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 ‘N’ Snappy • A Daniells’ gallery • Following the photowalkers MADRAS • Dr. Kesari’s reminiscences • The TamBrahm Bride Vol. XVIII No. 1 MUSINGS April 16-30, 2008 BetterIs VPH times to get ahead a new for heritage buildings? The only positive side-effect of the (By A Special Correspondent) board exams is that I have lost 10 kilos! hile privately owned of the Government Music Col- Weight(y) matters W heritage and historic lege) on Greenway’s Road and ‘They’ are really over. structures in the city are con- the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Ripon Building... once a conservationist’s report is in, restoration may start. tinuing to lose their battle Court building on Rajaji Salai Finally! interest is the proposed restora- done, something which is of against the wrecker’s hammer, are expected to be taken up at a “Oh, the dark days are done; the tion of Chepauk Palace. Rs. 3.5 prime importance for a heritage it would appear that better days cost of Rs. 83 lakh. Similar work bright days are here...er... crore has been earmarked for building, in this case one of the ummmm…” (Sorry – didn’t are here for some under the is also to be undertaken at the this. However, details of what is oldest surviving buildings of the mean to break into a song like control of the Government. offices of the Deputy Inspector to be done have not been fur- city. The PWD’s own talents in that. And how’s that for an A recent question in the As- General of Registration on First nished. It is to be hoped that the this area need to be better age-revealing faux pas?) sembly had the PWD Minister Line Beach (Rajaji Salai) for Government will appoint a con- honed. In this connection, it is Seriously, those who walked in furnishing several details re- which a budget of Rs. 50 lakh is the shadow of the Board Ex- sultant for specifying the exact heartening to note that the garding the restoration works to be allocated. aminations know what it feels nature of renovation to be (Continued on page 8) like to come into the light… that are ongoing or planned. A project that will be of great lighter, literally. Most of these are being taken Have you noticed how trim and up under the grants of the 12th toned some parents of excit- Finance Commission. Among able, unpredictable kids ‘tak- the ongoing works are renova- May we hope for it to ing their Boards’ have be- tion of the Ophthalmic Hospi- come? tal building in Egmore (it is to The whittled-downers differ be hoped that he meant ALL over what causes greater the historic buildings here), the remain a woodland? weight loss. “Physics. Worth 10 kg,” some Banqueting Hall (Rajaji Hall) in Government Estate (budget he recent judgement of the terest. 22 acres of land were By the 1960s, the Society opine, patting their flat tum- Madras High Court, allow- leased out by the Government had begun to face financial dif- mies proudly. Rs. 91 lakh), the upgrading of T “Computer Science,” says an- the Tamil Nadu Archives build- ing the State Government to re- to the Society in the area beside ficulties and it was then that other. ing at a cost of Rs. 2.16 crore sume the rights to the lands the St George’s Cathedral Krishna Rao, the man who had “Maths…any day. 15 kg,” says a and the renovation of the com- leased out by it to the Agri-Hor- which had been consecrated in brought Udipi cuisine to Ma- particularly tired bunch. pound wall of the Government ticultural Society has brought 1816. The Society changed its dras, approached the body with “Hey, you know how I had to Museum at a cost of Rs. 77 lakh. the verdant sprawl of 18 acres name to the Madras Agri-Hor- a proposal to set up a drive-in fight to prevent English being However, the minister’s reply is or so on either side of Cathedral ticultural Society in 1860 and restaurant in the gardens on the taken for granted? ‘Think Road into the news. left of the road as you ap- what it will do to your aver- silent on the fate of the Mu- seum building and the National While much is being made proached Gemini Studios. The age’… that’s all I told him ev- G by A Special Society was initially reluctant, ery morning for six months,” Art Gallery, which badly need out about the fact that the but the rent offered was attrac- discloses a startlingly shrun- attention. popular Woodlands Drive-In Correspondent ken soul. Quite a few new projects are restaurant in the place has tive and the Society, hard- Your heart goes out to a family on the anvil as well. Tendering closed down, not many are wor- over the years its annual flower pressed financially, agreed. It is that now has to rise above process for the renovation of ried about the future of the Hor- show was much looked forward interesting to note that none such nightmare conversa- the Amaravathi Gallery of the ticultural Society itself or the to, with the Governor of Ma- pointed out that sub-letting a tions, and fight its way back Government Museum is under- fate of the green expanse. In leased property was in any way to a sweeter, gentler time. dras, the Patron-in-Chief of the way. Lighting of the façade of many ways, the Society itself is Society, inaugurating it. The not legal, the precise argument Two pallid creatures, seeing the to blame for the situation that it on which the present judge- outside of their gates after Fort St George is in the same Society boasted of a good library stage. The budget for these is is in. devoted to publications on ment is based. Be that as it may, weeks, take in each other’s the Woodlands Drive-In Res- emaciated frames. Rs. 80 lakh. Lighting arrange- A historic body founded botany and did much to foster a “Chemistry,” the first one rasps. ments for the High Court com- with the best of intentions, the keen interest in gardening in a taurant, an innovative concept The other sighs. “Disinterested plex and the restoration of the Madras Horticultural Society city that was full of bungalows. in India, was inaugurated on Commerce.” Madras Literary Society build- was started in 1835. An active With the laying of Cathedral April 15, 1962 and became a Oh, well, at least they’re nice ing are to be taken up this year. member on the committee was Road in order to connect Adyar runaway success. In an era and slim for the holidays. The latter is expected to cost Dr. Robert Wight, Surgeon in and South Madras to St when there were not many cars With no gym-ing, fad-dieting… Rs. 40 lakh. Besides these, the around, it was considered fash- and for free. the Madras Medical Service, George’s Cathedral, the prop- renovation and preservation of who also brought out a number erty became divided into two ionable to drive in to Wood- Ranjitha Ashok Brodie’s Castle (present home of publications of botanical in- and reduced to its present size. (Continued on page 8) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS April 16-30, 2008 Names of villages in Tamil Nadu Bawling into the mobile phones A reflection of ecological tradition he Man from Madras partment door, only to find a ought to take. But what puzzled T Musings recently read an busy business executive yelling MMM no end was that each he study of the names of Thannerkulam, Tiruvallikkeni) article in The Hindu on the trial into his mobile about a pay- one of these announcements Tplaces in a specific area is or the one with waterfalls, as of John Clifford, a man who as- ment that was long overdue was in pure Tamil with nary an called Toponymy. The topono- Peraruvi in Tirunelveli District. saulted people who spoke and if the party of the other English word in sight. While mical study includes the origin Tiruvaiyaru, as the name aptly loudly into their mobile phones part was not willing to honour MMM is all for the local lan- of these names, their social and suggests, is located at the while travelling by train in New its commitments, then his com- guage, and is indeed one of its York. He claimed that they in- pany, no doubt the party of the great admirers, he could not cultural meanings, and the confluence of five rivers. terfered with his right to be left first part, would soon be taking help thinking of the many for- identification of patterns, if any. There are also numerous in- in peace and quiet and that steps. eigners who now live in this The five-fold landscape stances of places named after they were guilty of breach of As to what these steps were, area. At last count there were categorisation in the early animals and birds. Puliyur, train etiquette. He was arrested MMM was not enlightened Americans, Scandinavians, Tamil tradition derived its Pulivoy, Pulipakkam, Thiru- and produced in court where about, for the train then went British (and that includes the names from the significant pulivanam (Chengalpattu Dis- he defended himself.