Registered with the Reg. No. TN/CH(C)/374/12-14 Registrar of Newspapers Licenced to post without prepayment for India under R.N.I. 53640/91 Licence No. TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-506/12-14 Publication: 15th & 28th of every month Rs. 5 per copy (Annual Subscription: Rs. 100/-) WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI INSIDE • Short ‘N’ Snappy • Drawing with Mano - I • Anglo-Indians bond • History written in gold • The Chitales of Chennai - II Vol. XXIII No. 23 MUSINGS March 16-31, 2014 People’s Marina Madras Landmarks – Under – 50 years ago threat again the Island Grounds and offered recreations such as reverse bungee jumping, rock wall climbing, paint ball, dart board, net cricket, grease pole climb- Must the people lose even a bit of this space that is theirs? ing, squad bike and archery. This came a cropper following (By The Editor) ties for yachts and small sail very poor public patronage. The boats so that regattas can be other scheme was at Mudaliar- G t was too good to last. Given held. There is also an idea that kuppam near the city where Serendipitously there arrived on my desk recently a Madras guide book of the pressure that land faces in boat services can be provided para-sailing and water-skiing the 1950s, with a heap of pictures of the landmarks of that era. Some of them I survive as they were, others survive in a re-constructed form, and many have a city like ours, it was only a from the Marina to Puducherry were offered at exorbitant rates, vanished. From this issue onwards, we will publish a picture of one of them every question of time before some- and Mamallapuram. ostensibly to lure up-market cli- fortnight, as they were 50 years ago and more ago. We start with Dasaprakash one or the other began eyeing There are several objections entele. This too failed. As of Hotel, an Udipi icon of that era, on Poonamallee High Road. A wonderful art the largest open lung of the city to all this, no matter how good date, both the facilities at Island deco building, it was part of a chain built up by Kuttethoor Seetharama Rao who – the Marina beach. In what they sound on paper. In the first Grounds and Mudaliarkuppam gave up a lowly Government job in 1921 to join his brothers in running a restau- can only be termed as a mis- place, we have already sacri- stand withdrawn. What is the rant in Mysore. It later established others in Madras and Ootacamund, then in guided attempt to provide rec- ficed enough of the Marina for guarantee that the proposed the 1970s, moved to North India and, thereafter, to the USA. reation facilities, the Govern- all kinds of construction. Sec- Marina scheme for the will fare The Poonamallee High Road flagship hotel was inaugurated in 1954, as was ment aims to take over thirty ondly, it was and should remain any better? its twin kalyana mandapam, Dharmaprakash. The hotel was known for its acres of land on the Marina to Lastly, it appears that those good Udipi fare, ice creams and comfortable rooms. In its time, its restaurants a place for the common folk of had seen visitors ranging from Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru to J.K. Galbraith. create an adventure water the city to take the air. The who came up with this idea Differences in the family and the five-star culture saw the closure of sports arena. ideas that the TTDC has now Dasaprakash in the 1990s. The building was demolished in 2010 to make way The plan, mooted by the aired are all elitist and aim to (Continued on page 5) for highrise after the property changed hands. Tamil Nadu Tourism Develop- cater to foreign tourists (who ment Corporation (TTDC), is are likely to find such facilities now under the consideration of no better than from wherever Work on elevated expressway again the Public Works Department they came). The beach is com- (PWD). The TTDC, it is mon property to all Chennai – but hopefully not at Cooum’s expense learnt, wants to have a place on citizens and cannot be con- and the National Highways Au- State Coastal Management the beach with facilities such as trolled by a few. ork is expected soon to resume on the elevated thority of India (NHAI). The Zone Authority (TNSCZMA), hot-air balloon rides, scuba div- Thirdly, the TTDC’s own W expressway connecting the Port project, initially estimated to which claimed that the proposal ing and water-kite flying. Also record of providing such facili- to Maduravoyal. This is follow- cost Rs.1500 crore, had its foun- to build the road along the on the anvil are berthing facili- ties is rather poor. One was on ing the