Street art

A propos saving our walls (MM, February 16th), I find that there has been a renewed interest in street art in the city recently. A street art festival, ‘Conquer the Concrete’, was recently conducted by the Goethe-Institut in association with Chennai City Connect for a week.

Metro railway stations were targeted by artists from Germany, the United States and Spain, who worked in collaboration with Indian street artists from Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai. Cinema hoarding painters and art enthusiasts were also included in the effort.

An old woman (from the low income group) so inspired the street artists that her portrait came up on the Greenways Railway Station. But she claimed she derived nothing out of it. The ones that drew most attention of the Press were the paintings that adorned the Platforms 3 and 4 of the Egmore Railway Station. One of the pillars of the ‘flyover’ near the Airport was adorned with graffiti.

As mentioned in the Madras Musings report, a series of murals and statues depicting ancient Tamil culture and customs came up all over the city during the tenure of the previous government. Though not holding much of visual appeal or rich in aesthetics, they at least sought to instil in our minds a consciousness of the past.

Does the present street art make the city better in any way? The answer would be a hesitant ‘yes’. Before street art arrived, the walls were only political spaces, used by political parties for propaganda or celebrating birthdays of their leaders. Creativity on the walls is welcome to save them from getting defaced in other ways. But could it be made more meaningful?

K. Venkatesh
kvenkatesh@virtualpaper.co.in

A matter of concern

The list of Fellows admitted to the prestigious Indian Academy of Sciences for 2015 is just out.

A quick browse through the list disappointed me thoroughly, as I could not find one name from Madras (or even from Tamil Nadu), whereas Bangalore registers 5, New Delhi 4, Bombay 4 and Calcutta  6.

Where is Madras science, which was pioneered by remarkable men such as GNR (G.N. Ramachandran), heading to?

What is the quality of science in Madras today?

I felt miserable and share my concern with your readers.

Dr. A. Raman
Charles Sturt University
ARaman@csu.edu.au

Teachers remembered

The February 1st issue of MM brought me some sweet memories. Prof. Ignatius Absolam whom Justice S. Mohan remembers was also my professor (no, he was a lecturer, only Presidency College had professors). He was known for his immaculate sartorial discipline, baritone voice, reading of poetry with modulation and his love for students.

I was privileged to attend some lectures of Prof. Alladi Ramakrishnan. At one of the meetings, his wife presented a dance performance. Minister C. Subramaniam was instrumental in founding of several institutions of excellence – the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Taramani, being one of them. His passion for providing higher education through Tamil medium saw many standard works in different subjects being translated and published. If that had been pursued with the same fervour, education would have reached great heights. Once convinced of the efficacy of any  project, CS would pursue it  till it was successfully launched.

Dr. A.R. Irrawathi was a teacher totally devoted to her subject and when she was Professor of Geography in M.K. University, she took great pains to identify the Kadamba tree mentioned in Sangam classics and developed a Kadamba forest with great passion. She took me around when I was there for a seminar. Alas, the forest was done away with to make way for concrete structures.

Dr. S.S. Rajagopalan
30, Kamarajar Street
Chennai 600 093

Errata

In the article on Caroline Chisholm (MM, February 16th) the image at the top was not that of a postage stamp, but the image of the now defunct $5 currency note. These paper notes are no more current in Australia and we use plastic notes. The present $5 bill does not include Chisholm’s portrait, but that of the Queen of England, Elizabeth II.

Dr. Anantanarayanan Raman

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The headline to our main story on page 1 of Madras Musings, February 16th, should have read ‘Law College’s home’, NOT ‘house’.

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‘Youth make Lit-for-Life vibrant’ (MM, February 16th) was written by Sriram V. and not as acknowledged.

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We regret the errors.

-The Editor

Time such toilets were installed

l saw reader Thomas Tharu’s letter (MM, February 1st). In this connection I had phoned the present manager of the tea estate in Kerala. He sent a number of photos of these eco friendly toilets. Unless the local initiative of the workers is forthcoming they may not be fully utilised efficiently. However, the women workers fully appreciated the effort of the management.

Subsequently, the management made individual toilets for each house and they are now functional, but those field toilets are still in use after 45 years.

Rural people need to be educated on how to use toilets and this was the problem with estate workers some 45 years ago. Then there was water scarcity for flushing and bore holes made by augurs was the answer, and perhaps this can be the first step for rural India.

Today there are several companies who are making prefabricated toilets and houses in India as well as in China.

A Chinese manufacturer of a high quality portable toilet states that glass reinforced mobile toilets can be used to deal with temporary large gatherings and temporary constructions or in homes. It is easy to clean, conforms to hygiene requirements, and is light weight. No visual pollution and no smell pollution.

It has enough space, is easy and comfortable to use. Can make full use of natural light during the day. It is equipped with a water tank, with less dependence on water from outside. Small in size, light of weight, it is easy to carry by 3 or 4 people when being moved.

It comes with options: Squatting or pedestal type. Deodorisation device, wash basin, urinal. Indication lock for somebody inside.

K.V.S. Krishna
kvskrishna@gmail.com

Some pipes may save the marsh

Chennaiites are perhaps aware that the Pallikaranai fresh-water swamp is the only surviving wetland ecosystem in their metro. It is also one among the last surviving wetlands in South India and is also categorised as one among the most significant wetlands in the country in Government conservation programme/projects.

The aquatic ecosystem of this marsh supports a wide variety of life forms, including rare and endangered species, and acts as breeding ground for many bird species, both inside and outside the country. It is also reported that bird sightings in Pallikaranai Marsh are higher than in the bird sanctuary at Vedanthangal.

At present, Pallikaranai Marsh is a fraction of its original size because of rapid and unplanned urbanisation. In this regard, the contribution of the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Road, that cuts right through the marsh, is a matter of concern and should be examined.

The living and thriving ecosystem of this marsh has been reduced to vast cesspools on either side of this road. By blocking the natural flow of life, this artificial barrier, in the form of a road, has perhaps unwittingly hastened the demise of the marsh.

It is true that a fine balance has to be struck between the need to foster development, on one hand, with the necessity to conserve nature, on the other. Ideally, an overbridge, instead of a surface road, would have achieved this balance. This road cannot be removed now. However, re-establishing continuity of the marsh land, on either side of the road, can still be attempted by laying large diameter pipes in a perpendicular direction under the road along its entire stretch.

I believe that re-establishing continuity of marshland in itself can contribute to its regeneration and will complement the other conservation measures here. The cost of this exercise may well be worth the benefit of preserving what is left of this precious natural gift. A concerted voice by caring Chennaiites can make this happen.

Manjesh S. Roy
3410, TVH Svasti, Easwaran Kovil Street
Thoraipakkam, Chennai 600 097