Registered with the Reg. No. TN/CH(C)/374/09-11 Registrar of Newspapers Licence to post without prepayment for India under R.N.I. 53640/91 Licence No. WPP 506/09-11 Rs. 5 per copy (Annual Subscription: Rs. 100/-) WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI INSIDE • Short ‘N’ Snappy • The rule-book on heritage • A she-fox in Assian-land • Quizzing Quizmaster Navin • Walking with V.K. Iyer Vol. XXI No. 20 MUSINGS February 1-15, 2012 More fiery requiems for heritage buildings... (By A Special Correspondent) “Somehow I get the feeling that I have touched upon a touchy subject in arlier last month, when the city was celebrating my speech!” EPongal, a 250-year-old part of its history went up in flames. Historic Chepauk Palace, the first building in the A Touch Touchy? Indo-Saracenic style, was partially gutted by a fire. Years of neglect and poor maintenance had taken their toll, A portion of the Kalas/Khalsa Mahal (above) and a clearer picture of its dome – 63 years, eh? kalasam/kalasa (below). Of being what the dictionary though the authorities naturally denied all such charges. defines as “a state in which the If that was not bad enough, what followed thereafter was supreme power rests in the even worse, clearly indicating that our Government has body of citizens entitled to no policy or action plan when it comes to dealing with vote....” our heritage. And this is at a time when the common Nice. man is waking up to the necessity of protecting our his- But you seem worried over your toric buildings and is demanding action (see related particular allotment of citizens. story). You think they’re increasingly becoming like those ‘mimosa Readers of Madras Musings will be no strangers to the pudica’ plants? poor maintenance at Chepauk. This publication not so Like thotta siningi? long ago carried a detailed article on the subject, There seems to be a lot of touchi- complete with photographs. Piles of files, steel cup- ness around these days. boards, falling windows, squatters under the entrance Here a ‘strong objection’; there a portico, garbage bins situated wherever they may please, ‘taking exception to’; and, arbitrarily constructed toilets, yonder, the media favourite, and shoddy electric wiring, ‘sentiments’ being ‘hurt’.... about sums it all up. Surely all In addition, ‘They’ from ‘There’ this was a perfect recipe for such displaying a distinct need to ... They’re wake-up calls that scoff at a people who, dismally a disaster. Even then it had unable to guarantee basic been reported that a part of the necessities, dare to dream roof had caved in and some of public are responding to grand. Paradoxes – luxury the offices in the precinct had apartments vis-a-vis the home- been relocated. Since then no he last few weeks have That there is a gradual power, always experts at read- less; information desks lacking action was taken on repairing T been gloomy on the heri- strengthening of the heritage ing public opinion, were quick information; cyber cities where the building and the fire came tage front. First, there was the movement is clear from a whole enough to dissociate themselves you can’t get online; oodles of as a convenient excuse for those Chepauk Palace fire, then came host of recent events. The Gov- from the hasty pronouncement cell phones but pathetically few wanting to demolish the struc- toilets – are constantly written the less disastrous fire at ernment, it is learnt, has given of demolition and called for a about. ture and erect a multi-storied Agurchand Mansions, the first the go ahead for the proper res- panel to study Chepauk Palace. Well, constructive criticism vs. edifice in its place. 100-foot building on Mount toration of the Metropolitan That the composition of the mere carping – citizens must Experts had not been called Road. The Madrasa-e-Azam Magistrate’s Court in George committee is questionable is a learn to tell the difference. in and nobody had as yet as- was reported to be in a state of different matter altogether. Learn to accept the former, and sessed the damage when, to near collapse and at the GPO a After the fire at Agurchand ignore the latter. everyone’s surprise, the decision part of the roof caved in. But G by The Editor Mansions, it has emerged that Know something? to demolish was announced by like the proverbial light at the owner and tenants alike have Sometimes resentment is but a the PWD Minister, almost end of the tunnel, it would ap- expressed unanimously their disguised compliment. before the fire, which sadly con- Look, you’re still very young. pear that matters are not all Town. This is being done with desire to restore the heritage And your people