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Is State budget prudent?

(Continued on page 2)

Vol. XXVII No. 24 April 1-15, 2018

WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI

INSIDE

Short ‘N’ Snappy A Tennis obsession� �The ghost of Fort San Thomé� Tales out of ISRO� An iconic school�

Budgetpromise for3 heritagebuildings...

� by A Special Correspondent

But will they be saved?

up with a few pleasant surprisesfor conservationists and activ-ists, in the latest Finance Bud-get, passed in the Assembly inthe month of March. Whilethese are positive signs, it wouldhave been far better if the Gov-ernment had also come up witha clear directive on what needsto be done with heritage struc-tures not falling within thepurview of the State Archaeo-logical Department (SAD) andwhat are the plans for imple-menting such a directive.

But first, the good news. TheGovernment has sanctionedfunds for the restoration of twoheritage structures in the cityand one more in the districts.And all of these are buildings ofthe colonial era, thereby indi-cating that at last our adminis-trators have begun to considerstructures built during that pe-riod to also be worthy of con-servation. The Queen Mary’sCollege and the Victoria Hostelon Presidency College’s campusin Chennai and the Kumba-konam Arts and ScienceCollege will all be restored at acost of Rs 26 crore.

All of these come under theheading of manna in the wilder-ness, for these had all beengiven up as lost causes by thoseinterested in their welfare. Ever

(Continued on page 3)

(by The Editor)

The Victoria Hostel, Presidency College.

After the GST is vested inthe newly constituted

body of State Finance Minis-ters, the Central and State bud-gets do not evoke the IPL-kindof expectation and excitementon budget eves. However, stillof interest is the impact onhousehold budgets and on thetype and quality of public ser-vices offered for the well-beingof citizens.

Compared to the 2017-18Tamil Nadu Budget, which wasa incoherent flurry of alloca-tions, such proposals as havebeen set out for 2018-19 aremore meaningful although, inthe latter, a sign of seriousnessover the state’s tightening fi-nances is missing. Nevertheless,Chennai has cause to cheerover some of the Budget propos-als.

The Pallikkaranai marsh-lands of 690 ha in the City hasbeen given Rs. 167 crore foreco-restoration over a span offive years. It is better late thannever to save what is left. Thisis a unique expanse of spaceconsisting of stretches of open

water, shallow water, islandsand mud-flats attracting a vari-ety of birds that explore, inhabitand breed in these surround-ings. It is a great pity that whatwas once spread over 6,000 hahas been reduced to just 690 habecause of indiscriminateencroachments and real estatevandalism. The project includes

Flood control measures forthe north and south of the Cityreceive a timely, and whatseems a substantial allocation,of Rs. 3,298 crore. Between nowand the North-East Monsoonthis project must be completedon a war footing. That would bea test of the mettle of the gov-ernment and not the inclusion

City’s roads. This measure thatseeks to replace nearly all thepresent fleet of 3,797 buses,combined with the Metromatching its fares with the costof motor cycle use, could makea significant difference to theCity’s pollution levels.

Most studies point to theneed for major improvements tothe quality of health servicesand raising education standardsto produce students of readilyemployable quality and grade.A 2018 Survey by the All IndiaCouncil for Technical Educa-tion shows that while Chennairanks second in the country foremployability, Tamil Nadu as aState has fallen to a poor ninthin rank. Employability is bothavailability of jobs and availabil-ity of suitable candidates. TheBudget for 2018-19 provides forRs. 11,638 crore for Health andRs. 27,205 crore for Education.Only when the actual accountsare available would we know ifthese sums are for specificadditional schemes alone or are

the most essential provision forbarring further incursions. Butwe cannot help wondering,within the limits of technicalrequirements, why the projectcannot be completed in ashorter period, say, three years.The fear is that what isstretched for so long is likely tofade out of serious focus. Andlonger the exposure, eventshave a knack of overtaking hu-man plans. This project, if com-pleted swiftly, would add muchvalue to Chennai’s environs.

of its cost in the Budget. Thisproject would offer protectionagainst the City’s annual floodand its devastating impact onthe poor.

To replace 3,000 buses, asum of Rs. 4,593 crore has beenset apart. The significance ismore than new buses. If the sumis used wisely and with the lat-est e-tendering process to avoid“leakages”, we could have bythis time next year, a large fleetof non-polluting buses of mod-ern design operating on the

Our State Government (and yes, there is such an entityfunctioning) works in mysterious ways its wonders to perform.

Just when you thought all hopes on heritage were lost, it has come

2 MADRAS MUSINGS April 1-15, 2018

Is State budgetprudent?

(Continued from page 1)

for the two sectors. It is likelythat they are in keeping withpast allocations. In these twosectors, more work is needed toraise service quality even withinavailable infrastructure ratherthan just additional funds.

The Budget has announcedliberalisation of norms for plotcoverage and other infra-structural supports to themicro, small and medium enter-prises (MSME) sector. Thissector has shown good responseafter the last Global SummitMeet 2015 with over 5,544units having already startedproduction. This sector hasrelatively higher job-creatingpotential per unit of investmentand that too within a short ges-tating period. The proposalshave already been welcomed bythis sector. EncouragingMSMEs is a move that couldyield good results.

While we may have reasonto be satisfied over these pro-posals there is no way of know-ing how well and speedily theywould be implemented. This iswhere the weakness is – inimplementation and transpar-ency as regards the outcome.For instance, in the 2017-18Budget, there were a few inter-esting proposals. Extending dripirrigation to 35,000 acres undersugarcane, diversification by in-creasing the area under highlyremunerative horticulturalcrops, an innovative prog-ramme of supply chain manage-ment for perishable commodi-ties to reduce post-harvestlosses, an additional one lakhacres under micro-irrigation,with 74.47 lakh out of the total81.18 lakh operational holdingsbeing small and marginal hold-ings, launching an innovativeprogramme for organising theminto Farmer Producer Groups topromote collective creditmobilisation and technologyadoption, water-body restora-tion of 4,778 tanks and 477anicuts and benefiting 5.43 lakhhectares of ayacut lands are allimaginative projects that havethe potential to make farmingless vulnerable and more remu-nerative. Similarly, integratedsolid waste managementprojects sanctioned for ninecorporations, 107 municipali-ties and 400 town panchayats ata cost of Rs.969 crore wouldhave been an important steptowards raising sanitationstandards.

But then, what happened tothese projects? Were they com-pleted or are they under execu-

tion? Have they succeeded? Dowe want to have more of themor give them up because theywere found unsuitable? We donot know the answers to any ofthese questions from the annualBudget exercise or any othereasily identifiable site. In theBudget presentation speech,there are platitudes and expres-sions of concerns for variousvote potential segments fol-lowed by sums assigned foreach. It is difficult to know moreabout them afterwards. TheBudget is not presented as a re-port on what happened and as arationale for the on-comingyear’s plans – funds for newschemes and more funds for oldsuccessful ones. The Budgetformat could be modified fortransparency and accountabil-ity. A comparative study ofother State budgets to ascertainif they are more citizen friendlywould be interesting.

