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VOL. XXV NO. 4, June 1-15, 2015
The City's green landmarks
by Dr. A Raman
ARaman@csu.edu.au

The 450 years old banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) in the Theosophical Society campus.

Living Landmarks of Chennai by Nizhal team (Published by Kalamkriya Limited, 2015)

Madras city and the Presidency have attracted several foreign plants for economic reasons in the last 300 years. James Anderson introduced many in his creations – the Marmelon and Nungambakkam Gardens. Thanks to the efforts of Clements Markham, Cinchona from South America was introduced into India and later established as large plantations in the Nilgiris. Emperor Akbar was a great fan of pigeons and he maintained a flock of 10,000 birds brought into India from Eastern Europe, which later spread throughout India, including Madras. In spite of such extensive introductions, plants of Madras are fascinating because they represent elements which can survive and perform successfully in a warm and humid environment that has monsoon rains in October-November.

The immediate impression of this colourful, slim book was that it is a worthwhile addition to the knowledge of Madras city plants. The Nizhal team had smartly approached the book’s concept by calling it ‘living landmarks’, which struck me as brilliant. The Nizhal team lists the following as reasons for the choice of materials in this book: (1) trees of historical, cultural importance, (2) indigenous trees seldom seen and recognised, and (3) exotic trees rarely noticed. These reasons seemed logical.

High quality colour images of the habits of chosen examples are the greatest strength of the book. Some of them are in black and white, but are, indeed, refreshing. Excellent close-up photos of foliage and flowers add value. Details are presented briefly in both English and Tamil set as parallel columns in a page. Descriptions of 40 tree varieties are supplied under their Tamil names followed by biological and common English names.

Parkia biglandulosa. Note the badminton ball-like flower clusters.

I will use one example to illustrate the style followed: Pages 8 and 9 refer to Bombax malabaricum (Malvaceae) (current valid name, Bombax ceiba) known as the ‘red-silk cotton’ and ilavu (Tamil). Photos and legends refer to their occurrence in various sections of Madras city, inviting any dendrophile to find the trees easily. References of ilavu in classical Tamil literature (e.g. Avvaiyar’s Aathichudi) and citing of the oft-used Tamil metaphor ilavu kaatha kili make profound sense. Brief biological notes on the colour change that occurs in flowers during blossoming, how fruits disperse seeds and the associated fibres (ilavampanju), and pharmacognistic notes referring to the use of this tree and its parts in traditional Indian medicine add value. I found the brief remarks referring to the featured trees as found in scriptures and puranas pertinent.

The cultural connections of the trees are splendidly exemplified to the extent that they would interest a person with limited biological knowledge but with unlimited passion to know about trees. Inclusion of details on some of the interesting exotics, such as the handsome Guaiacum officinale, originally from South America, and the imposing Hura crepitans from Central America is helpful.

As an ardent admirer of fig (Ficus) trees, I was delighted to read the pages on Ficus benghalensis (ãl) and see photos of some of the magnificent examples in Madras. But why no mention of Ficus religiosa (arasu) is made in this book left me non-plussed. Maybe, the Nizhal team thought that arasu is so common in Madras that it could be dropped; probably they have a point. But the cultural significance of arasu cannot be gainsaid. Trees of Ficus mysorensis are found plentifully in Loyola College campus and they are graceful trees too, particularly because of their large, leathery leaves. Ficus krishnae, presently known as Ficus benghalensis or. krishnae, bearing astonishing cup-like leaves, grow in the Madras Presidency College campus, thanks to the relentless effort of the botanist, the late G. Masilamani, in propagating this taxon. I was hoping to see a reference to Parkia biglandulosa. These African trees, known popularly as the ‘badminton ball’ trees (see image for the elegant resemblance of their flower clusters to badminton balls) too grow in Loyola College, Madras. I have always wondered during my teaching days in Loyola about their links to bats, only to realise later that some species of Microchiroptera feed on the nectar of the florets of this tree and pollinate them! A reference to the palai trees (Alstonia scholaris) is made in the book. Plenty of these trees are found along the western coastal plains of southern India.

