‘Kalki Gardens’ 20, Guruswami Mudliyar Road, Kilpauk

Kalki Gardens 20, Guruswami Mudaliar Road, Kilpauk This historic residence was originally called Sladen’s Gardens, named after a British official who owned it in 1857. In the first part of the 20th Century, it became home to Justice Badruddin Tyabji who hosted Mahatma Gandhi here. In 1941, the property became home to M.S. Subbulakshmi (1916-2004). Purchased by her husband T. Sadasivam a short while after their marriage, it also became home to Kalki, the magazine that he started in 1941 along with R. Krishnamurthy who wrote under the pseudonym Kalki. Renamed Kalki Gardens, the house resounded with not only the golden voice of M.S. but also countless other musicians who came to teach her, share their experiences with her, and also partake of her famed hospitality. In its heyday, four cooks worked round the clock and the kitchen fires were never extinguished. The gardens were tended by six gardeners who ensured that M.S. had her string of jasmines and roses for her chignon every evening, without fail, no matter which part of the globe she sang in. Rajaji was a frequent visitor and a cottage in the compound was his to stay in. Swarajya magazine came out from here. The Swatantra-DMK alliance, which brought Annadurai to power, was forged here. The driveway always echoed to the sounds of cars sweeping up even as the corridors resounded to footsteps of international and national personalities. In 1977, Sadasivam and Subbulakshmi moved out, Kalki Gardens having been sold to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Centre. Though the gardens are built over, the house has survived. After all the music and the speeches of the years, silence now prevails. (Courtesy: Kalam­Kriya.)