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 • Saving our classical wealth • Remembering Gopulu • An affection for Chennai • Life with the staff Vol. XXV No. 5 MUSINGS June 16-30, 2015 Global investors Know your Fort Some City better showpieces to light up (By A Staff Reporter) t is learnt that of Chennai’s I800 heritage buildings of Architectural, Historical, heritage Cultural and Aesthetical interest. 36 Grade-I heritage buildings in the stretch from Chennai Airport to Secre- G by The Editor tariat Building, George Town, will be externally improved and floodlit to greet dignitaries visiting and t is not clear though it is clear as to how these can be attending the Investors’ Meet Ihoped that our State will floodlit. Take for instance the scheduled to be held in the benefit economically from the Madras Club and the Theo- The Cupola in the Fort, as seen today. city in September. Govern- Global Investors’ Meet, but 36 sophical Society – which parts G If you are not a VIP, you enter the Fort through a small side ment, it would appear, is at heritage buildings of our city of these campuses are to be illu- entrance – not for you the joy of sweeping up the driveway in your last waking up to the fact definitely will. As part of the minated? There is also at least car, which is perhaps a good thing as there is hardly any parking that heritage, particularly its drive to spruce up the city for one building in the list, which is space in the Fort. You are better off leaving your vehicle in the vast buildings, can ‘sell’ a city to the Meet, it has been decided no longer standing – we allude car park opposite the Fort, crossing the road and then queuing up its visitors. The following are that these structures will be to benefit from this Govern- to what is listed as Old Govern- at the side gate. You will need to enter your name, address and ment initiative. “given a facelift and be floodlit”. ment House. Was this not the phone number in a shabby register and subject yourself to the man- – King Institute As to who will undertake this, 250-year-old building on Gov- datory metal detector and baggage scanner. And then you are on – Raj Bhavan the owners of the buildings or ernment Estate that had to be your own, inside the Fort. – Madras Club the Government, is as yet un- imploded to make way for the Almost the first thing that strikes your eye is a Greek-styled – College of Engineering clear, but what is certain is that new Assembly-cum-Secretariat pavilion. In essence it is an Ionic-pillared rotunda surmounted by a – Vasanta Vihar this is a welcome move that will (oops! We mean the Multi-Spe- cupola. This stands all by itself in a grassy plot that also has a shade- – Brodie Castle hopefully lead to bigger and bet- ciality Referral Hospital)? giving tree. The only thing missing is the centrepiece and that is a – Chettinad Palace ter things as far as heritage is And then there are some huge marble statue of Lord Cornwallis that is now within the Fort – Blavatsky Bungalow concerned. whose owners may not want Museum, which is to your right as you gaze at the rotunda. Between – Theosophical Society The list as it has been re- any illumination at all. We re- the two of them, the statue and the pavilion have quite a bit of – Church of Holy Rosary leased comprises a mix of public fer to the Bharat Insurance history, going back 200 years or so. – Leith Castle and private buildings. It is clear Building. The LIC, which owns Cornwallis was Governor-General of India twice, the first tenure – Director General of that whoever compiled it has the structure, has made it clear being from 1786 to 1793. During that period he achieved what was Police Headquarters done so with good intentions, that it does not want to restore till then considered impossible – the subduing of Tippu Sultan. – Ice House but has not gone too much into the building. Given the ongoing Assuming direct command over the operations in 1792, he – Bharathiyar House detail. For instance, some are litigation, they have made the defeated the Tiger of Mysore. Unlike Lord Wellesley in 1799, he – Hindu High School enormous precincts and it is not (Continued on page 3) (Continued on page 8) – Victoria Students’ Hostel – Presidency College – PWD Building Madras Week, August 16-23 – Chepauk Palace – Senate House adras Week will be cele- be venues for talks, while oth- G – Madras University Mbrated between the 16th By A Staff Reporter ers will host art and photo- – Museum Theatre and 23rd of August. Last year graphic exhibitions besides – Connemara