Statues and Beyond - Labour Statue, Marina Beach

Labour Statue - Marina Beach from the Lens of
Mr. Ramaswamy (http://chennaidailyfoto.wordpress.com/)

:: Chennai Factoids ::

:: Statues and Beyond - Labour Statue, Marina Beach ::

What : Labour Statue

Where : Marina Beach

History behind this statue :

Undoubtedly, the Labour statue is the one of the famous landmarks in Chennai. Here is the reason behind installing this statue. Thanks to Ram N for the photograph.

On a summer evening in May 1923, M. Singaravelar, a labour union leader, conducted a meeting at the Marina Beach near Triplicane, calling for recognition of workers' rights, and pledged to create a political party to represent the rights of labourers, which was India's first ever May Day rally. 

To commemorate this, the Labour statue, depicting an inspiring posture of a team of labourers has been installed in Marina Beach opposite to Madras University.

Man Behind This Statue : 
This statue was Sculpted by Mr.Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhry, who was the first Indian principal of the then Government of Madras School of Arts and Crafts (Now it has been called as Tamil Nadu Government College of Fine Arts).

When : 

The statue was installed on the eve of the Republic Day in 1959, as part of the Kamaraj government's drive to beautify the beach

Source : Wikipedia

Statues and Beyond - Equesterian Statue - Gemini Flyover

Equisterian Statue (Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan) Statue
Source: Wikimedia.org

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:: Statues and Beyond - Equesterian Statue - Gemini Flyover ::


This statue has got its attention whenever we pass the gemini flyover. I have a  doubt for a longer period as to why this statue has been here and who is that person. This is where my quest ends.

This statue was installed some time in 1970′s in remembrance of abolition of Horse Racing in Chennai. 

There were also reports that statue of the man is made with the features of Vandhiya Thevan of Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan. Two identical statues are installed on both sides of Anna Flyover.

:: Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan ::

Vallavarayar Vandhiyathevar was a feudatory of the Chola kings Raja Raja Chola I and Rajendra Chola I and chief of the Samanthas of North Arcot. 

Vandiyathevan
Source:zaraahatke.blogspot.com

He was married to Kundavai, the elder sister of Raja Raja I.The territory under his authority was known as Vallavaraiyarnadu. Vandiyadevan is idealized in Kalki's romantic novel Ponniyin Selvan.


His name is referred in Thanjavur Big Temple inscription in which he is referred to as the
husband of Kundavai Pirattiyar.

A life sized statue depicting Vandhiyathevar controlling a horse is erected in Chennai near Anna Flyover in Mount Road as an honour to this great personality during the first tenure of Mr. Karunanidhi as Chief Minister.

This statue was laid to capture the banning of horse race by the government of Tamil Nadu by that time.

Reference : Wikipedia.

Avvai Shanmugam Salai - Royapet / Gopalapuram (Name Reason)

Avvai TK Shanmugam - Source: The Hindu

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:: Name reasons behind famous roads in Chennai ::

:: Avvai Shanmugam Salai - Royapet / Gopalapuram ::

The landmark of Royapet.This is the road which connects Royapet with the Mount Road.. Am sure many of us know about this personality behind this road name, anyways sharing it for those who are unaware about Avvai Shanmugam. .The erstwhile Lloyds Road is now renamed as Avvai Shanmugam Salai. It is named after Thiru Avvai TK Shanmugam. Here goes the History: 

:: “Avvai” TK Shanmugam ::
“Avvai” TK Shanmugam was a legend in theatre. He and his three brothers, Sankaran, Muthuswami and Bhagavati were born to Seethai and TS Kannuswami Pillai, the father being a well known stage actor who specialised in women roles. At an early age, the brothers were apprenticed under Sankaradas Swamigal, the founding father of the concept of Boys Companies in which roles were essayed, as the name suggests, entirely by boys and young men. 

TK Shanmugam acting as Avviyar
Image source: Hindu

Having worked in his Madurai Tattuva Minalochani Bala Vidwat Sabha they also trained under Krishnaswami Pavalar (Bala Manohara Sabha) and Kandasami Mudaliar. In later years, they formed their own company, The Devi Bala Shanmukhananda Sabha.

