displayed and the Baha’itemple was the favourite choice.Sujatha Shankar, Convenor ofINTACH Chennai, said “Wewanted the children to appreci-ate the richness of Indian archi-tecture and also encourage thevisitors to travel to see thesemonuments,” she added. Theexhibition welcomed 3000visitors.

– K. Venkatesh

The annual festival at theMylapore Kapaleeswarar

Temple will start a week fromnow. The deities will be broughtout on various processionalmounts twice a day for ten days.Some events are, of course, moreimportant than others – thesebeing the Adhikara Nandi sevai(Day Three), the VrshabhaVahanam (Day Five), the carfestival (Day Seven), the Aru-pathumoovar (Day Eight) andthe Kalyanam (Day Ten). Thedevout will throng the four madastreets on all days; their numbersrising to unmanageable levels onthe eighth day in particular.

Even as Kapali goes aroundthe four mada streets accompa-nied by the other deities, thosethat watch the procession areprobably doing what has been apractice for several centuries.There is no denying that theKapali temple is an ancient one,having featured in the works ofthe Nayanmars of the 7th Cen-tury and after them in otherliterary creations. Sambandar, inhis Poompavai Pathikam, lists afestival for each month of theyear and most of these areobserved even now. And yet,there are unsolved mysteriesabout the shrine. Did it reallystand on the seashore at onetime? Why are there no inscrip-tions from the times of theCholas in the present temple?Did the Portuguese destroy thetemple or was it because of waror did the sea rise up and swa-llow it? There are no certainanswers, but almost everyone isagreed on the fact that thetemple was relocated to where itstands now and was rebuilt there‘around three hundred yearsago’. As to who built the shrinehas also been a matter of debate.

A couple of publications bycurrent day scholars throw someadditional light on the presenttemple and its sub-shrines. Thefirst of these is The Diaspora of theGods, Modern Hindu Temples inan Urban-Middle Class World byJoanne Punzo Waghorne (OUP2004). The second is The Viewfrom Below, Indigenous Society,Temples and the Early ColonialState in Tamil Nadu, 1700-1835,by Kanakalatha Mukund (Ori-ent Longman 2005). A study ofthese helps to locate the periodof reconstruction of the Kapalitemple with greater precision.More importantly, it identifiesthe men who were responsiblefor the work. Read in conjunc-tion with the playwright PammalSambanda Mudaliar’s autobiog-raphy, Yen Suyacharitai (1963)we get a more or less complete

The men who builtMylapore’s temple

� by

Sriram V.

picture. This article is based onwhat is written in these acco-unts.

Waghorne in her book dwellsat length on the details of thetemple as given in Colin Mac-kenzie’s manuscripts. He hadarrived in Madras in 1783 andafter 13 years’ military service,began devoting his time toIndology, balancing the demandsof his hobby with those of hisprofessional career which culmi-nated in his becoming the firstSurveyor General of India. Bythe time of his death in 1821, hehad collected a huge number ofmanuscripts, besides maps andbooks. Among these is an ac-count of the Kapali temple witha sketch of the shrine, with thevarious parts marked and as-cribed to the men who built eachof them. Waghorne surmises thatthis particular manuscript mayhave been done between 1796and 1800.

detail as to the exact contribu-tions of later dharmakarta-s. Shewrites that the descendants ofMuthiappa Mudali handed overthe management of the temple toPonnambala Vadyar and Kana-kasabai Pandaram. Consideringthat a street that is just next tothe temple commemorates theformer, we can surmise that thetemple had acquired its presentboundaries within a generationafter Muthiappa Mudali. Thenext major change happens in1749 when, with the restitutionof Madras to the British, SanThomé-Mylapore also becomespart of East India Companyterritory. Whereupon the headconicopoly of the Export Ware-house and later dubash ofGovernor Saunders, KumarappaMudali, became the dharma-karta.

