Archive of Vol. XVII No. 16, December 1-15, 2007
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Registered with the Reg. No. TN/PMG (CCR) /814/06-08 Registrar of Newspapers Licence to post without prepayment for India under R.N.I. 53640/91 Licence No. WPP 506/06-08 Rs. 5 per copy (Annual Subscription: Rs. 100/-) WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI INSIDE Short & Snappy The long road to Madras MADRAS A hospital with a history The Millers Road landmark MUSINGS The Season ahead Vol. XVII No. 16 December 1-15, 2007 SetbackIs VPH to for get heritage a new As one of yesteryears buildings goes down... (By A Special Correspondent) he Traffic Commissioners signs so that children could de- We want to dedicate this song to TOffice Building on velop road sense, but this later Johnson...no, thats not our son, but Poonamallee High Road has went to seed. our dog! been razed to the ground. A fine Ironically, the very same Making waves example of the old garden grounds which made this prop- Beautiful... thats what the Police Headquarters (above) was made when it house that was so typical of erty a visual delight appear to was saved from the wreckers hammers by the then Chief Minister, Mu Whats your name? coos the Karunanidhi. Well maintained too by the Police is Government House that the RJ. Madras, and Egmore in particu- have caused the buildings same Chief Minister now wants to pull down. Meanwhile, the Police, who have Maharangeswari, the caller lar, it was part of a leafy area tended two of their prize heritage buildings so well, have gone and pulled down a answers. which once housed several (Continued on page 6) third heritage building of theirs. How inconsistent people can be with heritage! And youre from? properties of condiments king Majorly-Small-Town-Way- P. Venkatachellum. This build- South. ing, however, does not appear Illegal construction illegal And you want to dedicate this to have been one of his posses- song to? the relentless coo- ing continues. sions and the land is said to But government differs with the courts My boyfriend, is the equally have once been part of the Ma- coy reply. dras Tramways Corporation. he Madras High Court on November 13th illegal constructions may no longer be illegal once You choke, and your fellow The company went into liq- Tquashed Ordinance 1 of 2007 that sought such changes were made to the law. CAG had companions in the car uidation in 1953 and its to provide a one-year amnesty for illegal con- challenged this Ordinance immediately. promptly react. Whats Poonamallee land was divided structions in Chennai. The Consumer Action On November 13th, the Madras High Court wrong with that? into four plots and sold, each for Group (CAG) had won a landmark case in Au- passed orders on CAGs writ petition agreeing Nothing, you self-defend. Rs. 1,00,000. The buyers were Its just that ...I mean... gust 2006 when the High Court set up a Moni- with it that the State Government was trying to respectively Periyar, C.P. toring Committee to oversee the implementa- overcome the judgement and, therefore, en- You know what? You are a Adithanar, G.D. Naidu and Name-ist. tion of their orders which focussed on illegal croach on judicial powers. The Court held that Nonsense, theres no such Sambasiva Iyer. The Traffic constructions in multistoried commercial build- the Ordinance was unconstitutional, but thing. Commissioners Office is be- ings in Chennai. The State Government had granted the State Government two weeks time There is now, and youre it. lieved to be standing on the challenged this order before the Supreme Court to appeal to the Supreme Court. You think only a mall-hop- erstwhile Sambasiva Iyer prop- in 2006, but did not succeed. In a bizarre turn of events, the Tamil Nadu ping, city-type name would erty. At one time, all drivers li- In July 2007, the State Government promul- Government notified an Act (passed by the be appropriate. Dont lie. cences were issued from here gated an Ordinance to stop any enforcement ac- Tamil Nadu Assembly) one day after this judge- Meanwhile, distinctly over-ripe and the spacious grounds were tion for one year, arguing that it was planning to ment which was a verbatim reproduction of lyrics assault your ears, and ideal for driving tests. A park in make changes to the law and that many of the (Continued on page 8) you figure that what young front was developed with road Maha-R-wari needs is not so much defending, as a strongly-worded lecture by a Musings loses a founder parent or two. ... BUT ANOTHER adras Musings deeply regrets to record the sudden passing Your co-passenger intones: If M