Featured Articles

• Vol. XXXIII No. 16, December 1-15, 2023

The Joint Sector Days: When a German Giant bit the dust

Business Houses of the South by Sushila Ravindranath

Tamil Nadu Petroproducts Limited (TPL) is one of those pre-liberalisation projects which came up in Chennai during the height of import substitution times. It was promoted by the fertiliser giant SPIC as a joint venture with Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation to manufacture Linear Alkyl Benzine (LAB),

• Vol. XXXIII No. 16, December 1-15, 2023

The S.R. Ranganathan I knew

-- by R. Soundararajan, Nagapattinam

It is my good fortune that I could meet Dr. Rao Sahib Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan, the doyen of library science, on many occasions in the late 1960s in Bangalore where I was working with the Railway Mail Service a wing of the postal department. He was undoubtedly the greatest scientist in his field that 20th […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 16, December 1-15, 2023

S.S. Badrinath, a pioneering eye-surgeon of Chennai

-- by Suresh Dalapathy, dalapathy@hotmail.com

On 21 November 2023 Madras lost one of its illustrious and remarkable sons: Dr Sengamedu Srinivas Badrinath (SSB). SSB was born on February 24, 1940 in Triplicane, Madras, to S.V. Srinivasa Rao and Lakshmi Devi. He did his schooling in Pennathur Subramaniam (PS) High School, Mylapore and Sri Ramakrishna Mission High School, T.Nagar. He completed […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 16, December 1-15, 2023

Train travails of Senior Citizens

-- by Sabita Radhakrishna

As a child, I loved traveling by train. Which child does not?  Window seat? Of course. We were delighted by the ribbons of sunlight that streamed through, and charmed by the vista of a blue sky with fleecy, white clouds that seemed to follow us as we chugged along. We saw emerald green paddy fields with […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 16, December 1-15, 2023

Rowing in Tamil Nadu

-- by V. Venkataramana

It was 150 years ago that the erstwhile state of Madras saw the beginning of a legacy in Rowing, with the birth of the Madras Boat Club at Ennore. With the sport demanding expensive infrastructure – namely boats and unpolluted, expansive water bodies – Rowing was patronized largely by the British community in Madras. It […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 15, November 16-30, 2023

Heritage Watch: Two views spanning two Centuries

The vast bas-relief that is the Descent of the Ganga/Arjuna’s Penance at Mamallapuram is something to delight in. Its visibility has actually improved over the years and it being just by the side of the road makes its accessible to one and all. That it is kept spanking clean always is commendable and it must […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 15, November 16-30, 2023

Lost Landmarks of Chennai

-- by Sriram V

The Forgotten Corporation Stadium It is still a looming presence behind Ripon Buildings en-route Periamet. But who goes to the Jawaharlal Nehru aka Corporation Stadium and what are the events that are held there? There is a Nehru Indoor Stadium constructed in more recent times on the same premises which sees better usage, but the […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 15, November 16-30, 2023

In love with Lovedale – a life dedicated to children

-- by Anita Khuller

Anglo-Indians, both men and women, gave so much of themselves to the railways and education sectors in India. While the railways were mostly staffed by men in the early 20th century, most Anglo-Indian girls took up teaching or secretarial work, and if more adventurous, became air-hostesses. Some women went on to excel in the teaching […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 15, November 16-30, 2023

Hayavadana – a story woven around mythical and mystic ideas

-- by K.R.A. Narasiah

It was satisfying to see that after a long spell, due to various reasons including the pandemic, the theatre group of Queen Mary’s College presented a play in English on Oct.12, 13 and 14 at the college auditorium. It was again heartening to note that the play chosen was Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana; directed by Dr. […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 15, November 16-30, 2023

TT in TN: A  precarious state of affairs 

-- by V. Venkataramana

Dronacharya Srinivasa Rao is a National level Table Tennis coach whose academy –  set up decades ago at the Nehru Stadium complex in Chennai – has been producing State as well as National level talent in the sport. That India’s paddlers have been undergoing a transformation in skill is a fact, going by the performance […]