The brothers, all fine actors, though Sankaran involved himself more with administration, were multifaceted and while Shanmugam and Bhagavati were better known for their acting and singing skills, Muthuswami also tried his hand at music direction when all four of them acted in one of the early talkies- Menaka (1935). 

The quartet was also known for its close associations with reformists such as Periyar, Anna and Jeevanandam. Inspired by this, they also added several reformist plays such as Kumastavin Penn, Kadarin Vetri and Desa Bhakti to their repertoire. The motto of their company, significantly was “Workers of the World, Unite!”

Shanmugam, best known for his portrayal of Avvaiyar, the legendary poetess in Tamil, was also the founder of perhaps the only Tamil tabloid exclusively meant for the theatre fraternity. 
Beginning as a handwritten paper on 9th Dec 1934,, Arivucchudar had stories, articles, politics, snippets, explanations for the Tirukkural and also letters to the editor. Circulated in Athur, Vriddhachalam and Panrutti, ten issues were brought out before it was stopped when Sankaran complained about it causing tensions among the theatre fraternity.

His autobiography
Source : Google

 It was revived in 1938 as a publication when Shanmugam, distressed at the high levels of ignorance in his fraternity founded Arivu Abhivrutti Sangam, a club based in Madurai where artistes could read magazines, be taught languages and also listen to speeches by several leaders.

Shanmugam became the head of the Actors Guild in 1950 and his services were utilised by organisations such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan and by state level associations as well. Having acted in films, he received the best actor award in 1953. He also received the Padma Sri in 1971.

Though they performed in the city in early years, Shanmugam and his brothers permanently settled in Madras in 1948, where they were first tenants of the Harikatha exponent C Saraswathi Bai in Big Street, Triplicane. Later Shanmugam moved to Gopalapuram.

In April 1972, he brought out the first part of his biography, titled Enadu Nadaga Vazhkai (Vanati Padippagam). This ends with the shift to Madras in 1948. He clearly intended to finish the work soon, but death intervened. The book is a must read for anyone interested in the Tamil theatre of the early and mid 20th century. 
Lloyds Road in Royapettah was renamed Avvai Shanmugam Road in his memory.

The following extracts from the Interview of Mr.TKS Kalaivanan (Son of Avvai Shanmugam) for The Hindu Newspaper is worth sharing here.

“He curved his lower lip inwardly to give a realistic image of an old woman without teeth. He even removed two of his teeth for the role,”

“He had pain in his jaws for the rest of his life and the curved posture, holding a walking stick gave him constant back pain.”

“My father also got many offers in films. But, he was not keen as he was interested only in theatre. He recommended suitable actors to directors and producers, who sought his advice. When late S.S. Vasan approached him to act in his movie Avvaiyar, he refused to accept, arguing that only a female could do justice to the role in film. Then he suggested K.B. Sundarambal,” 

“My father was impressed with the child prodigy and he wrote a special play, Appavin Aasi, for Kamal and it became a hit,”

Some lesser known facts about TK Shanmugam :

• Shanmugam learnt music for sometime from Kumbakonam Rajamanickam Pillai
• The boy who played the role of Valli in ‘Valli Thriumanam’ was T.M. Thiagarajan, who went on to become a Sangita Kalanidhi!
• Kamal Haasan and ‘Pakoda’ Khadar entered the theatre world as child artists in Shanmugam’s play, ‘Appaavin Aasai.’
• In the 1970s a small but exquisite theatre was built in the LLA Compound (Near British Council) on Mount Road and named after Shanmugam. Today it is a storeroom for unwanted furniture.
• "As a boy, I was greatly inspired by T K Shanmugam, the veteran stage actor. It was great training under him. He would bend over backwords about the make up. I was astounded by the change of personahe could effect, the way he spoke and the way he mimed the toothless Avvaiyar eating gooseberries given by the king, you could almost feel how sour the fruit was. Avvai Shunmukhi, is in a way, my own humble tribute to this great man." - Said by Actor Kamal Hassan in an interview to The Indian Express.

