Registered with the Reg. No. TN/CH(C)/374/18-20 Registrar of Newspapers Licenced to post without prepayment for India under R.N.I. 53640/91 Licence No. TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-506/18-20 Publication: 1st & 16th of every month Rs. 5 per copy (Annual Subscription: Rs. 100/-) INSIDE Short ‘N’ Snappy The Music Season The Bharati Debate Cre-A Ramakrishnan Ranji Trophy, 1934 www.madrasmusings.com WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI Vol. XXX No. 12 December 1-15, 2020 A new reservoir OLD AND NEW ¶ after 76 years n November 21, 2020, the Poondi Reservoir scheme was as much and yet it took us 76 OUnion Home Minister, approved in August 1940 and years to build a new facility. Amit Shah, inaugurated the the foundation stone laid on It is not as though nothing fifth reservoir of the city, locat- the 8th of that month. The has been done in the interim. ed at Thervoy Kandigai in Thi- construction was completed We have had the Telugu Ganga ruvallur District. It will have four years later, by when Sa- scheme, we have harnessed a capacity of one thousand tyamurti was dead. The storage the Palar, requisitioned the million cubic feet (1 tmcft) and facility was rather appropriately Veeranam lake and also got is expected to go a long way in named Satyamurti Sagar in his the Chemparampakkam water- solving the water crises that memory. With a capacity of body to cater to our insatiable the city faces in most years. It 2,573 mcft, it is of course small- thirst. Desalination plants have has taken us 381 years since the er than the new one at Thervoy come up and bear a significant founding of the colonial city of Kandigai but contrast the time part of our water demand, no Madras that is Chennai, for a matter what the environmental fifth storage facility. What is impact and energy costs be. In even more significant is that by The Editor the interim many photo op- · this is the only such reservoir portunities have been created to be built since Independence! by the plastic pots. And we We are not certain if that is a have on occasion had railway record to be proud of. taken – the latest addition was wagons bringing us water. A mooted in 2012, with actual Hollywood star was moved The last time a reservoir work gaining momentum only to comment on our situation, was planned and executed in 2018. The cost incurred has when after having suffered for the city was in the 1940s. been Rs 380 crores. The pop- floods and a cyclone in two It was the brainchild of S. ulation of the city at the time consecutive years, we ended Satyamurti, who was Mayor work began at Poondi was 8 of Madras in 1939/1940. The lakhs or so. It is now ten times (Continued on page 2) Cancer Institute fights the Our OLD, taken in 1940, shows the then Mayor of Madras, Covid challenge S. Satyamurti, (1) with Sir Arthur and Lady Hope, at Poondi and (2) walking with Sir Arthur Hope at the Jones Tower, Red As a continuation of last ing and lodging. In addition, delay in treatment stretching Hills. Both the photos, taken probably on August 8, 1940, when issue’s feature on how 40 per cent of the patients are to as much as three or four the Governor laid the foundation stone for the Poondi reservoir, non-profit healthcare in- treated free of cost while the months. This posed an ethical are from the TV Rangaswami (Ragami) Collection, now with stitutions are coping with rest pay a nominal amount. dilemma to the institute – on the Roja Muthiah Research Library. It is incredible that despite the pandemic, Madras When the pandemic emerged one hand, they had to shield the huge growth in the city’s population, it has taken 76 years Musings reached out to in March, the unprecedented the patients and their families distinguished oncologist public crisis posed new chal- from the pandemic, but on the for a new reservoir, declared open at Thervoy Kandigai. Our Dr. V. Shanta, Chairman of lenges to the hospital and other, they had to take a call on NEW, courtesy The Hindu, is a view of the same. the Cancer Institute (WIA), patients alike. how long it is possible to defer Adyar. treatment. “Early common cancers are curable,” said the by Our Special doctor. “Advanced disease can he Cancer Institute is Correspondent T perhaps one of the city’s be controlled and if untreated, most notable medical chari- will progress to the stage of pal- liation. Palliative care could not ties. Dedicated to the cause of “There was an increased be denied.” With patients un- providing excellent, affordable need for psychosocial support,” able to reach the hospital in the care for cancer patients, the explains Dr. Shanta. “The pa- early days of the pandemic, the institute is equipped with more tient had to not only bear the institute’s income took a sharp than 500 beds and a research fear and panic caused by cancer, dip as well – revenues that are division as well. Normally, the but also the pandemic.” When crucial to the functioning of a hospital allocates more than the lockdown was enforced, charitable institution. 