Regular Articles

• Vol. XXXIII No. 13, October 16-31, 2023

Our Readers Write

A misattribution A letter titled TMP and Dr. A.L. Mudaliar published in Vol. XXXIII, No 11, September 16, 2023, was misattributed to Mr. K. Balakesari, when it was written by Mr S.S. Rajagopalan. We regret the error. Associate Editor Jayendra Panchapakesan – A socially conscious filmmaker (Vol. XXXIII No. 12, October 1-15, 2023) Superb. All […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 13, October 16-31, 2023

Short ‘N’ Snappy

– (Wo)MMM

T-shirt shenanigans The Woman from Madras Musings thinks she is not alone in surmising that parents always – almost always, anyway – tend to side with the hapless bride or groom that has married their dubious son or daughter. (Wo)MMM is told the allegiance stems from a sense of deep gratitude, which she supposes is […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 12, October 1-15, 2023

Can heritage be commemorated with plaques instead of renaming roads?

-- by The Dy. Editor

Every once in a while, our city’s Corporation Council passes resolutions renaming some road or the other. While some of these are fuelled by mere whims and no logical basis, there are some renaming exercises that are undertaken with a serious view to commemorate a prominent citizen who lived in the vicinity. These are much-deserved […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 12, October 1-15, 2023

Festival Fallout: Environmental pollution from public festivities a growing concern

-- by A Special Correspondent

According to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), this year Chennai saw over 1,300 pillaiyar idols immersed in spots around Kasimedu, Thiruvottiyur, Pattinappakam and Palavakkam, marking the end of Pillaiyar Chathurthi. The next day, the city woke up to around 50 idols and a slew of debris that had washed ashore due to low tide. The […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 12, October 1-15, 2023

Our Readers Write

The SMC poem I read the reproduced poem and supplementary cartoons extracted from the Stella Maris College Annual of 1950 thanks to the efforts of Karthik. I enjoyed the reproduction. However, I wished that either Karthik or you had clarified that this artwork by Kasthuri Bai was done from the SMC then located in Santhome […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 12, October 1-15, 2023

Short ‘N’ Snappy

– MMM

Mails from Far and Near It has been quite a while since The Man from Madras Musings penned this column. Madras Week intervened and that took up space in the paper. And MMM is happy to be back, with more news. But first, let us see what the mail bag has brought. Readership in China, […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 11, September 16-30, 2023

Can the railways please highlight heritage while modernising?

-- by The Dy. Editor

Just as we at Madras Musings were rejoicing over the positive developments at Bharath Insurance Building (see Heritage Watch), there comes a blow by way of development plans at the Central Station as announced by the Indian Railways. While it must be acknowledged that the place needs to improve on all fronts by way of […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 11, September 16-30, 2023

Event disaster raises the question of public accountability

-- by A Special Correspondent

“I don’t know how long it will take for me to get back into crowded spaces,” writes a Twitter user in an email to the organizers of a concert recently held at ECR’s Adityaram Palace Grounds. The event was a traumatic experience not only for her but for many other concertgoers; acute overcrowding at the […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 11, September 16-30, 2023

Heritage Watch: Good News for Bharath Insurance Building

The future of Bharath Insurance Building suddenly seems to have brightened up. After mouldering away as a roofless shell for over a decade and practically given up as a lost cause by heritage activists, the structure is all set for restoration. This is probably the best gift that the city could have had during Madras […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 11, September 16-30, 2023

Our Readers Write

A treat Greetings! Went through the latest issue of MM (though I haven’t read it completely yet). What with the abundance of colour pictures, the issue is a treat for those like me who are faithful subscribers and contributors! I believe celebrating Madras was conceived by the folks at MM – that makes it doubly […]