13431 MM Vol. XXIII No. 13.Pmd
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Registered with the Reg. No. TN/CH(C)/374/12-14 Registrar of Newspapers Licenced to post without prepayment for India under R.N.I. 53640/91 Licence No. TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-506/12-14 Publication: 15th & 28th of every month Rs. 5 per copy (Annual Subscription: Rs. 100/-) WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI INSIDE • Short ‘N’ Snappy • Tamil Journalim’s focus • Cricket’s coffee breaks • Laugh with Ranjitha • The Heritage Act Vol. XXIII No. 13 MUSINGS October 16-31, 2013 Built heritage gets an Act – But when does implementation of it begin? (By The Editor) t may come as a revelation of are several historic buildings in of the Commission have been Isorts to many of our readers the State outside the purview of detailed in the Act. And these that our State does have a Heri- the Ancient Monuments and too are more or less identical to tage Commission Act. Cer- Archaeological Sites and Re- those of the CMDA’s HCC. tainly, we were taken by sur- mains Acts of the Centre (en- The fundamental difference is prise when a casual perusal of acted in 1958) and the State that the proposed HCC will the Government of Tamil (1966). It specifically aims to cover the entire State while the Nadu’s website (http:// establish a “Statutory Authority Today’s barricaded Schmidt Memorial. www.stationeryprinting. to advise in the matters relating (Continued on page 3) tn.gov.in/extraordinary/2012/ to identification, restoration 145-Ex-IV-2.pdf) revealed the and preservation of heritage buildings and in the matters re- lating to the development and Will Schmidt Memorial See pages 7&8 engineering operations which for main features are likely to affect any heritage of the Act building.” It then goes on to become a mere memory? create a Heritage Commission, which will fulfil these responsi- t is raining even as these lines what was once fairly open coun- ter commence. That was in existence of such an Act. bilities. Iare being written. The Sch- try, it is an enduring symbol of May. There has been complete Known as the Tamil Nadu All perfect thus far. But, midt Memorial on Elliot’s our city. silence ever since. Heritage Commission Act of thereafter, the proposed Com- Beach must also be exposed to With practically no mainte- The next step has been only 2012, it is Act 24 of that year mission has an identical compo- these rains. With the monu- nance of any kind, however, the to cordon off the monument. and, having been passed by the sition as the existing but largely ment already in bad shape, and structure has become weak. A The Corporation did this in Legislative Assembly, it re- inactive Heritage Conservation with a vigorous monsoon pre- huge crack has developed on August in what it claimed had ceived the Governor’s consent Committee of the Chennai dicted this year, it is anybody’s the arch and this has travelled become necessary to “protect on May 31, 2012. It has since Metropolitan Development guess as to whether the struc- right down to the base. The visitors from the monument.” remained on paper. Authority (CMDA). Out of 16 ture will survive till 2014. In the monument is, therefore, in dan- Rather ironically, it is the Conceptually, it is a step in members, 15 are Government meanwhile, official apathy con- ger of toppling over and has re- monument that has required the right direction and is on the nominees and one solitary rep- tinues to hold sway, as there mained that way since early this protection from visitors, having lines of what conservationists resentative, speaking for non- appears to be no action forth- year. The Chennai Corporation suffered increasingly at their have been asking for. It governmental interests, will be coming to save or strengthen was quick to announce action hands! For years, it has borne recognises the fact that there from INTACH. The functions the edifice. the brunt of graffiti, defacing Inaugurated on November G by A Special and vandalism. It has been a 29, 1931, the structure com- tippler’s haunt and the area sur- memorates the valour of K.A.J. Correspondent rounding it is a convenient Schmidt, a Danish shipping ex- dump for every bit of garbage ecutive, who drowned on De- in February. A private founda- from the surrounding areas. cember 30, 1930 while trying to tion spearheaded a study of the Even if the structure survives save the lives of others. The edifice. Experts from IIT were and is eventually restored, it will then Governor of Madras, Sir called in and they submitted a have to be