WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI

MUSINGSVol. XXIV No. 8 August 1-15, 2014

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INSIDE

• Short ‘N’ Snappy

• Father of primary healthcare

• Madanapalle centenaries

• Madras Week Programme

• An American &

Tranvancore trio

Watching heritagego up in flames

(Continued on page 2)

Build as youplease

Madras Landmarks

– 50 years ago

(Continued on page 2)

� Now it is nothing but a cluster of multi-storeyed buildings and a five-star hotel,but till the late 1960s this was the place that embodied cinema. Gemini Studiosor, to give the place its proper name, Movieland-Gemini Studios, was the bestknown among the several film studios of Madras.

The story of the property, at the intersection of Mount Road andNungambakkam High Road, goes back many years. A heavily wooded piece ofland, it had in its centre a classical mansion which, according to legend, was oncethe house of Edward, the second Lord Clive, c.1800. It was in the possession ofa J. Sherman in the 1820s. In the 1830s it became the residence of the Rev. F.Spring, Chaplain of St George’s Cathedral, Madras, a man who, it would ap-pear, spent more time at the Agri Horticultural Society close by than in thechurch. In his time, the property came to be known as Spring’s Garden and thename continued to be used for a century and more, even as the property changedhands – the Rajah of Pithapuram and Sir C Sankaran Nair owning it at varioustimes. In 1903, the property hosted a session of the Congress party, a pandal tohouse 6000 people being put up in the gardens.

In 1937, the property was purchased by film director K. Subrahmanyamwho established a studio there for his Motion Picture Producers Combine(MPPC). It was here that some of his famous films, Thyaga Bhoomi (1938)included, were shot. On December 21, 1940, the studio was burned to theground necessitating a distress sale of the land. It was bid for and bought by S.S.Vasan of Ananda Vikatan.

Renamed Gemini Studios in 1941, the property embarked on the most excit-ing phase of its existence. Several hits, including Chandralekha (1948), weremade here, making Vasan a movie moghul. The studio was a cosmopolitan placewith people from all over the country and even some foreigners working for TheBoss as Vasan was always referred to. It was also a ‘must visit’ spot in the cityfor any VIP who happened to be passing.

The golden era of Gemini was undoubtedly the 1940s and the early 1950s.Thereafter, it did produce some hits but the purple patch of the earlier decadewas never matched. Decline set in in the 1960s. The unionised staff, a newpolitical regime and the star as opposed to the studio system meant the good timeswere coming to an end though Vasan’s grit and determination ensured success toa large degree. When the bugles blow, there will be a show was the motto em-bossed under the logo of the famed Gemini twins at the entrance and so the showhad to be kept going. The Boss died in 1969 after a painful bout with cancer andwith him much of the Gemini magic too went. His family decided to focus on hispublishing activities and preferred to sell Gemini to developers. The bugles hadblown, and the show was over. But old memories die hard – the flyover nearbyis still Gemini to most people.

� by The Editor

� by A SpecialCorrespondent

There was a time whenShimla held the record for

the maximum number of heri-tage buildings burnt down. Theexcuse given there was that thestructures were largely of timberand so this was bound tohappen. Now it would appearthat Chennai is giving the erst-while summer capital sometough competition. The fire inthe State Bank of India (SBI)building on Rajaji Salai (FirstLine Beach) is the latest in aseries that stretches back to the1980s. Most of them have hadonly one reason – poor main-tenance, something that couldhave easily been avoided.

The fire at the State Bankbuilding was quickly put out –but not before a part of a floorcaved in. It is understood thatexperts from the Indian Insti-tute of Technology (IIT) havebeen called in to assess thedamage. What is heartening is

that the Bank has notannounced any decision todemolish, and is most likely torestore, the structure. The SBIhas had a fairly good trackrecord of conserving its builtheritage and it is expected that

it will take up work on theRajaji Salai property in the samespirit. That said, we must cau-tion that the restoration willnot be an easy task given thebuilding’s location and its un-doubtedly intricate architec-tural elements and interiors. Itis to be hoped that the SBI willNOT follow the example of theDepartment of Posts, Govern-ment of India, when the latterrestored the neighbouringGeneral Post Office. That was

largely a wasted effort the way ithas panned out. The building isback to a bad state and the onlysatisfaction that can be got outof it is that the structure is stillstanding.

The fire at the SBI buildingwas waiting to happen given theway the structure was main-tained – unwanted furnituredumped at all corners, waterseeping through at most places,an enormous number of filesstored disorderly and above all,arbitrary electric wiring and useof false ceilings and partitions.The last named had been put upas and when the necessity arose,without any proper planning.Thus, what was essentially asingle storied banking hall be-came a two-storied structurewith the intervening floor beingput up for accommodating moreoffice space. This is the floor

The recent collapse of amulti-storeyed building

under construction made head-line news. While most of themedia focussed on the terribletragedy that took several lives,very few bothered to commenton the reasons for such a disas-ter having taken place. It haseverything to do with an admin-istration that has stopped beingproactive. The construction in-dustry, and much else in ourcity, is in a self-governancemode: Those who wish to abideby rules can choose to do so, therest need not, until they com-mit an error of judgement andare exposed.

The building in question was

not an illegal one. The promot-ers had sanction for buildingtwo blocks of eleven floors each.Such structures need to havesoil certification to be done for

ensuring load bearing capacitybefore work begins. This is usu-ally obtained from a certifiedsoil mechanics engineer and thedocument is one of the prereq-uisites for obtaining approvalfrom the CMDA for goingahead with the construction.Since the developers underquestion had obtained CMDA

sanction, it goes without sayingthat they had soil mechanicscertification as well. Yet, thebuilding collapsed. It is nowrumoured that the structure fellbecause it was built on the bedof a lake without proper rein-forcements. How could that beif the soil had been found suit-able?