away on November 23rd of one of its founders, C.O. Varghese, you tickle her, will she not GETS A BREATHER Director of Lokavani Southern Printers (P) Ltd. He was 77 years old. laugh? If you...er...hurt her, It was late in 1990 that he persuaded his partners in what was will she not...er...hurt...? then Lokavani Hall Mark Press to launch Madras Musings, as much Reflecting that there is no ham (By A Special Nadu and the Madras High to give their printing unit a new and helpful addition to its range of like the one school-play won- Correspondent) Court appointed a committee to activities as to contribute something towards the development of a better Madras. Later, when Madras Musings could not find the kind der, you tune out all voices, look into whether the building retreating with dignity. of support needed to make it self-sufficient, it was he who persuaded Now, you applaud the we-are- here is some development was really beyond renovation, his partners to keep it going year after losing year as a public service like-this-only attitude, and Ton the case concerning the as the LIC contended. till it found in Chennai Heritage the support necessary to revive it appreciate that this, natu- demolition of Bharat Insurance The Committee in its report and make it a vibrant voice seeking a better city, while remember- ing a splendid past. rally, leads to the Hey-us- (Kardyls) Building. The land- stated that the building was Madras Musings may have passed into the hands of Chennai too phenomenon. But mark heritage structure, which quite strong and could be re- actual evidence of change in- stored to its original condition. Heritage, but it was Varghese who ensured that every issue of the stands threatened with demoli- journal came out on time, that it maintained a high quality of pro- variably causes a few mental tion by the Life Insurance Cor- The LIC took the matter to the back-flips, demanding a cer- duction values and, above all, that the day-to-day problems con- Supreme Court on the grounds nected with the journal reaching its readers were handled tactfully. tain cleaning up of that inevi- poration of India (LIC), its present owner, has won a tem- that this was not a heritage All of us at Madras Musings will miss that signal contribution that table baggage of stereotypes. he made till the end. The waves of change are appar- porary reprieve. building. This was a new argu- Varghese, a past President of the Madras Printers & Lithogra- ently capable of finding even Regular readers of Madras ment and the original grounds of structural weakness were phers Association, was closely connected with the Madras Medical the remotest, tiniest little Musings will recollect that the Mission and several church activities that helped the less privileged. patches of fertile soil. demolition of this building was May he rest in peace. Ranjitha Ashok challenged by INTACH -Tamil (Continued on page 3) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS December 1-15, 2007 l Travelling with FRANCOIS MARTIN Is Mumbai going the Chennai way? The long road he Man from Madras happened to the announce- is such a law-abiding place. T Musings is musing on mat- ment of the Citys Police Com- While MMM was quite certain ters in Mumbai for a change. missioner that those putting up that the Chennai monkey can- MMM has always considered such hoardings would be se- not be more aware of the law to Madras Mumbai the ideal city in heri- verely dealt with. than the Delhi one, the com- tage conservation. The city had The other day, MMM was ment set him thinking whether heritage laws long before other chastised by a policeman for there were any monkeys at all nyone who wants to thinking of his French readers cities woke up and as for heri- not noticing a signal change. in Chennai. By that MMM A make a trip from and that prompted him to de- tage activism there has always MMM would have liked to does not mean the variety that Pondicherry to Chennai has to scribe what toddy was. been a healthy public aware- point out to him that the traffic is chained and made to do simply board a bus or a car and While crossing the river ness. But MMM is sorry to re- light was hidden completely by tricks, but the free-wheeling he will reach his destination in Chingour on May 28th, Martin port that Mumbai appears to a beaming political figure and one which moves from tree to three hours. Some nowadays was amazed to see that it was have taken a leaf from the book so there was no question of no- tree and house to house just as even commute on a daily basis completely dry. The river-bed, of Madras that is Chennai ticing a signal change.