A concern not sufficientlyreflected in the Budget speechis on declining financialsustainability. Fiscal deficit –that is, with reference to all ex-penditure, revenue and capital– has risen from Rs. 20,583crore in 2013-14 to Rs. 44,481crore in 2018-19. The deficitcannot but be borrowed. Asthere is borrowing every year,there is accumulation of out-standing debt several times theannual borrowing to be ser-viced. The outstanding debt atthe end of March 2018 was R.3.55 lakh crore. The interest onthis could be of the order of Rs.28,000 crore which is over 60per cent of the fiscal deficit i.e.,current borrowing. It was 50 percent in 2015-16. More of everyyear’s borrowing goes for servic-ing past borrowings graduallymoving towards the tippingpoint. To cut this vicious cir-cuit, revenue should be in-creased through greater collec-tion efficiency. Unproductiveschemes, freebies and give-aways must be weeded out.More importantly, economicgrowth should be accelerated toyield more tax revenue. GSTmay save the situation to someextent, yielding more revenuethan in the past as it has alreadyshown a 5-6 per cent rise in theearly months of its introductionbetween July 2017 and Febru-ary 2018. To supplement it,governmental action would berequired to reach the goal offinancial sustainability and tosecure large fiscal space fordevelopment plans. We hopethe clouds of political uncer-tainty would clear to make goodeconomic decisions easier.

SHORT ’N’ SNAPPY

Empty halls & famous voicesThe Man from Madras

Musings was all excited. Asecretary of one of the biggerSabha-s of the cities had justcalled and asked if MMMwould be so kind as to comeand confer an award on one ofthe most famous lady artistesof yesteryear, a story-teller parexcellence. The diva was a sortof role model for MMM whenit came to relating tales fromthe past. Of late, age has kepther confined to her place ofresidence, which is the hoarytown with the big temple andMMM and others of his kindcontent themselves withrecordings of this artiste.

MMM agreed at once. Buthe also asked rather doubtfullyif the recipient would come inperson. That to MMM waswhat would make the eventreally meaningful. The lady

tative, her granddaughter, abudding artiste who is not yetclose to the original. MMM wasdisappointed but he under-stood. Age has its limitations.Shortly thereafter, MMM,having realised that it was wellpast the scheduled time ofinauguration, suggested thatthe event had better get under-way. If the Sabha was going towait for an audience, it wouldhave to do so till eternity. Andso, Secretary, granddaughter-of-awardee, a master of cere-monies and MMM troopedonto stage. Score – on stage –4, in the audience – 3 (two oth-ers had come in to keepMMM’s good lady company,thereby qualifying those watch-ing the stage as an audience).The event may have been morecosy in the Sabha Secretary’slair.

The MC had a prepared textand asked the “assembledthrong” to clap loudly and wel-come MMM. He thanked theaudience for coming in suchlarge numbers. MMM woundup his speech in record timeand the award was handedover. The highlight of theevening was the old lady’sacceptance speech, which shehad recorded as an audio fileand sent. The programmeended quickly but not beforeSecretary had sidled up toMMM and asked if he hadchanged his mind on acceptinga memento. They had a coffeemug ready…

It was late at night when thephone rang at chez MMM. Heanswered it to find it was theartiste (herself, not grand-daughter) at the other end. Shehad missed the event she said,and wanted to call andapologise. MMM had to pinchhimself to believe it was reallythe artiste speaking. There fol-lowed a wonderful 45 minutesof conversation, replete withstories, music and anecdote,and exclusively for MMM! Atthe end of it, it was MMM whofelt awarded and rewarded.

Freebies inGod’s name

These are days of freebies. Aleader with near divine

and immortal pretensions, andnow no longer with us, intro-duced us Tamils to the joys offree living, ‘high’ thinking andwe as a State live on gifts. Thefestival of ten days that the landof peacocks in our city’s heart-land celebrates every year inMarch/April is no exception.The eighth day event is, ofcourse, the biggest with lakhsattending. For centuries it hasbeen customary for charitableinstitutions and people to setup water and light-refreshment

had in the past been known tostoutly resist all temptations tocome to Madras, citing rea-sons of ill health, for she is of avenerable age. Sabha Secretar-ies have tried all their blan-dishments but in vain. Thevoice at the other end of thewire was most reassuring.MMM need not have anyworry on that count, it said,for the old lady had said shewould make it. MMM readilyaccepted and then duly readout his sole term and condi-tion – namely he ought not tobe given any memento of anykind – no shawl, no lacqueredor copper Tanjore plate, nofiligree garlands with sandal-wood balls and above all nocoffee mug. This was agreed toafter some hemming andhawing at the other end.

Came the great day andMMM was all agog. He hadworked out his speech to anicety. As the appointed hourapproached, MMM and hisgood lady, also known as SheWho Must Be Obeyed, madetheir way to the venue. It wasonly as he drove into the pre-mises and saw a completeabsence of any kind of activitythat MMM realised that some-thing was amiss. Perhaps theaudience was all already insideand waiting? MMM and goodlady took a peek inside thevenue to find row after row ofempty seats welcoming them.Leaving his good lady tobravely sit in the empty andfreezing auditorium, MMMwent in search of the SabhaSecretary. He found him in hislair deep in conversation witha few other functionaries. Ofthe awardee of the evening,there was not a sign.

MMM was welcomed pro-fusely. The Sabha Secretarywas most apologetic. The oldlady, like the audience, couldnot make it and, unlike theaudience, had sent a represen-

counters all across the city onthis particular day. Of late, asThe Man from Madras Musingshas written in earlier columns,these counters have begun todistribute food as well. Withprosperity the numbers ofthese kiosks have increasedand of late there are peoplewho distribute savouries, bis-cuits and other dry food itemseven as they walk around inthe festival.

Our well-fed populace,which is of course perpetuallyhungry (and may MMM addhere, becoming more andmore obese as well), makes abeeline to each of thesecounters and collects every-thing on offer as though thereis a famine in progress. Andthen, these are all just castaway on the road, after a biteor two. As a consequence, all

the dry and wet food getschurned underfoot by thou-sands of people and becomesan oatmeal like paste thatsticks closer to your soles thana brother. Not all the waters ofthe world can wash it off. Andcleaning up the place becomesa nightmare for those whosethankless task that is, the nextday.

This year, the police haveswung into action and said allfood-stall organisers will needto seek prior permission.That should control thismenace to an extent. As tohow effective this curb willbe needs to be seen. InChennai, the best of laws canbe diluted in implementation.As to how far this freebieepidemic had spread wasmade evident to MMM whenhe conducted a heritage walkduring this festival. To assistin the clear hearing of com-mentary, MMM has nowinvested in electronic receiv-ers that resemble cell phonesin appearance, for all thosewho register for his walks.And this event was no differ-ent. He and his colleagueswere distributing these gad-gets to the participants whenseveral others began to lineup. One of them remarkedto MMM that it was sad thathe, MMM, was restricting thedistribution of free cellphones to a few rich peoplewho did not need them any-way. And in case youthought that the person whosaid it was below poverty line,let MMM assure you that thiswas not the case. Prosperitywas writ large on his visageand Julius Caesar would haveliked him for he wanted menaround him that were fat.MMM’s interlocutor was nodifferent. Clearly he had beento too many of those foodstalls in his lifetime.

–MMM

April 1-15, 2018 MADRAS MUSINGS 3

When it pays to recyclegrey waterA residential apartment in

Saidapet, which has beenrecycling grey water for 16 yearsnow, is an example for allChennaiites, who are all too fa-miliar with the problems of sew-age mismanagement and watercrisis. The apartment, housingeight households in Sri NagarColony, has adopted recyclingby preparing the necessary in-frastructure at the constructionstage itself.

Through separate pipelines,grey water is diverted to a bedof water-loving plants.Indukanth S. Ragade, a greywater recycling expert and au-thor of a book titled Self reliancein water – A practical manual fortown and city dwellers intro-duced the idea to the apartmentdwellers around twelve yearsago.

“It is simple and requiresminimal additional budget,when provided for at the con-struction stage itself. Grey wa-ter in our apartments reachesthe Canna Indica plants, theroots of which absorb the organ-ics present in the soap and de-tergent. All these plants requireis sunlight and regular pruning.”

