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Vol. XXIV No. 7 MUSINGS July 16-31, 2014

G For satellite and heritage towns... Madras Landmarks Infrastructure – 50 years ago the first need (By A Special Correspondent) he latest Union budget has, in keeping with fact that several Japanese companies have set up Tthe political equations, not singled out the base there, given its proximity to Port. A Chennai area for anything exceptional but it has visit to the town will reveal that while it admit- held out two promises – the development of tedly holds potential, it presently lacks even the as a satellite town and Kanchipuram as most basic infrastructure, road connectivity being a heritage town. Both of these are exciting the first. And so development has to begin from prospects that can do much good, provided they scratch. are planned and executed on -different lines as In the past we have had developments of compared to what has happened in the past. The satellite towns – was supposed to be question is, are we capable of that? one, was yet another. In the case of the Let us deal with the satellite town first. The former, growth happened in a laissez faire fash- Union Budget has called for the development of ion. Private developers acquired land and sold ompletely cut off from public view and located at the end of a curving drive ‘smart cities’ and has identified Ponneri as one of plots and a town came up. It has the narrowest Cis a sylvan property that is now on its last legs. It is reliably learnt that the the areas capable of such development. The possible roads, the worst drainage systems and space has changed hands and developers will soon swing into action. choice of this locality has been dictated by the (Continued on page 9) One of the prominent landowners of was Shanmukha Rajeswara or Naganatha Setupathi, Rajah of Ramnad, and among his many properties was Woodlands, , a stone’s throw from the erstwhile Ma- dras Club property that became Express Estate and is now a mall. Set in the Moolah for statues, midst of 16½ acres. Woodlands was the city residence of the Rajah before he moved to . Woodlands was purchased by Muni Venkatappa, a building contractor, in 1937, for a hotel business. Not finding the going easy, he offered it on rent in 1938 to K. Krishna Rao (1898-1990). morsels for heritage! Krishna Rao had worked as a dishwasher, waiter and flour-grinder before he got his big break, when he was asked to manage a restaurant on Acharappan (By The Editor) Street in George Town. Having made a success of it, he struck out on his own he latest Union Budget in- to be spent under the rather other words – Rs. 200 crore for and set up Madras’s first Udipi hotel, ‘The Udipi Sri Krishna Vilas’ on Mount Tcludes a provision for Rs. oddly named National Heritage one statue, Rs. 33 crore for each Road in 1926/27. 200 crore to be spent on a City Development and Aug- of the historic cities that need He leased the Royapettah property and established the eponymous Wood- statue for a great leader of the mentation Yojana, which is ab- support! That essentially sums lands Hotel here, the first of what is now an immensely popular worldwide past. We do not have anything breviated for some reason to up the importance given to chain. The hotel had 45 rooms at a rent of Rs. 5 a day. Krishna Rao would to say on that beyond wonder- HRIDAY. This is praiseworthy. heritage in our country. himself solicit guests by waiting at Central Station! The Music Academy’s an- ing whether the Iron Man of But the amount is to be shared There are plenty of other ex- nual conference in 1938 was held here under the leadership of Ariyakkudi India would have wanted such by six cities – Mathura, Gaya, amples within the country and Ramanuja Iyengar, which proved a strong advertisement for the hotel. It became amounts to be spent on his dei- Amritsar, Ajmer, Velankanni closer home as well. The news- the place where the glamorous stars of the 1940s – M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavatar, N.C. Vasanthakokilam and others-stayed. The War years brought fication. The same budget also and Kanchipuram – that comes papers carried a story recently difficulties, including the crashing of a light plane in the garden! In 1947, Rajaji has provision for Rs 200 crore to Rs 33 Crores per city. In about the historic Town Hall in hosted a tea party on the lawns here to celebrate India’s independence. Shimla, which is to be restored In 1952, Krishna Rao moved Woodlands Hotel to Edward Elliot’s at a cost of Rs. 8 crore, out of (Dr. Radhakrishnan) Road, where it became the , to which Rs. 6 crore was to come distinguish it from the old at Royapettah, which continued as a hotel. Despite the from the Asian Development outstanding success of the former, the latter remained popular as a venue and, in Bank. In Chennai, the VP Hall 1959, it was from here that Rajaji launched his Swatantra Party. The place was restoration project, which is also a favourite location for photo and film shoots. dragging on interminably has a In 1966, Woodlands, and especially room number 32, shot briefly into budget of Rs. 3 crore. Ripon notoriety. 750 bars of gold were discovered under the mattress following a tip Building, another structure that off. The consignment had been brought by car from Bombay and was is undergoing restoration, has a hidden here by a guest who, having locked the room, went off to the Dasaprakash budget of Rs. 7.7 crore. Here Hotel to stay. Investigations led to the arrest and trial of Kotumal Bhirumal again, the bulk of the funds has Pihlajani and several others. In its time, it was a sensational instance of gold come from the Jawaharlal smuggling. Nehru National Urban Re- Till the mid-1970s, Woodlands continued to remain one of the well-known newal Mission (JNNURM). hotels of the city. It then went into a decline. The property itself now houses a The National Art Gallery in the hotel and a theatre under different managements and both share its name. The hotel building, with a portico that was probably added later, is of the typical Museum complex has had Rs. Madras roof type. It has some fascinating and beautifully maintained period 11 crore allocated for its resto- furniture and fittings. A few plaster statues adorn the vast gardens. Apart from ration, though work on it has the cheap lodgings it provided, the hotel was till recently known for its lunches, “No sign of a new train coming our way?” (Continued on page 9) which were of the traditional South Indian variety. CMYK 2 July 16-31, 2014 Yet another Madras Week Hard to stomach fully understand our total lack of public sense and consideration et there be Madras Week, the sun (with information usu- mires the company and the Ifor others in all respects (MM, July 1st). Dogs’ excrement was a big Lsaid the Chief, and there ally plagiarised from the writ- way its founder, after retiring, problem in Europe, even in cities like Paris and Brussels, because was Madras Week. The Man ings of the Chief and a few oth- came back to turn the they used to do the same thing as our friend does now in Chennai. from Madras Musings can al- ers) and demands to know why organisation around, rather in most imagine the Chief, bare he/she has not been invited to the manner of a local head But,as MMM has rightly portrayed, they have changed now. Even toes and knee caps and all, be- speak during the Week. The honcho who, after declaring the Chinese, who were like us once, have changed, I believe. Will we ing wafted through the sky in a second variety chooses to be himself mentor or vision- change? billowing cape in which are maudlin and declares that he/ holder or some such thing, Please read the article below which I received from the former also carried the team of evan- she has not been invited to par- came back, son in tow, to Cabinet Secretary of the Government of India, T.S.R. Subramanian, gelists of the Week, MMM be- ticipate owing to a conspiracy mentor and vision hold the together with his comments and also the comments of another senior ing one of them. In front leans of some kind to keep him/her company he founded as it was official, Anand Sarup. Madras itself, suitably clad, of away. These self-centred slipping into a morass. Now course, and the Chief ignites it people are placated very simply both Pop and Son have gone – Dr. G. Sundaram by the touch of a finger. At by telling them that there is al- away once again, Pop to men- * * * least that was how MMM ways a next year. If not, they tor and Son to a land across visualised the scene, falling can be told to organise an event the seas. The stellar cash head T.S.R. SUBRAMANIAN: All or nearly all that Kelley says is true; needs into a light doze after a heavy by themselves (such voluntary in the manner of all American to be remedied. But I am not ashamed to be an Indian on the con- dinner and while reading a organising is what Madras bosses, and unlike the local vi- trary. book on Michelangelo and the Week is all about) after which sion holder, wrote a rather ANAND SARUP wrote: One has to acknowledge that though this Sistine Chapel. nothing much will be heard good book on the process of sounds like a chapter from the much reviled Mother India, it is the And, so, here we are with from them till the subsequent turnaround and MMM read it yet another Madras Week. Madras Week. with great interest as well. kind of truth nobody is fighting to reform but is mostly answered by And may it be a success as has Far more numerous is an- But what MMM dislikes reviling the author and blaming it on Western prejudices. been its wont in the past many other variety of caller – the one about stellar cash is its coffee Reflections on India by Sean Paul Kelley* years. MMM, as always, looks with strange ideas, all of which – namely its multiple variants. forward to it, for apart from the they would like someone else To MMM and his kind, coffee If you are Indian, or of Indian descent, I must preface this post hustle and bustle of celebrat- to implement. These can range is just decoction, milk and with a clear warning: you are not going to like what I have to say. My ing the city, it also gives him from declaring the Beach Road sugar and it was to have just criticisms may be very hard to stomach. But consider them as the enough and more for this col- a pedestrian plaza for one this that he and his good lady hard words and loving advice of a good friend. Someone who is being umn. In the past, MMM has week, lighting up all the heri- charged into a stellar cash out- honest with you and wants nothing from you. written about the freeloaders tage monuments of the city ev- let several years ago on their These criticisms apply to all of India except Kerala and the places (and has been roasted in letters ery