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 • QMC memories • Multi-faceted Mrs. YGP • Madras Week programmes • Musing with Francis W. Vol. XXV No. 9 MUSINGS August 16-31, 2015 How anti-national Know your Fort is all this? better adras Week enters its 13th ernment began setting about do with the colonial period. But Medition this year. It looks changing the official name of as we have always maintained, as though it is all set to become the city to Chennai, we had sug- while these buildings may have yet another annual highlight of gested that Mylapore would be been designed by British archi- Chennai’s social calendar, like a far better option given that it tects, the construction – and the Music Festival and The was one of the oldest parts of much of the methodology and Hindu’s Lit for Life event. There the city, far older than Madras embellishments – were South is a sense of anticipation among or Chennai. And don’t we al- Indian and done by local arti- people even as the event ap- ready have a Mylapore festival sans. Sadly, we have lost those proaches and this is also re- that is older than Madras Week talents. So much for our ability flected in the increasing levels itself and is it not organised by to protect our heritage! of participation. one of the prime movers behind At a time when it is largely And yet there is a certain Madras Week? And have we the negative news that hogs the section that persists in dubbing limelight and there is despon- Madras Week as elitist and be- dency all around, festivals such ing an apologist for the British G by The Editor as Madras Week play an impor- Raj. One Tamil newspaper has tant role in creating a feel-good even gone to the extent of not been repeatedly highlight- factor. A city festival like Ma- claiming that by celebrating ing the necessity to have local dras Week inculcates a sense of Admiralty/Clive House. Madras Week, the organisers area festivals on the same lines? pride in the place where we live. are indulging in anti-national Is Madras Week really an oc- It is that time when we learn to G Parade Square, as we saw in the previous issue, stands more or activities! While it is gratifying casion that just celebrates the appreciate the positive at- less in the middle of the Fort. Radiating from it are streets in all to think that someone is writ- colonial past? Nothing can be tributes of our metro and also directions. It must not be forgotten that the Fort was once very ing about us for a change (and further than the truth behind take cognisance of the areas much a town with its residents. And these needed houses, all of that means we are getting no- this charge. Is a Textile Tour of that need improvement. which were placed along the various streets that crisscrossed the ticed), the grave nature of the T’Nagar colonial? Or is a walk As responsible citizens, we entire precinct of White Town, as the Fort was known. Interest- charges forces us to reiterate down Adyar Poonga to observe take stock of the direction in ingly, as H.D. Love points out, the residents of Madras referred to what Madras Week stands for butterflies anti-national? How which our city is moving and the Fort as the City and to what lay outside of it as Town. The East and what it hopes to achieve. rejoice in its progress. “We do then can we explain the con- India Company reversed the nomenclature – according to it, The article referred to stated duct of a heritage walk that not take anyone’s money to Madras was the city and the Fort was the town! that it saw no reason why Ma- traces the connection between celebrate the event and neither It was Elihu Yale who, as Governor in 1688, decreed that the dras Week had to be celebrated Mylapore and the Freedom do we thrust it down unwilling streets of Fort St George be given names. These names have given that several areas of the Movement? Is a talk on 11th people’s throats. We are mere city are far older than the 376 century inscriptions in the facilitators and those who wish survived till today. Thus, three streets emanate from Parade Square years of Madras’ existence. We Tiruvottriyur temple something to celebrate join us. Those who and the Assembly in the southern direction, these being St have never denied the antiquity that celebrates the British raj? do not wish to do so are not in Thomas’ Street, which is at the eastern end of the Fort, James of some of the villages that Yes, we do have events that cel- any compelled to participate,” Street, which lies behind it, St Mary’s Church connecting the two, eventually came to form Ma- ebrate the city’s architectural say those who celebrate the city. dras city. In fact, when the Gov- heritage, much of which has to What is wrong with this? (Continued on page 12) It’s back to renaming streets ur Corporation is at it issues and nothing other than behind each name. We had also monotony of all areas of the city such as J. Chartres Molony, J.R. O again. Having in its opin- that is going to be acceptable. pointed out that while we were having streets that bear the Coats and J.W. Madeley. We ion solved all problems such as This is not the first time that not in any way against the names of political leaders of had requested that the name of potholes, illegal constructions, our city’s civic body has em- honouring of Tamil scholars, the recent past and current F.W. Ellis who had done such and garbage clearance, it found barked on this name-changing provenance. good work in the context of the time hanging heavy on its hands spree. The previous instance More importantly, we had Dravidian languages and on the and decided to work on chang- was during the Tamil confer- G By The Editor said that while not all British Tirukkural be allowed to re- ing the names of several roads ence when the then Mayor, in a names were worthy of com- main. We do not know if our of the city. It is high time that case of misplaced zeal, announ- memoration, some – at least entreaties had any impact but the powers that be realised that ced that all streets bearing the this could safely be done in new names of those who were had shortly after a list was published such exercises are futile ones names of Englishmen would be areas of the city where there are done worthwhile service to the in these columns, the idea of re- and the watching public is renamed after Tamil scholars. plenty of streets that are in city – needed to be retained. In naming the streets was shelved. largely indifferent to such gim- This journal had then brought the need of names. This way, this context we had argued for It has now resurfaced. mickry. In fact, what the people out a comprehensive list of such we had argued, we can also the continuation of the names want is delivery on several civic streets, explaining the history save ourselves from the of officers of the Corporation (Continued on page 11) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS August 16-31, 2015 The changing world To prohibit or not veryone has gotten on to IT metropolis that thinks it still vanced age and could not be in Ethe wagon. Or should The is a garden city. MMM predicts an advanced stage of preg- of Tambrams Man from Madras Musings say that it won’t be long before our nancy. A still closer inspection the bandwagon? He alludes to tipplers begin planning visits to showed that the reason for the Tamil Brahmans: The making ous academic work that lays the recent snowballing support these cities on the slightest pre- embonpoint was a tube that of a middle-class caste by C.J. bare the mysteries of Tam- for declaring our beloved State texts. was wound around the stom- Fuller and Haripriya Nara- Brahmism because, as social and City completely dry. MMM has had experience ach and carried precious simhan. Social Science Press/ groups go, Tambrams are as dis- Nature, or what we did to it, of living in other cities that liquids. The ladies were let off Orient BlackSwan. Price: tinct in their practices, customs, has already made the region temporarily went dry for vari- after a strict warning which, Rs. 750. shibboleths and prejudices as, water-free and now the pow- ous politically correct reasons MMM is sure, they obeyed. say, the Hassidic Jews. They ers-that-once-were and the (these moves are never altruis- Not that there were no official s is evident from my name, cling to a mixture of piety and powers-that-want-to-be-in- tic). Those who HAD to drink outlets. These required the or should be, I am a Tamil A practicality that survival under power are building a grounds- every day in these places were aforementioned permit and the Brahman.