Reference : sriramv wordpress, The Hindu, The Indian Express.

Where does he reside in Avvai Shanmugam Salai ?

He lived in the house where AVVAI AGAM is located now. It is located very close to Easwari Lending LIbrary. Earlier he had his residence in the Big Street in Triplicane.

Landmarks in and around Avvai Shanmugam Salai :

• Easwari Lending Library
• DAV Schools
• TCS Regional office
• Indian Bank Head office
• Triana Restaurant
• Pidilite (Fevicol) Regional office
• Khadhi Gramadhyog Bhavan
• Geetha Bhavan
• Cafe Coffee Day
• Chhajer Bhavan Kalyana Mandapam

Locate Yourself :

Locate Yourself : Avvai Shanmugam Salai - Royapet / Gopalapuram (Image source : Google Maps)

C P Ramaswami Road - Alwarpet (Name Reason)

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:: Name reason behind famous roads in Chennai ::

:: C P RAMASWAMI ROAD - ALWARPET ::

I have been crossing this road everyday without knowing the person behind this road name. Finally got it today. I believe, almost all of us know where this CP Ramaswami Road is. 

It is located at Alwarpet and this is the road which connects Alwarpet (TTK Road) with RA Puram. The bridge near Naradha Gana Sabha connects to this road. This is one such busy road yet not much traffic. A hub of all the big retailers.  Attempts have been made to make this road one way, but they couldn't implement.  This road is named after Sir C.P.Ramaswamy Iyer. 

:: Sachivottama Sir Chetpat Pattabhirama Ramaswami Iyer ::

Sachivottama Sir Chetpat Pattabhirama Ramaswami Iyer also called "C. P." , was an Indian lawyer , administrator and politician who served as the Advocate-General of Madras Presidency from 1920 to 1923, Law member of the Executive council of the Governor of Madras from 1923 to 1928, Law member of the Executive Council of the Viceroy of India from 1931 to 1936 and the Diwan of Travancore from 1936 to 1947.

Ramaswami Iyer was born in 1879 in Madras city and studied at Wesley College High School and Presidency College, Madras before qualifying as a lawyer from the Madras Law College. He practised as a lawyer in Madras and succeeded S. Srinivasa Iyengar as the Advocate-General of the Madras Presidency.

He subsequently served as the Law member of the Governor of Madras and the Viceroy ofIndia before being appointed Diwan of Travancore in 1936.

Sir C P Ramaswami Iyer.
Source: maddy06.blogspot.in

Ramaswami Iyer served as Diwan from 1936to 1947 and is credited with having introduced social and administrative reforms as the Temple Entry Proclamation (1936), abolition of capital punishment, universal adult franchise and the midday meal scheme in Travancore state. He is also credited with the establishment of numerous hydro-electric power projects, the creation of KeralaUniversity , and the establishment of Travancore Bank, which eventually became State Bank of Travancore .

However, at the same time, he is also remembered for the ruthless suppression of the Communist-organized Punnapra-Vayalar revolt , and his controversial stand in favour of an independent Travancore. 

Ramaswami Iyer resigned in 1947 following a failed assassination attempt.

Ramaswami Iyer served as a leader of the Indian National Congress in his early days. He was made a Knight Commander of the IndianEmpire in 1926 and a Knight Commander of the Star of India in 1941. He returned these titles when India attained independence in 1947. He was also a member of the 1926 and 1927 delegations to the League of Nations .

In his later life he served in numerous international organisations and on the boardof several Indian universities. Ramaswami Iyer died in 1966 at the age of 86 while on a visit to the United Kingdom .