night for seven days, declar- maiden visit to the US of A. I did not visit, except that I have a feeling it applies to all of India. to ye ed) and the critics (who ing a holiday for schoolchildren There they were subjected to anyway roasted MMM) who for a full seven days so that they such an interrogation regard- Lastly, before anyone accuses me of Western Cultural Imperial- surface suddenly during the can enjoy the Week, and, ing size of coffee, flavour, milk, ism, let me say this: if this is what India and Indians want, then, who Week. This time, MMM above all, getting those in the sugar, syrup add-ons and, last am I to tell them differently. Take what you like and leave the rest. would like to take his lyre and highest echelons of Govern- but not least, “’ere or to take In the end it doesn’t really matter, as I get the sense that Indians, at sing of the over enthusiastic ment to participate in the cel- away” that thoroughly con- least many upper class Indians, don’t seem to care and the lower under-achievers who too sur- ebrations. Answering these is fused then. They nodded to classes just don’t know any better, what with Indian culture being so face suddenly during the Week tricky. A ‘no’ would mean be- everything and came away intense and pervasive on the sub-continent. But, here goes, none- and then vanish as abruptly as ing branded a naysayer for life. with two elephantine mugs of theless. they came. A ‘yea’ would mean taking on coffee. These, on being open- India is a mess. It’s that simple, but it’s also quite complicated. I’ll start with what I think are India’s four major problems the four most preventing India from becoming a developing nation and then move SHORT ’N’ SNAPPY to some of the ancillary ones. First: Pollution. In my opinion the filth, squalor and all around pollution, indicates a marked lack of respect for India by Indians. I This band fancies itself to more than can be handled. ed and sipped, tasted just like don’t know how cultural the filth is, but it’s really beyond anything I be volunteering for the Week. Here again, MMM has discov- rat poison or so the good lady have ever encountered. At times the smells, trash, refuse and excre- It is not to be confused with ered that it is best to let them claimed, MMM having never ment are like a garbage dump. those who really volunteer and do the implementation, which tasted the rodent pesticide. Right next door to the Taj Mahal was a pile of trash that smelled do the many unseen acts of ends the discussion. After all, Not that the good lady had, so bad, was so foul as to almost ruin the entire Taj experience. Delhi, kindness that make the Week MMM recalls, Madras Week is but she does have a sixth sense Bangalore and Chennai, to a lesser degree, were so very polluted as a success – conducting events all about volunteering to about these things. There was to make me physically ill. Sinus infections, ear infection, bowels in the neighbourhood, spread- organise events, is it not? no option but to dump the liq- ing the gospel of heritage, and uids down the nearest drain churning were all a too common experience in India. Dung, be it generally broadcasting sweet- Coffee international and walk away, thinking wist- goat, cow or human fecal matter, was common on the streets. In ness and light. Of that lot fully about the coffee served at major tourist areas filth was everywhere, littering the sidewalks, the MMM has nothing to say be- very day, The Man from Hotel Six-faced-God Boudoir roadways, you name it. Toilets in the middle of the road, men urinat- yond the fact that he would EMadras Musings sees fresh or the Adyar Abode of Bonho- ing and defecating anywhere, in broad daylight. like to kiss the hem of their evidence to indicate that mie in this, our city. Whole villages are plastic bag wastelands. Roadsides are choked garment as they pass by shed- Chennai is truly an interna- Ever since then, MMM and by it. Air quality that can hardly be called quality. Far too much coal tional city. We have already ding light. Of the first lot, how- good lady have harboured a and far to few unleaded vehicles on the road. The measure should be ever, MMM has quite a bit to seen it become Chengapore deep distrust about the stellar write. (after all we too have sign- cash product. They wish it how dangerous the air is for one’s health, not how good it is. People boards indicating that those well, but their custom is casually throw trash in the streets, on the roads. This is the kind that usu- who litter will be punished) strongly plighted to other and The only two cities that could be considered sanitary, in my jour- ally calls MMM just around and Chengai (there are always more traditional outlets. ney, were Trivandrum the capital of Kerala and Calicut. I don’t know the time that action for the attempts at converting the sea why this is, but I can assure you that, at some point, this pollution Week begins. After the usual face into commercial land). opening gambits (Oh, MMM! Tailpiece will cut into India’s productivity, if it already hasn’t. The pollution Now we become Chenncinatti will hobble India’s’growth path, if that indeed is what the country How are you? We must meet or Checago, for the great hennai could very well soon for dinner etc), to none American brand of coffee, Chave become Rio, given wants. (Which I personally doubt, as India is far too conservative a of which MMM responds for which can roughly be trans- the way its populace has cho- country, in the small ‘c’ sense.) they mean nothing, the caller lated into ‘stellar cash’, is here. sen to stay awake each night The second issue, infrastructure, can be divided into four subcat- gets to the main subject – the Or is nearly here. Or is plan- to watch several people from egories: Roads, Rails, Ports and the Electric Grid. The Electric Grid pet idea for Madras Week. ning to be here. across the world gather to kick is a joke. Load shedding is all too common, everywhere in India. Wide The concept is usually of two a ball hither and thither. The kinds – the first where the MMM is aware that there is Man from Madras Musings has swathes of the country spend much of the day without the electricity caller wants an event arranged a certain variety of the local chosen to remain aloof. Con- they actually pay for. Without regular electricity, productivity, again, for himself/herself, where he/ dweller who plans to welcome sequently, he was rather taken falls. she is the centre of attraction this arrival here. However, aback when he was informed The Ports are a joke. Antiquated, out of date, hardly even appro- with all the work to be done MMM is not going to be one by his chauffeur that he, the priate for the mechanised world of container ports, more in line with by MMM and his ilk. These of that ilk. Before you run chauffeur, was sleepy during the days of longshoremen and the like. people are once again of two away with the idea that MMM the day because he, the chauf- kinds – the aggressive or the has something against stellar feur, had remained awake the Roads are an equal disaster. I only saw one elevated highway that petulant. The first one de- cash as a company, let him dis- whole night watching the would be considered decent in Thailand, much less Western Europe clares himself/herself to be an abuse you of that notion. PIPA World Cup. or America and I covered fully two-thirds of the country during my expert on every topic under MMM, on the other hand, ad- – MMM (Continued on page 3) July 16-31, 2014 MADRAS MUSINGS 3

thank you. And while brushing OUR your teeth or washing your face, the tap must keep running not in READERS a gentle stream but in full flow. A garden and a tree I have tried to encourage WRITE energy and water-saving wo items in MM’s June 1st issue interested Tme especially. The elitist way measures with some people of The note on My Ladye’s Garden (People’s the aforesaid groups, but failed. I too have seen the reprehen- Park). Even in the early 1980s this garden was have even tried to persuade impressive. The most remarkable inclusion here Isible conduct of the so-called them by making appeals through was the floral clock, which indeed worked (how ‘elite’ who let their dogs defecate their children. Again, a blank. accurately I am not sure, though). In the 1960s it on the public road (MM, July Have you noticed a curious was managed by one Krishnamurthy who was the 1st) with nary a thought or con- thing? These are the very same Chief Horticulturist for the Garden. cern for hygiene. At the same people who enthusiastically, and As a former resident of , I was time, they have the gall to talk demonstratively, observe the an- delighted to read the piece on the Purasawalkam about the unhygienic habits of nual charade of ‘Earth Hour’ by Siva temple by Chithra Madhavan. I remember the period when the sanctum area of the temple slum-dwellers. switching off lights for one hour The ‘educated’ upper and was locked for several years due to renovation on the designated day as though work in the 1960s, when I was a school boy in middle classes are expected to be that is all they owe society and Purasawalkam. I am not sure whether the name role models, but they fail themselves. of the principal deity is Gangadeeswarar. As well miserably. Take saving energy – as I can recall, it is Gangadaréswara. I was very the need for which is self- G. Sankaran pleased to read that the Gangadaréswara- evident. Walk into any of their T43A, 7th Avenue Pankajakshi temple is genuinely linked to the homes. You will find ACs on at Besant Nagar, Chennai 600 090 later Chola period; hearsay stories used to float full blast even when nobody is in around that it was so. Nice to hear this point from grows in the temple precinct, but it may not sur- the room. Ditto for lights. I hope New heritage wall? the authoritative voice of Chithra. By saying that vive long, unless some effort is made to conserve I am wrong, but I have observed n a letter the Corporation of purasa tree (plasa vrksa, Butea frondosa) is the sa- it. a curious commonality in these cred tree of this temple, does Chithra mean that I send herewith a beautiful sketch done by the IChennai has addressed to the this tree is the stala-vriksa? I am not sure. I have homes. It seems there is an in- as well as Madras artist Rungiah, who did the illustrations heard that the lianous Hiptage benghalensis (=H. for Robert Wight for his Illustrations of Indian flexible rule that all lights – 100 to other institutious on the madablota, Tamil: Vasanthakala Mallikai, kuruk- watts, no less – should have en- Botany, 1840, of Hiptage benghalensis, then re- Marina, for whom an ancient kati; Sansk, Madhavi Lata; the ‘old’ species name ferred to as H. madablota. In the figure numbered ergy-guzzling, inefficient