The good news is that the244-year old Kalas Ma-hal, ravaged by fire twomonths ago, will not be

demolished to make way for amisfit building. The bad news isthat the proposed repair and re-construction of this heritagestructure, if the recent govern-ment order is any indication,would produce a historically mis-leading and kitschy building.

On January 19, the state gov-ernment constituted a three-member expert committee tostudy the damaged Kalas Mahaland recommend future course ofaction. In just five days, after in-vestigating the building, the com-mittee recommended rebuildingof the outer facade of the KalasMahal as it was in the past andwith the help of building materialssalvageable from the site. Howev-er, it said the Pubic Works Depart-ment (PWD) was free to designthe interior anew to suit the func-tioning of a government office.

The government has acceptedthese recommendations, and hasnot insisted on an integrated con-servation plan. It also has not in-sisted on including a conservationexpert in this restoration projectand left it entirely to the PWD.Heritage experts, taking excep-tion to this casual approach, havestrongly protested the move.

“The Kalas Mahal is classifiedas a Grade I heritage building inthe Justice E. Padmanaban com-mittee report because of its archi-tectural and historicalsignificance. The interior of thebuilding is as important as the ex-terior and cannot be tamperedwith. Unfortunately, the govern-ment-appointed experts have rec-ommended just that,” said Sriram

V., convener of Indian NationalTrust for Art and Cultural Heri-tage, Tamil Nadu Chapter.

“Given the poor design capa-bilities of PWD and their zero ex-pertise in heritage conservation,Kalas Mahal is bound to end up asa pathetic and kitschy build-ing. This is not the way totreat the birthplace ofIndo-Saracenic ar-chitecture in In-dia,” he added.

K. Kalpana, aconservation ar-chitect with expe-rience in restoringthe Senate Houseand many otherheritage buildings inChennai, is equally agh-ast. “It is pointless to re-store only the envelope.The interior and the exte-rior cannot be separated,” sheinsisted.

The government-appointedcommittee has observed that nophotographic documentation anddrawings of Kalas Mahal exists. Asenior person closely associatedwith the recommendations toldThe Hindu that since the PWDdoes not have sufficient informa-tion about the original design ofthe interior, it was free to come upwith its own plan.

However, The Hindu has ac-cessed rare prints and detaileddrawings of the layout of the KalasMahal. The prints are part of aprivate collection while the draw-ings were made by the School ofArchitecture and Planning, AnnaUniversity, about eight years ago.The meticulous drawings clearlyillustrate the internal layout, thefaçade, and some of the ornamen-tal features of the building.

Ms. Kalpana said the existingdrawings and photo documenta-

The Hindu has accessed rare prints and drawings depictingthe layout of the heritage building, which should help thePWD in restoring the structure in entirety rather than just the facade

Not all is lost in Kalas Mahal fire

tion should be useful to the PWD.She said “the precariously loosejoists, charred wooden beams anddebris” — as recorded by the com-mittee — should not be thrownaway and instead studied careful-ly to understand the original con-

struction system.“Many other ci-

ties in Indiahave success-fully resur-rectedheritage

buildings that weredestroyed by fire.They have restored

both the envelope andthe interiors. It will do well

for the PWD to study these exam-ples instead of rushing into recon-struction,” she explained.

She is also clear that designingan office space within such an au-thentically reconstructed heri-tage structure is not a challengeand is efficiently achievable.

“The first step in the way for-ward,” Mr. Sriram explained,“would be to appoint a conserva-tion specialist. Second, the PWDmust not adopt its usual methodsand give it to the contractor whoquotes the lowest price. The Sen-ate House of the University of Ma-dras, which was restored a few

Kalas Mahal,built in the 18thcentury, formed

the core of thepalace that was

home to theNawabs of Arcot

In 1859, theBritish took

over thepalace and

modified it toaccommodatepublic offices

In the 1960’s, the TamilNadu government

constructed the Ezhilagamon the north-easterncorner of the palace

complex to accommodatemore government offices

OnJanuary16, Kalas

Mahal waspartly

destroyedby fire

On January 19, thestate government

appointed a three-member

expert committeeto assess the

building

On March 5, thegovernment

passed an orderaccepting the

recommendationsof the expert

committee

KALAS MAHAL

A. Srivathsan

years ago, is a model worth look-ing at.”