The temple was by then in a‘ruinous condition’. Kumarappa,who has a street named after himin Mylapore and another in theSeven Wells area of GeorgeTown, found the temple landsencroached upon by people of‘foreign religions’. The fourMada streets had become merelanes. The temple was barelyfunctioning, with daily worshipbeing suspended owing to wantof funds. Using his high office togood effect, Kumarappa boughtoff the encroachers and reclaim-ed the lands. He rebuilt thetemple walls and tank, had thefour main streets broadened andplanted coconut trees on theirperiphery. He had the proces-sional icons made, fashionedcarriages and mounts, commis-sioned temple jewellery andrecruited temple servants anddancing girls, for whom he hadhouses built.

After Kumarappa, his brotherNattu Subbaraya, who also has astreet named after him inMylapore, took over as trusteeand he, in turn, was succeeded byKasi Mudali. During the latter’stenure, there was evidently anextensive reconstruction of thetemple, for Waghorne, quotingfrom Mackenzie, states that the‘Cabalasewara pagoda’ was builtby ‘Bagavintorayer, Causy Moodand Coomy Valappa Mood’. TheCausy Mood was evidently KasiMudali. By 1800, Kasi Mudali’sson Masilamani Mudali had suc-ceeded to the trusteeship. Butthe Tuluva Vellalars were nothappy with his management andpetitioned the Board of Revenue(BOR) for his removal. A NativeCommittee appointed by theBOR went into great detail in itsinvestigation and discoveredthat Kasi Mudali had nominated

five people to succeed him.Three were considered to be suit-able by the Committee and thesethree were Pammal SubbarayaMudali, Kovur VaidyanathaMudali, merchant of the East In-dia Company, and CoonraVellaiyappa Mudali (this beingMackenzie’s Coomy ValappaMood). Vaidyanatha Mudali wasalso trustee of the ChintadripetAdipuriswara temple and has astreet named after him in thatarea.

It would appear that CoonraVellaiyappa Mudali’s line be-came extinct after him, for theKovur and Pammal familieshandled temple affairs for a time.Pammal Subbaraya Mudali isrecorded to have conducted thetemple festivals splendidly forover ten years, spending about 20or 30,000 pagodas in construct-ing the temple chariot and giftinggold and silver vessels. In 1810,his passing created a vacancy.The Tuluva Vellalars petitionedthe Collector of Madras, F.W.Ellis (he of Tirukkural fame) toentrust the post of dharmakartato Ayya Mudali, commemoratedin a street in Chintadripet.Within five years, however, thecommunity deemed AyyaMudali to be old and infirm andrequested that Kovur SundaraMudali, the last Chief Merchantof the East India Company, begiven the responsibility instead.The Company refused and AyyaMudali remained in charge de-spite his ‘old age and infirmities’,whatever they were. This wasdespite Sundara Mudali havingsponsored the annual festival in1821 at a cost of 200 pagodas andconstructed ‘useful buildings’within the temple. KovurSundara Mudali, incidentally, isremembered chiefly for bringingthe composer Tyagaraja toMadras in 1837. His palatial

house on Bunder Street still sur-vives in a decrepit state. A longstreet in Mylapore commemo-rates him and it has, over timemorphed into SundareswararSwamy Street!

The non-controversial Pam-mal line appears to have servedthe longest, lasting well over acentury. Pammal VijayarangaMudaliar, who was in the Educa-tion Department of the Govern-ment, served as trustee till hispassing in 1895 after which hiselder son, Pammal AyyasamyMudaliar, held the post till 1905when he resigned on his beingappointed a District Munsiff.The trusteeship passed to Vija-yaranga Mudaliar’s younger sonPammal Sambanda Mudaliar,the playwright. He remainedtrustee till his appointment as ajudge of the Small Causes Courtin 1924. According to him, it wasduring his time that the easterngopuram was built, thanks to abusinessman of Triplicane whosename was subsequently forgottenand whom Sambanda Mudaliarrefers to only as Gopuram Chet-tiar! It was also SambandaMudaliar who got the tank stepslaid out. The seed money of Rs.5000 came from the bequest of asanyasi who had collected moneyfor this purpose. But the totalestimate came to Rs 1 lakh.When local residents baulked atthe expense, Sambanda Muda-liar hit upon the idea of inscrib-ing donors’ names on the steps.This caught public fancy andmoney came in. The names ofthe donors can still be faintlymade out.