incan- compound wall forms a common madablota is a derivative of its Sanskrit name 9 the elegance of the fruit (samara) of H. descent bulbs, the only ‘lip-con- border for their buildings, it is Madhavi Lata), which produces attractive winged benghalensis may be seen. cession’ to energy saving being a stated: fruits (samara), similar to an aircraft, is the stala- flourescent light in the kitchen. I “Plan to beautify the western vriksa. One shrub of Hiptage benghalensis still Dr. Anantanarayanan Raman don’t know why. Is it that if you side of Kamarajar Salai by demol- [email protected] practise energy saving more ef- fectively, you cease to be ‘in’ at ishing the existing compound the Club? Perhaps, in these wall from to circles, a dwelling lighted by (Ice House) ‘cheap’ energy-saving lights is and build a heritage wall...” considered really ‘cheap’! The existing wall, which is The same goes for water. No over 100 years old, is a heritage buckets and mugs for baths, wall. How can the Corporation make a statement to the effect that it is planning to build a heri- a single mistake on the form, back you go to the end of the queue, or Hard to stomach tage wall by demolishing the real what passes for a queue in India. heritage wall? It is really funny. (Continued from page 2) The Government is notoriously uninterested in the problems of In the name of beautification the commoners. Too busy fleecing the rich, or trying to get rich them- of the west side of the Marina, visit. There are so few dual carriage-way roads as to be laughable. selves in some way, shape or form. Take the trash, for example, civil which is the only side available There are no traffic laws to speak of and, if there are, they are rarely rubbish collection authorities are too busy taking kickbacks from the at present for any rework, the obeyed, much less enforced (another sideline is police corruption). A wealthy to keep their areas clean that they don’t have the time, Corporation has proposed to pull drive that should take an hour takes three. A drive that should take manpower, money or interest in doing their job. down the existing wall and re- three takes nine. The buses are at least thirty years old, if not older Rural hospitals are perennially understaffed as doctors pocket the construct it. The sketch of the and, generally, in poor mechanical repair, belching clouds of poison- fees the Government pays them, never show up at the rural hospitals, new design is attached. The east- ous smoke and fumes. and practise in the cities instead. ern side had already been ‘beau- Everyone in India, or who travels in India, raves about the railway I could go on for quite some time about my perception of India tified’ during the previous re- system. Rubbish! It’s awful! When I was there in 2003 and then late and its problems, but in all seriousness, I don’t think anyone in India gime. 2004 it was decent. But, in the last five years, the traffic on the rails really cares. And that, to me, is the biggest problem. India is too It is learnt that the Syndicate has grown so quickly that once again, it is threatening productivity. conservative a society to want to change in any way. of the University of Madras has Waiting in line just to ask a question now takes thirty minutes. Mumbai, India’s financial capital, is about as filthy, polluted and rejected the request on grounds Routes are routinely sold out three and four days in advance now, poor as the worst city imaginable in Vietnam or Indonesia and being of the heritage value of the leaving travellers stranded with little option except to take the de- more polluted than Medan, in Sumatra, is no easy task. The biggest standing compound wall. crepit and dangerous buses. rats I have ever seen were in Medan! Dr. T.D. Krishnamachari At least fifty million people use the trains a day in India. 50 mil- You would expect a certain amount of, yes, I am going to use this Flat 1A, ‘Rajam Mansion’ lion people! Not surprising that waitlists (each) of 500 or more people word “backwardness”, in a country that hasn’t produced so many 4/41, Luz Avenue, Fourth Street are common now. The rails are affordable and comprehensive, but Nobel Laureates, nuclear physicists, eminent economists and entre- Chennai 600 004 they are overcrowded and what with budget airlines popping up in preneurs. But, India has all these things yet what have they brought The Lord’s name India, like sadhus in an ashram, the middle and lower classes are left back to India with them? Nothing. to deal with the over-utilised rails, and quality suffers. No one seems The rich still have their servants, the lower castes are still there to ord Siva in Purasawalkam to give a shit. do the dirty work and so the country remains in stasis. It’s a shame. Ltemple (MM, June 1st) is not Gangadeeswarar, but Ganga- Seriously, I just never have the impression that the Indian Indians and India have many wonderful things to offer the world, but dhareswarar. Government really cares. Too interested in buying weapons from I’m far from sanguine that India will amount to much in my lifetime. Russia, Israel and the US, I guess. Now, you have it, call me a cultural imperialist, a spoiled child of P.S. Ramamurti The last major problem in India is an old problem and can be the West and all that. But remember, I have been there. I have done 75/15, Vellala Street, Purasawakam divided into two parts: that have been two sides of the same coin it and I have seen 50 other countries on this planet and none, not Chennai 600 084 since government was invented: bureaucracy and corruption. even Ethiopia, has as long and gargantuan a laundry list of problems as India does. Correct title It takes triplicates to register into a hotel. To get a SIM card for And, the bottom line is, I don’t think India really cares. Too com- n Prema Nandakumar’s your phone is like wading into a jungle of red-tape and photocopies placent and too conservative. Iarticle (MM, June 16th), the from which you are not likely to emerge in a good mood, much less title of S.K. Chettur’s book is satisfied with customer service. *Sean Paul Kelley is a travel writer, former radio host, and before that, an asset mentioned as Street Frame and I. Getting train tickets is a terrible ordeal: first you have to find the manager for a Wall Street investment bank. He recently left a fantastic job in Singapore with a software company, to travel around the world for a year or two. It should be Steel Frame and I. train number, which takes 30 minutes, then you have to fill in the He founded The Agonist, in 2002 which is still considered the top international Rev. Philip Mulley form, which is far from easy, then you have to wait in line to try and affairs, culture and news destination for progressives. He is also the Global Corre- [email protected] make a reservation, which takes 30 minutes at least and if you made spondent for ‘The Young Turks’, on satellite radio and Air America. 4 MADRAS MUSINGS July 16-31, 2014 July 16-31, 2014 MADRAS MUSINGS 5

with rising costs everywhere. Top medical specialists and young doctors held Dr. Sanjivi in such Talking of biological Healthcare for theesteem that they readily agreed to offer their services. Malini Balakrishnan, who recently com- pleted 41 years in VHS to retire community as Head, Hospital Administra- and career clocks tion, remembers that “many doc- tors volunteered services for a G r. E.S. Krishnamurthy, a G While interviewing Indra K. with my family. I got home about What’s your opinion about ‘carburettor water allowance’ of Dleading neurologist, who Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo, at 10, got into the garage, and my whether women can have it all? Rs 160 a month!” completed 50 years at the Volun- the Aspen (Colorado) Ideas mother was waiting at the top of I don’t think women can have Naomi Mitchison, wrote in tary Health Services in Adyar, Festival*, David Bradley, who the stairs. And I said, “Mom, I’ve it all. I just don’t think so. We the Glasgow Herald in 1968 that Indra K. Nooyi recalls, “Dr. K.S. Sanjivi re- owns The Atlantic, asked two got great news for you.” She said, pretend we have it all. We pre- it was clear to her that Prof. quested me to join the VHS in questions that elicited as frank “Let the news wait. Can you go tend we can have it all. My hus- that were there and say, “You need you too. What do you do? Sanjivi could have asked his 1958, when I’d just returned af- a discussion of work-life balan- out and get some milk?” I looked band and I have been married for were not there, Mom.” And as you grow even more, your team for any amount of work and ter training in Canada and the ce as Conor Friedersdorf has in the garage and it looked like 34 years. And we have two The first few times I would die parents need you because they’re they would have responsed posi- UK. I was 32 when I began vol- ever heard from a U.S. CEO. my husband was home. I said, daughters. And every day you with guilt. But I developed cop- ageing. So we’re screwed. We tively in an instant. unteering at VHS in 1965, on Below is a slightly edited tran- “What time did he get home?” have to make a decision about ing mechanisms. I called the have no... we cannot have it all. During the Silver Jubilee cel- Pongal Day. First, only the poor script recorded by Friedersdorf. She said “8 o’clock.” I said, “Why whether you are going to be a school and said, “Give me a list Do you know what? Coping ebrations in 1983 the then Presi- and middle class came; later, due didn’t you ask him to buy the wife or a mother, in fact, many of mothers that are not there.” mechanisms. Train people at to its popularity across all cross- dent of VHS, C. Subramaniam, milk?” “He’s tired.” Okay. We times during the day you have to G So when she came home in the work. Train your family to be pointed out that “more than 75 You come home one day as sections, the wealthier came. have a couple of help at home, make those decisions. And you evening she said, “You were not your extended family. You know doctors are participating, many President of the Company, just There was only one building on a “Why didn’t you ask them to get have to co-opt a lot of people to there, you were not there.” what? When I’m in PepsiCo I of them specialists in various dis- appointed, and your mom is not 25-acre, absolutely desolate, the milk?” She said, “I forgot.” help you. We co-opted our fami- And I said, “Ah ha, Mrs. Redd travel a lot, and when my kids Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laying the cornerstone for the VHS Hospital block. ciplines. Membership was nearly that impressed. Would you tell snake-infested, flooded campus, She said just get the milk. We lies to help us. We plan our lives wasn’t there, Mrs. so and so were tiny, especially my second 90,000.” And Indira Gandhi, that story? with kutcha roads. What began worker, health visitor or pub- tive and curative care under one need it for the morning. So, like meticulously so we can be decent wasn’t there. So I’m not the only one, we had strict rules on play- then the Prime Minister, said, That was about 14 years ago. on a verandah corridor with a lic health nurse attached to scheme, this was a landmark a dutiful daughter, I went out parents. But if you ask our bad mother.” ing Nintendo. She’d call the of- “Madras has had a long and great I was working in the office. I single doctor, table and chair and the centre). step, long before medical insur- The statue of Dr. K.S. Sanjivi at the and got the milk and came back. daughters, I’m not sure they will You know, you have to cope, fice, and she didn’t care if I was record in voluntary social ser- work very late, and we were in exam kit has grown into a ance was thought of. VHS en- VHS. I banged it on the counter and in China, Japan, India, wherever. 