He has initiated many things. Few of those are mentioned below :

• First to nationalize road transport in India and responsible for the construction of the first cement concrete road from Trivandrum to Cape Comorin. First in India to start aluminium, ceramic, fertilizer, rayon and other industries with major government collaboration
• First to abolish capital punishment.
• First to introduce adult franchise.
• First to appoint a lady advocate – Mrs. Anna Chandy - as District Judge. She later became the first Indian woman High Court Judge.
• First to introduce free mid-day meal scheme for poor children. He inaugurated the Vanchi Poor Fund and Seetha Lakshmi Ammal Anna Dhana Samajam (named after his mother).

Few unknown facts about CPR :

• One of the Founders of the Vivekananda College, Mylapore, and gave a personal donation of Rs.20, 000/- in 1945
• Served as Vice-Chancellor of Annamalai University. At   the request of the Government of India, accepted Vice-Chancellorship of Banaras Hindu University also. (First person in India to be Vice-Chancellor of two Universities at the same time).
• Founder of Y.M.I.A. Madras.
• Trustee of Madras Sanskrit College,  Mylapore.
• One of the Founders of the Indian Bank Ltd. & its first Director - the building & property stand in his name.
• C P Ramaswami Iyer foundation ( C P Art Gallery) at Eldams Road was founded on 1966 after his demise.

Source : wikipedia, cprfoundation.org, madrasmusings.com

Where does he reside in C P Ramaswami Road ?

Am not sure about the validity of this information, but it has been told that C P Ramaswami Iyer was resided in the same place where C P Art Gallery is located now. The GROVE School was supposed to be his residence.

Landmarks in and around C P Ramaswami Road :

• Apollo Day Care Hospital
• Sama Store
• Winners Bakery
• Spencers' daily
• Nilgiris
• Kaapi Cheenu
• Peta Wrap
• Naivedhya sweet shop
• A1 Chips
• Corner Tea Shop
• Sony World
• Krishna Sweets
• VLCC Centre
• Lawrence and Mayo
• Jawed Habib Hair Beauty Salon
• Naturals
• Kirtilals
• One by Two Juice Shop (Juice shop next to the corner tea stall)
• Mookambika Complex
• Billroth Hospital (Kaliappa)
• Cafe Coffee Day and much more

Locate Yourself :

Locate yourself : C P Ramaswami Road - Alwarpet. (Image Source : Google Maps)

Dr.Natesan Salai - Ice House & Dr. Natesan Park - T.Nagar (Name Reason)

Image Courtesy : Kaushik

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:: Name reason behind the famous roads / locations in Chennai :: 

Dr. Natesan Salai (Ice-House) & Natesan Park (T.Nagar) :

Two of the most famous places in Chennai. I believe almost all of us know where is Natesan Salai. It is the road which connects Ice-House / Triplicane with the City Center. The road which goes exactly opposite to the city center is Dr.Natesan Salai. It is a small road which sees huge traffic. This road is the hub of all the Timber Depots / Dealers. If you want to buy any wood realted products, head to Dr. Natesan Salai. You can find the timber depots one after another. The other one, Natesan Park doesn't need any introduction. Both these places were named after Dr.C.Natesa Mudaliar. Thanks to Kaushik for sharing his photographs of Natesan Park.


Dr. C. Natesa Mudaliar 

Dr.Natesa Mudaliar. Source: Madras Musings.com

Dr. C. Natesa Mudaliar (1875-1937), also known as Natesan, was a politician and activist of the Dravidian Movement from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He was one of the founders of the Justice Party along with Theagaroya Chetty and Dr. T. M. Nair. 

Natesa Mudaliar was born in a Vellalar family of Triplicane, Madras in 1875. 

He had his early schooling in Madras and graduated from Presidency College, Chennai and Madras Medical College before practising as a doctor. 

He founded the Madras United League in 1912 and was one of the founders of the South Indian Liberal Federation. 

He was elected to the Madras Legislative Council in 1923 as a candidate of the Justice Party and served as legislator till 1937. Natesa Mudaliar died in 1937 at the age of 62. 

Natesan's admirers regard him as a kind-hearted gentleman. K.M. Balasubramaniam, a writer and supporter of the Dravidian Movement, compared him to Mahatma Gandhi.

Source : in, wikipedia, Madras Musings.