A high profile enquiry hasbeen launched and heads inofficial circles might well roll.But it is unlikely that anyonewill bring up the root cause forall this trouble – neither theChennai Metropolitan Devel-opment Authority (CMDA),

2 MADRAS MUSINGS August 1-15, 2014

Watching heritagego up in flames

that has now collapsed. Thosein charge of the restoration willneed to debate on whether thefloor has to necessarily be putback or whether the old hall canbe splendidly restored with thespace in it being put to betteruse.

The SBI fire is symbolic of alarger malaise – the shockinglack of upkeep of public build-ings and spaces in our city. Thatcleanliness and safety standardshave never been Chennai’s vir-tues is only very well known,but it is of late that these havereached epidemic proportions.It is the heritage buildings thathave suffered the most. Con-sider this – Spencer’s, MooreMarket, the GPO, GandhiIllam, the Mint, Khalsa Mahaland now the SBI have ALL hadfires attributed to short circuits.That must certainly have madesomeone somewhere sit up andtake notice by now. But we areto be sadly disappointed in suchexpectations – there are plentymore heritage buildingscrammed with paper, old furni-ture and bad wiring that areawaiting a fate similar to that ofthe worthies listed above*. It isa sad blot on a city that is aim-

ing to be international in itsstandards.

For a matter of record, theSBI building in question wasbuilt in 1895 by T. NamberumalChetty, the master contractorof that period, to the design ofHenry Irwin. It was the head of-fice of the Bank of Madraswhich, through its amalgam-ation with the other Presidencybanks in 1921, formed the Im-perial Bank of India, which in1955 became the State Bank ofIndia. The Bank of Madras in-cidentally, can trace its originsto the first bank of the country– the Government Bank,Madras, set up in the 17th Cen-tury in Fort St George. Apartfrom being a splendid piece ofarchitecture, it is all this historythat the bank building repre-sents. Hopefully, the SBI will beconscious of this in its restora-tion exercise.

*Editor’s Note: Even before thisstory could go to press, an-other heritage building hasbeen made a shell – a salvage-able one, though – by a fire init. Humayun Mahal joinsKhalsa Mahal, its core havingburnt down for all the samereasons listed above.

(Also see page 5)

(Continued from page 1)

which gives approval, nor theCorporation, which monitorsconstruction, can enforce anydiscipline. Both have long givenup on this task. Thus we have asituation where every planlooks perfect on paper, butwhen executed the construc-tion deviates considerably fromwhat was approved. There isnobody to check these vari-ances while the construction isin progress. True, builders aresupposed to obtain a comple-tion certificate once the struc-ture is ready for occupation.That appears to be the easiestdocument to get. This is provedby the number of illegal con-structions and extra unap-proved floors in the city – allwith electricity and water con-nections, which cannot be ob-tained without completion cer-tificates.

Fire safety is yet another is-sue. Most public buildings andseveral private residentialapartments appear to have nopreventive mechanisms of anykind. Multiple exits, assembly

BUILD AS YOUPLEASE

(Continued from page 1) points, basic fire-fighting equip-ment, and ease of access forfiremen and hydrants are allabsent. Yet, such buildings areallowed to be constructed. Thelack of fire safety is highlightedonly when a major disasterstrikes. Here again, theapproving authorities are toblame. Apart from the FireDepartment, the Corporation,which monitors buildings underconstruction, rarely notices ifset offs are provided for as man-dated by the rules. These arenot just for making a buildinglook pretty – they are neededfor easy accessibility of all partsof a structure in the event of aconflagration. Unfortunately,these are overlooked com-pletely, which is why we have somany buildings constructed inclose proximity to each otherand often usurping public landas well.

All this does not show theadministration in good light.That apart, if this apathy is al-lowed to continue we are goingto see several more such inci-dents in the near future. Moreevidence of an internationalcity in the making?

“Ah! MMM, such a pleasure talking to

you,” said the voice over thephone and The Man fromMadras Musings froze in histracks. A sixth sense warnedhim that an impossible idea forMadras Week was in theoffing. Sure enough, MMMwas correct. The person at theother end of the wire, itseemed, found the poster cul-ture of our city most annoying.Each day of this individual’slife, it seems, was blighted bythe posters. Coming out ofhome and office, the first thingthat greeted the person’s eyeswas a variety of posters. Thosethat were pasted on the pillarsof the Metro rail’s work-in-progress, in particular, of-fended the most. MMM heardthe whole complaint out in si-lence, wondering from the ac-cusatory tone if the person onthe other side thought MMMwas responsible for the pastingof these offending pieces ofpaper.

And then came the punchline. “As part of Madras Weekcelebrations,” said the voice,with the air of one bestowing aroyal favour or issuing a com-mand, “Why don’t you,MMM, do something aboutit?” Having counted till ten,MMM then asked if the partyon the other side had anythingspecific to suggest. “Why, it’squite easy. You know so manypeople in Chennai. Why don’tyou first fix a meeting with theManaging Director of Metrorail and explain the matter tohim? He should also beconvinced to take action. As afollow-up, you could meet theMayor and the Commissionerof the Corporation. Then, ifnothing happens, there isalways the …”

At this moment, the voicepaused to take a breath andMMM got a word or two in. Heexplained that Madras Weekoperates on a simple principle.Put in elementary Chennai-speak, it amounts to “Thatthat person, that that idea, thatthat execution.” He then wenton to make it simpler by sayingthat, contrary to general opin-ion, Madras Week is not runby a vast industrial conglomer-ate that has thousands of min-ions at its beck and call. Sec-ondly, the organisers have noclout with the Governmentand, in MMM’s private view,not mentioning their names isthe best way to curry anyfavour with the powers-that-be. Lastly, Madras Week is allabout voluntary effort. And soif the voice did not like theposters, the voice needed to dosomething about it. The callerdid not sound very convinced,but rang off.