3. Community participation in vice, whether in education, in the middle of the Quaker Oats multidisciplinary institution with couraged families to enrol as sub- I said, “I had great news for you. She’d call the office, the recep- preventive health and shar- cooperation or social work. Here acquisition. And I got a call an international reputation and scribers, paying an annual fee to I’ve just been told that I’m going G tionist would pick up the phone, ing costs of medical care. is yet another example of pio- hensive lifetime free medicare about 9:30 in the night from the The Indra K.Nooyi viewpoint worldwide links! That’s been get free or subsidised treatment. to be President on the Board of “Can I speak to my Mommy?” 4. Shramdaan by the medical neering work which can be emu- for juvenile insulin-dependent existing chairman and CEO at quite a journey.” Those who could afford full cost Directors. And all that you want Everybody knows if somebody fraternity to give time, know- lated by other parts of the coun- diabetes patients.” that time. He said, Indra, we’re Dr. S. Srinivasan, who was of treatment were asked to pay me to do is go out and get the says, ‘Can I speak to Mommy?’ ledge and expertise for the try.” However, the then Secre- With the VHS Medical Cen- going to announce you as presi- say that I’ve been a good mom. because you die with guilt. You Registrar of the VHS in the for it. Several health check-up milk, what kind of a Mom are It’s my daughter. So she’d say, poor. tary, Dr. N.S. Murali, noted, “For tre well established, Dr. Sanjivi dent and put you on the Board of I’m not sure. And I try all kinds just die with guilt. My observa- 1980s, noted at the time, “At 7 programmes – master health, you?” And she said to me, “Let “Yes, Tyra, what can I do for several years it was possible to in the 1970s turned his attention Directors... I was overwhelmed, of coping mechanisms. tion, David, is that the biological am daily, one corner of VHS Dr. Sanjivi was known for his me explain something to you. you?” show that such an innovative to another of his pet concerns, because look at my background I’ll tell you a story that hap- clock and the career clock are in springs into action, with patients expertise in many fields of medi- You might be President of “I want to play Nintendo.” programme could be executed by the unsatisfactory health services and where I came from – to be pened when my daughter went total conflict with each other. gathering in orderly fashion in cine, but it was Community G PepsiCo. You might be on the So she has a set of questions. by a voluntary agency with mini- prevalent in rural areas. With the President of an iconic American to Catholic school. Every Total, complete conflict. When front of the medical records sec- Healthcare supported by shram- Board of Directors. But when “Have you finished your home- mum cost through dedicated ef- Public Health Centre (PHC) as company and to be on the Board Wednesday morning they had you have to have kids you have tion to collect their case notes daan that he was most focussed Shobha Menon you enter this house, you’re the work?” etc. I say this because forts by selfless individuals. But its nodal delivery point for of Directors, I thought some- class coffee with the mothers. to build your career. Just as that have been earlier docu- on. Out of this thinking was born wife, you’re the daughter, you’re that’s what it takes. She goes things are changing... attitudes of 60,000 to 100,000 people in each thing special had happened to Class coffee for a working woman you’re rising to middle manage- mented and preserved in a file. the Voluntary Health Services the daughter-in-law, you’re the through the questions and she people are also changing. The developmental block in the me. – how is it going to work? How ment your kids need you because Upon production of their iden- (VHS), which was registered as a pre-employment medical check, mother. You’re all of that. says, “Okay, you can play philosophy of shramdaan is fast country, effective access to So rather than stay and work am I going to take off 9 o’clock they’re teenagers, they need you tity cards that have been issued society on July 14, 1958. Its first food handler’s medical check, Nobody else can take that place. Nintendo half an hour.” Then disappearing!” health was minimal. He advo- until midnight, which I normally on Wednesday mornings? So I for the teenage years. for a nominal fee, the head of the President was K. Srinivasan; R. school health check-up – were So leave that damned crown in she leaves me a message. “Tyra Donations helped in the cated in place of the PHC the would’ve done because I had so missed most class coffees. My And that’s the time your hus- family is assured of his family Balakrishnan, Accountant Gen- offered, prevention being the the garage. And don’t bring it called at 5. This is the sequence building of space for one facility concept of the Mini Health Cen- much work to do, I decided to go daughter would come home and band becomes a teenager too, so members’ health-care.” eral (Rtd.) was its first Secretary. focus. Dr. Sanjivi’s constant pre- into the house. You know I’ve of questions I went through. I’ve or another. They included the tre (MHC) that would look after home and share the good news she would list all the mothers he needs you (laughing). They Dr. J. Balasubramaniam, cur- At the first AGM in 1959, Dr. occupation was approaching never seen that crown.” given her permission.” So it’s OP Block (1964), the Dr. A. a settlement of 5000-10,000 rently Director, VHS Blood Sanjivi took over as Secretary donors for this cause, persuading seamless parenting. But if you Lakshmipathi Unit for Research population in a rural area. There Bank, says, “Dr. Sanjivi insti- (he had retired from government wealthy patrons to divert money don’t do that, I’m serious, if you in Indian Medicine (1965), the would be greater reliance on el- tuted the concept of the Family service by then). Under the Land from temple hundis into medical don’t develop mechanisms with ENT Block (1966), the V Rama- ementary healthcare and more Card that recorded histories of Acquisition Act, 25.3 acres were relief! your secretaries, with the ex- natha Iyer Administration Block local residents would be trained. the entire family, so that con- acquired in Adyar in 1960. The In a pioneering move, the idea tended office, with everybody (1970), the Eye Block (1974), The M.A. Chidambaram Insti- nected aspects could be dealt Government of Madras promised of a non-commercial blood bank What’s brewing for Madras Week? around you, it cannot work. You the Neurosurgery and Geriatric tute of Community Health came with early in a preventive man- Rs. 9.35 lakh for building and run purely on voluntary blood know, stay at home mothering Block (1978), the Diabetes Cen- into being within the VHS to hennai’s 375th birthday looks as though it is going to be a bigger Takkolam on July 20th. The idea is to complete the exercise and then ner. He insisted on a mini X-ray equipment. M.A. Chidambaram, donations was conceived by was a full time job. Being a CEO tre (1984), the Day Care Centre oversee the MHC programme, bash than ever given the number of events that are being planned. present the findings – both in physical and virtual formats. and sputum check for every pa- then President of the Madras VHS in 1962 and started in C for a company is three full time (1986), and the Nephrology with 14 units set up around Ma- After ten years of conducting the event, the groundswell of volunteers tient who complained of cough, Race Club, had the Club donate 1963. This developed in 1997 It is also interesting to see the way celebrations in the city have jobs rolled into one. How can Block (1987). dras between 1968 and 1970. this year has come as a pleasant surprise. It is also posing a challenge changed over the years. Initially, we used to have talks, walks, and in order not to miss TB. Rs. 5 lakh and the proceeds of a into the Rotary Central-TTK- you do justice to all? You can’t. Dr. B.S. Ramakrishnan notes The Institute undertakes educa- to the catalysts behind the show – some volunteers have venues that school events. A new generation appears to be actively getting involved The beginnings of all this day’s racing. On October 8, VHS Blood Bank, and is consid- need events, others have events that are in search of a venue. That is The person who hurts the most in a record, “As the hospital tion, research, training and ser- – the Cooum study will be up on the web, there are promises of mobile were at a meeting in 1957 of doc- 1961, the cornerstone of the ered one of the best in Chennai. perhaps easily sorted through a mix and match, but what of those who through this whole thing is your started growing, operation the- vice activities connected with apps, marathons, video shoots and even a song on Chennai to be shot tors, led by Dr . K.S. Sanjivi, a VHS’s Medical Centre was laid All blood samples are screened want to just be volunteers and are seeking out events and venues with spouse. There’s no question atre facilities were created under MHCs. The MHC concept was a and presented as a video track with music by Raihanah, A.R. well-known specialist in General by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for HIV, Hepatitis and VDRL. plenty of enthusiasm? This has to be nurtured and encouraged. And Rahman’s sister. All of these have happened voluntarily and it is an about it. You know, Raj always the guidance of Prof C. Ragha- unique contribution to the Medicine, and others, including “who was brought with great dif- The VHS’s YRG Care Medical so if there is anyone out there who needs volunteers for conducting indication that Madras Week is going