WMD at home
The mosquito bat (MM, March 16th) which I refer to as a
‘WMD’ (remember, the reason Bush attacked Iraq), is a weapon I use with some dexterity.
What caught my attention in Ranjitha Ashok’s column was her reference to the proposed conference in the insect community to meet the human menace.
If such a conference is held, it won’t be the first such major conclave on mosquitoes. I have double-checked my sources and I can confirm that the first conclave of mosquitoes was held in Calicut (Malabar, which in those days was part of Madras Presidency) and reported by the journalist Sanjayan, the pen name of M.R. Nair (1903-1943), in a Malayalam journal on 23-12-1934. Sanjayan was one of my favourite writers during my school days. He was known for his humorous and erudite writings during pre-Independence days.
The conference of mosquitoes, called ‘Samasta Kerala Kotumahayogam’ (All-Kerala mosquito conference) was reportedly datelined Chalapuram, December 25) and was presided over by Damsanbahadur Perunkotu. About 10 lakh mosquitoes attended the conclave. The report described in some detail the welcome given to the numerous delegates. The proceedings were described in detail, starting from the need to have a Mosquitoes’ Association to combating the human menace.
A number of resolutions were debated and passed. One of them condemned the use of mosquito nets and certain chemicals. Another questioned the false rumour that Malaria was caused by mosquitoes. A third even praised some municipal officials who helped the cause of mosquitoes by their apathy to cleanliness and hygiene.
I will not be surprised if a modern day mosquito conference passes similar resolutions.
Wg.Cdr.(Retd) K.V. Lakshminarayanan
198, Defence Officers’ Colony,
Chennai 600 032
Puzhal & tourism
Puzhal (MM, March 16th) may not be visited by tourists at the moment, but it can be easily developed as a tourist centre and the Prison Museum, if located in Puzhal, can act as a catalyst to this.
Puzhal is an ancient village with several historical connections. The place has the unique distinction of having three major historic temples – a Shiva Temple (also called the Tirumoolanathar Temple), a Vishnu Temple and a Jain Temple. Each of these monuments is a treasurehouse of architectural decorations and sculptures.
In 1985, I was a student member of a team from the Department of Archaeology of the University of Madras that explored this area to learn more about its antiquity and history. The explorations revealed a sizeable quantity of ancient ceramics recovered from spots very close to the jail buildings. These objects are now housed in the small museum in the Archaeology Department of the University. Unfortunately, the results of these explorations were never published.
If the Prison Museum comes up in Puzhal, the place, with its other attractions, can evolve as an exclusive tourist centre.
Dr. S. Suresh
Old No. 45, New No. 46
IV Street, Padmanabha Nagar Adyar, Chennai-600 020
Marina maintenance
With beach beautification going on at snail’s pace (the work started almost a year ago), regular walkers who go to the Marina at 5 a.m. every day, face the following difficulties:
1. The pedestrian walkway from Lighthouse to Anna Square has not been laid fully, thus preventing its use.
2. We are forced to walk on the service road, inside, which again is full of potholes; there is also no lighting here. Many senior citizens trip and fall while walking on this dark stretch.
3. Since the work is in progress the cleaning work has also not been regular and the entire stretch is dirty.
4. Near the Gandhi statue, a restaurant is allowed in the evenings (between the service road and the main road). The used plates and cups are not cleared in the night and next morning we find them strewn all over the place, making the entire area dirty and a mosquito haven.
The Corporation authorities should act in this matter ASAP. What is ASAP?
B. Natarajan
6, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai
4th Street, Chennai 600 004
A model lawyer
The article about the lawyer who gave up his practice (MM, March 1st) speaks volumes about the nobility of the legal profession in those days. The reference about S. Duraiswami Iyer, who gave up practice voluntarily after establishing his name is admirable, more so that in spite of the fact that for lawyers there is no retirement age and a lawyer can continue to practise until his death, if he is physically capable.
The anecdote about Rajaji, when Premier of Madras Presidency in 1937, offering the high office of Advocate General to Duraiswami Iyer, who declined to accept the offer because “I am a retired lawyer,” speaks volumes of the integrity of the legal profession in those days when it was known as the “Noble Profession.”
Subsequently, doyens of the Madras Bar, like T.L. Venkataramana Iyer, who later became a Judge of the Supreme Court, Raja Iyer, V.C. Gopalrathnam, C. Venugopalachariar and others were totally devoted to the profession and never sought positions because of any proximity with the ruling parties.
Of late, many advocates brand themselves as belonging to some political party or the other and, in many cases, I am sad to see that even the visiting cards of the advocates contain photos of the leaders of the political parties they are loyal to. An advocate must be a free person who will take up the brief of a client without prejudice or political reason, looking purely at the merits of the case and to help his client get justice.
Unfortuntely, the number of lawyers of such calibre is dwindling day by day, as pointed out by Randor Guy.
C. Lakshmi Narain
‘Rita Kutil’, Plot No.45,
C. Lakshmi Narain Road
Thulasi Nagar, Senneerkuppam Poonamallee
Chennai 600 056
Extinct species
‘A lawyer who gave up his practice’ by Randor Guy (MM, March 1st) was as usual excellent, embellished by R.G.’s characteristic humour – ‘Few lawyers retire from practice. In most cases, practice retires from lawyers’.
Reading about Duraiswami Iyer is like reading the epitaph of an extinct species – the brilliant honest lawyer. What a sad state of affairs we have today in our legal circles.
C.G. Prasad
9, C.S. Mudali Street
Kondhithope, Chennai 600 079
What is wrong?
It is wrongly given in MM, February 1st, that the gestation period for the Dugong is from three to seven years!
In the C.V. Raman House article, more information is given about C.V. Raman rather than his house!
D.B. James
37, Sadasiva Metha Street
Metha Nagar
Chennai 600 029
Editor’s Note: We wonder what the correct gestation period is. And C.V. Raman’s house has been recorded for its historicity – thanks to the personage who lived in it – and not for its architecture.
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