The temple management wastaken over by the Hindu Religi-ous and Charitable EndowmentsBoard following its creation inthe 1920s and the concept ofhereditary trusteeship ceasedthereafter.

Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus

Mandavagarh FortArjuna's PenanceSanchi Stupa

Humayun Tomb Bahai Temple

The sketch gives credit formuch of the temple to Mootooa-pa Mood, who from Mukund’swork can be identified as NattuMuthiappa Mudali, a prominentmember of the Tuluva Vellalarcommunity. Mukund, who basesher writing on extensive researchat the Tamil Nadu Archives, hasMuthiappa Mudali as the ‘origi-nal dharmakarta of the temple’in the early 18th Century. Thistallies with Waghorne’s informa-tion from the Mackenzie manu-script, which recognises thatMuthiappa Mudali renovatedthe shrine to the Goddess, whichwas ‘ an old church’ (presumablyused here as a synonym for atemple). He constructed shrinesfor Jagadiswarar (which still ex-ists on the eastern front of thetemple) and Sundareswararshrine. He also built the smallgopuram that is on the westernwall of the temple. Waghornestates that the present contoursof the temple owe their construc-tion to Muthiappa Mudali, butpoints out that two sub shrinesbuilt by him – one to the SunGod on the eastern side and an-other to Bhadrakali on the west-ern side facing the present daySingaravelar shrine have sincevanished. She also has it that themulti-tiered eastern gopuram wasbuilt by him but, when read inconjunction with SambandaMudaliar’s account, that is deba-table.

It is Mukund who describes in

6 MADRAS MUSINGS March 16-31, 2015

Making T’Nagarworld class?

� by A. ShankarHead – Strategic

Consulting, JLL, India

� Is this the answer to

(Continued fromlast fortnight)

Here are some suggestions todecongest the Theagaroya

Nagar area. Many of these canbe implemented without toomuch difficulty and within ashort time frame.

Pedestrianisation: It shouldbe the aim to achieve pedestri-anisation of the retail core areaaround Panagal Park, part ofTheagaroya Road, G N ChettyRoad, North Usman Road andSouth Usman Road.

South Usman Road could beused as a ‘pedestrian only’ zoneand no vehicles permitted inthe designated area withbollards managed by Police.The eastern side of SouthUsman Road is connected witha series of side roads. Hence, aspart of the streetscape, partialvehicle access to South UsmanRoad using connecting streets(Sarojini Ramasamy Street,etc.) could be achieved. Thiswill allow the entire eastern sideof South Usman Road to be a‘pedestrian only’ area with lim-ited access to traffic. At night,loading/unloading vehicles canaccess the shops effectivelymanaging/using the bollards. Bypedestriansation and stimulat-ing the retail developmentalong other streets in the areaand subsequently creating alter-native pedestrian circulationpatterns, some of the pressurewill be taken off RanganathanStreet and Usman Road.

Pondy Bazaar is one of theoldest shopping areas ofT’Nagar and could be trans-formed into a much more plea-surable shopping experience byintroducing pedestrianisationand traffic calming measures inthe public realm. The finalstretch of Theagaroya Road(from Sivagnanam Street/Sri-nivasa Road upto Panagal Park)should be fully pedestrianisedwhich will allow pedestrians towalk from Pondy Bazaar to thebus station at South Usmanthrough one extended car-freezone. The next stretch of Thea-garoya Road (between Sivagna-nam Street/Srinivasa Road andSivaprakasam Street/Muthu-krishnan Street) could be rede-signed as a Traffic Calm Area.While all through-traffic wouldbe diverted, visitors to PondyBazzar can park their cars innearby Multilevel Car Parks(MLCP) accessible from G NChetty Road and Venkatanara-yana Road. This will ensure thatthe traffic load on TheagaroyaRoad is reduced significantly.