on to auto-pilot. And that is said, you know what, your list is vachari, the ‘grand old man of health scene in India. Madras Week events, do e-mail us. the then Editor of , ficulty through the only access, Centre is one of the few private perhaps the best, for events such as these must be a spontaneous PepsiCo, PepsiCo, PepsiCo, our surgery’. Working with one op- Each Mini Health Centre was Kasturi Srinivasan, legal lumi- via , and midst heavy hospitals to take care of AIDS This year is one of several anniversaries – turned celebration if they need to survive in the long run. two kids, your Mom, and then at eration suite and twin operating to have a part-time medical of- nary T.R. Venkatrama Sastriar, rains,” an old-timer remembers. patients. VHS was selected in 100, the Corporation 325, Queen Mary’s and Women’s This is not to say that the traditional element is missing. It is in fact the bottom of the list is me. tables, surgical consultants and ficer, full-time female and male Congress leader M. Bhaktha- Outpatient (OP) facilities 1995 by the United States Christian Colleges are turning 100 and it is a hundred years since the present in greater numbers. There are at least sixteen(!!!) heritage There are two ways to look at it assistants spared time in the af- para-medical workers and First vatsalam and industrialist M.A. and lab and X-ray services were Agency for International Devel- Emden shelled our city. It also happens to be the death centenary year walks to choose from, for instance. The number of schools wanting to (laughing). You should be happy ternoons to do surgery at VHS. Aiders trained in elementary Chidambaram, where the lacu- started even as the first block was opment (USAID) as a nodal of R.F. Chisholm, the architect who gave us so much built heritage. celebrate has gone up. There are people outside Chennai who want to you’re on the list. So don’t com- Many came at 1 pm and would health care in charge of Health It is 50 years since we eradicated small pox. Some corporate houses, celebrate it wherever they are living. And as for the number of talks in nae in the healthcare system as it under construction. The first pa- agency for implementation of the plain (laughing). He is on the leave only at 8 pm!” Posts in peripheral villages, each a couple of them staunch supporters of Chennai Heritage, are the city, we have long since lost count. existed was discussed. tient was admitted in July 1963. AIDS Prevention and Control list. He is very much on the list. Dr. C.V. Krishnaswamy, serving 1000 persons. The model completing landmarks – Parry & Co is 225 this year and The focus subjects were: One by one, other departments (APAC) project through NGOs But we will be happy with more. The number of events we are But you know (laughing), sorry, Chief, Diabetes Department, found recognition as far back as Sundaram Finance completes 60. There are therefore enough and targeting is 375, to match our city’s age. We still don’t find any excite- 1. Emphasis on prevention of were started. in Tamil Nadu. The Bill and David. who associated with VHS for 1969 by UNICEF, ICMR, more reasons for celebrations and it is to be hoped that every one of ment in . And we don’t find the retail community disease. Dr. Sanjivi’s voluntary health Melinda Gates Foundation also the happenings listed above is commemorated in some way or the over 45 years, says, “The VHS ICSSR, and others. Commended responsive enough. Can the restaurants, shops and establishments 2. The family as a unit for medi- plan was based on subscriptions awarded a substantial grant to other. Diabetes Department, started in by the World Bank and please chip in? Can the gated communities not join us? And what care (with every family to be assessed on a sliding scale in re- VHS for implementation of its 1965 with a modest table and the Planning Commission, it A very exciting initiative has been the cultural mapping of the about the IT industries in their exclusive corridors? We appeal to all attached to a combined pub- lation to income. This plan en- Tamil Nadu AIDS Initiative of them: come and get the party going … * The Atlantic co-hosts the chair and bench for patients, has earned worldwide appreciation. . A group of volunteers is walking, touring and even lic health and curative cen- titled subscribers to preventive Project. Aspen Ideas Festival with the reached the status of a premier It was recommended by VHS stalking the river from its origin to its mouth, listing all the heritage Sriram V. tre and to learn about pre- and curative care at VHS. As a A recurring grant from Gov- locations along its banks. Last heard, the group was heading to Aspen Institute. PepsiCo is an institution for research and For the Coordinators vention from the same social pre-paid medical aid plan for the ernment was given in 1964, the event sponsor. whole family, providing preven- grant increasing in later years treatment that assures compre- (Continued on page 8) 6 MADRAS MUSINGS July 16-31, 2014 Verse... and ‘verse’ (Well, kind of...)

(On the occasion of the release at a Madras Boat Are the events of that day, Club meeting of Kevin Martin’s Double Cream, As Kevin Martin walked us through Memsahib?, published by Anglo-Ink and with profound The rhymes that paved his way. apologies to Poetry in general) “Do buy the book,” the author twinkled, he Madras Book Club comes to Connemara “For who knows what might be; TDeep love for the written word draws them, (In the years to come you may be the only one) They came that day for a story told To own one of this 350.” And found instead a Poem. “Such a strange word: ‘Launch’” It was the launch of Double Cream, Memsahib? The author said, By Podanur-born Kevin Martin, “Shades of a stern judge launching, An entire story written in verse Whole books into the Universe Spanning fifty years, and rhymin’. By the simple act of throwing. So, should you read, and getting judge-y, Attempt to throw this book at me, S Muthiah, stern Captain, MBC Writer Sreekumar Verma described Kevin’s book Took mike, called all to order, I live in Australia, remember, So I’ll be as far as far can be.” A rollercoaster ride, not for the faint of heart, Confessed he disliked poetry, The words gather you up, they fling you down, But praised the blushing author. Let me tell you about my mother,” Kevin said, This, he said, is an example of fine art. “A great ear for the Word she had. For when the essence of poets and writers mingle, “I never read the stuff,” Mister Madras said, He said… “But this book I really liked…. Life has a way of changing, sometimes squishing, dreams It’s crazy pyrotechnics I read it through at one shot, In the reader’s head. It really had me psyched.” Yet can make you miss even what You never really had. Shades of Nabakov, Sreekumar saw And let me tell you about my grandmother, In Martin’s work, and you accept his expert opinion, And her ‘Book Box’, a glittering trove of gold; Yet your mind, riding those verbal waves, G by Ranjitha Ashok Filled with courtrooms, wily lawyers, and dashing cow- Sensed a whiff of the old H Hatterr tradition. boys, A magical world “Why verse?” came the inevitable question (Now you, just before the event, For a book-hungry, twelve-year-old.” While ‘in-conversation’, To him had expressed a careless opinion, “Muses come in all forms,” Kevin said, And now you learnt the cost of offhand words, “This book today is as much,” he said “Verse stared me in the face; As a Guru, he’s one in a million.) “For Mom as it is for me.” Prose just wasn’t in my vision.” The years marched, but love affairs with books, Some may have been puzzled by this choice For ‘twas then, with mischief aforethought, he Once begun, Of this particular horn of cornucopia deliberately added, Stay constant, as you will all agree. “But Rhyme and Rhythm,” Kevin explained, “Here’s one however (meaning you) your book “Best describe my world of Anglo-India.” just didn’t work with…” Then, one day, while wandering through Realising this, albeit playful, was a gauntlet being flung, Pavement bookshops at Delhi’s Connaught Place, Like all new authors, he was soon You resolved, with narrowed eyes, to call his bluff forth- That mysterious force, Kevin’s own McFate, Threatening to outdo Forsythe in rejection slips. with. Directed him to Vikram Seth’s Golden Gate. Writing, harsh Mistress, soon teaches us all So here, in attempted verse (only ‘attempted’, please And Kevin felt those ‘perfumed pages’ Of the chasms that yawn between cups and lips. note!), Fill his mind with grace. (Continued on page 7)

(Continued on page 9) July 16-31, 2014 MADRAS MUSINGS 7

monarch Shah Jahan. He was an erudite scholar and a strong A Sanskrit letter of advocate of the harmonious co-existence of the different traditions in India at that time and held liberal religious views. Dara Shukoh Fond of painting, architecture and the performing arts, he Adyar Library and Re- Dara was defeated by his (Current Affairs questions are Tsearch Centre situated in younger brother, Prince Muhi- from the period June 16th to the sylvan gardens of the Theo- uddin (later Emperor Aurang- 30th. Questions 11 to 20 sophical Society in Adyar is a zeb), and subsequently put to pertain to Chennai and Tamil well-known repository of rare death. Nadu.) books and manuscripts. Few This letter by Prince Dara know that this library, founded Shukoh was addressed to 1. What is the name assumed by in 1886 by Col. Olcott, also has Goswami Nrisimha Saraswati, a the new King of Spain who as- a long list of its own publica- great scholar and saint and cended the throne on June 19th? tions, including a pamphlet se- identified with Brahmendra 2. Name the veteran actor, famous for his role as Tuco aka ries. Saraswati, a resident of Benares Ugly in The Good, Bad and Ugly, One among these pamphlets and a contemporary of Shah a Muslim prince of the 17th next Emperor. who passed away recently. is a very interesting one titled Jahan. In a way, it is more of an Century. He was the favourite Dara Shukoh, also spelt 3. Name the two Indian sites that ‘A Sanskrit Letter of Mohamed address than a letter, praising of his father, the Mughal ruler, Dara Shikoh (1615-1659 are the latest to be included in the Dara Shukoh’ and published in this great personage. and chosen heir-apparent, but A.D.), was the eldest son and UNESCO World Heritage List. 1943. Interesting, indeed, for it The introduction to this destined not to become the heir-apparent of the Mughal 4. The lyrics for ‘Like a Rolling is a letter in Sanskrit written by pamphlet, penned by Prof. C. Stone’ recently set a record for a popular music manuscript when it sold at an auction for $2 million. G by Who wrote and sang this classic? Verse... and ‘verse’ Dr. Chithra Madhavan 5. How did Italy’s Giorgio Chie- llini