A couple of days later,MMM was pleasantly sur-prised to see that the Corpora-tion has resolved that it wouldremove posters from publicplaces and fine those pastingthem. Of course, this is notsaying much, given that ourcity’s civic body has in the past

resolved to have clean publictoilets, ensure pavement space,maintain smooth roads, tacklethe hawker menace, repairstreet lights, and clear garbage.Anyway, it is the thought thatcounts and MMM is glad tonote that the heart of the civicbody is in the right place. Butleaving all that aside, MMMwonders if the resolution to re-move posters has anything todo with the voice that calledMMM. If so, this must be apowerful voice, a voice that,like Mars, can threaten andcommand. MMM wishes hehad made a note of thenumber.

We’ve got mail!

The Chief has this thingabout the postman’s

knock. He writes about it fre-quently. The Man from MadrasMusings is not so enamoured ofthe game and less so ever sincethe Chief, in a moment ofweakness, installed email andgot MMM to administer thedaily quota of fan communica-tion that comes to our belovedpublication – Chennai Chirp-ings, oops sorry Chief – MadrasMusings.

Each morning, MMM’shand shakes visibly as he logson to mail account to see whathas come in. Now you maywonder why, and in order toelucidate, MMM gives you a

A Madras Week momentread, MMM was about toshoot off the customary apol-ogy (‘We know how you feelbut there is very little we cando, etc’) when a line caught hisattention. Four digit figureswere mentioned as subscrip-tion and it said that MadrasMusings had had the temerityto charge the correspondentthe same figure twice but hadnot delivered even once. It wasthen that MMM sat up andtook notice. Was the Chief insome secret extortion racket,he wondered. What was allthis talk of four-figure num-bers about which we at MMhave no knowledge?

The mail also had anothercryptic mention about theweight of each consignment,which puzzled MMM further.After all, we at MM are knownfor writing on weighty mattersbut then, surely, nobody couldaccuse our eight-sheeter tab-loid of being heavy in mattersof avoirdupois. And then thematter was cleared up. Thewriter had problems with awell-known monthly that fromits name would suggest thatthe reader who reads it couldassimilate his food better. Thepublication in question wasknown at one time for sectionssuch as Humour in Uniform,Laughter is the Best Medicine,and It Pays to Enrich YourWord Power. It took a whilefor MMM to then prepare areply that requested the writerto please send the missive else-where. There has been no re-sponse since. Perhaps thereader is digesting MMM’semail before tossing a broad-side at the other publication.

If this is one variety, we alsohave another kind. There is agroup of railway users insouthern Tamil Nadu who ap-pear to think that their pro-tests and criticisms of theirchosen mode of transportshould appear each fortnightin Madras Musings. And whenit does not, their reaction isbitter. There is a college waydown in the State and its Pub-lic Relations Departmentthinks that all the doings of itsfounder, beyond routine ablu-tions, must find space in MM.Towards this end they are pre-pared to fling gold at MMMbut he has proven immovable.They have not yet given uphope. It takes all kinds to keepMadras Musings moving.

sample. Last week there camein an email that had ‘accusa-tory’ written all over it. Thecorrespondent began by sayingthat she was most unhappywith Madras Musings’ deliv-ery. She had, she said, paid foran annual subscription andwas not receiving the publica-tion. Of course, this is a com-mon enough complaint uponwhich MMM has ceased todwell, chiefly because thepostal department (not ofMadras Musings which, manypeople assume, separatelyexists, but that of the Govern-ment of India) is very sensitiveto criticism.

But to get back to theemail. Upon giving it a cursory

SHORT ‘N’

SNAPPY

Tailpiece

The Man from Madras Musings was at a temple. He was stuckfor the tailpiece and was worried. He opened his eyes after a

brief prayer to find that God Almighty had delivered. Thepicture below explains all.

– MMM

August 1-15, 2014 MADRAS MUSINGS 3

A telephone linein its 100th year

● RAMESH KUMAR of the IndianCommerce & Industries Co. P. Ltd., 57,Prakasam Salai, writes:

Our oldest telephone line completed 99 yearson July 11th and has entered its 100th year.

The BSNL invoice featured above says thatour telephone line was installed on July 11, 1915.This telephone line was subscribed under Bee-hive Foundry Engineering Works (when it wasstill with Oakes & Co.). It was only in the early1990s that we got the billing addressed to thepresent parent company, the Indian Commerce& Industries Co P Ltd.

I attended the school opposite Beehive Build-ings in Broadway from Class 1 to SSLC, and mostof my after-school hours and holidays were spentin our office premises where I frequently roamedaround the entire office and workshop. One day,I chanced upon an unused letterhead lying in thestationery cupboard. Since I was interested indated material, I saved the letterhead, which Istill have. It is also featured above.

I think this letterhead was printed no earlierthan 1952 (since it bears the name Kowtha SteelProducts which was started in Ramavarappadunear Vijayawada – then known as Bezwada – inJanuary 1952) but no later than 1953 (since inSeptember 1953 the Excelsior Oil Mills was razedin a fire accident).