One carriageway left on bothsides of the street will leavespace for short parking and asubstantial pedestrian space inthe middle of the road. The lowtraffic load and slow speed ofcars will make crossing thestreet for pedestrians easy.

Along this whole stretch ofPondy Bazaar the existing streetvendors along the pavementcan be moved to stalls in thecentral axis of the street. Thesepermanent stalls will have no

‘backside’, as they will be de-signed to house four vendorsfacing all sides. In this wayample space will be created foras much as a large footfall be-tween the shops on both sidesof the road and the street ven-dors’ stalls in the middle of it. Inthe fully pedestrianised stretch,enough space will become avail-able to add amenities and streetfurniture.

Sky walks: Approximately40 per cent of the pedestrian

traffic during weekdays is tran-sit users, who switch their modeof commute from rail to bus orvice versa. Hence, it is evidentthat there is a requirement for askywalk that interlinks Mamba-lam Railway Station andT’Nagar Bus Terminus. Thisskywalk will reduce travel timefor transit users. It will also re-duce the pedestrian count tomainly shoppers, thereby reduc-ing pedestrian conflict alongRanganathan Street andUsman Road.

Multilevel car parking:Pedestrianisation of streets inthe central area of T’Nagar withmultilevel car park buildings(MLCPs) at the edges of the pe-destrian area will make users ofthe retail area in T’Nagar parkand then walk to their final des-tinations. Viable locations forsurface car and two-wheelerparking would be possible atTheagaroya Road. MLCPscould be at Anandhan Street,Theagaroya Nagar bus termi-nus, Prakasam Road and DrNair Road junction.

Dedicated hawker zones:The fundamental right of a citi-zen of India to do business as ahawker is recognised nationally.

Three types of hawker activityis found in T’Nagar: (i) areaswith a concentration of newly-built permanent street vendorstalls, (ii) street vendor zones,allowing all kinds of stationary,peripatetic and mobile streetvending, and (iii) zones whereno street vending is allowed(besides the newly built perma-nent street vendor stalls).

Much of the street vendors’merchandise falls into the cat-egory ‘impulse buys’. Street ven-dors are an important part ofthe attraction of T’Nagar forvisitors and form an integralpart of the lively street atmo-sphere of T’Nagar. Relocating(or ‘hiding’) street vendors intomulti-storey buildings is there-fore not the solution.

Considering their locationalong the streets with the high-est footfall, the particular loca-tion and orientation along thestreets and the amount of spaceallocated for the new street ven-dor stalls should be carefullychosen and strictly monitoredto ensure they do not restrictthe flow of pedestrians. Thespace in the newly built streetvendor stalls should be allo-

cated according to the type ofmerchandise, in order to create/keep a concentration of certainshopping categories that workwell, together with other retailcategory in the area. This willhelp to create a market nichefor each concentration of streetvendors and attract more visi-tors.

Implement feeder system:In order to provide connectiv-ity for the commuters using bustransportation, a mini-busfeeder system should be oper-ated along defined routeswithin T’Nagar. The feeder busnodes should be located near/atmajor collection points andshould integrate multiple trans-port options, including bus, railand multilevel parking. In thelong-term, additional feederloops can be created to inte-grate the Metro stations alongAnna Salai with the feeder sys-tem and transit hubs withinT’Nagar. The feeder system canbe a fleet of mini buses/minivans which have easy manoeuv-rability. These vehicles can bebattery-operated/CNG eco-friendly vehicles. With morefeeder stops, this could act as an e i g h b o u r h o o d - f r i e n d l ytransport system. The Mini BusFeeder System can connect allT’Nagar and all transit nodes ina loop without any major in-vestment on infrastructure. Byimplementing it effectively, itwill promote public transporta-tion and increase patronage tomajor public transport modes.