create one of the biggest news items at the FIFA World (Well, kind of...) Cup? 6. Name the noted Hindi poet Kunhan Raja, a Sanskrit who has been chosen for the pres- (Continued from page 6) So many stereotypes, struggling to breathe scholar, prolific writer and tigious Jnanpith Award for 2013. Through a rich, colourful, cultural tapestry, curator of the Adyar Library for 7. Name the Islamic militant Then, Angels of Opportunity appeared Filled with fun, music, dance, struggle, glory – several years, mentions that the group which is at the centre of the Albeit in different sizes; One mustn’t leave out the unique manuscript of this letter was That useful creature ongoing crisis in Iraq, creating In matters culinary. deposited in the Adyar Library (As every Wooster knows!) major global concern. and mentioned in the Library An Aunt… 8. Which Indian actor was “I planned the book in my head,” said Kevin catalogue of 1928. It was first recently made an Officier de la Told him of publishers ‘Anglo-Ink’ – “The ideas grew like a banyan tree.” Thus averting crises; published in three instalments Legion d'Honneur (Officer of the And you figure letting imagination roam in Brahmavidya, the Bulletin of Legion of Honour), the highest And, by placing him on the path (While swimming in Shelley’s ‘harmonious the Adyar Library and later is- Civilian and Military honour One both true and sure, madness’) sued as a separate pamphlet “in bestowed by France? She helped bring into his life, Is perhaps the key… The redoubtable Harry Mclure. the belief that having regard to 9. Google’s new design reference It took golden-haired girls down rabbit-holes, re- platform initiative, that will member? the position held by the author of the letter in the field of enable manufacturers to build The book begins with an act of violence, It took people down those less travelled roads, ultra-cheap smartphones, is Metaphor for a nation’s birth When you mingle ideas, emotions, and punishing Sanskrit learning during the called the …? Through turbulent history. hard work …. Mughul period, this publication 10. Which bustling city has been It is also, Kevin said, a paean You coax poetry to tell a story. will be of great interest to declared the first kerosene-free To the Anglo-Indian’s constant search the students of Sanskrit litera- city in the country? For that sense of Identity. ‘Double Cream’…. ture.” * * * The title is a red herring, you are told…. A copy of this letter is also in 11. Pandit Subramania Sastri is “They call us hybrids,” Kevin said, with a smile You agree this particular dish is pretty potent the Library of the Royal Asiatic credited with naming which re- neither sad nor angry, Deceptively soft, apparently sweet, Society of Bengal and the India spected ‘teaching’ institution of For a minute you were back in Bangalore – in Yet with biting, unanswered questions Office Library in the U.K. Chennai? school, As its chief component. This manuscript is dated 12. How is V. Kennedy, whose With Marilyn, Susan, Caroline, Sandra, 1805 Samvat (1748 A.D.), but name is synonymous with a fa- And that redoubtable teacher – Miss Berry. “It’s best to keep your words soft and sweet, this, as Dr. Kunhan Raja states, mous wall graffiti advertisement, For you never know when you’ll have to eat them; cannot be the correct date of better known? ‘They assume our loyalty is confused’, the book I only wrote 85 a day…..” the author disclosed, 13. Which famous chain of stores says, the letter since Dara Shukoh Adding: “But then even a single mosquito can be died almost a century earlier. It was founded by Muthuswami ‘They think our women are fair game….’ So effective in causing mayhem.” Mudaliar in 1905? Your mind recalls a film you once saw, is either the date of the tran- scription of this manuscript or 14. The bells of which Chennai Chattakkari was its name. “So who am I?” the book persists, else the date should have actu- church are called the ‘Belfry Six’? “Whose Independence do I raise a toast to? ally been 1705 Samvat (1648 15. Appointed in 1661, Edward They say we’re a bit of this and that, Winter was the first ...? Then what ‘label’ should I choose to hold on to?” A.D.) when Dara Shukoh was alive. 16. What was the dimension of MADRAS MUSINGS the land deeded by the Damarla Those who are the sum of many parts, About this letter, Kunhan Brothers to the East India Com- ON THE WEB Needn’t see in them a restrictive wall…. Raja says, “If Dara Shukoh had pany in August 1639? Kevin smiled, like all who’ve vaulted boundaries, the command of Sanskrit to 17. What natural feature is the To reach out to as many readers as “For ultimately, I am I…..” he stated, draft such an address, then cer- word pattanam said to refer to? possible who share our keen interest in The best identity of all. tainly his equipment must have 18. Of the four main rivers cross- Madras that is Chennai, and in response to been of a very high order; and ing Greater Madras, two are the requests from many well-wishers – MBC members listened that day there is no reason to believe Cooum and the Adyar. Name the especially from outside Chennai and To a poem that tells a story whole…. that he had it drafted by some- other two. abroad who receive their postal copies very And, in the end, saw that this book reflects one else.” 19. Which animal found in the late – for an online edition. Madras A People’s collective soul. This rare manuscript (pic- metropolis is called maranai by Musings is now on the web at ture above) in the Adyar the locals? www.madrasmusings.com Disclaimer: No real poets were hurt during, or be- Library and Research Centre is 20. Which area was called cause of, the writing of this piece. Tiruvilithayam in the days of THE EDITOR just one of the many precious Note: All Anglo-Ink books can be purchased only possessions in its priceless yore? through its website: www.angloink.com collection. (Answers on page 10) 8 MADRAS MUSINGS July 16-31, 2014

Adyarites Discovering Nicholson, explore new frontiers (By Dipankar Ghosh) pioneer co-operator 5 sailors, young and old, en 3riched and inexperienced, or no good reason, the other overwhelmed by the sheer enor- velly (Tirunelveli), had already Raiffeisen was the burgomas- from Adyar cast off from the Fday I happened to remem- mity of the tasks involved. Ag- proved his knowledge of the ter of Heddesdorf, a village near Chennai harbour in seven sail ber the long kerosene queues riculture was largely dependent subject through a series of ar- Neuwied in Germany. He was boats to . outside the Nicholson Coopera- on the monsoons (as it still is) ticles on agricultural finance in not a rich man, but an inspired Each boat had a professional tive Stores* in Bedford. The and when the rains failed, star- The Madras Mail between 1890 Christian. After the famine in skipper and a crew of 3 to 5 no- man from the store would have vation and famines ensued. and 1891. He was also acknowl- 1848 had caused great distress vitiate sailors. With trolling the metal kerosene barrel dis- There were famines in 1861, edged as an expert in agrarian to farmers in Germany, he ex- lines out, they were lucky to penser on the roadside and 1873 and 1876. Farmers who economy in the Madras Presi- perimented with various kinds land a variety of fish. would be measuring out each had borrowed heavily from the dency. The report took five long of agrarian cooperatives to From they cardholder’s ration. Sad to say, moneylenders were in a bind years of research and writing eliminate the moneylenders moved northwards to the ham- we would just walk past not in and a great majority of them and was finally published in and middlemen. By 1864, he let of Karangali on the the least concerned about the forfeited their land to money- 1895. By that time, Lord had the model of a cooperative -Pallaverkadu Island, trials and travails of the people lenders. The oppression was so Wenlock’s governorship was funding society. This model to camp out in tents. standing there. One celebrity severe that in many parts of the nearing the end of its tenure. So gained popularity all over Ger- The next day dawned with who took pride in standing in country, farmers became vio- the report was presented to many and spread to Austria and the chirps of birds and the whir- the queue was the Field Mar- lent, so much so that the Lord Wenlock’s successor and Italy. ring of outboards on fishing shal. money-lenders in Poona and the Madras Board of Revenue The Raiffeisen societies were boats. Both were scouting for Once in a long while, my sib- Ahmednagar were attacked. You would imagine that it self-governing associations of their catch. lings and I were asked to pick borrowers who contributed to Later in the day, the curtains up something or the other from the capital of the society and were brought down on the 2- this store, which I did with ill who made use of further capital day expedition, with the sailors’ grace. The store had nothing to NINA VARGHESE tells a tale which the society attracted. timely return. recommend it by, because it was from the Blue Mountains These societies were limited to Similar voyages and trips for dark and dingy inside, quite un- a specific locality or village. The ‘Madras 375’ along the east like the other stores in Bedford. aim of the societies was to instil coast of Adyar are being coor- Once, when he heard the rather a feeling of confidence, self-help dinated by Adventure ‘n’ Na- disparaging comments I was The Government took a num- would be welcomed and appre- and thrift in the farmers who ture (Details: +91 99403 making, my father told us that ber of steps, including setting up ciated for its depth and re- were suspicious and enfeebled. 