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 • Best of Indian architecture • They built Mylapore‘s temple • Making T’Nagar worldclass • Birds in our backyards Vol. XXIV No. 23 MUSINGS March 16-31, 2015 G An open letter Madras Landmarks The Fort at 375 – 50 years ago deserves better To about, the seat of government Chennai. It was also where the The Chief Secretary is once again where it ought to health facility that we recognise Government of Tamil Nadu be, namely within the Fort, as the General Hospital was set Fort St George which is where much of what up in 1644, leading to our city Chennai 600 009 we call modern India had its ori- today being an acknowledged Dear Sir, gins. capital of medical tourism. Of The following facts may not course, it goes without saying Re: Fort St George at 375 be new to you but we are once that modern governance as we his is to greet you on the again bringing them to your know of it, and of which you Toccasion of our beloved kind attention as they are worth and the Government are in Fort turning 375 years which recalling and establish the charge, took shape here as did ne of the best known landmarks of North Chennai, this building is synony- landmark date will be on April greatness of our Fort – this was the oldest archive in the world Omous with the promotion of Tamil as a musical language. Strange though 23rd of this year. We are sure where the Indian army was for Governmental records, to- it may seem, that was not the view of the scholars and practitioners of Carnatic that several celebrations and born, this was where modern day the Tamil Nadu Archives. music till the 1930s. That was largely a circumstance of history, for much of commemorative events are be- India’s first bank (the Madras The list of the Fort’s claims to Madras Presidency had, after the Cholas, been ruled by Telugu-speaking ing planned by the Government Bank) was set up, this was the greatness is practically inex- Vijayanagar rulers and Nayaks and, after them, the musical heartland of to mark this historic milestone. birthplace of one of the oldest haustible. It is a record that Tanjore came under the control of the Marathas. It is heartening that at the time When a group of thinkers, writers and musicians tried to set this imbalance civic bodies of the world, the behoves the Government to right in the 1930s, they met with stiff opposition, especially from the Music this anniversary has come Corporation of Madras, now work at getting the Fort recog- Academy and the Indian Fine Arts Society (IFAS), the two established sabhas. nised as an UNESCO-listed However, the Tamil lobby had the support of stalwarts such as T.K. Chidam- World Heritage Precinct. A baranatha Mudaliar, Kalki R. Krishnamurthy and the singer M.S. Subbu- welcome attempt to achieve lakshmi. Most importantly, the movement was bankrolled by Rajah Sir this was led by the Government Annamalai Chettiar. Lessons for & from a couple of years ago, and The Tamil Isai Sangam came into existence in 1943 as the vehicle for this though that failed there is no cause, the name being given by Rajaji. From its first year, it began hosting a reason why it should not be concert season in December, challenging the monopoly of the Academy and the Pondy Festival campaigned for with even IFAS. The songs performed had to be only in Tamil. A suitable venue proved to be a problem and, for the first few years, it held its programmes in the Parish greater vigour now. Hall of St Mary’s Cathedral on Armenian Street. It later conducted programmes (By A Special Correspondent) Given this context, we also at the Museum Theatre. feel it is our bounden duty to In 1948, 23 grounds of land at the eastern end of the Esplanade were taken ast month saw the launch of what promises to be an annual bring to your notice that there on lease for fifty years from the Corporation of Madras. Work began in 1949, Lfixture – a celebration of Pondicherry’s heritage. Directly are several aspects of the Fort’s by which time the Rajah had died. The design was by L.M. Chitale and the inspired by the Madras Week celebrations, it was spurred on by the present condition that call for auditorium was the first of its kind in the city. Closely supervised by the Rajah’s recent collapse of the historic Mairie building in that city. The immediate action. The general sons, Rajah Sir M.A. Muthiah Chettiar and M.A. Chidambaram, whose offices festival was very successful as far as a beginning went, with excel- level of upkeep has fallen over were located next door to the site, the auditorium rose quickly. The architect in lent participation by residents, conservationists and, above all, the years, especially in parts an article also gave much credit for several elements in the design to Sir R.K. elected representatives. While this calls for deserved congratula- Shanmukham Chetty, the first Finance Minister of independent India, who had that are directly under the become President of the Tamil Isai Sangam after the Rajah’s passing. tions all around, it is also time for some reflection on how the event Government’s purview. The car The Raja Annamalai Mandram, a two storeyed building with constructed can be improved and taken forward in the future. parking facilities within the Fort space of 20,000 square feet on the ground floor was ready in time for the music Unlike Chennai, where the battle for heritage conservation is are completely haphazard and season of 1952. It was declared open by Rajaji on October 31st that year. It is a more often than not a lost cause and the occasional victory is of there are very few clearly mark- lavishly constructed structure with generous use of fine timber and perhaps one the pyrrhic variety, Pondicherry has much going for it. For one, ed pedestrian areas. With a of the first buildings in the city to use mosaic instead of the more traditional heritage enthusiasts and conservationists are not forever set on a huge parking lot in front of the granite. It is noteworthy for its combination of art deco with the traditional collision course with the Government. That was reflected in the Fort itself, and which lies Chettinad style of architecture, the latter predominating in the woodwork in presence of the elected representatives at the festival. And, what’s unused for most of the year, it is particular. more, the Government has promised all possible help for the indeed a pity that so many The auditorium was designed keeping acoustics in mind and soon became a conduct of future festivals of this kind. That is not something that favourite of performing artistes. The first floor hosts the Sangam’s music college vehicles need to come into the and also a gallery of instruments. The entrance has a statue to the founder has happened in Chennai, despite Madras Week having seen eight Fort itself. It is time Govern- unveiled in 1964 by Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, the Maharajah of Mysore, who editions thus far. ment vehicles too used that lot, was the next year to become the Governor of Madras. Secondly, owing to its never having expanded into a full metro, and made the Fort only a drop Some major modifications were undertaken in 1968, to coincide with the Pondicherry has retained a lot of its heritage. Most of the old build- or pick-up area. silver jubilee of the Sangam. These were undertaken by S.L. Chitale, son of the ings are still standing, especially in the White Town. There is also Secondly, the number of man who had designed the original edifice. These changes, largely in the interior, a strong realisation that tourism is a source of income for the city posters and hoardings that have were done to keep out the ambient noise, which had increased sharply in a decade. and this is being encouraged. While this may have resulted in an come up within this heritage The seats, 866 in number, were padded and arranged in a circular fashion with (Continued on page 2) (Continued on page 2) (Continued on page 3) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS March 16-31, 2015 The Fort at 375 deserves better Much ado over nothing he telephone rang and The lieve that. He wanted to know give it a nice contrast. The (Continued from page 1) distresses us is that construction T Man from Madras Musings who else was on the committee compound wall, however, re- debris has still not been cleared answered it. A most diffident and what ideas MMM would mained a prominent eyesore. from its rear. We felt strongly voice piped up, wanting to bring to the table. To all of this It always had posters on it and precinct in recent years is truly know if it was Sar speaking at MMM replied, when he got a some were of such a lascivious alarming. These have been in- about the presence of a highrise the other end. MMM was not word in edgeways, that it was nature that many a motorist discriminately put up on all inside a heritage precinct, but so sure as to which Sar was early days yet and there was no would pause to gaze raptur- available surfaces and greatly now that it is there, can we at wanted.