The water then seeps intothe layers of the soil and re-charges the closed well whichwas built a few steps away fromthe plants. Explaining the pro-cedure, Ragade says: “Theplants can absorb water up to5 cm deep within 45 minutes.There is no chance of stench.”The closed well is connected to

three chambers of an overheadtank and can be used for non-potable, purposes including gar-dening and flushing.

So what happens to the or-ganics? Our bath soaps containlong chains of fatty acids thatare biodegradable. Linear alkylbenzene sulphonate and So-dium tripolyphosphate, thecomponents present in the de-tergents, are easily soluble. Onaverage, a person uses one gramof toilet soap with 90,000 gmsof water, which makes the com-pounds in grey water negligible.

Indukanth points out thatthe roots of the indigenousplants including Canna indica,Heliconium and plantain, act asfilters in removing these organ-ics, while retaining thesalts.Water then seeps into thelayers of soil, where it goesthrough natural cleansing saysIndukanth. However, the per-centage of salts would remainthe same. “500 parts of inor-ganic salts is ideal,” he suggests.

Residents of the apartmentadmit that the procedure hasbeen fruitful, and they havebeen able to reduce reliance onprivate water tankers. We havenot accounted for the amountof water saved. But our groundwater goes dry only during thepeak summer season (aroundMay), unlike in other apart-ments who have to start buyingwater from February itself,” said

V.H. Prasad, a 92-year-old resi-dent, who spearheaded theproject in the apartment.

Grey water (from sinks,bathtubs, washing machinesetc) accounts for around 65 percent of the household usage,while black water (sewage fromtoilets) amounts to 35 per cent.By recycling grey water, thequantity of water released to theunderground sewage networkcan be reduced.

“It is stupid to mix the re-sourceful grey water with thesewage, when you can recycle itin your own household. A lot ofthe government’s expenditurein running and treating sewagein the Sewage Treatment Plants(STPs) can be brought down, ifgrey water is not sent to the

sewage-carrying pipes in ourstreets,” says Indukanth. In hisopinion, the lateral movement(one-way outflow) of grey wa-ter which dominates the urbanscenario should be replacedwith cyclical movement (reuse/recycling).

Grey water is one of the is-sues dealt with in the verycrowded rainwater harvestingordinance, 2003. It made theimplementation of RWH sys-tems compulsory in all existingbuildings in Tamil Nadu andalso mandated that “Wastewa-ter from the bath and washbasin shall be treated by organicor mechanical recycling andtaken to a sump for onwardpumping to an exclusiveoverhead tank for use in toiletflushing. Any excess shall beconnected to the rainwaterharvesting structures forgroundwater recharge.”

This, however, largely re-mains rhetoric in Chennai. Thereasons cited by experts are thelack of awareness among civil-ians as well as government offi-cials. A Metrowater official sim-ply avoided the topic, statingthat recycled water is un-healthy.

A feasible solution now ap-pears to be in the hands of theChennai Metropolitan Devel-opment Authority and ChennaiCorporation, if they make greywater recycling mandatory forall residential projects.

– Laasya Shekar

(Continued from page 1)

Tramway memories

The article on Madras Trams(MM, February 16th)

evoked pleasant memories ofmy childhood. A double tracktramway passed throughWestcott Road, opposite ourhouse, linking Parry’s Corner/Broadway in the north toMylapore/ Luz and beyond inthe south. The typical clashingnoise of steel wheels movingover steel rails and the clangingof bells of the trams were a con-stant “background music” thosedays. The nights wereilluminated periodically bylightning-like flash of sparksemanating from the contactpoint of the current collectorwith the overhead wires. Thetram driver standing in thefront with his hand on a shortthrottle handle was a familiarsight.

The best part of this eco-friendly mode of transport wasthat it merged so well with thepedestrian traffic. In fact,moving at little more thanwalking speed, the trams werelike motorised pedestrians. Youcould get on and off it at will.Unlike their more energeticcousins, the buses, no tram everoverspeeded or went out ofcontrol. I do not think anyoneever got run over by a tram! Itwas indeed sad that it had todisappear almost overnight.

A small clarification. It wasstated that:

The approaching tram couldbe one that commended Ovaltinefor Good Health or Zandu’sOriental Balm for All Your Painsor Woodward’s Gripe Water forBabies or Lodhra Ladies’ Tonic.Gue s s i n g t h em r i g h t , myyounger brother, who had thiscognitive skill, beat me to it mostof the time in this game. Inci-dentally, only Woodward’s ofthese once-celebrated brandsseems to have survived the rav-ages of time.

I should point out that‘Lodhra Ladies Tonic’ is verymuch “alive and well”, alongwith many other Ayurvedicpreparations, even 118 years af-ter they were first introduced inthe market by my grandfatherDr. K.N. Kesari when he estab-lished the house of Ayurvedicmedicines ‘Kesari Kuteeram’ in1900. The trust earned overmore than a century is theirmost effective advertisement.

K.Balakesaribalakesarik@gmail.com

Holloway search

I am writing to you as Directorof the Max Planck Institute

for European Legal History inFrankfurt, Germany – Europe’sleading research institution in

legal history (http://www.rg.mpg.de/en).

I am currently writing onWilliam Holloway, Justice ofthe Madras High Court from1863 to 1877. I am particularlyinterested in finding out moreabout his motivation for trans-lating a book of a famous con-temporary German Professor ofRoman Law (Savigny: System ofthe Modern Roman Law, 1867).My hypothesis is that hewished to embellish his creden-tials because he was in the run-ning for Chief Justiceshipagainst his arch enemy, thethen Attorney-General, BruceNorton.

I am interested in all archivalmaterials, personal papers andprofessional correspondencepertaining to Holloway. Perhapsthe publishers of Holloway’stranslation (J. Higginbothams)might have kept records with re-gard to the book. I understandthat they are still based at thesame location where they werein the 19th Century.

Any advice and ideaswhich you might have in thismatter would be greatly appre-ciated.

Stefan Vogenauervogenauer@rp.mpg.de

PROMISE TO SAVE THREEHERITAGE BUILDINGS

since the QMC campus was notmade over to the Governmentto build a Secretariat, it was wil-fully neglected. Its centralCapper House was allowed tocollapse and several otherbuildings on the premises wereleft to deteriorate, no funds be-ing allotted for their restoration.That there is now a willingnessto let bygones be bygones is acause for cheer. The VictoriaHostel is in what can be onlytermed as an appalling state andstudents living in it have

frequently launched protests tohighlight their precarious exist-ence. The Government hadtoyed with the idea of demoli-tion and it appears better coun-sel has since prevailed. As to thecollege in Kumbakonam, aChisholm masterpiece, with theriver by its side an integral as-pect of its design, a presentationon its condition done by conser-vationist Girija Viraraghavanmade those present wonder asto how any structure could beso neglected. It is heartening tonote that this building too willsee better days.

On paper all this is to thegood. But what of the imple-mentation? This is where theabsence of a policy documenton heritage is felt. Lack of cleardirectives will mean much ofthese restorations will be en-trusted to the Public WorksDepartment, which will take upthe task using the same guide-lines that it has for new con-struction. Contractors and

architects with no experience inheritage conservation will beroped in and carry out the task.If this can be avoided, these res-torations can serve as examplesfor other heritage structures.

What is also of concern isthe lack of any consistency onwhat constitutes heritage andmerits restoration. The identifi-cation of buildings for restora-tion has been based on whimsand fancies of those in office atbest. This cannot be the yard-stick by any means. Severalother deserving structures aresuffering neglect – theTeachers’ College in Saidapet,being a prime example, as arealso structures within Fort St.George and the GovernmentPress in the Mint. Can the Gov-ernment please come up at theearliest with what it believes tobe heritage worthy of preserva-tion and also lay down clearguidelines on what can orcannot be done with structuresthat fall within that category?

