Registered with the Reg. No. TN/CH(C)/374/15-17 Registrar of Newspapers Licenced to post without prepayment for India under R.N.I. 53640/91 Licence No. TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-506/15-17 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 •Entrepreneur’s progress • The lakes of Madras • The Doric Column lighthouse • Walking to campaign Vol. XXV No. 21 MUSINGS February 16-29, 2016 The civic body Know your Fort in overdrive better uddenly it would seem, our Sowcarpet (approximately action and achievement – elec- Scity’s Corporation has gone 0.00001 per cent of the total tions to the State Assembly can into a frenzy of action. Just number of such structures), be announced at any moment count the number of ‘achieve- work has begun on drainage thereby binding the civic body ments’ in the past two weeks projects and the installation of to electoral conduct rules that and you will get the general idea LED lights on roads has re- would mean a blanket ban on – the civic body upgraded itself any new schemes being launch- by the simple expedient of add- G by The Editor ed. ing a ‘Greater’ to the Chennai it While it must be said that all is supposed to govern, it laun- ceived a boost. Chances are of these initiatives are beneficial ched an enquiry into the tardy that if you open your newspa- to our city, the bringing on pace of desilting works in water per of a morning, you will get to board of so many automatically bodies, 65 new mini bus routes read a lot of Corporation news means very few will see the light were inaugurated, pavement these days. of the day. Given our civic projects at NSC Bose Road and While it does leave you with body’s track record of seeing Mylapore have gone into over- the wistful thought that the projects to fruition and its usual drive (see report below), a lament of lack of manpower and same dynamism if displayed Middle aka North Street. programme has been announc- over the past several years resources, many of these seem ed to see how areas around would have transformed our to be empty announcements G St George’s Street leads you from the eponymous gate to Parade metro railway stations can be city, a moment’s cold reflection with an eye on the election Square. We have already seen the important thoroughfares on the developed, several illegal build- will also give you the reason for results. southern side of the Fort, namely St Thomas, Charles, Palace and ings have been sealed in this newfound fondness for (Continued on page 2) Church Streets. Now it is time to examine those on the northern side. Of these there are four – Choultry Street is the westernmost, following which is Middle Street. You have two minor thorough- fares – James and Gloucester Streets – close to the eastern end of Are pavements making the Fort but of these there is not much history. The Choultry Street once led to an eponymous gate on the northern wall of the Fort. This was bricked up by the French in a comeback? 1746 and for some reason was never opened again. Both gate and street got their name from the fact that they led directly to the he good news is that pave- Road. The civic body has also walkway that will double up as Native Court, or Choultry, that stood just outside the Fort proper. Tments are returning to the managed to get one of its (and a heritage corridor in Mylapore. Likewise, the Middle Street got its name because it ends at the city. After the Corporation fa- Coming as all this does after the Middle Gate of the Fort, which post-1749, by way of being the mously dragged its feet over the Corporation’s success with G only opening on the northern side, also came to be referred to as implementation of a High by A Special pavement reclamation on Sir the North Gate. In terms of appearance it is the most formidable Court order and got rapped on Correspondent Theagaroya Road in T’Nagar, among the entrances, tall and gloomy, with a strangely Assyrian the knuckles for it, work has these steps make for some com- aspect to its construction – the rectangular arch and the sloping begun in right earnest on con- most residents’) favourite mendable effort. The question buttresses giving you that feeling. Sadly, it is also now the structing one at NSC Bose schemes going – building a is how long will these walkways last? worst maintained. A makeshift bazaar comes up each afternoon The NSC Bose Road story is in the street (right inside what is supposed to be high security a long and tortuous one. Years premises) with hawkers selling flowers, fruits and stainless steel after activist ‘Traffic’ Rama- vessels. The Government employees in the Fort make sure that swamy filed a Public Interest business thrives. Litigation in the High Court of That both Choultry and Middle Gates were in existence from Madras demanding deconges- almost the inception of the Fort is evident from Charles Lockyer’s tion of the area and eviction of description of the precinct dating to 1711. He lists five points of hawkers and the Court instruct- ingress to the Fort – Sea, St Thomas, Water (today we take this to ing the Corporation to take steps, nothing much happened. be synonymous with the Sea Gate but evidently this was a differ- Now, if you happen to walk ent entrance then), Choultry and Middle Gates. Of these he notes along the area, you can see that St Thomas and Choultry gates were to be opened for passen- plenty of evidence of work in gers at any time of night ‘if unsuspected’ but the others were closed progress. The pavement is more at 6.00 pm. or less complete just opposite Of the two, the now lost Choultry Gate was perhaps the older for we do know that the Choultry Court, the first institution to The pavement at NSC Bose Road with a vendor hawking wares to two policewomen. (Continued on page 2) (Continued on page 6) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS February 1-15, 2016 THE CIVIC BODY IN OVERDRIVE The white man’s burden (Continued from page 1) has focused on any core issues – hose who know The Man sure that they were let off. showcasing history of recorded water stagnation and the mos- Tfrom Madras Musings are MMM’s good lady who thought music by means of a 78 rpm Ours is a State where all quito menace, the problem of aware that he is something of a otherwise decided that the best disc and a CD sitting side by civic bodies look to the State poor quality roads that are laid sociable man – he flits through option would be to summon side, another bureau with exchequer for funding. That with no concern as to standards several social organisations in the club’s major domo, who prints (not originals) of Indian the city - ranging from mouldy despite his slight frame packs currency notes, and, rather means the same political party or durability, the desilting of needs to be in power both at the old literary societies filled with enough authority to quell a curiously, a box that was drains, and the development of books, a musical Mecca, a club pride of lions. The official duly stuffed with shredded rupees. State Government and the Cor- a sustainable model for the city dedicated to sports, another arrived and having given the A recent print of Thomas poration Council. True, on pa- to exist. Chennai is on the verge whose staff is perpetually on visitors the once over sterally Munro hung from a wall and per, all administrations need to of an infrastructure collapse strike and a third that is most said that they would simply not next to it was an earlier print be neutral once they are in of- and is at present getting by only upmarket where the crème de do and had best make them- of the same. fice and rise above such petty because several other cities ap- la crème of Madras society selves scarce. And that was The apparition that man- considerations, but reality has pear to be far worse. Thus far, congregate on the verandah af- that. The group beat a retreat, ned the place moaned that not always been different here. our Corporation councils have ter a hard day’s work. but not before MMM’s good many visitors come to the What if a different political dis- chosen to dwell on cosmetic is- The last named, a throw- lady had reflected to herself place and so it preferred to back to the crusty old days of that it was indeed ironic that a keep the lights switched off. pensation makes it to power? sues – beautifying the beach, Next, we also have elections to the British raj, has several set of Britishers were stopped To while away its time, this putting up road signs, launching dress regulations for its mem- in Tracks by the laws they had spook filed documents into the Corporation shortly falling of canteens and tarring a few bers and guests. MMM has themselves once laid down. folders, of which quite a col- due. And what if there is an up- roads. True, the Corporation’s long lost track of what is to be But the love for heritage was lection was spread on the set result with another political track record in healthcare and party coming to power? Or even education is truly commendable worse, what if the Assembly and but these are departments the city council have two op- that have historically done SHORT ’N’ SNAPPY posing parties in power? We can very well.