50 per cent of its beds to the the lack of public transport needy, who receive free board- resulted in patients facing a (Continued on page 2) 2 MADRAS MUSINGS December 1-15, 2020 A NEW RESERVOIR (Continued from page 1) Prescription Friction with water brought in from the up being water starved the very mofussil? At the other end, it is he Woman from Madras in moderation. But it gets family installed two bins, one next season. And all along we also a failure of us the people. TMusings has many pet her goat when medicines and for wet waste and one for have extracted ground water Even a simple scheme such peeves. Getting honked at supplements enter the picture. dry. But, as (Wo)MMM soon with no let up. as rainwater harvesting is met while waiting at a red signal, Apparently, some feel it is discovered, one must nev- All of this points to the with opposition. It is a well- for instance. (Wo)MMM will smart to take unprescribed er take things for granted. sheer apathy of the leadership known fact that most large real never understand what pur- ‘preventive’ medication against Some used the red bin for wet pose this could possibly serve covid. (Wo)MMM feels this waste and the blue bin for and the failure of the bureau- estate developments give this cracy that should be planning unless, of course, one is an makes about as much sense dry, while the rest did exactly the go by. That such a scheme ambulance, which is seldom as keeping one’s house per- the opposite. So instead of for the future. The political is mandatory for approvals is the case. Lately, since the pan- petually wet to prevent a fire. segregated garbage, the family class has always been happy got around by bribing, or worse, demic began, (Wo)MMM has (Wo)MMM recently read an ended up with divided garbage. to wait for Chennai’s water simply putting up a couple of had to suffer one of her biggest article about a doctor who was (Wo)MMM pounced upon the problems (flood and drought) so-called soak pits, with no pet peeves – health myths. left flabbergasted at a patient issue at tea-time, clarifying the to reach flashpoint and then follow through on the rest of There are some who believe who had contracted Vitamin D matter while luring the family appear with some firefighting the system. Ultimately, we get that they are on par with doc- toxicity out of the blue, until it together with chai and bis- measures, milking the publicity what we deserve. tors when it comes to identify- came to light that said patient cuits. With the message suc- in the process. The bureau- The completion of Thervoy ing and treating garden variety had been taking the vitamin cessfully delivered, everyone crats have been quite content illnesses, based on their years supplement once a day in the switched the bins they were Kandigai is no cause for com- of experience taking all sorts belief that it would prevent using, bringing us all back to with pushing paper. Imagine placence. With it, Chennai of medicines, kashayams and covid. According to the article, square one. Happily, we got it a metropolis reaching a point still has storage for one full year powders for an assortment of the recommended dose for the right the next round onwards, of going without water. In only, while our droughts are ailments. This qualification, patient was reportedly once thanks to the mater-by-law of what way is it commendation known to extend beyond that. (Wo)MMM feels, ought to a week. It’s not just Vitamin the glittering eye – third time’s worthy to celebrate the arrival A few more reservoirs will not dissuade them from offering D either – according to news the charm, as they say. of railway wagons of water or hurt and let us hope we don’t advice to others, but instead it reports, pharmacies are seeing Then there was the process tankers careening on the roads need to wait another 76 years. seems to instil in them a mys- increased sales of prescription of collection to get used to. As terious, unshakeable self-con- drugs and even oxygen cylin- (Wo)MMM understands it, fidence.