Our telephone number as seen on the letter-head was 2020, presumably the original numberallotted to Beehive Foundry at the time of instal-lation in 1915. It could also have been a threedigit number which was later changed to four dig-its. I wouldn’t know.

The telephone connection was originally withthe Oriental Telephone & Electric Co. till Ma-dras Telephones took over in 1923.

The number changed to 21071 (I don’t knowprecisely when, but that’s the number I haveknown from childhood).

With the introduction of the KalmandapamTelephone Exchange (in the early 1980s, I think)our line got shifted to the new exchange and wewere allotted 555021.

When the Harbour Exchange was opened, theline again got shifted to this exchange and wewere allotted 512221.

With the introduction of7-digit numbering, the num-ber changed to 523-1477 andwith introduction of 8-digitnumbering, it changed to2523-1477 and continues toremain so.

A phone line in the samelocation since its installationin 1915 has gone from 2020to 21071 to 555021 to512221 to 5231477 to25231477 and all this whilethe Telephone Exchange

kept moving, while we remained rooted to thesame premises!

The same is the case with our door number,which went from 95 to 27 to the current number57, while the street name changed from Popham’sBroadway to Prakasam Salai.

At the bottom of the letterhead I have, is thelogo of the Engineering Association of India (re-produced below) of which we were member andhave remained so in its various avatars.

This association evolved as the Confederationof Indian Industry (CII) of which we continue tobe a member.

I am not sure if Beehive Foundry under theownership of Oakes & Co. was a member of theIndian Engineering Association (IEA) or whetherwe carried forward that legacy, but here again is asituation of a company’s membership remainingfor a long period, unbroken even while the asso-ciation in which it is a member changed its name,form and structure.

Footnote

The history of the CII began in 1895 when fiveengineering firms, all members of the BengalChamber of Commerce and Industry, joinedhands to form the Engineering and Iron TradesAssociation (EITA). The name changed to theEngineering Association of India (EAI) in 1912,reflecting the Association’s decision to excludetraders from the membership and concentratefully on promoting the cause of manufacturers.Till 1942, IEA was the only all-India associationof the engineering industry and represented,mainly, the big engineering companies, particu-larly the British firms. This led to a situationwhere the interests of the Indian firms (mainlymedium and small scale) were not sufficiently rep-resented. Thus, the Engineering Association ofIndia (EAI) was established in 1942.

After Independence, the public sector as-sumed the lead role in industrial development.Keeping in view the greater interests of the engi-neering industry in the country, in April 1974,the two associations – IEA and EAI – merged toform the Association of Indian EngineeringIndustry (AIEI).

In 1986, there was a change in name from AIEIto the Confederation of Engi-neering Industry (CEI), re-flecting the growth and ex-pansion of the organisationsince 1974. CEI then becamean apex body for manufactur-ing industries at the nationallevel.

With effect from January 1,1992, in keeping with Govern-ment’s decision to opt for theliberalisation of the Indianeconomy, the name of CEIwas changed to Confederationof Indian Industry (CII).

Looking back

The recent letters aboutHotel Oceanic brought

back fond memories of Madrasand San Thomé.

I always say that our genera-tion was the one that wentthrough the most revolutionarychange in our lives. Nagesh’ssong Madras nalla Madras bringsback nostalgic memories of ourhomely city, and of what itcould have been, but for themindless “development” brou-ght about by decades of sense-less “town planning!”

My parents lived in RajaAnnamalaipuram, which was aquiet, peaceful area. All thehouses were built on four-ground plots by order of theCorporation, and they had largegardens. We had a few mangoand gooseberry trees, whosefruits I would take to school andshare with my friends.

Since we had a large back-yard, my father, a lover of na-ture, had built a shed and kepttwo jersey cows in it.

My father J. Thangavel roseto become the Chief News Edi-tor of All India Radio. But hewas more happy to write forTamil magazines and movies.He penned several lyrics underhis pen name ‘Surabhi’. The

most popular lyric of his was“Konjum Purave” sung by thelegendary MLV for film Thayul-lam, among others were ‘Mapil-lai Doi’ by AM Raja, and ‘RojaMalar Venuma’ sung by Bala-saraswathy. I was fortunateenough to be present at the re-cording of a couple of songs byPB Srinivas and P Susheela forthe devotional film BhaktaSabari. Sometimes music direc-tors sat in our shed at the back-yard and composed music,while our cows listened. Fatheralso started a small poultry unitat the far end, when the poultryindustry was just beginning.Our neighbours bought milkand sometimes eggs for theirchildren. But they complainedabout the crowing of the roost-ers, cackling of the hens and thesmell from the very cows thatgave them pure milk!

By the mid-1970s things be-gan to change, and we had soldoff our livestock and preparedourselves for a more “modern”lifestyle! So, here we are,cribbing about the peaceful pasteven while enjoying the myriadelectrical and electronic appli-ances which have made ourhomes more comfortable.

Usha Sundarsundarusha@rocketmail.com

A verse response

Simply couldn’t resist the temptation to wake up the poet in meafter reading Ranjitha’s verse (MM, April 16th).

I couldn’t help grinning,At parts that were winning;A review so very rare,The writing an MM dare,But never taking a digAt the A.I. identity jigThat most good writers like KevinAre unwittingly caught inDancing to our Community’s bluesWith special wooden-flooring shoes,One leg going EastAnd the other West;Mulligatwany soup is our stew,And a fondness for pork vindaloo,Has prompted many a writer to askWhen A.Is their identity they mask:“Hey, Missy, are you Double CreamOr Madras fish curry made with bream?”