It was a century

In Beat of Happiness (MM,March 16th), it should be

noted that Kanchi Parama-charya’s life on earth lasted ahundred years between 1894-1994 and not as printed.

T.K. Srinivas Charisrinivaschari@gmail.com

Indukanth S. Ragade, a grey waterrecycling expert, initiated theprocedure at an apartment inSaidapet. Picture courtesy: LaasyaShekhar.

4 MADRAS MUSINGS April 1-15, 2018 April 1-15, 2018 MADRAS MUSINGS 5

Tales out ofthe ISRO story

Sarabhai and Aravamudan looking at a piece of moon rock.

The pioneers who developed the first launch vehicle.

On September 28, 2014, thelaunch of Mangalyan,

India‘s first home-grown missionto Mars, was a spectacular suc-cess. No other Mars Mission hadsucceeded in its very first at-tempt. ISRO had developed allthe technology required for thelaunch from scratch. It was un-doubtedly a remarkable achieve-ment for the team of scientists atISRO led by R. ‘Dan’Aravamudan.

Thirty five years earlier it wasa different story. On August 10,1979, the launch of SLV 3, thefirst home- grown launch vehicleof ISRO, went out of control andit splashed into the Bay of Ben-gal, about 5 minutes after take-off. “The very first attempt tolaunch a satellite launch vehicle(SLVs) by ISRO was a failure,”reported Abdul Kalam who wasin charge of the project. He wasdisappointed but was not dis-

* Harper Collins, 2017.

A personal history by R. Aravamudan with Gita Aravamudan*

heartened. He called it a “partialsuccess”. Abdul Kalam andAravamudan, were colleaguesright from the inception of thesmall Thumba Equatorial RocketLaunching Station (TERLS),established by the visionaryVikram Sarabhai in the mid-1960s at Thumba, near Trivan-drum in Kerala. TERLS is wherethe story of India’s space odysseybegins.

In the book, ISRO – APersonal History, Aravamudannarrates a gripping story of thepeople who built ISRO and howthey did it, from the rocket

pioneers who laid the foundationto the savvy young engineerswho keep Indian spaceships fly-ing today. It is the tale of anorganisation that defied interna-tional bans and embargos,worked with laughably meagreresources, evolved its own tech-nology and grew into a major

space power. “Today, ISRO cre-ates, builds and launches gigan-tic rockets which carry the com-plex spacecraft that form theneural network not just of ourown country but of other coun-tries too.” This is a made-in-In-dia story like no other told by aman who had a ringside view ofthe happenings at India’s spaceprogramme from its first year tothis day.

After graduating with a firstrank from the Madras Instituteof Technology, RanganathanAravamudhan was directly re-cruited by the Department ofAtomic Energy, where he spenttwo years, before quitting a

secure job to join Dr. VikramSarabhai, in his visionary projectto take India into space. He is anaward-winning senior scientistwho had served as the Directorof the Satish Dhawan SpaceCentre at Sriharikota and of theISO Satellite Centre, Bangalore.

Several anecdotes that theauthor recalls, the human side ofthe growth story, makes the bookendearing.

* * *

While in the USA attendinga training programme in 1963,the entire group of young Indiantrainees, including Dan andAbdul Kalam who were all veg-etarians, got into strange situa-tions because of their staunchvegetarianism. One day, whenthey were desperately looking fora friendly café which would sat-isfy their palate, they stumbledupon one run by an old lady.

was from Madras and familiarwith the equipment he was sentto Madras to get the job done.With help from his father, hefound a contractor who agreed totake on the assignment.

“The DOVAP had to pass onthe highway in front of myfather’s house in Chromepet. OnD-Day, all my brothers andsisters, their friends and otherextended family membersgathered to watch the vehicle asit rolled majestically by. All alongthe route, the local police had tobe kept informed as it had cre-ated considerable excitementamong people who mistakenlythought it was a giant rocketbeing transported.”

* * *

By the mid-1960s, space sci-entists from all over the world

started coming to conduct ex-periments with sounding rocketsat Thumba. Those were simpletimes when there was an extraor-dinary amount of goodwillamongst the international com-munity of scientists. Russia (orthe USSR as it was known then)contributed a military helicopterfor range safety and a computercalled Minsk, the only computerTERL had those days.

Dan who was a fairly goodphotographer with a Yashicacamera was given the responsi-bility to fly over the range in thehelicopter and take some pic-

tures which were to be piecedtogether to form a survey map ofthe TERLS area. Abdul Kalam,Dan’s lodge mate, who also hada good camera accompanied Danon the chopper. Though it wasan exciting ride, the photos thatthey took proved to be totallyuseless in the absence of zoomlenses. The team had to wait forseveral more years before theycould get their range properlymapped.

* * *

The launch of the first sound-ing rocket from Thumba onNovember 21, 1963 marked theofficial beginning of the Indianspace programme. But it was theformal dedication of TERLS tothe U.N. on February 2, 1968that gave the real impetus to de-velopmental activities. Indira

Gandhi, the then Prime Ministerof India, visited Thumba to dedi-cate TERLS to the U.N. whichhad formally sponsored TERLSas an international scientific fa-cility open to all its members. “AsI was earnestly explaining telem-etry to her as a part of my assign-ment that day, I was discon-certed to see Mrs. Gandhi’s gazefixed steadily on the top of myhead. Why was she looking atthe top of my head instead of lis-tening to me? As soon as I fin-ished she asked me her first ques-tion, “Did NASA measure yourheight before building this

trailer?” Seeing my stunned lookshe burst out laughing. I am 6feet 2 inches tall, and my headwas brushing the top of thetrailer which had a low ceiling.While I smiled bashfully, I won-dered whether she had actuallylistened to any of my technicalexplanations.”

* * *

In 1969, the Americanslanded on the Moon at a timewhen TERL team was stilllaunching sounding rockets.Little did they know then, thatone day they themselves wouldlaunch spacecraft to the Moonand to Mars and beyond; thenthey heard that a piece of moonrock was coming to Thumba in aglass case. It was the size of a wal-nut. It was put up in the foyer ofSSTC on top of Veli Hills. Aprogramme was planned for aformal inauguration of the exhi-bition. While the team thoughtthat the event would be of inter-est to only employees of TERL, alarge local crowd turned up forthe event stirred by the mentionof moon rock in local newspa-pers. It became a law-and-orderproblem. Local police and civilauthorities had to be called in tohelp control the crowd.

* * *

Kalam and Dan became closefriends as they were the onlybachelors in the original group.In 1970, Dan got married toGita, a young journalist. Kalamand other friends of Dan hosteda dinner for her at Mascot hotel.On his first visit to Trivandrumafter Dan got married, Dr.Sarabhai threw a party for somevisiting dignitaries and Gita wasintroduced to him. In typicalSarabhai style, he asked her allabout herself and what shewrote, “May be you can alsobecome part of our programme insome way.” he said. Gita cameaway glowing and feeling veryspecial. Trivandrum offered Gitaexcellent writing opportunities.Gita, driving around the narrowroads of Trivandrum, was a

(Continued on page 6)

R. ‘Dan’ Aravamudan.

On paper, the Portuguese-built San Thomé fort hassurvived. Two maps of it are inexistence, the first by CaptainPedro Barretto de Rezende,made in 1635, four years beforeMadras was founded. A mapwith no scale, it shows a rectan-gular fort with four gates, one atthe middle point of each of thefour sides. There were fourchurches within the Fort, apartfrom the Cathedral, and thesewere St. Paul’s, St. Dominic’s, St.Augustine’s and Our Lady. Thelast one has been tentativelyidentified as the present RosaryChurch, built in 1635. Of theothers there is no trace. Fourchurches of San Thomé, but out-side the Fort walls, are alsorecorded. Of these, St Francis,which stood near the west gate,has vanished but still in exist-ence and going strong are theLuz, St Lazarus and the Madre-de-Deus Churches. The Luz iswell known and the other twoare to the south of San Thomé.Lazarus Church is on a roadnamed after it and as for Madre-de-Deus, it now goes by thename of Dhyana Ashrama, ismuch modernised and is onMada Church Road, Mandaveli.The Mada Church is but a trans-lation of Madre-de-Deus,Mother of God.

