A church tragedy

An old church down, its tombstones dug up.

The newer St. Roque's Church.

St. Roque’s Church has been on this Washermanpet site (see my picture on right) for 300 years, if not more. Nothing is now left of what might have been this church that stood on the cemetery here. The newer church, renovated in 2004, however, still stands.

Those who have pulled the old church down – and those responsible for having it pulled down without adequate precautions – have desecrated the tombstones that were laid around the church by digging them up and tossing them helter skelter. Construction rubble has been heaped over the existing graves (a couple of my family’s graves are currently missing under the rubble and I hope they are there when it is all cleared).

Till last year the cost of maintaining a grave was Rs. 100 a year, whereas from this year for the next three years, it is a staggering Rs. 1000 per year per grave. The money goes towards construction of a new church*, it is stated in the brochures!

Our history is being systematically wiped out and replaced by supossedly ‘modern’ soulless monstrosities. It’s a tragedy. (Also see page 4)

Zhayynn James
zhayynn@hotmail.com

*Editor’s Note: We wonder what will then happen to the standing St. Roque’s Church

Less than Madras

You have rightly pointed out (MM, September 1st) that the heritage quotient of Ootacamund Post Office is less than that of Madras GPO. Since its establishment in 1826, the Ooty Post Office was actually housed in the “wretched hovel” for three periods before being shifted to the present premises, adjacent to the Court Complex and the Collectorate. There is, however, no locality called Mount Road in Ooty, as mentioned in your columns.

Rev. Philip K. Mulley
CSI St. John’s Church
Mount Road, Coonoor 643 102

Editor’s Note: ‘Mount Road’ is what the Postal Department’s pamphlet has the location as.

Is it safe?

The impressive and imposing Ashoka Pillar, majestically monitoring the massive traffic passing below it in Ashok Nagar, is a potential heritage monument in the city. It is a thoughtful and elegant creation of Commissioner (Capt.) Gnanavolivu. But, with the continuous and considerable vibration due to massive vehicular traffic around it, is the structure safe? Is periodical and proficient examination carried out to ensure that the pillar is in good condition?

N. Dharmeshwaran
Plot 456 II Link Road
Sadashiva Nagar
Chennai 600 091

Midsummer daydream

Unlike Wordsworth, when upon my couch I lie in vacant or pensive mood, the last things that flash upon my inward eye are daffodils. Instead, after the usual few sleazy fantasies, my mind turns to Namma Chennai and the forthcoming elections. A la Walter Mitty / Mungeri Lal, I like to imagine that I acquire a hoard of cash and launch a new political outfit, the Madras Munnetra Kazhagham. The election manifesto of MMK would be:

1. Change the name ‘Chennai’ to Madras.

2. Shift the capital from Chennai to some central Tamil heartland.

3. Disband TASMAC and give the liquor distribution to private players for better service and ambience as in Bangalore or Pondicherry.

4. Scrap the helmet rule, at least in summer when the poor rider feels he has put his head in a tandoor.

5. Do away with set-top boxes and make available all channels on cable, like the rest of the country or even the State.

6. Change the police recruitment system so that well-educated young men and women from leading families are appointed, like bank cashiers in the old days.

7. Develop half a dozen Anna Nagars so that Asingara Chennai is decongested.

However, I lose in all the constituencies and the money goes down the Cooum. Plop! Reverie over.

C.G. Prasad
9, C.S. Mudali Street
Kondithope, Chennai 600 079

A treeless city?

The drive to widen various roads is one of the most heartrending actions taken by our city’s planners. One of the roads currently under attack is TTK Road. The leafy gentle giants are being felled in the name of “development”. TTK Road is one of the few roads in Chennai that still retains a measure of tree cover. Now, that is also being destroyed to afford more space to motor traffic. What about pedestrian and cycle traffic? How do such commuters manage under the Chennai sun?

Our history books praise King Ashoka saying that one of the facilities that he gave his subjects was more tree cover. What is our lasting legacy – creating more barren, treeless spaces, I suppose.

Even if a tree is found to be an obstruction and is removed, another has to be planted at the edge of the prospective margin of the to-be-widened road. That is the way many cities around the world plan and execute their plans.

Even looking at it through the tiny, petty human window demands that we provide for, and comfort, our members. A treeless Chennai is punishing. Our children too will suffer on their way to schools, play and other outdoor activities. Is the aim to make Chennai fit only for cars and mo’bikes? Should our city be only for smoothly moving traffic? Surely, machines are only to make our lives easier, not to replace human and other living elements!

Smita Sundarmurthy
122 (New No. 279), TTK Road Alwarpet,
Chennai 600 018

The right ground

The first State-level conference of the DMK was conducted in 1951 at the SIAA (South Indian Athletic Association) Ground, very near the present Lily Pond Market, and not on the Island Ground as mentioned in the article on R. Kannan’s book Anna published in Madras Musings issue of August 16th.

I was one of those who gathered in their thousands at that conference.

D.Krishnaraj
369, Padmavathy Street
Puzhuthivakkam
Chennai 6000 091

Editor’s Note: The venue mentioned in the article is the one mentioned in the book. Author Kannan will, no doubt, note the correction.

Missing words

In my letter on Tamil pronunciation of certain sounds (MM, September 1st) some words were unfortunately missed out in one or two sentences. The sentences
should have correctly read as follows:

“Even granting that there are rules that explain the change, the fact remains that today’s Tamil has numerous words borrowed from Sanskrit and other languages which cannot be written phonetically in Tamil script because of sounds like ksha in parikshai, bha as in bhar. The Grantha script has letters for such sounds but Tamil purists do not seem to be inclined to adopt them.”

Indukanth Ragade
25, Thirumalai Road
Chennai 600 017

Let’s implement law

Bye-law 7(H) of the T.N. Hackney Carriage Act requires every vehicle to have a minimum of four reflectors – two white in front and two red in the rear – or reflective tape. Most accidents take place because vehicles parked at night on a highway have neither parking lights on nor reflectors or reflective tapes. The result is that another vehicle, probably blinded by an oncoming vehicle, crashes into the parked vehicle. All that is required is to implement the law. We have noticed that even the new State Transport vehicles do not have these reflectors or tape at the rear.

A positive suggestion: If every vehicle is fined at the Poonamalle and Tambaram checkpoints for not conforming to the law, the State will gain a substantial income.

We have also got a law stating that helmets are compulsory. However, few 2-wheeler riders in the State wear helmets. If Delhi and many other States can strictly implement the law and save lives, why can’t we do the same in Tamil Nadu?

B.I. Chandhok
Partner, Wallace Sports & Research Foundation
713 (New No. 244), Mount Road
Chennai 600 006