Harry MacLureEditor-Publisher, Anglos In The Wind

CHENNAI HERITAGENo. 5, Bhattad Tower, 30, Westcott Road, Royapettah, Chennai 600 014

I am already on your mailing list (Mailing List No....................) / Ihave just seen Madras Musings and would like to receive it hereafter.� I/We enclose cheque/demand draft/money order for Rs. 100(Rupees One hundred) payable to CHENNAI HERITAGE,MADRAS, as subscription to Madras Musings for the year2014-15.� As token of my support for the causes of heritage, environmentand a better city that Madras Musings espouses, I send ChennaiHeritage an additional Rs.........................................(Rupees....................................................................................) Please keep/put me on your mailing list.Name : ..........................................................................................Address: ........................................................................................All cheques to ‘Chennai Heritage’. DD/Cheque should be sent bySpeed Post only.

4 MADRAS MUSINGS August 1-15, 2014 August 1-15, 2014 MADRAS MUSINGS 5

The father ofprimary healthcarein India

The then Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran being shown around the VHShospital by Dr. K.S Sanjivi.

� by Shobha Menon

M. C. Subrahmanyam, Edi-tor, The Indian Review, and

Hony Secretary, Public HealthCentre (PHC), West Mamba-lam, wrote in the 1970s, “VHStoday is an example and an in-spiration in the field of voluntarymedical service, silently beckon-ing medical men of quality tospare a portion of their time forservice to the community...There may not be a record toshow all the sources Dr. Sanjivitapped to build and maintainthis new experiment in commu-nity medical service: the sourcesthat yielded readily, those thatyielded but with a lot of pontifi-cal advice, those that remainedice cold, those that gave out in-sult and nothing more, and thosewho were more vain than com-passionate. It may not also beknown how Dr. Sanjivi bent overbackward to provide all facilitiesto medical men of high academicdistinction in some of the rarespecialities. VHS is a monumentto the services of a fragile manwith a flaming will!”

Dr. C. Raghavachari noted,“The establishment and smoothrunning of the Voluntary HealthServices called for organising ca-pacity, administrative skill, di-plomacy, delegation and capac-ity to develop good public rela-tions with staff, co-workers,agencies and the public at vari-ous levels. The magnitude of thetask and the pace of the execu-tion called for a great sacrifice ofcomfort and leisure.”

Dr. J. Balasubramaniam re-calls that on ward rounds Dr.Sanjivi was always kind to pa-tients and soft-spoken and en-couraged keen discussionsamong students. Even in themost difficult cases, he neverantagonised anyone, whethercolleague or patient. A smilingutterance of Saappaatturama orPythiakkaran was a rare admoni-tion!

The man they were referringto was Dr. K.S. Sanjivi whommany consider “the father of the

primary health care movementin India”.

Sanjivi passed out of MadrasMedical College in 1927, andwent on to complete his MD inGeneral Medicine (one of thefirst four to do so!).

From his first posting at theKilpauk Mental Hospital, he

moved to Madurai in the mid-1930s to work at the Govern-ment Erskine Hospital. Later, atthe Royapettah Hospital he wasin charge of the TB Ward and al-lergy clinic, before moving to theGeneral Hospital as RMO in1946. In 1947, he trained in theUK and USA and on his returnin 1948 was appointed Directorof the TB Research Centre atChetpet, and Director of the TBSanatorium, Tambaram. Whenhe was appointed Professor ofMedicine at Madras MedicalCollege, he was to enjoy the bestyears of his government service.With meticulously plannedclasses and a subtle sense ofhumour, he built up a rapportwith his students that lastedthroughout his life. He stronglyfelt the need for senior doctors toencourage younger colleagueseven at expense of their own ca-reers. The tremendous affectionhis students held him in paid richdividends later when he startedthe VHS.

Dr. B. Ramamurthi, theacclaimed neurosurgon, oncewrote, “In 1957, when Dr.Sanjivi was to become the ChiefExecutive of the Madras Medi-cal College, that was denied himon irrelevant grounds, he re-signed and the episode was ablessing for the people of Madrasand for the people of India. Theidea of VHS was born and so wasthe message of ‘people helpingthemselves towards betterhealth’. His idea of small volun-tary contributions from the poorand his concept of preventiveand promotive health have influ-enced the delivery of health carein our country.”

Well-known physician Dr. K.V. Thiruvengadam recalls, “Theprivilege (he had) of being hisstudent in the clinical years, apostgraduate trainee with him,and his Assistant Physiscian – allover a period spanning nearlyten years. Very few clinicians

would be so sedate, yet so sharpand quick of reflexes, reticent,yet so effective in clinical discus-sions, soft spoken and yet so re-assuring to their patients!”

Dr. Sanjivi’s advice to stu-dents was to be simple and frugalin all their actions, never to over-prescribe, never to over-investi-gate and to always be kind to pa-tients! Dr. Saroja Srinivasan,who joined VHS in 1966 as theRMO, remembers accompanyinghim on his medical rounds, visit-ing about 25 patients over twohours, “His clinical acumen wasso exceptional that he rarely re-lied on lab tests or X-rays, andalways prescribed simple drugs.His recall memory was brilliantand he’d often quiz us about in-structions given on patient fol-low-ups weeks earlier! Particularabout not wasting any resource –power, water or paper – tests thathad to be done were indicated ona small slip of paper with theVHS stamp. Meticulously he’dnote down points for the day inbetween meetings with col-leagues/patients, on a small pieceof recycled paper with a neatlysharpened pencil that would beused to the last remnant!” AndDr. S. Raghavachari, who had along association with Dr. Sanjivifrom P S High School to medical

service and, post-retirement, atVHS, speaks of “two entirely dif-ferent phases of his life – “onebefore preponed retirement, aquiet and placid life as a physi-cian and teacher of medicinewith academic achievements,and the other after retirement, alife of restless, dynamic activityin the fulfilment of a stupendous,self-imposed mission in life., abrilliant innings!”