Francois Valentijn, a DutchEast Indiaman, made a secondmap, in 1674 and that is scaled.By then, the rectangle of deRezende’s San Thomé had be-come irregular in shape. It hadadded a smaller rectangle to it-self on the western side, therebymaking inroads into Mylapore.The western boundary, completewith a new gate now stood onpresent day Kutchery Road, atthe intersection of that thor-oughfare with Bazaar and Devadi(Deorhi Sardar-ul-Mulk DilawarJung Bahadur) Streets. Thewhole enclosure now measured825 by 780 yards (2475 by 2340feet). The principal thoroughfareeast to west was Rosary Church(which extends west asKutchery) Road. This began atthe west gate and went east be-yond the cathedral to the sea-shore where there was a flagstaff.

San Thomé High Road is a busy thoroughfare today with cars,buses and two-wheelers careening through it at all times. Hardly

anyone in those vehicles is likely to pause to reflect that they aredriving through what was once a fortress, complete with high walls,gates and bastions. And it had had its share of battles as well. In itstime, it was twice the size of Fort St. George. Which is perhaps whythe English disliked it intensely.

Another road ran north to south,which, had it survived, wouldhave been parallel to and furtherwest of the present San ThoméHigh Road, with gates at thenorthern and southern sides. Aditch ran around three sides ofthis Fort (the eastern side hadthe sea) and was most likely dry.

Life within this enclosure wasnot very peaceful and by the timethe British had begun buildingFort St George, many of SanThomé’s residents, particularlythe women, were thinking ofmoving over to the new settle-ment. The heyday of San Thoméhad been a hundred years earlier.In 1662, further chaos threat-

ened when the Golconda forces,encouraged, aided and abettedby the Dutch in Pulicat, besiegedSan Thomé. The settlement ca-pitulated and thereafter, foreleven years, the place was underthe control of Golconda. Acourthouse was built by theGolconda Sultanate and thiskutchery lent its name to theroad that ran alongside.

It is probably at this time thatthe flagstaff, referred to earlier,was erected at the eastern end ofthe Fort. This was a masonry pil-lar and over time came to beknown as the Dutch flagstaffwhich was clearly erroneous,given that the Dutch never hadcontrol over San Thomé. It wasthe French that really succeededin conquering the place. Thatwas in 1672, when Admiral de laHaye anchored before SanThomé on July 10th and “mar-velled at its fortifications”. TheBritish in Fort St George weredelighted with the prospect ofthe French laying waste thewhole of San Thomé and Gover-nor Langhorne sent a contingentof officers to welcome de la Hayeand offer him all help. TheFrench embarked on a two-pronged attack on San Thoméfrom July 13th. The ships openedfire from the east, while troops

The ghostsof FortSan Thomé

attacked from the southern side.Captain de Rebre was the heroof the day and by July 15th, SanThomé had surrendered. Itsmagazine was found to be full ofgunpowder. There is still aPowder Mill Street in the vicin-ity that indicates where this was.The town was given over to theFrench troops for looting but theonly place where anything ofvalue was found was theGovernor’s residence.

De la Haye had the westernwall repaired and identified aplace just outside it for the na-tives to set up a market. Thisplace is still Bazaar Road. Thewest gate was named PorteRoyale. The bastions were allgiven names – de la Haye,Caron, Marin, Portugais, St.Louis, de Rebre, Dauphin,l’Admiral, Bourbon, Francois,Major and San Peur.

But the French occupation ofSan Thomé lasted just two years.Admiral de la Haye tried his bestto negotiate with the Sultan ofGolconda for a permanent trans-fer but was not successful. TheDutch were too powerful for anyprogress. The Moors, the rem-nants of the old Golconda forcesthat had occupied San Thomésince 1662 had regrouped atCorumbat (probably Kodam-bakkam), and laid siege to theFort. They were repulsed but notbefore a pagoda (temple), 400paces from the western wall andwhich had been fortified by theFrench, was destroyed. Was thisthe original KapaliswararTemple?

By 1673 the Dutch andGolconda forces had joined upand renewed their attack on SanThomé. With the English attheir prevaricating best, the

French were isolated. De Rebrewas killed and the blockade wasso effective that the settlementand its garrison were reduced tostarvation. Sea battles betweenthe French and the Dutch werefought off Triplicane leading tothe curious from Fort St. Georgeand villages nearby to crowd thebeaches. By September 1674, itwas all over and de la Haye andhis troops left. The English nowbegan demanding that theGolconda troops demolish theSan Thomé walls. This was be-gun in right earnest but given upsometime later. But in 1697, acontingent of the original Portu-guese together, with some of theMohammedan residents, tried towrest power and rebuild thewalls. The Governor of Goa senthis appointee to take over theadministration. But by then theMoghuls were very much a localpresence, via the Arcot troops.Sensing that this developmentcould cause all kinds of trouble,they acted decisively. A contin-gent was sent and on January 8ththat year it began to demolish allthat was left of the San Thoméwalls. The work was completedwithin a few days and for yearsafterwards, the debris of the Fortwas used for construction in theneighbourhood. San Thomé fortvanished thereafter. In 1749, thearea came under British control.

There are still some interest-ing vestiges. The eastern front ofSan Thomé is much higher thanthe seacoast and is accessed by aseries of steps going down. Thisis not the case anywhere else inMadras. It probably indicatesthat much of San Thomé isstanding on a masonry wall, per-haps the outworks of the original

LOST LANDMARKS

OF CHENNAI– SRIRAM V

MAP 1

MAP 2

Aravamudan (in vest) and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam preparing a payload inThumba ( 1964).

(Continued on page 7)

� by

R.V. Rajanrvrajan42@gmail.com

While she did not understandtheir request, she allowed themuse of her kitchen to cook what-ever they wanted with the ingre-dients available with her. Thegroup walked into her littlekitchen and started piling every-thing vegetarian that they couldfind into a baking dish. Soonthey had rice, vegetables, bakedbeans, onions, garlic and a fewgreen peppers all mixed up witha generous helping of cheese ontop and popped the dish into theoven. “The hotpotch dish turnedout to be Manna to our dead-ened taste buds,” says Dan. Theold lady called it the ‘Thing’. Thedish became a local hit and theold lady started serving the‘Indian Thing’ to her othercustomers also!

* * *

Doppler Velocity and Posi-tioning System (DOVAP), alarge, container-like long trailerbuilt by NASA, came to India asa part of the initial collaborativeagreement with NASA, in 1964.Transporting the equipmentfrom Madras harbour by road toTrivandrum, a distance of 800km, posed a big challenge at atime when container trailerswere a rarity in India and therewere no good roads to transportsuch big equipment. Since Dan

6 MADRAS MUSINGS April 1-15, 2018

(Quizmaster V.V. Ramanan’squestions are from March 1 to15. Questions 11 to 20 relateto Chennai and Tamil Nadu.)

1. What is the claim to fame of‘Shakti Sthala’, located at Thiru-mani in Karnataka’s Tumakurudistrict, that was inaugurated onMarch 2?

2. Which film won the Best PictureOscar recently?

3. For the first time, India hassigned a tripartite Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) with whichcountries for civil nuclear coopera-tion?