Improve three-wheelers’(autos) circulation pattern:There are currently more than40 unauthorised auto standsand only very few authourisedones in the T’Nagar area. Thecurrent locations are demanddriven and do not follow anystandard protocol. It is proposedthat each auto stand is limitedto 8 autos in the commercialarea and 5 in residential areas.The nodes would be integratedwith the roadway design of ar-terials and sub-arterial roads.The auto stands should not belocated within 50m of major in-tersections or within 20m of mi-nor intersections.

Effective traffic circulationand planning: Traffic andtransportation planning is anintegral process in the overallplanning for redevelopment ofan area. The major challengesin T’Nagar are elimination ofconflict between transit traffic

(Continued on page 7)

The Ranganathan Street crowd.

March 16-31, 2015 MADRAS MUSINGS 7

Making T’Nagar world class?and retail (shopping) traffic andrestricting conflicts betweenpedestrians and vehicles. Coor-dination of signal systems at allconflict nodes along with regu-lation of parking will improvefree flow of traffic without anycongestion.

The existing circulation ofbuses around T’Nagar bus ter-minus causes congestion at theintersections/bus terminus en-try and exit. A new circulationroute for the buses exiting fromthe terminus could be devel-oped through MuthuranganRoad. The traffic circulation toAranganathan subway throughNew Boag Road and NorthRoad in West CIT Nagar can beintegrated in this circulation tominimise conflicts and facilitatetraffic circulation.

By extending the SouthUsman flyover across the inter-section of South Usman Roadand Madley Road the impact ofthe North-South through traf-fic can be reduced locally. Atthe same time the measureshould allow for increase intraffic capacity of Madley Roadin the East-West direction,which will help divert some ofthe traffic from around PanagalPark-South Usman and Durai-samy Roads.

Existing infrastructureaugmentation: Existing infra-structure should be augmentedto accomplish traffic andtransporation-related objec-tives. These include extensionof South Usman Road flyoverand Mahalingapuram flyover,ROB along VenkatnarayanaRoad, ROB along South BoagRoad, etc. Extension of theseROB shall provide long-termfree movement of transit trafficalong the arterial roads such asUsman Road, Burkit Road,Venkatnarayana Road, Thani-kachalam Road, South BoagRoad etc. thereby passing thecore shopping area withoutmixing into the shoppers’ tripand destination.

The existing bus terminushas a major impact on the traf-fic circulation in South UsmanRoad, C I T Nagar First MainRoad, and Madley Road. In or-der to minimise conflicts, thebus terminus has to be relo-cated. The existing T’NagarBus Terminus could retain thenumber/frequency of origin anddestination buses, but the aug-mentation of buses can be splitto two alternative locations.The increment of buses toaccommodate the future de-mand/part of festive demandmay be distributed first near

Valluvar Kottam (ThirumalaiPillai Road/Arcot Road Junc-tion) followed by Saidapet(after the completion of metrostation). This will eliminatefuture increase in bus traffic(originating at existing termi-nus) currently accessingT’Nagar from the major roads.Revised bus route circulationneeds to be prepared which willease the traffic congestion inSouth Usman Road and C I TNagar First Main Road.

Effective use of openspaces: Pedestrianisation andtraffic calming of the streetsaround Panagal Park offers thesingle greatest opportunity tocreate a world class urban spaceas the heart beat of T’Nagar. Alarge, hard, landscaped squarecan be created that will blendperfectly with the soft greenlandscaping of the adjacentPanagal Park. In the middle ofthe square a dramatical sculp-tural building can be added.The building will sit right at theend of the long vista of Theaga-roya Road and form the perfectlandmark for T’Nagar. Thebuilding could be used (as thebackdrop) for cultural events,performances, exhibitions anddouble as the entrance/exit forpedestrians to/from the MLCP.

