Our Readers Write

Still being vandalised

One of our city’s simple yet striking landmarks is the K.A.J. Schmidt Memorial on Bessie Beach in Besant Nagar.

There are two kinds of people who get drawn to it. One lot are the love-lorn ones. They amble to the memorial, scribble a message or draw the figure of a bleeding heart on its walls, climb to its centre and drown in the sound of the waves. Or down a drink.

The other set has a more urgent need – it runs up to the memorial, unzips in a jiffy and lets go. Much of what is watered over are the love notes.

All this on a simple memorial that celebrates the gallantry of Karl Schmidt who plunged into the sea when he found a few of his guests who were swimming, being carried away by the currents. Karl saved the men/women but he lost his life. His friends raised this memorial.

It got a new lease of life when a few Besant Nagarians sought the advice of professionals and got Chennai Corporation to spend some fifteen lakh rupees to restore this 1930s structure that was falling apart.

The work was carried out a couple of years ago; the civic team even set up floodlights to light up the memorial (and it looked grand at night), grew a lawn around it and erected a protective metalwork around the structure to prevent vandalism.

Today, the lights are gone or broken, the lawn has dried up, the metal fence is ripped and some parts stolen and young men carry on with what they think this Memorial stands here for – to imprint messages of imagined romance and to answer Nature’s call.

So does it pay to lay lawns and raise hedges, erect sculptures and improve lighting in public spaces?

Vincent D’Souza
Adyar Times

No Fire Protection

Re “The Rot in TN Real Estate” (MM, May 16th), may I add my experience?
I live in a residential complex which is a multi-storey construction of nine floors. The developer has not bothered to provide many of the mandatory fire protection systems in our complex. He has not bothered to take a fire licence from the Fire Services department. When asked about it, he replies that “Fire licence is required only for commercial buildings”!! Does he think that human beings live in commercial buildings and not in residential buildings? He claims to have received a completion certificate from the CMDA.
This is the state of Real Estate business in Tamil Nadu.

R. Santhanam
B1D, Regal Palm Gardens Velachery,
Chennai 600 042

Enlightening material

The account of railway his-tory (MM, May 16th) was indeed enlightening. I’m sure there are other readers like me who would be interested in railway history, technology and literature, and may like to get hold of the books mentioned without having to trouble the elderly author himself. A bit of information on the publisher or sales outlet would be most welcome.

The article by N.S. Parthasarathy on the Railway Museum (in the preceding issue) was also fascinating, and I hope I can make a visit soon.

Thomas Tharu
Kasyap,
A-7, Nehrunagar Fourth Street
Adyar, Chennai 600 020

Editor’s Note: All the books have been self-published. Venkataraman’s contact details are: 19, Karpagam Flats, Canal Bank Road, Luz, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004. email: laliram75@yahoo.com, Mobile: 9444444865.

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