Library saw the city complete 375 years The celebrations this year are, wanting to organise program- organising food festivals with – National Art Gallery and we had enthusiastic city- like last year, likely to be spread mes during the Week. The role Madras cuisine as their theme. – Opthalmic Hospital wide celebrations with excel- throughout August and will of the informal group of co-co- Art galleries have also taken to – Higginbothams lent support from the media, old carry on till the first week of ordinators is only to encourage this event in a big way. And so – Bharath Insurance and new. We trust that the September. For the small band such participation, try to orga- have diplomatic missions and Building 376th year will be no different, of volunteers who catalysed this nise publicity for the events, of- their cultural centres. – P.Orr & Sons especially as it is the 375th year celebration and now help coor- fer advice and, where possible, We are certain that the – Rajaji Hall of Fort St. George from where dinate the programmes, the re- arrange venues. This is a FIRST various organisations that are – Old Government House the city grew. The Week, sponse from corporates, educa- CALL for individuals/ groups / active participants, such as the – Ripon Building which started off as Madras Day tional institutions, citizens of institutions who wish to join in Madras Naturalists’ Society, – Victoria Public Hall 12 years ago to celebrate the the city, and even diplomatic VOLUNTARILY to celebrate Nizhal, the photography groups, – Madras High Court founding of the city on August missions, has given enormous the founding of our city. the Observer Research Founda- – General Post Ofice 22, 1639, has become virtually satisfaction. This year, the hotels of the tion, the Roja Muthiah – Maadi Poonga a Madras Month judging by the Participation is purely a city will, once again, be enthu- – Secretariat programming last year. VOLUNTARY effort by those siastic participants. Some will (Continued on page 2) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS June 16-30, 2015 MADRAS WEEK, Demented over DeMonte Colony AUGUST 16-23 is the season when, to fully not in winding sheets. when he was seated in a restau- ‘T quote a former Viceroy MMM has been denying all rant and, on handing over his (Continued from page 1) Several IT companies organised of India, everyone’s “brains are theories of the area being a card for payment, was told that grilled before 2 pm and don’t favourite destination for the it was not valid. Fortunately for programmes last year and are get ungrilled till 2 am.” The spirits, his logic being that MMM, he had the cash and Research Library, the C.P. planning to do more this year. Man from Madras Musings at- there is no bar anywhere in the that saved him from doing time Ramaswami Aiyar Centre, The So have several Social and tributes this to be the sole rea- vicinity. He has also been di- washing dishes or grinding the Press Institute of India, the In- Sports Clubs, Rotary Clubs, and son for the spate of horror recting all callers to the Chief’s batter in the restaurant’s dian National Trust for Art and cultural centres. films that are being released. columns only to have them call kitchen. Having reached home, Cultural Heritage (INTACH) The celebrations have also MMM uses the term ‘horror’ back stating that they have MMM fished out the new card, Chennai Chapter, Mylapore spread to the suburbs such as more for the way the movies read it all, but could MMM duly memorised its four-digit Times and Yocee, amongst Tiruvanmiyur, Nanganallur are made than for the subject please give them a sound byte number – ABCD – and placed others, will be organising and Tambaram. Private apart- matter. Given that the central on the subject, a request that it reverentially in his wallet. programmes. These will include ment blocks and various societ- idea of locally made spooky makes MMM grind his teeth in Then came a day when films is for the hero/heroine to despair. The only option now MMM was once again at a res- walks, talks, quiz contests and ies are planning their own masquerade with an extra set available to MMM is to sport a taurant (he does eat out rather other such events. As has been events. The Coordinators look of canine teeth, these could set of fangs, sharpen his ears till too often, does he not?) and, on the practice in past years, forward to several more partici- actually be classified under they stick out, don a bedsheet completion of the meal, airily Chennai Heritage, publishers of pants this year.