Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under R.N.I 53640/91
Vol. XXXII No. 15, November 16-30, 2022
Heritage Watch
Railway HQ Turns a 100
It is not often that we get to know of the exact date of inauguration of a historic building. That is because foundation and inauguration stones have a tendency to vanish and as for records, if they survive, they are never made available for research. Much of heritage gets by on guesstimates as far as dates and years are concerned.
One of the few fortunate instances where we do know a date with precision is that of the Southern Railway Headquarters on Poonamallee High Road/EVR Salai. A recent publication, Indian Railway Buildings, Heritage, History and Beyond, by Vinoo N. Mathur and brought out by Niyogi Books, not only gives us the date of opening of the building but also a photo of the commemorative stone unveiled on the occasion. On December 11, 2022, this building will complete a 100, for it was thrown open on the same date in 1922 by Lady Willingdon, wife of the then Governor of Madras. For further details, please see Centenary of a Loved Landmark.
Our Old shows the building in 1936, as depicted in the centenary volume of the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Our New shows the building as it is now, photographed by Ramanujar Moulana.