Existing underused market

building along the western sideof Panagal Park forms a barrierbetween Usman Road and thePark. It should be replaced withan attractive user-friendlybuilding that houses a range offood and beverage outlets. TheF & B outlets will offer an al-fresco eating/drinking experi-ence overlooking the peacefulgreenery of Panagal Park.Different forms of passive rec-reation should be introducedinto the Park to make it morelively and attractive to visitorswith, for example, a smallamphitheatre, a wet area with apond and jet fountain for chil-dren to enjoy. On the northernand southern side of PanagalPark a row of permanent streetvendor stalls can be introduced.To add to the cultural flavourof the area around PanagalPark, the street vendors hereshould sell not ordinary goodsbut preferably arts and craftsand souvenirs for visitors andtourists.

Ranganathan Street and thewestern side of South UsmanRoad have been one of the mostcommercially thriving and, con-sequently, most congested areasin T’Nagar. With the right in-centives Rameswaram Streetcould develop into a reallyattractive shopping street that

will invite people to take fromMambalam Station this alterna-tive route towards SouthUsman and Nageswaran Roads,avoiding the main crowds.

For T’Nagar to retain itsposition as a Shopping Destina-tion it needs to focus on notonly retail but also a range ofentertainment, leisure, foodand beverage outlets. The de-mand for all of these is growingstrongly. Addressing the qualityof the public realm in T’Nagarwill be a first step in creating theright environment for new up-marking initiatives in retail, lei-sure and recreational develop-ments. Government can do itspart in promoting these deve-lopments by setting the rightexample with initiatives in theequally important, not-for-profit cultural sector.

Government should create aspecial unit with ‘Cluster Man-agers’. These persons will workclosely together with all rel-evant shop-owners, business-owners and residents in the dif-ferent areas on how to achievethe goal of a more vibrant, highend and distinctive characterfor the different clusters thatwill benefit all parties involved.(Courtesy: Our Building &Construction)

(Concluded)

This is what the modern youth came to do

On the 28th February 1968the youth of the world cameto lay the foundation stone of Auroville,the town dedicated to the youth of the world.

A boy and a girlfrom many countriescame to Aurovilebringing with them a handful of earthfrom their country.

The earth of all lands was putinto the foundation-stone structureas a symbolof their determinationto realise a true universal harmony

� Where is Auroville situatedAuroville is mainly in the state of Tamil Nadubut also covers some area in Pondichery. It isplanned to cover an area of about 15 sq. miles.

� Auroville – A glimpseA modern and beautiful township with provi-sion for about 50,000 residents in the maintown, 20,000 in the model villages in its greenbelt, and 30,000 in its subsidiary projects,Auruville will combine the modern amenitiesof living, with artistic beauty. The town isbeing developed on a circular plan ofurbanisation, giving equal place to the fourfundamental aspects of man’s activity:Dwelling – Residential ZoneWork – Industrial ZoneCulture – Cultural ZoneSocial Relations – International ZoneAt the centre of the town, a Park of Unity willbe formed by a crown of gardens overhanginga lake which will surround the Sanctuary of

Truth with the Matrimandir. The Sanctuaryof Truth, by its form and position, will be theheart of the town, the dominating point ofAuroville opening to the Light.

Each Zone will occupy its position and impor-tance in relation to the spiritual centre of thetown, which will dominate the architectureensemble and will be a constant reminder ofthe “raison d’etre” of Auroville.

The Matrimandir, at the centre of Auroville,has a shape symbolising the fundamental unityof creation. Its golden sphere emerges out ofthe earth crater. In its centre, there is aluminous crystal which reflects the rays of thesun, thereby lighting the four petal-shapedmediation areas around the crystal.

The names given by the Mother for the twelvegardens surrounding the Matrimandir are:Existence; Consciousness; Bliss; Light; Life;Power; Wealth; Utility; Progress; Youth;Harmony; and PerfectionAt some distance stands a lotus-shaped urn in

white marble which contains handfuls of soil frommany nations that were blended on February 28,1968 to symbolise the coming together of nations.

(Extracted from Sri Aurobindo’s Action,October 1971. Courtesy: Sri Aurobindo’s Action)

The Auroville dream

(Current Affairs questionsare from the period February16th to 28th. Questions 11to 20 pertain to Chennai andTamil Nadu.)1. Which film won the BestPicture Oscar this year?