Natesan Park from the Lens of Kaushik :

Entrance of Natesan Park

Good snap which shows the beauty of nature

In Chennai, The Nature's Beauty can be enjoyed only in the Parks.

Locate Yourself : 

Locate Yourself : Dr. Natesan Salai - Ice House (Image Source : Google Maps)

Usman Road - T.Nagar (Name Reason)

:: Chennai Factoids ::

:: Name reasons behind famous roads In Chennai ::

:: USMAN ROAD ::

It is yet another busiest road in T.Nagar and hub of all the shopping needs. We can get almost everything in this place. It is one such place which makes the people frustrated because of the traffic. The road which has the capability of emptying our wallet in the shortest possible time. And as we all know about this road, no need for further introduction , let me jump on to the name reason directly. Usman Road is named after Sir Mohammed Usman.

:: Sir Mohammed Usman ::

Sir Mohammed Usman was born to Mohammad Yakub who belonged to an aristocratic family of Tanjore , Madras Presidency in 1884. Usman graduated from the Madras Christian College and joined the South Indian Liberal Federation . Usman practised Unani medicine and acquired a reputation as an efficient physician. 

Usman was elected to the Madras Legislative Council as a Justice Party candidate in 1920 and served as a legislator from 1920 to 1923. Usman served as the President of the Corporation of Madras in 1924–25 and as the Shera of Madras in 1924. 

In October 1921, the Raja of Panagal , the Chief Minister of Madras, established a committee on Indigenous Systems of Medicine. He appointed Usman, the Secretary of the committee. 
In 1922, this Committee concluded that Ayurveda was based on genuine scientific theories and noted that its practice has been waning over the years. 

On March 30, 1925, Usman was appointed member of the executive council of the Governor of Madras . He was elected president of the Muhammedan Education Association of South India in 1930. 

When the Raja of Bobbili took over as the Chief Minister or Premier of the Madras Presidency, Usman was made the Minister of Home in the provincial government. However, Usman resigned in 1934 recommending A. T. Panneerselvam as his successor. Muslims of the Madras Presidency felt betrayed that Usman had not recommended a Muslim for the post and strongly opposed the candidature of Panneerselvam who was a Christian. 

Violent Muslim-Christian riots erupted in the province. Though the riots were eventually quelled, the incidents radicalized public opinion, both Muslim and Christian, against the Justice Party.

In 1935, Usman became the first Indian President of the Rotary Club of Madras.

Usman served as the acting Governor of Madras from May 16, 1934 to August 16, 1934. He was the first Indian to act as the Governor of Madras.

The British trusted Usman and considered him loyal. He served as a member of theIndian Defence Council in 1941–42 and as the Vice-Chancellor of Madras University from 1940 to 1942. 


On 2 July 1942, the Viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow , expanded his Executive Council to nineteen members, bringing in Usman, Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer , B. R. Ambedkar , Sir Jogendra Singh , and Sir J. P. Srivastava . This took the number of Indian members of the Council to fourteen, with five Europeans. Usman was made the member for Posts and Air.


Usman's political views, according to the next Viceroy, Wavell , were "such that even a hardened Tory might regard as reactionary", and Wavell later noted in his journal that Usman "believed that God never meant India to be independent". 

At a conference of Post Masters General shortly after the end of the Second World War , Usman said of the need to improve postal and telegraph services "We have won the War. We have now to win the peace."

Usman died on February 1, 1960 at the age of 76. 

Usman was knighted in 1928 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire in the New Year Honours of 1933.

Usman Road, a thoroughfare in T. Nagar , Chennai is named after Mohammad Usman.

Source : Wikipedia

Locate yourself : Usman Road - T.Nagar (Image Source : Google Maps)

Landmarks in and around Usman Road :

• Saravana Stores

  

  Image Source : The Hindu

• Pothys
• Sri Kumaran
• GRT Jewellers
• Joy Alukkas
• Murugan Idly Kadai
• Vasanth & Co
• Hotel Saravana Bhavan
• Viveks
• Kences Towers
• Mega Mart
• Next
• Raymond Showroom
• Siva Vishnu Temple
• Tanishq

A Day in Sea............