4. Who recently achieved thedistinction of being the youngestinternational captain in crickethistory at the age of 19 years and165 days?

5. Which small island nation hasdecided to issue ‘Sovereign’ thatwill become first cryptocurrency tobe legal tender?

6. Name the noted Indian architectand urban planner who has becomethe first Indian to win the PritzkerPrize considered the ‘Nobel Prize ofArchitecture’.

7. Which Union Territory hasbecome India’s first to runcompletely on solar power?

8. India’s tallest National Flag wasunfurled recently at Kote Kere nearthe historic Belagavi fort. What isthe height of the flag pole: 100m,105m, 110m?

9. The International FootballAssociation Board, which sets therules for football, has approved theuse of what new feature at the 2018FIFA World Cup in Russia?

10. Name the much-loved Britishscientist, known for his work withblack holes and relativity andauthor of the bestseller A BriefHistory of Time, who passed awayrecently.

* * *11. Who played the villain toMGR’s hero in the flickRajakumari?

12. Mahatma Gandhi was its presi-dent from 1918 to 1948 and thepresent one is Justice Shivaraj V.Patil. Which institution inChennai?

13. During the Emergency, thespouse of which Dravidian iconconducted a ‘Ravan Lila’ to mockIndira Gandhi’s Ram Lila at Delhi?

14. Who debuted as a heroine inManamagal made in 1951?

15. Which 175-year-old schoolcame up at the location of MadrasStables Company?

16. Which Chennai-based choirhas performed at the 2000 and2012 Summer Olympics as well assung for the Pope in 2009?

17. Where would one find thetomb of the legendary armycommander Yusuf Khan popular infolklore in Maruthanayagam?

18. Which eminent citizen ofMadras during his distinguishedcareer had served as the VC ofTravancore University, BanarasHindu University and AnnamalaiUniversity?

19. How many pillars made up thecolonnade built in 1734 by Gover-nor Morton Pitt at the Fort?

20. Which 1917 work by V.V.S.Iyer is considered the first modernTamil short story?

(Answers on page 8)

� byN. Venkateswaran

A landmark institution inWest Mambalam is the

Ahobila Mutt Oriental HigherSecondary School that startedfunctioning in 1953 at Kothan-daramar Koil Street. This was adream project of N. Srinivasa-chari who had been a teacherpar excellence and had retiredas Headmaster of RamakrishnaMission High School (NorthBranch).

N.Srininivaschariar was theadopted son of Sri Vasudeva-chariar, popularly known asMaharishi Vasudevachariar,founder of the RamakrishnaMission High School (Main),the one opposite Panagal Park,T’Nagar (started in 1932) andvarious other educational insti-tutions in the T’Nagar area.Srinivasachariar joined theRamakrishna Mission HighSchool soon after it started andlater taught English with greatproficiency. When the NorthBranch of the High Schoolstarted functioning at BazullahRoad, T’Nagar, he took over asHeadmaster of the School.

During his stint as Englishteacher at the Main Schooland, subsequently as Headmas-ter of North Branch, he was re-sponsible in moulding the ca-reers of several students wholater went in to occupy high po-sitions in life. The list is long butI mention just a few. Former In-dian Army Chief Sundarji, B.S.Raghavan I.A.S, (former ChiefSecretary, Tripura, and Direc-tor, Political and Security PolicyPlanning, Union Home Minis-try, and Secretary, National In-tegration Council), NarayanVaghul, former Chairman ofICICI Bank, R. Rajamani I.A.S,who served as Jt. Secretary inthe Secretariat of three PrimeMinisters, KrishnamoorthySanthanam, former Chief ofDRDL, and M.R. SivaramanI.A.S. former Chairman, Boardof Revenue, Government of In-dia.

Srinivasachari was adept atspotting talent in his studentsnot only in the academic fieldbut also in other spheres ofactivity, and provided themopportunities and guidance toperform well. He laid greatemphasis on character-buildingthrough moral education. Hewas a strict disciplinarian, notby using the cane and harsh lan-guage but by calling the studentand talking to him, pointing outhis defects and the need forgood behaviour, making himunderstand that he (Srinivasa-chari) was not there to punish

the student but to correct himfor his own good.

Srinivasachari, after retire-ment, founded the Sri AhobilaMutt Oriental High School toimpart Vedic education and atthe same time to provide chil-dren an opportunity to studymore modern subjects. TheSchool was started in June1953, blessed by His Holiness,the Jeer of Ahobila Mutt, and isunique disseminating religiouseducation. Students of theschool learning Vedas report tothe school at 6.00 a.m. to studyVedas, Upanishads, thePrabhandas of the Alwars,Stotras of the Acharyas andthen continue with the regularschool curriculum. The Vediceducation continues after theregular school hours. These

students are provided withbreakfast, lunch and dinner atthe School itself.

Initially, the school func-tioned in a thatched shed be-longing to the Sri Kothanda-ramar Koil. Permanent struc-tures came up later, thanks tothe munificence of the publicand well wishers.The Schoolhas been making great strides,producing excellent results withmany of the students scoringhigh marks (first rank in severalsubjects) in the State board ex-aminations year after year, butthe performance of the studentsin the Oriental schools are notreckoned for awards. Their per-formances remain unpublished.

The School has also been acentre of communal harmonywhere Muslim students admit-ted to the school have opted tolearn Sanskrit and have scoredhigh marks in the subject. ManyMuslim students have won goldmedals in Gita recitation com-petitions open to all schools.

The school adopts aGurukulam method of impart-ing education to the studentsand there is close interactionbetween the teachers and stu-dents. Another unique featureabout the school is its dresscode which is dhoti and whiteshirt.

N. Srinivasachariar lived upto 101 years of age and in afunction got up by his old stu-dents to celebrate his entering100 years, he declined to acceptpresents and, in his inimitable

humble manner, suggested, “Ido not want to receive any-thing, but if you want to dosomething, do it for the schooland if I am an instrument to-wards it will give me great plea-sure.” Donations poured infrom all parts of the country andabroad where his old studentsare, showing how revered hewas. When a few of his old stu-dents met Dr. N.V. Vasudeva-chari, Secretary & Correspon-dent of the school (who is alsothe nephew of Srinivasachariar)to discuss the arrangements forthe function to celebrate his en-tering his 100th year, he nar-rated an incident that tookplace a few years ago.

One fine morning there wasa posse of Army and policemenat the school and on enquiry itwas learnt that Commander ofthe Indian Army was visitingthe school, which had no infor-mation about the visit. After afew hours a person clad in civil-ian clothes – dhoti and shirt –got out from a vehicle bearingan Army flag and he wentstraight inside the house ofSrinivasachariar, adjacent tothe school, and prostrated hum-bly before the teacher and in-

troduced himself as Sundar, hisold student at R.K.M. Main,about 60 years earlier.Srinivasachari could immedi-ately recollect his student daysand enquired about his well-be-ing. Sundar told him that butfor his guidance and encourage-ment during his school days, hecould not have achieved thehigh position he had in theArmy.

In a function got up at theschool premises in 2002, tomark Srinivasachari enteringhis 100th year, several of his oldstudents assembled at the place.(There were no formal invita-tions for the function and newsabout the function was spreadonly by word of mouth).

Even at the age of 100, hewas able to recognise most ofthem and recollected some oftheir personal attributes duringtheir school days, showing thathis memory was still good andhe had not forgotten his old stu-dents. He insisted that he walkto the meeting place from hishouse and addressed the largegathering that was present forthe function.

The School continues its tra-ditions under the guidance ofDr. N. V. Vasudevachariar whohimself is an octogenarian andhas devoted himself to propa-gating the Vedas andUpanishads.

source of great amazement andamusement to the locals whowould exclaim, ‘Ayyo. Sthree carOtikinnu.’