“This project is a good opportu-nity for the PWD to work and ar-rive at processes which it can usein future projects. The INTACHwill be more than happy to workwith the PWD and use this projectto train them in architectural con-servation,” Mr. Sriram concluded.

...CH-CH

CITY2 THE HINDU THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

CHENNAICHENNAIFive killed in highway accidentFive people, including three women and an infant,were killed in an accident near Shoolagiri on theHosur-Krishnagiri National Highway: Page 11

“Power shortage will gradually disappear”Power shortage will gradually disappear, beginning June, asthe government is working to ensure the early commissioningof upcoming projects, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said: Page 9

Roundtable discussionThe U.S. Consulate General organises a roundtablediscussion on ‘Women and entrepreneurship’ atLIBA, Loyola College, Nungambakkam at 2.30 p.m.

People like me must figure quite low on the prioritylist of policy makers. Or so it seems, every time I

decide to walk somewhere — to a friend’s place in theneighbourhood, the market just a kilometre away, or theATM kiosk almost right next door.

Each footpath offers a lesson. One that tells us thatlife, at least during the time spent walking, is largelyabout ups, downs, bumps, sign boards, electricityjunction boxes, iron rods and garbage.

You step on one and optimistically go ahead, only tobe interrupted by a junction box that refuses to give way.You step down, to walk along the margin of the road. Andthat is no hassle-free experience, either. One has toadopt a sort of dualstrategy tonegotiate spacethrough parked carsand garbage bins,simultaneouslykeeping an eye forspeeding vehicles,which are alsowaging a noisierbattle for space.

If there is nojunction box, thereis garbage that eventhe overflowing binnearby rejected. Ifthere is no garbage,it could only mean a‘clever’ residentfenced the footpathoutside theirhomes, either tocreate a littlegarden or to simplyto keep everyone,includingpedestrians, away.Consequently,rightful users of thefacility are deniedtheir right to safetyon the road.

If this is the casein neighbourhoods that are fairly residential incharacter, imagine the plight of the pedestrian whoventures out on an arterial road. Expect to beinterrupted by a loud ‘Meals Ready’ sign board spellingout the day’s menu, a petty shop, or a row of parkedbikes. In commercial areas, you can see shops havingpainstakingly built a slope near the pavement, just sothat their two-wheelers could be parked safely. Somepavements are rickety, with stones jutting out. Watchout, or you’re very likely to trip and fall. This is the storyof the average pedestrian who is neglected and feelscompletely lost. Senior citizens or persons withdisability have an even rawer deal.

In several Indian cities, about 20 to 40 per cent ofdaily trips made by residents are by foot — and Chennaiis no exception. In a 2011 study undertaken by Clean AirInitiative for Asian Cities, an NGO, in six Indian cities,Chennai scored 47 upon 100 on the ‘walkability’ index.The city was ranked last in a similar ‘walkability index’study covering 21 Asian cities.

The problem, clearly, is that no one cares enough forthe pedestrian.

Chennai will have the much-awaited Metro Rail in afew years’ time. Possibly, a good mono rail system too. Itmight have an improved MTC service and an enhancedMRTS coverage. When an ambitious, inter-modal, publictransit system for the city is being unraveled in phases,one would think that the pedestrian will be in sharpfocus. But unless government agencies wake up to theissue soon, the pedestrian will be left in the middle of theroad, literally.