are loud, emo- sumed one life, could be put that bad, for the public appears an accredited conservation ex- building. And in the case of the tional, undisciplined and easily out. The heritage lobby, conser- to be waking up to its heritage. pert at the helm. At the Gokhale Hall, the High Court misled – but they care deeply vationists and, above all, the That there is a groundswell in Madrasa-e-Azam, those in has ordered the restoration of for you. Prince of Arcot raised their favour of preservation and res- charge would still like to pre- the building. That this was in Despite a huge chunk of voices against this and a three- toration is now evident from re- serve the place and are looking response to public interest liti- ....er....‘notable’ exceptions, man committee was appointed cent action, but equally clear is for guidance. Restoration at the gation petitions is another there really are heroes within. to go into the question whether that in the absence of proper Victoria Public Hall and Ripon instance of growing heritage More than a billion of them, actu- what remained could be guidelines on what can be done, Building, it is understood, is pro- awareness. ally. preserved and what had been ceeding apace and plans are You, and they, will come through. such enthusiasm may soon What is needed at this stage destroyed could be rebuilt. Here result in misguided action. afoot for formal re-openings in is proper guidance on what can Ranjitha Ashok (Continued on page 6 ) (Also see page 2) the next few months. Those in (Continued on page 3) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS February 1-15, 2012 What rule-book The old order changeth... hese are days when dance programmme of a other, the drivers exchange says on T heritage buildings are North Indian variety, to be abuse and certainly not vanishing like dew on a sum- performed by a danseuse with greetings. The expressions mer morning. If they don’t a distinctly East Indian name. thus uttered or, should MMM catch fire and then get demol- Members of Parliament, local say, hurled often have to do City’s heritage ished, they simply get demol- leaders, actors and others were with the animal kingdom. ished. And those that survive to be a part of the event, or so People are referred to as dogs are not doing very well either MMM was given to believe, at or pigs and, in case they do not as The Man from Madras least from the plethora of move, as buffaloes. MMM, buildings Musings noted from what is names on the walls. however, feels that all these happening to a particular As the date of the event are inappropriate references, ●Ever since Khalsa/Kalas Mahal was stricken with fire there has structure in Mylapore. drew closer, the posters and for he is yet to see an animal been a focus on the City’s heritage and what we in Chennai are, or The building that MMM other publicity material grew on our roads whose behaviour are not, doing to safeguard it. In this context, these excerpts speaks of was put up by a leg- in number and the encomiums is not exemplary. focussing on the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s end. And the edifice matched became more flowery. One of Take the cow for instance. (CMDA’s) role in heritage preservation should have readers asking his stature. With three wings these even welcomed “Her Have you ever seen it block- how much of what it enunciates is acted upon by it. that stand around a common Highness”. There were photos ing a road? It invariably rests area, it was and is a landmark galore of the performer and only on medians or at the peri- our Editor is a member of the Second Master Plan (SMP) Land of the city. Over the years, it even larger ones of those who phery. Ditto the buffalo. As YUse and Environment Committee which, as far as he recalls, has become home to several probably funded the publicity for the dog, MMM has to ad- met three times in 2009 and 2010 and, though not dissolved, has offices, with the legend’s material. Realising full well mit that it frequently crosses not met, to the best of his knowledge, since December 2010. This descendants putting the struc- that D(ance)-Day would have the road, but when it does, ture to commercial use as op- a score of VIPs dancing atten- nobody can accuse it of jay- Committee should have been naming the Heritage Conservation posed to the original purpose tion on her, which meant a walking. It looks to its left, its Committee, but the CMDA officials took it upon themselves to do for which it was built, that line mammoth traffic jam, MMM right and then left again before it and informed the Committee of the list that was being sent to of business long having gone.