provided some secu- George Stanley, ordered its con- report tracing the problems to rity cover if it is not to degener- struction. Built without a stone the foundation of the structure, ate again, such being our foundation, it is essentially a which was in urgent need of citizenry’s civic mindedness. simple brick and lime mortar strengthening. The report That said, it must be pointed structure. The design, which called for increasing the sand out that fencing off the struc- provides for a huge arch and level all around by 500 metres ture in the immediate short- trelliswork on the sides, is, how- to a distance of 30 metres all term was a sensible decision as ever, a most apt one for a around the monument. It also any thoughtless vandalism can beach-fronted edifice. Letting suggested that the periphery be trigger a collapse and conse- the wind pass through these shored up with stone or turf. quently cause injuries or loss of openings has ensured that the Based on this, the Government life. Not to worry about the cracks, let’s blame our bad workmanship and had floated a tender and said quality to the metro rail , saar! monument has weathered many a cyclone. A landmark at that work would soon thereaf- (Continued on page 6) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS October 16-31, 2013 ‘Gorement’ teas and loos Politics, crime, is the season of dolls and tary but the tea boy who turns was waiting for the floating – the road taken by ‘TThe Man from Madras the wheels of Government. (pun fully intended) of a ten- Musings ought to be writing Be that as it may, MMM has der too. The escort thought for about it, imbued as he usually to say that tea is on tap at these a while. He then brightened (Continued from last fortnight) is with festive spirit. But this Government offices. Conse- and said there was one more year, what with MMM having quently, MMM has been loo in the next floor and we he path shown by Dina Thanthi has been followed by many other committed himself to several drowning in tea, while waiting could try that. And so off we TTamil dailies. The most common features have been: a) wide cov- projects, most with tight dead- for other things to happen. went. erage of political warfare in Tamil Nadu; b) dominance of crime, sex lines, he is forced to speak of And as you all know once tea is This time all went well. and cinema; c) multiple editions. darker deeds. The Chief is not downed by the gallon, nature The loo was relatively clean, likely to be amused, but to be begins calling and asking though conforming to overall Dinakaran followed this path and added more good investigative fair to the Chief, he did warn what’s up. Which meant regulations. The escort open- stories. It is published from multiple centres. Unlike Dina Thanthi, it MMM, rather in the manner of MMM had to go in search of ed the door with a flourish and has an editorial. It has a good circulation and one reason for its popu- Cassandra, not to get involved the other great Government having sent MMM in, firmly larity is said to be its anti-establishment posture. in those projects. institution – the loo around the shut it. MMM went about his Chief among these is one to corner. Now if MMM had gone business and while at it took a Another daily which has made its mark is Dinamalar, established by do with the Government. And to meet some ordinary func- look around. He could see that T.V. Ramasubba Aiyer, a Congressman of Tirunelveli. It was started as MMM gets deeper and tionary he would have been this was a toilet that was rather in 1951 in Trivandrum and played an active role in the agitation for deeper into the innards of airily dismissed to go relieve differently structured as com- the merger of Tamil areas in Travancore with Tamil Nadu and was bureaucracy, the more he himself behind some tree or the pared to any public conve- very popular for that reason. At one stage, the paper’s office was raided appreciates the way those other. But here was MMM, nience he had used. It was not by the police and its copies were seized. This happened when Pattom living north of the Vindhyas honoured guest of the great designed for the differently Thanu Pillai was the Cheif Minister of the State. speak of the powers that rule poobah himself. That necessi- abled but it was somehow dif- as ‘Gorement’, thereby indicat- tated an escort and what’s more ferent. MMM could just not After the success of the agitation and when Nagercoil and ing that dealing with it is gory a man trained in proper put his finger on it. Kanniyakumari were merged with Tamil Nadu, Ramasubha Aiyer business.