There was an unforgettablemoment at the first ever launchshe witnessed in Thumba. Danhad dropped Gita off at controlcentre where the wives of twoother colleagues were alsopresent. There were somepeople watching from the beachas well. Dan was in the track-ing station. However, due tosome problem the rocket didn’ttake off. Dan rushed from histracking station to the launchpad and became immersed intrying to figure out what hadgone wrong. Meanwhile, Gitasoon found herself all alone onthe terrace of the control cen-tre as the other husbands had

collected their wives. As the se-curity person was waiting forher to leave the centre so thathe could lock the door, shewent out on to the beautifulbeach and realised that she wasin a totally deserted place notknowing where to go. Just thena jeep drove by and Kalamhopped out.

“What are you doing here allalone?” he asked. When heheard her story he burst outlaughing “Trust my buddy toforget he got married. He musthave buried his head in therocket. Come, let us go findhim.” They did find him withhis hand, and not his head, in-side the rocket fixing the prob-lem!

(To be concludednext fortnight)

(Continued from page 5)

TALES FROM ISRO

lam

An iconic

school in

West Mambalam

April 1-15, 2018 MADRAS MUSINGS 7

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Waiting in thewaiting room

� by

Sudha Umashanker

When a stationwas a treat

NOSTALGIA

Egmore Railway station, now all of 110 years old, brings backfond memories of life in Chennai in the 1930s and ’40s, par-

ticularly of its refreshment room, where we would go aftershopping at the city’s only mall, Moore Market, and have a treat.

This South Indian Railway refreshment room used to be afavourite haunt of my father and his journalist buddies in thedays when journalists sent news to their papers by phone andtelegrams. A bottle of beer cost 8 annas (16 annas made a rupee)One rupee was a very precious amount, especially for journal-ists who were so poorly paid.

A rupee was all my mother spent for the day’s marketingwhich included meat, fish, vegetables and everything a familyneeded, except for the rice, masala etc., which was boughtmonthly.

People like the Raja of Pithapuram and the Raja ofKollengode spent time in the Egmore railway refresment roomwaiting for their trains. But in those days, railway refreshmentrooms were not only for travelers. They were numbered againstthe few restaurants in Madras. Eating out not encouraged inthose days.

My father used to take us for a treat to the Egmore railwayrefreshment room. We looked forward to the sponge cake andlemonade fare and spent time moving around watching carsdrive onto the platform, people alighting and entraining, some-thing so much in the past, then, the guard blowing a whistle,waving a green flag and the train steaming out.

No idli-dosai. Only English breakfasts of two fried eggs,bacon and coffee. Really expensive. You could have a four-course English lunch: soup, a fish dish, meat dish and a dessert.You couldn’t just eat with a fork, strict British manners werefollowed, with cutlery meant for specific purposes, so knivesand spoons were also used. A great favourite, which now maybe termed Anglo-Indian, was Rice and Curry and the famousMulligatawny soup which is really a kind of pepper rasam withsome other ingredients put in, even some chicken pieces couldbe added and you got Chicken Mulligatawny soup.

Trains in those days had four classes. First class, which wasonly for the rich and the British. The first class four-berthcompartment had an attached bathroom. Then, there were thesecond class and interclass, classification depending on thedegree of thickness of the cushions (interclass cushions werevery thin). Last but not least, the third class with wooden seats.A third class compartment would have forty to fifty seats onlong wooden benches.

Any travel meant a hold-all, suit-case and a trunk. Travellight was years away. Round the corner near Egmore station wasthe Egmore Ice factory which has a history of its own.

– Anna Varki

Madras always had, andcontinues to have, some

of the best doctors and medicaltalent. Yet I think we would alllargely agree that it is no fungoing to most doctors thesedays. Gone are the days whendoctors were like family friends,punctual to boot, had all thetime and would see patients inhomely spaces. With corporati-sation of healthcare and evenpolyclinics being fitted out withcubicles, workstations andwhat-have-you, not to forgetthe great wall – secretaries – toget past, and an overworkeddoctor who is rushed for time, itis surprising that people evenmake the trip to have a problemaddressed.

We have all heard of waitingrooms, but today this acquires anew meaning. I used to thinkthat the only specialists whowere difficult to see were thecardiologists, obstetricians andtrauma care specialists becausethey could be summoned to at-tend to a critical patient 24x7,but that doesn’t seem to be thecase.

Even you were inclined tocomplain, the restrainingthought always was “What if Iwere in that patient’s posi-tion?”. And we waited, whilingaway the time by, generally,looking around and exchangingnotes with fellow patients, try-ing to read back issues (noIllustrated Weekly these days) orcraning our necks to watchinane programmes beamed onthe telly or wrote, doodled, ormuttered chants and prayers.Secretaries meanwhile givecryptic answers and feign com-plete ignorance of the doctor’swhereabouts when it is well pastappointment time and thequeue hasn’t moved.

One reason why patients arekept waiting is because, Isuspect, doctors don’t leave forthe consultations until theyhave made sure that at least apercentage of the patients havereported to the desk and arewaiting. Fair enough, becausemany patients too don’t arrive

on time. But my problem iswhen appointments are given aslate as 9 PM and the doc isnearly an hour behind schedule.At what time are we hapless pa-tients expected to go back,wash up and have dinner? Andif there are children in the wait-ing room, young mothers areforced to whip out packed din-ners, feed the child (easier saidthan done) and even get readyto rock them to sleep.

Clever nurses who double assecretaries give appointments atthe exact same time that doc-tors are on rounds! So, whenyou make an extra special effort

to beat the traffic and get thereahead of time, you experience amixture of disappointment andfrustration when you are madeto wait for at least an hour anda half (which is the norm inmost corporate hospitals).Some time is spent on filling outthe Registration form(if you area first-timer), repeating yourhistory to the junior doctor orupdating him/her, have thenurse weigh you, making thepayment etc., and then you waitfor what seems like an eternityto hear your name being called.Elderly patients who have madethe trip from the suburbs andare diabetic often debatewhether to hold on just a whilelonger or leave or grab a bite(hospital cafeterias are not anoption). On a recent visit, awife who had taken permissionfrom the office to meet the doc-tor almost got into a fight withher husband when the doctorstepped out. The argument be-ing over whether he steppedout for a loo break or for lunchand whether or not they shouldwait because she was also rav-enous. Peace returned onlywhen the doctor materialisedagain.

Another group of doctors arethe types who make you wait forwhatever reason, but onceinside the consulting room chatyou up so warmly that you beginto feel guilty for the otherswaiting outside. All anger van-ishes by the time you are done,but the only thing you have totake care of is not to look anyother patient in the eye fortaking so long.

Calling before you leave forthe clinic and enquiring whereyou figure in the pecking orderor asking for the last appoint-ment for the day are measuresregular patients adopt to savetime. No guarantees against anysurprises, but at least one tried.

If you have no choice but totwiddle your thumbs, the wait-ing hour is the best time to playsome mindless games on thephone or free up ‘Memory’ bydeleting unwanted mails andmessages.

On a recent visit to thedentist’s office for routine scal-ing, the junior doc left the pa-tient who happened to be myfriend quietly at one pointwithout any explanation. Priorto that she had heard her ask-ing the nurse for a pin tip sohad, presumably gone lookingfor the accessory herself. Min-utes ticked by with no sign ofthe doc’s return. My anxiousfriend queried the nurse whosaid she had gone to talk to apatient coming out of surgery,counselled by her. Then, eventhe nurse vanished. Panicstruck her. What the hell wasgoing on? Did she find some-thing unusual in her gums ortooth and what would happenif the anaesthetic gel wore off bythe time she returned? “Hello,hello anybody here?” yelled thefriend. The doctor returned andresponded to the “What hap-pened? Where were you?”somewhat coolly but not con-vincingly. Still fuming when sheleft the clinic my friend receiveda SMS from a healthcare com-pany that books appointmentsasking to rate the duty doc.How would you describe yourexperience?

