Rambling in West Mambalam (5) … with Janaki Venkataraman

Temples and a theatre – in a place with heart and soul

West Mambalam residents are a temple-visiting lot. There are scores of temples in the area but three are of some antiquity. The Kashi Vishwa-nathar temple is said to have been built by Nayak Kings in the 17th Century. On the stone -ceilings of the temple you can see the fish emblems, the signature of the Nayak dynasty. The temple stands on land that was once covered by vilva trees. The lingam is swayambu (found, not made) and it is said Shiva -appeared in the dream of the Nayak king and ordered him to build the temple.

Abutting one wall of the temple is the Mambalam wing of the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt. There is a shrine for the Goddess Kamakshi here and a lot of poojas and homam-s are performed every day. Sanskrit scholars meet here to discuss the Vedas. On a more secular level, there is provision for collecting and exchanging community-wise horoscopes to arrange weddings. Perhaps the most interesting part of the Mutt is the Goshala (cow shelter)in the backyard. At least a 100 cows reside here, mostly donated as calves by various devotees. The cow sheds have also been donated by philanthropists and the cows are obviously well looked after. On the day I visited it, it was Dwadasi, the twelfth day of the lunar fortnight, and visitors were feeding the cows bundles of agathi keerai. The cows here don’t grab the food, they take a casual, almost elegant, mouthful, and chew thoughtfully. If you are born a cow in Chennai this is probably a good place to be. Mambalam, in fact, has a number of Hindu religious mutts including the Sringeri Mutt, off Arya Gowda Road, and the Raghavendra Mutt that is -actually off Gopathi Narayana-swami Chetti Road, close to Panagal Park.

The Kothanda Ramar Tem-ple, just a stone’s throw away from the Kashi Vishwa-natha temple, is said to be at least 150 years old and is peaceful and well-maintained. So also is the Adi Kesava Perumal Temple on Govindan Street. Perhaps the most unusual of West Mam-balam temples is the Kali Bari in Umapathy Extension Street. -Inaugurated in 1981 by the Bengali community in Chennai, the small temple is a miniature of the Kalighat Temple in Kolkata. Around the temple have grown various welfare activities like free medical camps, professional training courses for women, volunteering for relief work during natural calamities, and poor feeding. The Kali Bari’s Puja celebration is huge and attracts devotees from all over Chennai. The annada-nam during Puja has a huge fan following for its sheer variety and taste.

Do people in West Mam-balam have any interest in secular entertainment? It might not seem so. The only film theatre in the whole area is Srinivasa Theatre that was built back in 1963. There also used to be National Theatre but this was torn down some years ago and there is a commercial complex in its place now. Srinivasa is a large theatre with a seating capacity of 1000. “Hardly 150 people come to the shows now,’’ sighs Madha-van who worked at the ticket counter from 1965 to 1980 and who still hangs out at the theatre to pass time. With all the youngsters thronging the mutiplexes in other parts of the city, Srinivasa has been steadily losing clientele over the years. But it is still a well maintained place. The side doors are wide open letting in a breeze. When the show is on, screens are drawn across the doorways. There is no air-conditioning, but the sound system has been updated.

Srinivasa’s claim to fame during its heyday was that it screened every MGR starrer. All three shows ran full in those days. “On the hundredth day celebration of Enga Veettu Pillai, MGR and Saroja Devi came here in person. I saw them this close!” Madhavan recalls, excitement still lingering in his voice. Even when there were no MGR films being screened elsewhere in the city, you could be sure that there would be one to see at Srinivasa. The theatre still screens MGR movies as well as other classics as  there is a local demand for them.

And the ticket price is still no more than Rs. 30. Closer to the screen it can even be seven rupees. Best of all, you can take in your own snacks, as long as they are not too messy, and you are not forced to buy popcorn at ridiculously high prices. “It was in Srinivasa that the Ajith Kumar-Shalini starrer, Amar-kalam (in which much of the action takes place in an old film theatre) was shot,” Madhavan informs me. “They shot upstairs and then right here on the front.

Everyone from around this neighbourhood came to watch. It was like a festival!”
Walking down Arya Gowda Road, past the little herbal medicine shops and pori-kadalai shops, and taking a turn into Thambiah Reddy Street, you come across a small eatery called Venkateswara Poli Stall. Started in 1994, the eatery has now become successful enough to open another branch in Mambalam. It began with a single item on its menu list – puran poli-s. Poli-s, which came to southern cuisine via Maharashtra, are festive dishes in most Tamil homes. “We wanted to do something different. So instead of the usual snacks and sweets we specialised in poli-s,” says the manager at the stall. The soft, fluffy outer covering and the dal or coconut and jaggery filling has to be of the right consistency for a truly successful poli. Venkateswara seemed to get it right every time. It was an instant success. Poli-s flew off the shelves as quickly as they were made. Then a savoury, masala poli, was added to the menu and this too has proved popular. Over the years the poli stall has added many other snacks and sweets to its menu. While local residents stop at the shop to buy their poli-s, bonda-s or vadai-s for their families, the stall’s bulk orders come from the film fraternity.“All the TV and film shooting companies order in bulk from us. Many stars also order for themselves personally,” says the manager. He is quick to add. “But our prices have remained affordable. When we started making bonda-s we charged just 50 paise for a bonda. Now we charge five rupees. Given that we use the best possible materials and oils, can you find anybody who can beat our prices?” I am reminded of Sudha Ravi’s observation,“In Mamba-lam you can live for far less than anywhere else in the city. That’s because the people here are kind enough to really understand the problems of the poor.” Other places have glamour and flash but Mambalam seems to have heart and soul.

(Concluded)

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