2. The actor who achieved cultstatus for playing Mr. Spock inStar Trek passed away recently.Name him.

3. On which date this Februarywas ‘Science for Nation Building’the theme?

4. The Union Budget, in an effortto improve quality of life of com-mon man, has proposed thelaunch of the JAM trinity. Whatis JAM?

5. Who smashed the fastest 150in ODIs, off just 64 balls, re-cently?

6. According to a recent WorldBank report, environmental dam-age to which World Heritage Siteis costing India Rs. 1,290 croreeach year?

7. Name the fourth Indian crick-eter who was inducted into theICC Cricket Hall of Fame on Feb-ruary 19th?

8. The Chinese New Year thatstarted on February 19th is theYear of the…?

9. Name the Dadasaheb Phalkeand Padma Bhushan awardee,who held the Guinness Worldrecord for producing the highest

number of films (over 150), whopassed away recently.

10. India and the US on February19th held their first-ever dialogueon what institution and othermultilateral issues in Washing-ton?

* * *

11. Name the celebrated cinema-tographer and director, creditedwith introducing the zoom shot inIndian cinema in Uthama Puthi-ran, who passed away recently.

12. What distinct edifice, identi-fied with Chennai on the silverscreen, occupies most of what wasonce called Nari Medu or Hog’sHill?

13. Which Saivite saint was oncethe Jain monk Marulnikkiyar?

14. Which was the first art decobuilding in Chennai to be de-signed by an Indian?

15. What iconic institution begancirca 1840 as a shop selling thepublications of the Wesleyan Mis-sionaries?

16. What is there now on Radha-krishnan Salai where the erst-while shed for the trams stood?

17. If one is thumbing through anOriginal Vel publication, what isthe person following?

18. Which school in Chennaihouses the Sivakami PethachiAuditorium?

19. What was the former name ofRaja Muthiah Road in Chennai?

20. Name the Chennai-basedbusinesswoman named in Forbes’‘Asia’s 50 Power Businesswomen2015’ list.

(Answers on page 8)

(Continued from page 6)

The Matrimandir.

8 MADRAS MUSINGS March 16-31, 2015

Published by S. Muthiah for ëChennai Heritageí, 260-A, TTK Road, Chennai 600 018 and printed by T J George at Lokavani-Hallmark Press Pvt. Ltd., 122, Greams Road, Chennai 600 006. Edited by S. MUTHIAH.

Madras Musings is supported as a public service by the following organisations

Published by S. Muthiah, Lokavani Southern Printers Pvt. Ltd., 122, Greams Road, Chennai 600 006. Printed by Anu Varghese at Lokavani Southern Printers Pvt. Ltd., 122, Greams Road, Chennai 600 006, and edited by S. Muthiah.

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Birds in our backyards

Answers to Quiz

1. Birdman; 2. Leonard Nimoy; 3. February 28th (National ScienceDay); 4. Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar and Mobile; 5. A.B. De Villiers againstWest Indies; 6. Sunderbans; 7. Anil Kumble; 8. Goat/sheep; 9. D. RamaNaidu; 10. United Nations.

* * *11. Aloysius Vincent; 12. The Central Station; 13. Appar or

Tirunavukkarasar; 14. National Insurance Building on NSC Bose Road;15. Higginbotham’s; 16. TANGEDCO's facilities near the junction ofRadhakrishnan Salai and Royapettah High Road; 17. Horse racing; 18.M.CT.M. Chidambaram Chettyar Matriculation School; 19. Sydenham’sRoad; 20. Akhila Srinivasan, the MD of Shriram Investments Limited.

Of the 69 Raptor spe-cies in India, 35 of

them are known to beseen in Chennai and itsenvirons. In fact,Gnanaskandan K. has re-corded sighting 20 ofthem in and aroundChennai.

The presence of a Rap-tor in an area indicates avery healthy status forthat ecosystem.