22nd Sep'12 : 


An Awesome day in sea being a part of Yacht Racing Team !!!

A lifetime experience for me... 5 long hours in sea for the Yacht Racing conducted by Royal Madras Yacht Club (RMYC). Me just a part of the team assisted the captain in the racing. But supposed to be active for all the 5 hours.

Many might wonder how i overcome my fearness., Me too wondered on how i enjoyed with less fear.. 

Thanks to my uncle Anand Venkatraman for taking me in....Thanks to Skipper Chinna  for the awesome snaps which were taken when I was there inside the Yacht and happy to meet Captain Vivek Shanbaz, had a nice time with him. 

Our team comprising of Captain Vivek Shanbaz, me, Aaryan & Abhirami has won 2 out of 3 races. Main thing is, we needs to be active for the whole 5 hours. The breeze and the sounds, awesome. Enjoyed the whole 5 hours.....

If you or your neighbour is a member of RMYC (Royal Madras Yacht Club), don't miss this opportunity.

Sharing few snaps taken that day.

In Harbour

Beauty of Sea

Around Harbour

Giant ships... Seeing these ships so close, for the first time... awesome experience !!

Wonderful View from the terrace of Club

Getting ready for racing.. Ready to sail...

All Set.....

Close shot of our yacht while in race

Dashing... Racing.....

Racing getting tougher..... Me in Yacht no 706.

Bird's Eye View & Archaeological View - A Visit to Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary & Gingee fort

17th June 2012 :: 

Another wonderful day of family outing. This time we headed to Vedanthangal Bird's Sanctuary and Gingee Fort !! 

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary :

Went to Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary first , Even though the season for birds s during Nov-March, we just gone there for picnic. But it was really awesome . 

Quite amazed to see all the birds together there !!! Nice atmosphere and also we need to appreciate the efforts by the maintenance staffs. 

We can never see any such parks/public place as clean as this one. Hats off to them. Had a cool breeze there, nice climate amidst hot summer !!!   

Sharing few snaps taken @ Vedanthangal :

History of Vedanthangal Sanctuary

At the Entrance

Flying High

Nature at its best

Beauty of Nature - Uncomparable

Double Dribble. Finally captured this one after missing few shots.... Nice to see

Flying High !!!!

A beautiful farmland on the rear side of the sanctuary 

Birds resting area

Scenic Beauty

Monkeys' Paradise

Eventhough its off season, we enjoyed our time.. still a lot of birds ! Cool Breeze in this hot summer !!! 

Birds taking rest !! Their sounds also pleasant to hear !!! 

Beautiful tree in front of the Vednthangal entrance

Gingee (Senjee) Fort :

Then we went to Gingee fort in afternoon. Unfortunately since the time crossed 3pm when we reach Gingee, we were not allowed to go to the top of the fort. But there were so many forts, prisons, and ancient places within fort itself. 

The Archaeology at those days were really awesome !! Again hats off to the Maintenance staffs for making this place clean !!

Its a must see place in chennai.. It will take atleast a day to cover the whole of Gingee Fort including the nearby temples. 

I felt like, Its a Mixture of Mamallapuran & Thanjore temples !!! Really enjoyed to the core, but we were short of time and missed many things there :( Worth to be chosen for one day picnic spot.

Few Snaps Taken @ Gingee Fort :

The Beautiful Entrance of the Gingee Fort

Full view of the Fotr

Just for fun - We conquered the  fort Lol :)

Beautiful view of the mountain

Beautifully constructed Kalyaana Mahal

Pond inside the Gingee Fort

Queen's Bath Place - Hats off to their construction

The best place !!! None of us know that there is a steps !! Even none of the other visitors.. Thanx to my dad who found this place... It was dead dark and reminds me of climax of films !!!!!

The above stairs lead us to this wonderful place !! 

Entrance to the STORE ROOM of ancient period

Nearby Temple..