Going by the zonal-level budgetary allocation of theChennai Corporation’s in its recent budget, the amountdedicated to pavements in each of its 15 zones rangesfrom Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 2 lakh. The civic body is alsoembarking on a grand overhaul for 60 bus route roads, inaddition to taking up improvements works on severalother roads. Additionally, as many as 360 roads in thenewly added areas of the Corporation’s limits are to betaken up for integrated development as part of theChennai Mega City Development Mission.

Raj Cherubal of Chennai City Connect, an NGO whichworks of traffic and transportation issues, says the civicbody seems inclined to make life better for pedestrians.“The Mayor and senior officials have told us that whilewe work on improving arterial roads, we must keep inmind upgradation of footpaths and other facilities forpedestrians,” said Cherubal, who is working with theCorporation to train some of its engineers. Mayor SaidaiS. Duraisamy has said “care would be taken” to makesure the facilities are adequate.

But until such promises materialise, the pedestrianhas no choice but to cling on to hope and — whilenavigating busy roads — to his life.

Meera Srinivasan is the Deputy City Editor of The Hindu.

Poor pedestrianleft in the middleof the road

In several Indian cities,about 20 to 40 per cent

of daily trips made byresidents are by foot

MEERA SRINIVASAN

CHENNAI: G. Karnan Rao getsuneasy talking about the changesAnna Salai, or Mount Road, hasbeen witnessing since the MetroRail work started in the city. A fewlandmark shops on the roadopposite MLAs’ Hostel are beingrazed and a few subways in otherpockets of the city havedisappeared.

“My children do not want tocontinue with the trade …but Iwish to run the shop from thesame place till my last breath,”says Mr. Rao, the secondgeneration running P.M. GopalRao Gents Tailor. For over fourdecades now, passersby have beentaking note of this tailoring shopbecause of its unique location — itsits on the superstructure abovethe subway at the Anna Salai-Wallajah Road signal. “It is in theheart of the city and has its ownbrand name,” he says with pride.

His father P.M. Gopal Rao, a

Marathi settled in the city, startedthe business in 1958. He firstopened a shop next to the BombayHalwa House on Mount Road andlater relocated to the subway.With permission from the civicbody, the shop broke a portion ofthe wall facing the road andplaced a glass enclosure. Itdutifully continues to pay anominal rent to the government.

An old signboard bearing thename of his father with thedesignation ‘woollen specialist’and a teak wood table used to cutclothes — these are some of thethings that stand out in the shop.But Mr. Rao owes the brand namethe shop has acquired over thedecades to his father. “Before heopened the shop, he went tovarious hostels — Madras MedicalCollege, Law College, PresidencyCollege, to name a few — to solicitbusiness,” recalls Mr. Rao.Prompt delivery, fitting and finish

were hallmarks that helped thegents’ tailor get many high-profileclients including politicians,advocates and bureaucrats.

“The wedding clothes of M.K.Stalin were stitched by my father,and we still have some of thesecond and third generation of

old-time politicians coming tous,” he says proudly. One of hisold customers recalls a queueoutside the shop once upon atime, with clients waiting to gettheir measurements noted in thebook.

Karnan Rao seems unfazed

with the competition around andis happy running the 250 sq. ft.shop with five other employees.“There is no door number to myshop… but I have old clients, someof them just want a broken buttonstitched, and I can’t say no,” headds.

COLOURS OF CHENNAI

The shop that stitchedStalin’s clothesLiffy Thomas meets the famoussubway tailor on Anna Salai

RUNNING THREAD: This gents’ tailor shop has been running on the superstructure above the subway for four decades. PHOTO: R.RAGU

The governmentcommittee has

observed that nodocumentation and

drawings of KalasMahal exists

Images, clockwise from top:Two drawings made bySchool of Architecture andPlanning, Anna University; avintage photograph showingChepauk Palace with Kalas Mahal on the right

PHOTO COURTESY:VINTAGE VIGNETTES,CIRCA 1895

TH Chennai/ CITY Regional_01 User: covrv 03-15-2012 00:55 Color: CMYK