Regular Articles

• Vol. XXXIII No. 8, August 1-15, 2023

Lost Landmarks of Chennai

-- by Sriram V.

The Village of Puliyur If I said Puliyur my guess is that the majority of people would not even know where it is. But if I said Kodambakkam or Vadapalani I am sure it will be instantly recognised. Puliyur was what it was till the 1940s or so, and what is more, it had that […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 8, August 1-15, 2023

Telliyavaram Mahadevan, who personified simplicity and epitomised superior intellect

-- by Dr. A. Raman (anant@raman.id.au)

Arcot Lakshmanaswami ­Mudaliar, the longest-serving Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University of Madras (UoM) and a highly distinguished surgeon-academician, regarded three of his professorial colleagues, Telliyavaram M.P. Mahadevan (Dr. Radhakrishnan Centre for Advanced Study in Philosophy), Thoppur S. Sadasivan (Centre for Advanced in Botany & Plant Pathology), and Gopalasamudram N. Ramachandran (Department of Crystallography & Biophysics) […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 8, August 1-15, 2023

Wave Hello to the International Surf Open Tamil Nadu

-- by Varsha Venugopal

This year, Chennai will add another feather to its sporting cap by becoming the first city in India to host an official event of the World Surfing League, the governing body for professional surfers that showcases the world’s best surfing talent. The International Surf Open Tamil Nadu – a WSL QS (Qualifying Series) 3000 event […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 8, August 1-15, 2023

Our Readers Write

Creating a rich repository with detailed documentation should be a priority The article TN Government seems to wake up to heritage at last. Will private players follow? (Vol. XXXIII No. 6, July 1-15, 2023) rightly brings forward the work done by the Public Works Department (PWD) in Tamil Nadu with respect to heritage buildings. Of […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 8, August 1-15, 2023

Short ‘N’ Snappy

– (Wo)MMM

The joy of online meetings The Woman from Madras Musings is a staunch advocate of online conferences. When a camera can bring one face-to-face, why get up from one’s chair, she asks? (Wo)MMM is aware that she does not have many supporters on her side of the ring on this subject, but the idea does […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 7, July 16-31, 2023

Shifting the Yale Monument and how the ASI has bungled

-- by The Dy. Editor

The High Court of Madras in its order earlier this month has ordered the relocation of the Hynmer Obelisk. The monument in question, dating back to the 1670s, is the last remnant of the Guava Garden cemetery, where the British buried their dead till the 1750s. The High Court and the Law College came up […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 7, July 16-31, 2023

Vegetable prices grow burdensome, families struggle to plan nutritious meals

-- by A Special ­Correspondent

The last couple of months have been hard on consumers, for the city has been seeing a surge in the price of produce owing to a stock crunch. First, it was the heatwave that restricted the supply of vegetables; then, the recent spate of heavy rainfall in southern states dampened availability. “I cannot remember a […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 7, July 16-31, 2023

Heritage Watch: Shifting the Heritage of Over 300 Years

Like it or hate it, you cannot deny that the Hynmer Obelisk, better known as the Yale Monument, has been a part of our city’s heritage for over three centuries. It, and the neighbouring Powney Vault, which vanished mysteriously around the time the Metrorail began work in the vicinity, were the only remnants of what […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 7, July 16-31, 2023

Short ‘N’ Snappy

– MMM

Red it is! It is amazing how in this Madras that is Chennai, political colours always have a habit of manifesting themselves. For all that our leaders claim to be devoid of any hue, the Man from Madras Musings notes that each one has his or her favourite colour and the administration makes sure that […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 6, July 1-15, 2023

TN Government seems to wake up to heritage at last — Will private players follow?

-- by The Dy. Editor

Government-owned built heritage in Chennai seems to have never had it so good. All over the city, many Indo-Saracenic structures are getting much needed restoration and if not that, at least a facelift. In the last decade or so, there has certainly been a change in attitude as far as the authorities are concerned over […]