Heartspring

by Ranjitha Ashok

Madras Musings – S. Muthiah’s brave little tabloid, that refuses to toe the standard newspaper line. Steering clear of politics, religion, scandals, strife, scams, that Page-3 explosion of I-centric neediness, and general gloom and doom.

‘What’s left?’, you ask?

Well, The Chief, and Madras Musings, have always known there was a great deal, actually.

Many stories out there waiting to be told – of the city, its history, heritage, culture, its love for sports, its roads and buildings. In the Chief’s own words, Musings has ‘…stayed focussed on Madras’s past, present and future.’. But Madras Musings is not just about heritage, nostalgia, and institutions. The paper is about the spirit of Madras, the grand old lady with two names, both reflecting her two distinct personalities. Musings is about the people who live here – the good…and the could-be-better. It is a mirror, a celebration, of life as it is lived every day in the city.

Above all, Madras Musings is a symbol of one man’s intense love for the city, and of his absolute conviction that anything worth mentioning in this country began here in Madras.

Madras, please note.

Stubbornly.

Madras before Chennai.

However, The Chief’s role didn’t end with his ‘chronicling’ of the city.

As he unearthed the stories, a new role surfaced from within, perhaps without him even being aware of it.
He became a teacher.

For one, he taught the people of this city about the city they lived in, transforming a collection of roads and buildings into a living, breathing creature in whom everyone who lives here should be invested. He taught them to look at their city differently, grow sensitive to their cultural, social and natural environments, many aspects of which had been taken for granted for too long. He created heritage enthusiasts out of everyday people going about their everyday routine. People used to bustling down the same road a million times before now suddenly noticed that ancient statue slumbering behind that tree, as it had done for centuries.

The Chief also became a mentor, of writers.

A remark he had made while giving a speech at a book release many years ago, about the number of authors who had emerged out of writing for him and for Musings, has always stayed with us. And so, while planning this issue, we felt it made abundant sense to pay tribute to S. Muthiah the guru, the teacher, and mentor to so many.

In the pages that follow, we have people from different walks of life, all of whom worked with The Chief, then took their place in the literary world, encouraged on their journey by him. When our requests went out, all of them came forward, only too happy to be part of this commemorative issue. And, as you will see, their memories of him stay fresh. For V. Ramnarayan, it was his ‘informal training’ with The Chief that gave him the confidence to write on a variety of subjects. It is to The Chief that K.R.A. Narasiah gives all credit for creating in him an urge to write the history of Madras in Tamil, for which The Chief wrote the Foreword in English, requesting Narasiah to render it in Tamil. Kavita Watsa recalls her terror of this ‘gruff old gentleman’, but, very wisely, saw the value in the criticisms that came from this ‘wonderful mentor’. For ‘accidental writer’ Capt D.P. Ramachandran, S. Muthiah was his ‘inspirational icon’, who prodded him into authorship. Sushila Ravindranath saw ‘Uncle Muthu’ as the most generous and giving of mentors, whose perfect blend of praise and criticism proved the best source of inspiration. K.R.N. Menon and S. Muthiah – both Indians cast in ‘Sri Lankan mould’, both belonging to a uniquely distinctive Madras that ‘Chennai does not quite mirror’, both blessed with supportive life partners, and both intensely passionate about researching Madras – these links defined their friendship.

Nirmala Lakshman speaks of S. Muthiah as a ‘transformative force’ who intensified and forever altered her relationship with her beloved city. A family friend and an admired teacher for decades, this ‘chronicler par extraordinaire’ was a ‘looming presence’, an invaluable guru, when she wrote her own book on the city they both cared for so deeply.

Bishwanath Ghosh was already a writer when he came to Chennai but he did get to see Madras through Muthiah’s writings.

For all of them, he will always be the one who introduced them to the writer within themselves.

And as for the future? In a movie reference that would bring a smile to the Chief’s face, given his vintage, you are tempted to ask, ‘Quo Vadis, Madras Musings?’

The Chief has, with characteristic foresight, left his beloved paper in very good, very capable and above all, very committed hands. For V. Sriram, this particular commitment is tantamount to a sacred vow. As the city continues to change and grow, constantly presenting different dimensions, so will the content of the paper. Musings will always be about Madras, staying with the original fountainhead, and will seamlessly incorporate change. The story continues as Madras Musings moves ahead, The Chief’s vision showing the way.

S. Muthiah’s paper has always welcomed writers, never ­running out of room for anyone who wished to write about Madras/Chennai. And, we hope new generations, with their unique perspectives and life experiences, will continue to walk into these pages, make a home here, and go on to find their names on books they have written.

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