55521, Dipankar Ghosh) my grandfather was one of the a Famine Commission, none of search. But it proved to be oth- This was the model which (Courtesy: Adyar Times) founding members of this coop- which was very effective. erwise. The Nicholson’s report, Nicholson wanted to transplant erative store in Coonoor. I It is at that time that there which was rather repetitive, from the villages on the Rhine campfire on moonlight nights. didn’t quite understand how was talk of setting up an agri- faced opposition verging on the to the Madras Presidency. And soon the Indian National significant that was. cultural bank in the Bombay abusive from the Government. Though discarded in Ma- Congress, which was often ac- Recently, as I was research- Presidency. This was turned The Madras Board of Revenue dras, copies of Nicholson’s re- cused of not caring for the com- ing something different, I came down by the Government of made patronising statements port circulated in other parts of mon man, took up the cause. By across a rather interesting story Bombay as it did not want to about the “408 closely printed India. It was greeted with en- 1904, cooperative agricultural about the cooperative move- take on the duties of the soukar. quarto pages” of the report thusiasm. The phrase “Find credit societies and cooperative ment in India and why the store In 1892, the Governor of which “showed an absence of Raiffeisen” was soon a topic of banks were to be established in was called Nicholson Coopera- Madras, Lord Wenlock (re- definiteness in conception.” conversation in the clubs, on many districts. tive. To get a full picture, we membered because the Downs No doubt, Nicholson found the polo fields, in the drawing Nicholson could well be the will have to take a step back in in Ooty is named after him) all this criticism disappointing. rooms across the country and pioneer of the cooperative history. directed Frederic Augustus When he was asked to sum up from there it spread to the ba- movement in India. Nineteenth century India Nicholson, then Collector of the burden of the 408-page re- zaars and the highways. The was a dismal place, I think. Madras, to study the problems port in a few words, Nicholson poor farmers talked about the Famines and epidemics ravaged of the farmers and to submit a is said to have muttered two farmers’ banks even while they *Nicholson Cooperative is today a part of the land while the British Ad- report on them. words, “Find Raiffeisen.” sheltered from the sweltering the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation ministration struggled quite in- Nicholson, who had earlier So who or what was heat under the shade of the and is located in Cash Bazaar in lower effectively against these ills, been the Collector of Tinne- Raiffeisen? banyan trees and around the Coonoor. HEALTHCARE FOR THE COMMUNITY

(Continued from page 4) also established with four opera- In 1983, the Medical Aid tion theatres and the latest Plans were: As of March 31, 2013, subscribers numbered: and accepted by the Tamil equipment. Nadu Government in 1977 as a Plan I – a lump payment of Income Family Individual model for voluntary agencies By 2008, the VHS was a 405- Rs 12,000 for a man and Rs. group Subscribers Subscribers 10,000 each for his wife and any and has served as a model at the bed tertiary teaching hospital, Free ....Upto Rs 2000 1126 1621 national level. Dr. N.S. Murali, with a wide range of speciality other dependent throughout life. LIG .... 2001-5000 331 1438 Head of the Department of departments. This included a MIG .... 5001-10,000 84 123 General Surgery, VHS, from De-addiction Ward and a sepa- Plan II – Subscription vary- HIG .... 10,001 and above 29 nil 1964 took over as Medical Su- rate ward to treat AIDS ing from Rs. 12 per annum to perintendent in 1972, and in patients. Rs. 300 per annum for entire March 1985 he became the Today, 15 MHCs covering a family. With benefits including About 70 per cent of the pa- ees, a Central Committee and Honorary Secretary of the population of 10,000 serve rural maintenance of health records tients (those with a monthly in- other functional Committees VHS. He continued to manage communities in the eastern part and several concessions for come below a certain limit) are with eminent public personali- VHS affairs, with Dr. Sanjivi’s of Kancheepuram District. The treatment at the Centre. treated free of cost. Dr. S. ties, community leaders, social active support till 1994, when VHS also runs a Senior Citizens Plan III – Medical check up Suresh, the current Secretary workers, and philanthropists. It the doyen passed away, and Centre and a Palliative Care and records maintenance for a says, “This hospital, a remark- will forever be a standing monu- thereafter too (till he himself Ward. It has research units in person. able example of the exemplary ment to one stalwart’s dedica- passed away in May 2009). General Surgery, Nuerosurgery, The 2012-2013 Annual -Re- role of voluntary non-govern- tion and ability.” During that period, in 1980, Neurology, Diabetology, Ob- port records 465 beds across dif- ment organisations in assuring The VHS has kept growing the M.A. Chidambaram Col- stetrics and Gynaecology, Psy- ferent departments. Of the quality health services for the year by year – but without ever lege of Nursing, was established. chiatry, Community Health, 60,451 out-patients treated, common man, and, even more losing sight of what the founder M.A. Chidambaram was the Leprosy and Tuberculosis. The 32,995 were treated free. Of the remarkably, an example of com- had envisaged. Managing Trustee at the time. Dr. A.L. Research Centre 6,115 in-patients treated, 4, 129 munity effort, continues to be A new surgical complex was focusses on Ayurveda. were treated free. managed by a Board of Trust- (To be concluded) July 16-31, 2014 MADRAS MUSINGS 9 Carnatic flash mob makes a splash t was a riot of colour as young floor. And what did these so with enthusiasm. The artistes Igirls in pavadais, teenagers in Bharata Natyam dancers per- joined hands with the audience half-sarees or salwar-kameez, form was only the centuries-old and danced in circles, even as and women draped in sarees Ganesa kavuthvam. Shoppers some of them performed solos in stepped into the atrium of the crowded in, and spectators perfect harmony with the rest. Citi Centre mall some time ago. watched from every floor as Holding a banner proclaiming They mingled with the shoppers they clicked on their cell- ‘Viswa Natya Dinam’ two and hung around the kiosks en- phones, television cameras ABHAI members danced their joying their ice-cream, or rolled and the event was even way through the crowd. And as 1982 is to reach out through Kapali temple in as snacks and hot drinks, or sim- telecast live on NDTV. the music faded away, the danc- dance to places where it is not the venue, but younger mem- ply window shopping. ers struck poses and the crowd usually performed. At the end bers came up with the idea of At 5.30 p.m, the music G by S. Janaki cheered. It was a joyous celebra- of the presentation at Citi Cen- performing in a mall. flowed in from the audio system tion. “We want classical dance tre, the message had been suc- With barely a few days to go, placed strategically near a kiosk. The flash mob was organised to reach more people. We want cessfully and artistically com- arrangements were stepped up. Taking the cue, a few senior by the Association of Bharata to de-mystify it and share its cel- municated. Emails were sent out, and the dancers casually walked to the Natyam Artistes of India (AB- ebration,” said Chitra Viswes- “It is the first time I am see- Youtube link of the Ganesa centre and broke into adavu HAI) to mark World Dance waran, President of ABHAI, ing a flash mob by so many clas- Kavuthvam was sent to the movements. As the music Day. It was a delight to watch minutes before she was swept sical dancers. It is beautiful to dancers who had registered so palyed on, more and more danc- young students dance alongside into the swirl of colour and watch them,” said an onlooker. that they could learn the item. ers joined in groups of five or senior artistes. At the end of the movement. “It is such a delight to watch so The entire group met just a six. kavuthvam, the audience was The objective of World many of them in traditional at- couple of hours before the In a trice, there were as many asked to join the dance to in- Dance Day as declared by the tire in a swank mall, performing event, when the ABHAI com- as 75 classical dancers on the strumental music and many did International Dance Council in classical dance,” said another. mittee members tweaked the “It was amazing to dance in action into place. The dancers a mall to a mixed audience. I am then proceeded in small groups happy to be a part o it,” said a to the , and OF STATUES AND HERITAGE young dance student. “We what followed made everyone demonstrated that classical dis- sit up and take note. The AAT (Continued from page 1) developments, can we hope for ings in its control to private par- ciplined dancing can also give crew led by its CEO Rathish faster allocation of funds? And ticipation. This is the practice so much joy,” said a senior Babu and film director and pro- not yet begun. Given that the if at all money is still a con- all over the world. With Corpo- dancer-teacher. ducer Sharada Ramanathan latest budget has established Rs. straint, why can't the Govern- rate Social Responsibility How did it all happen? It was played a major role in facilitat- 100 crore as the lowest denomi- ment rope in private sector par- (CSR) norms becoming more an instance of putting social ing the action. The flash mob nation for projects, most of our ticipation or public subscription generous, companies will be media and technology to good event was filmed, edited and heritage requirements appear to for heritage restoration? Our more than willing to contribute use. The idea of a flash mob, posted on Youtube by a tem of be measly. And given that the city has already established such for such projects. And the fig- mooted in a casual group con- AAT students. amounts needed for restoration a trend with the Senate House ures that we are talking about versation among dance lovers In the midst of election fe- are so small, why make such a project that took place in 2006/ are not much. Such an exercise on Facebook, was formally ver, classical dance caught the song and dance stage show 2007. Old students, corporate will not only speed up restora- placed before the President of attention of the media which about their allocation when bodies and foundations donated tion, it will also make corporate ABHAI by a board member of generally shies away from cov- they can be handed out across to the cause and the work was houses or other institutions AAT. Enthused by the idea, the erage of things classical! The the table? After all, the disbur- undertaken quickly. That de- think twice before demolishing committee swung into action flash mob made a splash.