MNS intends to start aField Project in March2015, to run through Feb-ruary 2016, to scout forthe remaining 15 speciesas well as ensuring theconservation of the areaswhere the 20 species havebeen seen.

The Great Backyard BirdCount is a global event

that happens during February13-16 every year. This year, thesub-event in India was theCampus Bird Count. The Ma-dras Naturalists’ Society (MNS)co-ordinated the count inTamil Nadu, with SubramanianSankar anchoring the event.

List of participating schoolsand colleges:

The School-KFI, Universityof Madras, Stella Maris College,Vivekananda College, SishyaSchool, Dharmambal Polytech-nic, Chettinad Vidyashram, SriVenkateswara College ofEngineering, Marudam FarmSchool (Tiruvannamalai), Ol-

cott Memorial School, IIT –Madras, Kalakshetra, AnnaUniversity, Women’s ChristianCollege, Madras ChristianCollege.

Tamil Nadu – 323 speciesrecorded, 739 check lists

Coimbatore – 221 speciesTirunelveli – 182 speciesChennai – 133 species

Top 5 Hot Spots in TamilNadu (Most species recorded)

Mittanamalli Wetlands,Thiruvallur

Indian Institute ofTechnology, Chennai

Kannankurichi Lake, SalemNational Institute of

Technology, TrichyKoonthakulam Bird Sanctuary,

Tirunelveli

Top 5 Hot Spots in Chennai(Most species recorded)

IIT – MadrasTheosophical Society, ChennaiOlcott Memorial School,

ChennaiGuindy National Park, ChennaiThe School-KFI, Chennai

Rare sightings

Booted Warbler, Virudunagar –Sharan VenkateshRuddy Breasted Crake,

Mittanamalli Wetland,Thiruvallur – Pronoy BaidyaChestnut-winged Cuckoo, IIT

Madras – Susy VarugheseCitrine Wagtail, IIT Madras –

Anshuman SarkarEgyptian Vulture, Tuticorin –

Dr. Muthu NarayananOrange-breasted Pigeon, IIT

Madras – Umesh ManiYellow-throated Bulbul,

Vellore - Hari HariharanBlue-winged Leafbird, Vellore

– Hari hariharanSri Lanka Green-Pigeon,

Coimbatore – The NatureTrust

Amur Falcon, Tuticorin –Dr. Muthu Narayanan

Sykes Warbler, Trichy –Arun Jeeva.(Courtesy: MNS Bulletin)

SightingRaptors

Till May 23: Modernist Paradigms,Nativist Leanings, an exhibitionof paintings by M. Senathipathi,one of the founder members ofthe Cholamandal Artists’Village, and a veteran whose artpractice spans more than 5decades. His works have thequality of timelessness with theartist having passed into historyas one of pioneers that confi-gured the Madras art movement(at Forum Art Gallery).

Till March 23: Unbound, Line ThatTraverses Elements, an exhibitionof drawings of the script ina representational form byChantal Jumel (at the ApparaoInfinity).

Till March 26: Four Expressions

From Auroville, a group show ofmixed media works includingceramics, metal, wood andcanvas showcasing diverse sculp-tural works of four Aurovilleartists, Adil Writer, Anamika,Henk Van Putten and Priya Sun-daravalli. (at Apparao Galleries).

Till March 30: Unfurling the Visual,an exhibition of paintings byNeeta Gajam & Rajesh Patil (atApparao Galleries @ Sandy’s(Cenotaph Road) and @Sandy’s (Nungambakkam).

Till March 31: ImpersonationsImpersonating enacting icons,Gandhi/MGR, an exhibition ofphotos by Cop Shiva (at TheLeela Galleria, Apparao Galler-ies @ The Leela Palace).

Amur Falcon (Pix: Dr. MuthuNarayanan)

Baillon’s Crake (Pix: Dr. MuthuNarayanan)

Blue-throated flycatcher (Pix: Dr.R. Bhanumathi)

Orange-breasted Pigeon (Pix:Umesh Mani)

Chestnut-winged Cuckoo (Pix:Umesh Mani)