This is a fascinating tree that usually bears seven, rarely eight or nine, leaves at one node. Because of this type of a leaf arrangement, this tree is ézhilai-paala (the seven-leaved pãlai) in Malayalam and saptaparnaa in Sanskrit. The book refers to its linkage to Indian tradition, representing a scholar (hence scholaris in its biological name). Although not concerned with Madras in any manner, one point of heritage significance of this charming Indian tree is that at Vishwa Bharati Vishvavidyalaya – the university that evolved from the rich mind of Rabindranath Tagore – students walk to the Chancellor to receive titles and diplomas on the graduation day holding a branch of Alstonia scholaris. Incidentally, Palghat, the anglicised form of Paala-k-kaadu, derives its name because this region included dense populations (hence forest, kãdû) of A. scholaris (pãlai, pãla tree). In North Canara, A. scholaris is kéra, which implies water (e.g. Arsikéré (the arsi lake). According to local knowledge, trees of A. scholaris indicate water in the lateritic soils of  North Canara and hence the  name kéra. In high likelihood, this word kéra later evolved into Kerala, although ‘Kerala’ is widely believed to derive from nãlikéra (the coconut).

On pages 80-81, references to plaasa (Sanskrit) or purasaa (Tamil) occur. I would have liked to see the name of the suburb spelt ‘Purasappakkam’ and not by the corrupted name Purasaiwalkam.

My knowledge of Tamil grammar is less than average; yet, I felt that the words pasumai and chinnangal in the book title need a liaison letter ch at the end of pasumai.

The book Living Landmarks in Chennai is an excellent concept with a wealth of details. Overall, the book meets its promise of being a plant handbook for popular readership, linking trees to heritage and culture of Madras for a common person, compressing many details in the short space made available for textual material. The author and publishers richly deserve our thanks and kudos for developing an attractive and useful handbook for the residents of Madras.

They're free – to create heritage awareness

Kalamkriya, the publishers of Living Landmarks of Chennai, has been nurtured by Chandra Sankar, who has been doing some silent but significant work in bringing to light our heritage – built, natural and cultural. Kalamkriya began life in in-house printing for the Sanmar group. Its main activity in its early years was the bringing out of several corporate brochures. It changed focus over time to the in-house publications of Sanmar. And somewhere along the way, it began to release a series of books that look at various cultural aspects of Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Each of these books is a labour of love, for they are distributed free of cost to those who are interested in reading them. They are also all bilingual – in Tamil and English.

The publications released thus far are:

Proverbs for the New Millennium – Compiled from various traditional sources, this is a collection of Tamil sayings. A second collection has since been brought out.

Siva Temples of Mylapore – First published in 2002, this slim volume of 18 pages looks at the seven ancient Saivite shrines of Mylapore. It carries the names of the principal deities, route maps, sketches and the legends behind each temple.

Grandma's Home Remedies (3 volumes) – The first of these came out in 2004 with significant contributions from Leela Shekar and Srividya Moorthy. The second and third, written respectively by Haimavati Ammal and Annapoorani Viswanathan, were published in 2005. They bring out the simple medical recipes of Tamil Nadu that cure common ailments.

Traditional South India Hairstyles – First published in 2006, this book was the work of a team. It has sketches of various hairdos and detailed descriptions of how to do them.

Stars and Trees – First published in 2007, this book traces the link between the 27 asterisms of the Hindu constellation and the tree that is sacred to each. Many a temple has one of these trees that is sacred to its precinct and some even have gardens with all these trees. The book has in many ways encouraged the protection of trees.

Fifty Historic Residences of Chennai – Written by Sriram V, and with sketches by V. Vijayakumar, the book was released in 2008. It studies the history behind some of the heritage bungalows of the city and the residents who made them famous.

Temple Vahanas of Tamil Nadu – Written by Pradeep Chakravarthy, and with sketches by V. Vijayakumar, this book was published in 2010. It focusses on the processional mounts used in various temples in Tamil Nadu.

Living Landmarks of Chennai – Released this year, this is the first colour production of the series. Conceptualised by the NGO Nizhal, it brings to light the various tree species that thrive in our city, their locations and their significance.

The one priced publication by Kalamkriya is Mosquitoes and Other Jolly Rovers. Written by former State cricketer V. Ramnarayan, it is an important documentation, as it looks at the history of league cricket in the State, whose various divisions made it a true home for the sport. Priced at Rs 295, this was released in 2002.

You can ask for the books  by  sending e-mails to kkriya1@sanmargroup.com

Sriram V.

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In this issue

A long haul yet for Metro Rail
Know your Fort better
Are contractors bent on cleaning up PWD?
Two great influences in her life
New hope for the Marsh
The City's green landmarks
Keeping the record straight
The Trust that helps a 300-year-old school
An early American connection

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