High Court of Madras dation stone laid by the Prime Cooum violated Coastal Regu- setting aside the 2012 order of Minister in 2007. Work then lation Zone (CRZ) clearance. the Public Works Department began on the road and pro- Surprisingly, the TNSCZMA to stop all work on the project. gressed rapidly in the next few later reversed its stance and said While there is no denying that years. that the proposed road would the elevated road was a neces- not affect the free flow of water sity for the free movement of G by A Special in the riverbed. This despite the cargo to and from the port, it is fact that around 34.58 hectare unclear as to what will be the Correspondent of the road fell within the CRZ fate of the Cooum River in Originally planned as a cor- and, more importantly, 35 foun- whose dry bed several pillars for ridor running over Poonamallee dation pits were to be in the ri- the elevated road have been High Road, its alignment un- verbed. To all intents and pur- erected. derwent a couple of changes poses this meant that the road Envisaged as a 19-km el- since. Those in charge had would effectively be built on the evated corridor, the project was voiced the view that land acqui- riverbed, leading to obstruction mooted by the Chennai Port sition in Poonamallee High of water flow. “I’m going to vote for the party that that will push up India's GDP, bring Trust. Clearance was given by Road would be an issue and the In 2011, with the change in down the rate of inflation, manage the macro-economic performance, in- the State Government in con- expressway was then planned to regime in the State, the el- crease exports, and, most importantly, promises to build a new platform for sultation with the Ministry of run along the Cooum. This was evated road was among the first you and me to live comfortably!" Shipping, Government of India, resisted by the Tamil Nadu (Continued on page 7) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS March 16-31, 2014 The evolution of wedding gifts he Man from Madras throughout the year. invite came from the other T Musings is breathing easy, Far worse than the milk side. Some families had long now that the wedding season is cookers were the glowing memories and the same over. His good lady, also lamps. MMM is fairly certain amounts used to be given, known as She Who Must Be that the younger generation chiefly in retaliation, genera- Obeyed, has now gone on to among his faithful readers will tion after generation, with not other things to expend her sur- not know about these. They a care about inflation. MMM plus energy leaving MMM were hideous, comprising two has known of guests who gave alone and free from the care of metal florets, which held a crossed cheques for rupees fif- attending weddings. But the coloured, transparent plastic teen! By the time it travelled The Prison Bazaar in Puzhal – and the ‘Freedom’ vermicompost it sells (inset). spate of marriages had MMM cylinder between them. This between bank accounts, it musing on the way wedding cylinder contained water would have cost everyone in- gifts have changed over the within. All simple and inno- volved a pretty penny, barring years. cent you may imagine. The the giver. Now, shop at MMM is aware of a dim lamp was however a nasty bag The notebook was usually past when diamond necklaces, of tricks that revealed itself entrusted to a sharp-eyed silverware and other such gifts only when connected to elec- cousin who was also good at Prison Bazaar were de rigueur but he was tric power. The water inside mathematics. As MMM failed born in a more prosaic age. began to glow and, what was on both accounts, he was ormally, only anxious family members and friends frequent Among MMM’s earliest worse, revealed several tape- never ordered to report for Nthe outside of the grim Puzhal prison complex in the suburbs memories is of a doctor aunt worm-like floaters that shone duty. At one wedding none of of Chennai, as they wait to meet their loved ones. Of late, there getting married. A patient of and darted about hither and the sharp-eyed cousins was hers gifted her with a ghastly thither. This was bad enough available and having lightly has been a new flurry of activity, more smiles and light exchanges. steel cup (or was it a set MMM but some others had music in passed MMM over, the family And the recently opened Prisons Bazaar of the Prisons Depart- forgets). The aunt having put them as well. The only good zeroed in on a newly married ment of Tamil Nadu Police is the reason! it away, rather absentmindedly thing was that the whole en- American aunt.