Polite and gentle in speechand manners, he emphasised themoral responsibility of well-to-docitizens to help poorer sections.Dr. Sanjivi was greatly influ-enced by Gandhian thought and,therefore, the underlying ethosof VHS has been prevention andcure of serious illness, fostering ofthe family as a unit for medicalcare, and facilitating active com-

munity participation in the pro-vision of a continuum of health-care, with special reference todisadvantaged groups such aswomen, children and elderly.

To ensure this was his “geniusfor mobilising support for hiscause, and the way he got initialhelp from the Race Club by indi-vidually contacting and canvass-ing support from the hundred-odd members with different in-terests and moods.”

Dr. Krishnamoorthy Srinivasoften speaks of how he once tookDr. Sanjivi to meet a rich indus-trialist who kept his legsstretched out on a table through-out the conversation! When Dr.Srinivas apologised later for hisfriend’s bad manners, Dr. Sanjivireplied, “Oh that’s nothing...Iwould not have minded even ifhe put his legs on my head aslong as he gave a sizeable dona-tion.” Dr. J. Balasubramanianrecalls an instance when Dr.Sanjivi learnt that a donor hadgiven a cheque for Rs 40,000. “Itwas found out that the donorlived on C V Raman Road, andhe went to visit him to thankhim. He came back smiling withanother Rupees 2 lakh donationfor the VHS!” Dr. Sanjivi’sunassuming and easily approa-chable personality made him one

of the best public relations menin the city! From well-knownconsultants to ward boys, he mo-tivated them all to have a senseof ownership for VHS.

For a man of his achieve-ments, the greatest quality andstrength he possessed was toretain his humility and giveothers the credit. Dr. C. Ragha-vachari once said of him, “Shortin stature, frail in constitutionand with low voice, but with thebest inner strength and willpower to succeed in areas wheremost people would be unsuccess-ful. An inspirational force, ini-tially it was his gentle but deter-mined and persuasive mannerthat spurred people on. His largerthan life persona continues toenvelop the campus, willing pro-fessionals to continually developservices for the less privilegedsections of society.”

Thilakam, at present a BloodBank Assistant, VHS, grew up“like a daughter” in the doctor’shousehold from the age of 12.She recalls that Dr. Sanjivi wasdisciplined in his eating habitsand daily routines. His weightwas always a standard 50 kg and,till the time he stopped driving,he always drove at a sedate 40km/hour..Even in his seventies,he would take the stairs in theVHS and never use the lift! Hisrespect for everyone he met waswell-known, cutting acrossreligions and among of cross-sections of society.

Following his wife’s death in1980, Dr. Sanjivi threw himselfeven more into building up VHS.By mid-1989, be suffered a seriesof strokes that left him bedriddenand blind. Yet he continued to beactive, discussing cases with doc-tors and taking classes in hospi-tal administration. On October1, 1994, he breathed his last. Ashis daughter Gita wrote, “A calmand peaceful ending to a life ofcheerful and unselfish service.”He was the recipient of manyhonours and awards: the PadmaShri in 1971, the Padma Bhu-shan in 1976, Dr B C RoyNational Award for Socio Medi-cal Relief in 1976 and manyothers. But to him the implemen-tation of his messages meantmore than any award.

(To be Concluded)

Dr. K.S. Sanjivi.

Will this magnificent interior be restored...

... like this one was?

MADRAS MUSINGS ON THE WEBTo reach out to as many readers as possible who share our keeninterest in Madras that is Chennai, and in response to requestsfrom many well-wishers – especially from outside Chennai andabroad who receive their postal copies very late – for an onlineedition. Madras Musings is now on the web at www.madrasmusings.com

THE EDITOR

The magnificent Banking Hall (above), of what was then the Bank of Madras, was Henry Irwin’s contributionto a building that was opened c.1900. This splendour is unrecognisable today in the building which in recent yearshas become the State Bank of India’s Main Branch office and which was recently damaged by fire. Can we hope forits restoration to a glorious bit of construction in the manner the Connemara Library’s 1896 Reading Hall (below)(another Irwin masterpiece) was done a few years ago?

(Continued from last fortnight)

6 MADRAS MUSINGS August 1-15, 2014

Two entertheir100th yearTwo well-known institutions in the South, both in

Madanapalle, Chittoor District, once part of Madras Presi-dency, Province and State, have entered their hundredth year fromJuly 19th.

Besant Theosophical College, founded by Annie Besant, wasinaugurated on July 19, 1915 by Governor Lord Pentland. TheCollege drew students from as far away as Burma and England. Itsfirst Principal was M.U. Moore and on its staff were James H. Cous-ins, English Lecturer, and his wife Margaret Cousins (English Com-position). Both were well-known Madras Theosophists.

Construction of the College buildings began in January 1916.When Rabindranath Tagore visited the College in 1919, he trans-lated Jana Gana Mana into English, and it was set to music byMargaret Cousins and sung at the College.

* * *Later that same July 1915 day, Lord Pentland opened the Union

Missionary Tuberculosis Sanatorium now called theArogyavaram Medical Centre.

Originally located in Madanapalle from 1912, the hospital wasshifted to Arogyavaram, about 4 miles from Madanapalle.