She was tempted to get even– a tooth for a tooth would havebeen nice – and tell it like itwas, but with doctors aka demi-gods she realised impulsive ac-tions would only lead to long-term complications. Maybe thedoctors have their own side ofthe story. As for us patients, aslong as we are likely to get sickwe need doctors more than theyneed us.

fort. The Dutch flagstaff wasdemolished sometime early inthe 20th Century but made acomeback post 2004 as St.Thomas’ staff complete with alegend that the wooden pole

The ghosts ofFort San Thomé

that stands there was a staffof the Apostle and he hadplanted it to prevent any in-cursion of the sea beyond thatpoint. That San Thomé waslargely spared the horrors ofthe 2004 tsunami has only but-tressed this legend.

(Continued from page 4)

8 MADRAS MUSINGS April 1-15, 2018

Answers to Quiz

1. It is set to become the world’s largest solar park with a capacity of2,000 MW, 2. The Shape of Water, 3. Russia and Bangladesh, 4. RashidKhan of Afghanistan, 5. Republic of the Marshall Islands, 6.Balakrishna Doshi, 7. Diu, 8. 110m. The dimension of the flag is 9600sq. feet, 9. VAR (video assistant referees), 10. Stephen Hawking.

* * *

11. Chinnappa Devar, 12. Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha,13. Maniammai (wife of Periyar), 14. Padmini, 15. Christ Church HighSchool, 16. Madras Musical Association, 17. Samattipuram nearMadurai, 18. Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyer, 19. Thirty-two, 20.‘Kulathankarai Arasamaram’.

Tennis was his magnificentobsession

� by V.K. Parthasarathy

It is not uncomplimentary tocall the late M.V.G. Appa

Rao, better known as Kanni, atennis addict. Few amateur ten-nis players would have travelledso extensively and played somuch competitive tennis asKanni did in the 1950s, ’60s and’70s. Imbued with the amateurspirit, he played for honour andpleasure, so much so that de-feats, instead of dampening hisenthusiasm, served to stimulatehis appetite for more and moretennis.

Coming from a Zamindarfamily in Andhra, Kanni movedto Madras in the 1930s in pur-suit of education and foundmore than just studies here. Hetook to playing tennis at the ageof 13. He was enthralled by thegame which eventually played adominant role in his entire life.Joining Presidency College in1943 gave a significant boost tohis tennis. He became the bestplayer of Madras Universitywhen he won the Stanley Cup(the foremost Collegiate singlestrophy) twice, in 1946-1947. Hewas also part of the Madras

University team that won theAll-India Inter-UniversityChampionship in 1949.

After his M.A in PoliticalScience, he left for England in1951 for higher studies. Inevi-tably, tennis totally eclipsed Po-litical Science! Playing tourna-ments on the grass courts of En-gland, he nursed an overwhelm-ing ambition to play matches onthe manicured lawn courts ofWimbledon. Although he didnot qualify for Singles and

Men’s Doubles, he made it tothe Mixed Doubles in 1952.Then came a long period of par-ticipation in tournaments in In-dian States and also in England,Europe, Sri Lanka, Singaporeand Kenya. He was once rankedNo.4 in India and continued tobe one of the top players in

Tamil Nadu, especially inDoubles.

40 years have passed sincehis premature demise at the ageof 52, yet his memory remainsstrong in the minds of hisfriends. His excessive adorationof tennis, knowledge and expe-rience of the game, sportsman-ship, reporting skills and gener-ous hospitality, combined witha touch of absent-mindedness,made him one of the mostcolourful personalities on the

tennis courts. Even today,anecdotes about him abound intennis circles. He was a seriouscontender on the court but wastoo much of a gentleman tohave the killer instinct. In tri-umph, he was subdued, in losshe was graceful and his sense offair play went beyond observingthe rules in letter and spirit.When playing in clubs, healways graciously gave his placeto others.

His close friend and compa-triot P.S. Seshadri, now 87,recalls an incident: “Kanni wasplaying an important doublesmatch in the early 1950s. At acrucial moment, the opponentshit a shot that just narrowlymissed the line and the umpirerightly called it out and theopponents themselves felt it wasout, but Kanni went andinspected the spot on which the

ball landed and signalled it wasin, much to the annoyance ofthe umpire and the delight ofthe opponents!” Such instanceswere not unusual with Kanni.

Seshadri continues: “Kannidisliked getting a walkover fromhis opponents for whatever rea-son. Once, when he was play-ing a singles match in Amritsar,his opponent, local championSatsayal gave him a walkoverafter losing the first set as he wasfeeling unwell. They bothchanged and met around a cupof tea, when Kanni asked hisopponent how he was feeling.On hearing that he was per-fectly alright, Kanni proposedthey resume the match, whichthey did despite Satsayal’sreluctance. Strangely enough,Kanni lost the match!”

In the 1960s, Kanni oftenwent to England in summer toplay in tournaments and alsocover Wimbledon for leadingnewspapers in Madras. In 1967,however, a paucity of foreign ex-change put his trip to UK in jeop-ardy, and he was advised to meeta senior official in the RBI inNew Delhi. At the Bank, whenasked by the receptionist whomhe wanted to meet, he forgot thisgentleman’s name! By a rarestroke of luck Kanni and the re-ceptionist managed in duecourse to identify the official hesought. Kanni’s absent-mindedness led him to suchpiquant situations many a time.

When the legendaryRamanathan Krishnan startedhis tennis campaign in Londonin 1951, Kanni was a studentand both of them travelled andplayed tournaments in Englandand Europe. Krishnan recalls an

amusing incident: “We wereboth boarding a train in theLondon Underground. I got infirst, and Kanni followed. Asthe train was about to start, hejumped out and so did I. Hisexplanation was that he hadbeen missing classes recentlyand was behind in submittingassignments. His angry profes-sor was sitting in the compart-ment and he wanted to avoid aconfrontation!”

Kanni believed tennis wasthe universal remedy for allhuman ills and encouraged hisfriends and relatives to benefitfrom playing the game. Indeed,some of his family memberswere good tennis players. Theyincluded his daughter Nam-ratha, (better known as Dimpuand now living in the US; shewas once among the top womenplayers in India), his late broth-ers, M.R. Appa Rao and M.SAppa Rao, and sister Kan-namma. Though not a playerherself, his charming wife Dollyoffered full support to histennis. She remembers thateven on their honeymoon in1960 on board an Italian luxuryliner, he had taken his tennisracquets, as there were tennisfacilities. But, apparently, hedidn’t play!

It was a privilege to haveknown and played with this ex-traordinary tennis personality.

Published by S. Muthiah for ëChennai Heritageí, 260-A, TTK Road, Chennai 600 018 and printed by T J George at Lokavani-Hallmark Press Pvt. Ltd., 122, Greams Road, Chennai 600 006. Edited by S. MUTHIAH.

Madras Musings is supported as a public service by the following organisations

Published by S. Muthiah for Chennai Heritage, No. 9, Cathedral Road, Chennai 600 086, printed by Anu Varghese at Lokavani Southern Printers Pvt. Ltd., 122, Greames Road, Chennai 600 006, edited by S. Muthiah, 2-F, 1st

Cross Street, Vijayaraghava Road, T’Nagar, Chennai 600 017, and owned by Chennai Heritage, Regd. Office No. 9, Cathedral Road, Chennai 600 086.

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