– sal of such small amounts prob- spite its satisfactory renovation, heritage properties that they and initially thought of the (Courtesy: Sruti.) ably falls within the purview of the building was not put to the themselves own. lower level bureaucrats. use that was promised was due Now that we have estab- to petty university politics is lished that what is required for another matter altogether. heritage restoration is infinitesi- Perhaps it is time for the Infrastructure the first need mally small compared to what is Government to throw open needed for new grandiose new conservation of heritage build- (Continued from page 1) enough to hand over the space ment has been to build the most what little support infrastruc- to private developers after ugly and space-wasting bus ter- Germany (at Goethe Audito- ture there is – hospitals, schools drawing up a rudimentary lay- minus in the heart of the town, rium, 6 p.m.). and transport – has come up out and expect that time will allow for rampant commercia- July 18-20: Indian Hip-Hop Fest owing to sheer serendipity. And take care of the rest. lisation of the core area, and de- organised by ‘Catalyst 28’. The the same story has been In the case of Ponneri, the stroy every vestige of built and festival will feature all the four el- repeated when it came to deve- Government could do no better natural heritage in the town. ements of Hip-hop:Graffiti, loping other localities – Thorai- than seeking out Japanese help The only survivors are invariably July 26-August 3: Adiperukku and Djing, B-Boying and Rapping. , and for this, given that that country the temples and they too end up Ayyanar Festival featuring folk Catalyst 28 will also have work- has been working on sustain- losers for, thanks to the avail- performances (kavadi) by the shops in all categories for basic . In the case of Siru- seri, which was planned as an IT able and smart infrastructure ability of funds, they embark on Sukra dance troupe (at and advanced levels by both lo- for its cities for quite some time massive and, sadly, unscientific DakshinaChitra). city, the offices came up far cal and international artists.(at now. Since 2012, it has also restoration projects. Goethe-Institut). ahead of the support infrastruc- Till August 31: Children’s Mela. launched what it has termed This is not what is needed in Special programmes for school- July 24-25: (6-9.p.m.) and July 26: ture. As a consequence, what was to be a self-contained area the Future City Initiative, Kanchipuram. It is best that the children (at DakshinaChitra). (3-9 p.m.) Reel Desires: Chennai whereby it has committed Government looks at European Queer International Film Festi- has become one to which peo- July 26 and 27: Workshop at itself to building sustainable cities for help, for they have DakshinaChitra. val, featuring films, shorts and ple spend hours commuting documentaries showcasing sexu- from Chennai during the day. cities with superior environ- some of the best instances of Till July 31: Exhibition on ality and gender diversity issues. And at night it is practically mental technologies, core infra- heritage town development. Contemporary Art from It is a reminder of a common hu- dead, barring companies that structure and resilence. Can Pedestrianisation of the core ar- Museum Collection; and Exhibi- manity that transcends bound- Ponneri be the first of that kind eas, building of support infra- tion by Sirpi Jeyaraman (at operate night shifts, thereby aries of sexuality, gender identity giving rise to other problems. in Inda? structure in close proximity but DakshinaChitra). and culture (at Goethe-Institut). If these are to be the models Kanchipuram has other is- not within the city centre, pro- Till July 19: The Goethe-Institut July 26: A panel discussion on sues. Being a heritage town, it tection of historic buildings, the celebrates the World Cup with for development of Ponneri, ‘Inclusion:The Way Forward’. then we have plenty of pro- needs to be developed as one on education of the local residents an exhibition of cartoons The panellists will discuss strate- blems ahead. What is needed, the blueprint of what is being about the business potential in from Caricatura Kassel. The car- gies to ensure greater inclusion of done in newever cities. Too of- heritage, and the marketing of toons feature sharp satire, pro- LGBTQI people within educa- on the other hand, is proper found humour and nonsense all planning of the infrastructure ten, Madurai, Thanjavur and the city have been some of the tion and other mainstream insti- Tiruchchirappalli being prime steps taken there. Are we ready at once as they looked at foot- tutions. (at Goethe-Institut, 5.30 before the land is thrown open ball, a favourite subject in – 6.30 p.m.). for development. It is just not examples, our idea of develop- to go along those lines? 10 MADRAS MUSINGS July 16-31, 2014

His next stint as President tor sports enthusiasts of my time The Chandhoks of Chennai – 3 was between 2010 and 2014 it was a hobby, for Karun it is a when he firmly put India on the profession.” international map. Supported Karun became the second by the Jaypee Group of Delhi he Indian driver after Narain brought to India Formula I Karthikeyan of Coimbatore to Champions on races, the most prestigious mo- compete in Formula One races tor sports event in the world. for a while. Recently he finished The event was conducted for No.6 at the legendary Le Mans the race track three consecutive years from for the second time. Le Mans, 2011 to 2013 at the Buddha In- held in France every year, is a Vicky Chandhok. ternational Circuit (BIC) in gruelling 24-hour race, covering (Continued from to put India on the interna- next 17 years he was to partici- Greater Noida, built by the 5400 kms on the race tracks and last fortnight) tional motor sports map. Unfor- pate in over 100 national rallies Jaypee Group. Vicky was advi- is considered the biggest motor tunately he died in an air crash and races. “My last rally was the sor to the Group and helped not race event in the world. Karun otor sport is an expen- at the young age of 41. I lost a South India Rally held in 2000. only build the infrastructure but has also joined the Formula E sive sport! Only “M very good friend and mentor Driving a Mitsubishi Lancer, I also run the events successfully. Drivers Club, a new world people with deep pockets can who was a great source of inspi- signed off as a winner,” Vicky “It is a pity that the event is not championship being competed indulge in it. Fortunately for me ration to me.” Over the next recalls proudly. During his long being held in India in 2014 be- in ten cities. I was born in a family which was five years Vicky participated in stint as a racer, Vicky won over cause of lack of support from While Indersain Chandhok running a successful automobile all the races held in Madras and 350 trophies. corporates who are unwilling to sowed the seeds for motor sport spare parts business and also a other Indian centres, winning Though he was active in underwrite the huge costs of in his children’s minds, his sec- garage, with over 75 mechanics several prizes. MMSC, Vicky did not get in- sponsoring the drivers,” says ond son Indu Chandhok helped working in it. So I did not have In 1982, the year Vicky mar- volved in the Federation of Mo- Vicky. lay a solid foundation for the to invest in this sport. With a ried Chitra, a Tambrahm girl tor Sports Club in India till At present, Vicky is not only sport in India. His grandson father who was already a name from Madras, he flew down a 1999. Vicky remembers with helping his son Karun in his Vicky made a big name by win- to reckon with in the world of sadness the years 2000-2008 foray into international events ning hundreds of national ral- motor sports, it was easy for me when the Federation went but is also concentrating on the lies and races, and his great- to convert my passion for motor G through a dark phase. After a ‘Wallace Sports & Research grandson Karun is making sports into a hobby,” says Vicky by R.V. Rajan protracted legal battle, the Fed- Foundation’, which he founded waves in the international mo- Chandhok, the third generation eration got back on track. in 1989 to train drivers who are tor racing circuit. The Chand- Chandhok of Chennai, sitting Formula Ford Car from England Vicky’s first stint as Presi- interested in participating in hoks can truly be considered behind a huge table in his office in which he raced at dent of the Federation was be- races and rallies. the first family of motor sport in in Chandhok Centre off Anna Sholavaram that year. The ex- tween 2003 and 2005 when the Talking about his son Karun, Chennai, nay, in India. Salai. penses involved were partly legal battle was being fought. the fourth generation Vicky’s first race at sponsored by MRF Tyres, for However, in 2005 Vicky led 60 Chandhok. who has already (Concluded) Sholavaram was in his modified whom it was their first foray into vehicles from eight ASEAN made a mark in the world of Ambassador in the year 1972. motor sports. Later, the com- countries in an ASEAN Rally motor sports, Vicky says with He spent all his spare time from pany was to support the game Answers to Quiz held on the roads connecting pride, “Karun has surpassed me college tinkering with all mod- in a big way. several cities in the ASEAN in terms of his skills. While I els of cars in the family-owned Buoyed by the success of his 1. King Felipe VI; 2. Eli Wallach; countries. It was a CII show concentrated on national garage.This experience was to experience in 1982, Vicky flew 3. Rani-ki-Vav in Gujarat and flagged off by the Prime Minis- events, Karun dared to go inter- help him develop an indig- in a Chevron Formula II, a thor- Great Himalayan National Park; ter of India in Siliguri in West national and has been success- enously built racing car, his oughbred car, to contest in the 4. Bob Dylan; 5. He was the one Bengal. ful. While for me and other mo- bitten by Luis Suarez; 6. Carex Special, in which he par- 1983 Sholavaram Race; this Kedarnath Singh; 7. Islamic ticipated in the Formula India was also sponsored by State in Iraq and the Levant Race introduced in 1975 for the MRF. “Even today this (ISIL/S); 8. Shah Rukh Khan; 9. first time by the Madras Motor car is on display at the Project Android One; 10. Delhi. corporate office of Sports Club (MMSC). Vicky * * * was 18 years old and finsihed MRF.” 11. Kalakshetra; 12. P. James (of second in the race! Besides racing, Magic Show fame); 13. Nilgiris; Vicky also started par- According to Vicky, “Host- 14. Armenian Church; 15. Presi- ing a Formula India Single ticipating in rallies, in- dent of Madras; 16. 5 km long and Seater Race was the dream of S. cluding the Himalayan 2 km wide; 17. A port at a river Karivardhan, the then MD of Rally, a gruelling test mouth; 18. Araniar and Koratali- Lakshmi Mills, Coimbatore, a of both speed and en- In 2010, Karun thea became the only second Indian and the first of the ‘Racing yar; 19. Asian Palm Civet or visionary who did all he could durance. Over the Chandhoks’ to compete in Formula 1. Toddy Cat; 20. Padi.

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PublishedPublished by S. Muthiahby S. Muthiahfor ‘Chennai for Heritage’,‘Chennai No. Heritage’, 5, Bhattad 260-A, Tower, TTK 30, WestcottRoad, Chennai Road, Royapettah, 600 018 Chennaiand printed 600 014, by Tprinted J George by Anu at Varghese Lokavani-Hallmark at Lokavani Southern Press Pvt. Printers Ltd., Pvt. 122, Ltd., Greams 122, Greams Road, Road, Chennai Chennai 600 600 006. 006, Edited and edited by S.by MUTHIAH.S. Muthiah.