The hospital was started with 109 beds which later increased to397 beds in the 1950s and to about 450 beds in 1965. The largesthospital in India, it occupies an area of about 300 acres.

Eight inter-denominational missions, led by the AmericanArcot Mission, cooperated in setting up the sanatorium. The Ex-ecutive Committee instrumental in establishing the institution wasconvened by the Rev. L.R. Scudder, and the Building Committee,convened in October 1912, was led by the Rev. B, Rottschaefer,both of the Arcot Mission.

Published with this reminder sent by Ramineni BhaskarendraRao are pictures of those early days of both institutions.

The moving song of IndiaThou art the ruler of the minds of all people, dispenser of

India’s destiny. Thy name rouses the hearts of the Panjab,Sind, Gujrat and Maratha, of the Dravid and Orissa and Ben-gal; it echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,mingles in the music of the Ganges and Jamuna and ischanted by the surging waves of the Indian Sea. They prayfor thy blessings and sing thy praise. The saving of all peoplewaits in thy hand, thou dispenser of India’s destiny.

Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.

Day and night thy voice goes out from land to land call-ing the Hindus, Buddhists, Shikhs and Jains round thythrone and the Parsees, Musalmans and Christians. The Eastand the West join hands in their prayer to thee, and thegarland of love is woven. Thou bringest the hearts of allpeople into the harmony of one life, thou dispenser of India’sdestiny.

Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.

The procession of pilgrims passes over the endless roadrugged with the rise and fall of nations; and it resounds withthe thunder of thy wheels, Eternal Charioteer! Through thedire days of doom thy trumpet sounds and men are led bythee across death. Thy finger points the path to all people,Oh dispenser of India’s destiny!

Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.

The darkness was dense and deep was the night. Mycountry lay in a deathlike silence of swoon. But thy motherarms were round her and thine eyes gazed upon her troubledface in sleepless love through her hours of ghastly dreams.

Thou art the companion and the saviour of the peoplein their sorrows, thou dispenser of India’s destiny.

The night fades; the light breaks over the peaks of theEastern hills; the birds begin to sing and the morning breezecarries the breath of new life. The rays of thy mercy havetouched the waking land with their blessings. Victory to theeKing of Kings; Victory to thee, dispenser of India’s destiny.

Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.

Rabindranath Tagore

February 28, 1919

(Current Affairs questions arefrom the period July 1st to15th. Questions 11 to 20 per-tain to Chennai and TamilNadu.)

1. Who won the Golden Ball andGolden Boot at the recently-concluded FIFA World Cup?

2. What is the name given to thelatest offensive launched by Israelon Hamas militants in the GazaStrip?

3. Which country recentlybenefited from a UN Tribunalawarding it four-fifths of an areasprawling over 25,000 sq km(9,700 sq miles) in the Bay ofBengal, which ended a disputeover a sea border with India?

4. Name India’s first indigenousanti-submarine warship (ASW)that was handed over to theIndian Navy recently.

5. Name the much feted andloved veteran actress and grandold lady of Bollywood who passedaway recently at the age of 102.

6. According to the C. Ranga-rajan report on poverty, what isthe daily per capita expenditurefor the rural poor and the urbanpoor?

7. The President of India joinedTwitter on July 1st. What is hishandle?

8. India has become the firstcountry to ratify the MarrakeshTreaty. What does it deal with?

9. What is Google’s new initia-tive, ‘Project Zero’, all about?

10. On July 15th, who wasawarded the InternationalGandhi Peace Prize by the Presi-dent of India?

* * *

11. What was the previous nameof the Muslim Higher SecondarySchool in Triplicane?

12. The foundation stone towhich once iconic symbol of Ma-dras was laid on April 20, 1898and inaugurated on November30, 1900?

13. What was the name of theMadras residence of NaganathaSetupathi, the Rajah of Ramnad?It was in Royapettah.

14. How has the wedding of oneRukmini and Rajagoplan on April29, 1963 been made famous in lit-erature?

15. What is said to have come upon a property of Simpson’s(earlier, Thomas Waller’s stables)on Mount Road?

16. Which Chennai-based racerfounded ‘Wallace Sports &Research Foundation’ to traindrivers interested in participatingin races and rallies?

17. Which famous Madras statuewas sculpted by Sir FrancisChantrey using a portrait by SirMartin Archer Shee?

18. Which bustling area inChennai gets its name from theFlame of the Forest tree?

19. Which Rajini-starrer holdsthe distinction of being the first70mm Tamil film?

20. What is the name of Shiva atthe Thirukazhukundram temple?

(Answers on page 10)

The Besant College buildings coming up.

Rev. Dr. L.R. Scudder (left) and Rev. B. Rottschaefer of the Arcot Mission.

The Administration Block with the two general wards for women on left side.

August 1-15, 2014 MADRAS MUSINGS 7

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PRISM Public Relations.Check www.themadrasday.in for up-to-date programmes.

8 MADRAS MUSINGS August 1-15, 2014

August 1-15, 2014 MADRAS MUSINGS 9

10 MADRAS MUSINGS August 1-15, 2014

Published by S. Muthiah for ‘Chennai Heritage’, 260-A, TTK Road, Chennai 600 018 and printed by T J George at Lokavani-Hallmark Press Pvt. Ltd., 122, Greams Road, Chennai 600 006. Edited by S. MUTHIAH.

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Published by S. Muthiah for ‘Chennai Heritage’, No. 5, Bhattad Tower, 30, Westcott Road, Royapettah, Chennai 600 014, printed by Anu Varghese at Lokavani Southern Printers Pvt. Ltd., 122, Greams Road, Chennai 600 006, and edited by S. Muthiah.

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— A WELLWISHER

An American who danced

with the Travancore trio

Answers to Quiz1. Lionel Messi and James Rodriguez respectively; 2. ‘Operation Pro-

tective Edge’; 3. Bangladesh; 4. INS Kamorta; 5. Zohra Sehgal; 6. Rs. 32and Rs. 47 respectively; 7. @RashtrapatiBhvn; 8. Facilitating access topublished works for persons who are blind and visually impaired; 9. It isteam of elite hackers designated to check internet security holes and se-cure users from cyber-attacks; 10. Social activist and pioneer of the Chipkomovement Chandi Prasad Bhatt.

* * * 11. Harris High School for Muslims; 12. Moore Market; 13. Wood-

lands; 14. In Saavi’s Washingtonil Tirumanam; 15. Cosmopolitan Club; 16.Vicky Chandhok; 17. Sir Thomas Munro; 18. Pursawakam; 19. Maveeran;20. Vedagiriswarar.

Left to right: Lalitha, Ragini, Padmini.

Ruth Woodman on the dance stage

� New Hampshire (USA)based Betsy Woodman, analumna of Woodstock School,Mussoorie, is the author ofthree children’s books set inNorth India. But she lived inMadras as a child of 6-8, whentheir next-door neighboursduring that time were theTravancore Sisters! Betsy’smother Ruth was a trainedballet dancer. So, she learnedBharata Natyam from themand even performed with thesisters. In recent times, Betsyhas been remembering thoseyears in several blogs.

V. Vijaysree

My mother, Ruth Woodman, had studied ballet in

New York City before marryingmy dad, Everett Woodman. Bythe time they reached Madras,she had two little girls and wasabout to give birth to a third.The dance career had been putaside.

But as luck would have it,

our family happened to move innext door to a family of danc-ers. The three daughters –Padmini, Lalitha, and Ragini –were known as the TravancoreSisters and were also wildlypopular as film actresses.

The sisters took Mom undertheir wing and allowed her tostudy the classical Indian styleof Bharata Natyam with theirguru. She even performed once

with them, the local newspapersexpressing some astonishmentthat an American – and amother of three – could do sowell on the dance stage.

Later, in New Delhi, shefounded a ballet school, andgave performances to supportvarious charitable causes.

When we moved in nextdoor to them, Lalitha was

twenty-three, Padmini twenty,and Ragini about fifteen. Theywere already well established intheir film and dance careers.

They quickly added suffixes,meaning “older sister” and“older brother”, to my parents’nicknames. Mom became“Poochie-akka” and dad “Evie-anna”.

* * * We were the new kids on

the block in 1953, the block be-ing on Edward Elliot Road. Itcould have been a difficult ad-justment but, instead, it was likefalling into a warm bath. Thiswas largely because of the kind-ness of our hospitable next-doorneighbours – the Mom, Saras-wati Amma, her three daugh-ters, their brother, Chandran,and their cousins, Ambika and

Sukumari. We were stilllearning the ropes and nodoubt made gaffes rightand left, but not to worry,they made allowances!

In their publicity pho-tos the TravancoreSisters looked breathtak-ingly glamorous, but inreal life they were thegirl-next-door whole-some and unaffected,and nice as could be.

Lalitha (1930-1982) was theoldest. She got her start in filmswhen she was eight. My parentsremembered her as quieter thanthe other two, with her owngentle mystique. Dad liked torecall the time she sat up allnight with a sick kitten in herlap, willing it to live after every-one else had written it off forlost; the kitten recovered.

Padmini (1932-2006) ap-peared in over 250 Indian mov-ies in Tamil, Telugu, Malaya-lam and Hindi. She often por-trayed a sassy, independent-minded young woman. In MeraNaam Joker, she even played awoman masquerading as a malestreet entertainer with a per-forming dog. (She was fierce inthat role.) As a dancer, she wasnothing less than divine.

Later, Padmini married andmoved with her physician hus-

band, Dr. Ramachandran, toNew Jersey, where she foundedher own dance school.

Like the older two, Raginiwas a stunning dancer with asparkling screen presence. Thetallest of the three, she wouldoften play a male role in dancedramas. She could also wield acricket bat!

Perhaps the sight of thesethree beautiful ladies has beena remedy for homesickness forpeople spread over the globe bythe Indian diaspora. But youdon't have to be Indian to lovethem.

The sisters are no longerwith us, but decades after theymade their movies, they stillhave devoted fans. – (Courtesy:Betsy Woodman’s blog. Pic-tures from the Woodman Col-lection)

(To be concluded)

August 15-17: Three-day residen-tial workshop ‘Vernacular &Sustainable Architecture’ tocreate understanding of sucharchitecture. Course Director,Conservation architect BennyKuriakose. Participants limitedto 30. For details,mcfindia@gmail. com or call

044-4551 1508/ 044-4249 8943(at DakshinaChitra).

August 23-31: Onam Festivalincludes Singari Melam, a grouppercussion performance bySwarnalayam, a women’s troupefrom Kozhikode (at Dakshina-Chitra).

Till August 31: Traditions, anexhibition of drawings andsketchings by G. Rajan. Hisinterest in temple architectureand Shilpa Shastra has led him

to do many works based on them(at DakshinaChitra).

Till August 31: Sangamam, anexhibition of photograhs by SusilPani. To coincide with theAdiperukku water festival, theexhibition focusses on differentwater bodies of India. (atDakshinaChitra).

Till August 31: Middle Path 2, agroup exhibition by seven seniorartists at DakshinaChitra.

Here she is, on the left, with Padmini,centre, and Lalitha, right.