Monthly Archives: November 2017

The Mount Road School in Chennai

Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion

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The East Indians, as Anglo Indians were known till 1911, were well served by schools and churches in almost every locality where they were in numbers. In New Town and Vepery areas, near where they served in the General Hospital and Gun Factory, the German missionaries representing the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge had done their bit. In Royapuram, the railway and harbour employees were well served by St Kevin’s and St Peter’s. And in Perambur, the railway hub, there was the Railways School and the Lourdes Shrine, all serving Protestants and Catholics. But where the poorest East Indians lived, in the Narasingapuram, Chintadripet, Pudupet and Royapettah areas there was nothing between St Mary’s in the Fort and St George’s Cathedral for those who worked in stables like Waller’s, coach-builders like Simpson’s, as printers in Addison’s, and sales-clerks in Spencer’s and Higginbotham’s. That was till the Rev Henry Taylor arrived in 1842 and was temporarily posted to sahibdom’s St George’s.

Struck by the poorer East Indians’ conditions in the Round Tana area, Taylor rented a room there in July 1842 and commenced worship and primary classes. That will on November 26, be celebrated as the 175th anniversary of Christ Church, Mount Road, and its school. Growth followed thanks to Thomas Parker Waller who owned a large stable and coach rental here. When a building and compound he offered the new institution was deemed too small, he negotiated exchange of a part of his estate for an adjacent property and gifted in perpetuity the latter, then worth ₹ 12,000, to the new church. Here, Taylor’s successor, Rev Robert Carver (Miscellany, February 6) established in 1843 two schools called the Mount Road Male and Female Schools, to be duly called the Christ Church School. Another building in this property was used for worship. Work on the church began in 1850 to John Law’s design and Christ Church, Mount Road, was consecrated in 1852. The Church, including furniture from Deschamps, then a leading furniture maker, cost ₹ 37,000.

Remembered in the Church with a memorial tablet and in the name of a primary school opened in 1986 is TP Waller. Another tablet, one in the porch, remembers his son, a veterinarian, who died in 1830. Connected or not, another Waller name figures in the School’s history; Bishop Edward Waller (1922-41) helped the school considerably with Diocesan funding.

Funds were till the 20th Century a constant problem for the School. Typically, an 1854 note showed expenses being ₹90 a month and school fees only about ₹30 from around 120 students! It was a poor school with poorer children. This lack of funds was to over the years affect the character of the school, which kept shuttling between being a middle school and a lower school.

The history of this period is too depressing, not to mention full of upheavals, to record. But what seemed like a closed chapter became a new chapter with Waller’s infusion of funds and support from St George’s Cathedral, St Mary’s in the Fort and St Matthias, Vepery.

This made possible a new block in 1928 at a cost of ₹40,000 and recognition as a High School in 1947. In 1949, when St George’s Cathedral School closed, Christ Church welcomed its students, as numbers meant viability. Today, with over 2,000 students it is a co-educational higher secondary school from 1905 with good results and many a university entrant, a far cry from 1930 when it reported “After years of barren results, it is refreshing to find one passing in the Middle School examination”! That was a School that changed from 1936 after the previous 25 years had recorded “hardly one per cent in passes”. Since then it has been recording 90-100 % passes and students joining India’s most prestigious services and institutions. Among them is Dr John Varghese, principal of St Stephen’s College, Delhi.

The mystery of the missing award

My mention on August 27th of the Jagirdar of Arni’s Gold Medal for Physics/ Chemistry not having been awarded for years, has brought intriguing information. In letters to the Arni family in 2005, Presidency College categorically stated their records showed no such awards. Yet, in 1992, plaques were seen in the College’s Central Hall listing Arni Award winners in Physics and Chemistry.

Still more intriguing is that the CVs of many leading Indian scientists mention them as having received the award. These include Dr CV Raman in 1905, Dr Govind Rao (‘Father of Chemical Engineering in India’) in 1921, and Dr S Chandrasekhar in 1930. Later winners found include in 1956 (Physics) Dr TR Viswanathan, a Director of Texas Instruments after stints at MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford and Berkeley, in 1974 (Chemistry) Dr N Pattabhiraman, Professor of Oncology, Lombardi Cancer Centre, Washington DC, Dr N Gopalaswamy (1977, Physics) who was with NASA, and Dr S Moorthy Babu, Anna University.

With so many winners, listed as late as 1986 (Dr Babu), how could an award vanish into thin air? Be that as it may, would the College like to start all over again with the help of the Arni family?

The chronicler of Madras that is Chennai tells stories of people, places, and events from the years gone by, and sometimes from today

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture> Madras Miscellany / by S Muthiah / November 07th, 2017

Pennycuick hardly known in England

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, World Opinion
John Pennycuick’s grave in England.
John Pennycuick’s grave in England.

Film-maker traces British engineer’s roots in the country

The famed British civil engineer John Pennycuick, who built the Mullaperiyar dam, may be extremely popular in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu for building the dam and his life may have inspired actor Rajinikanth’s Lingaa, but he is reportedly practically unknown in England.

Having grown up listening to stories about John Pennycuick in Uthamapalayam in Theni district, Santhana Beeroli, a documentary filmmaker, wants to change it by making a film about the illustrious British engineer who constructed what is generally called an engineering marvel.

“In my home town, Pennycuick is a massive hero. Ever since I was a kid, I grew up listening to his story and was interested in knowing more about him. This is one of the reasons why I came to the U.K. to study. My wish is that Mullaiperiyar dam should become a famous tourist spot in his memory,” he says.

Despite John Pennycuick’s popularity in Tamil Nadu, finding Pennycuick’s family roots proved to be difficult, confesses Santhana Beeroli, who currently lives in Croydon, London.

After failing to find any leads, Mr. Beeroli says that he had to approach a professor at the History Department, University of Chester, where the film-maker was pursuing his Masters in Business Administration.

“I only knew that he died in Camberly, where he had his family home, which he reportedly sold to fund the dam. The professor recommended that I look for leads in the British Library in Euston. Luckily, I found valuable information about the Mullaiperiyar dam, the designs, financial aspects [balance sheets], his own appointment letter, which gave me an idea about the kind of engineering marvel that it is,” said Mr. Beeroli.

He adds, “Over nine years’ time, during which he built the dam, he didn’t take a single day’s leave so as to ensure that people who worked on the dam were not going off track. It was a complex engineering feat – to divert a westward flowing river towards the east to irrigate the plains. Apart from these information, I also documented the oral history about how the dam was built by speaking to people whose grandfathers and fathers worked to build the dam.”

While the library had documented important information, Mr. Beeroli says that it proved almost impossible to trace his family members. “The British lifestyle values privacy and since almost 100 years had passed, it was very difficult to find his family. But through a website that helps find family trees, I was able to gather that he had at least four daughters and a son. I was able to figure out that his great grandson was John Hope.”

Asked about how Pennycuick’s descendants reacted, Mr. Beeroli said that most of them were surprised and inspired by the story of their illustrious ancestor.

“The people in the church where he was laid to rest didn’t realise how important and revered Pennycuick is in Tamil Nadu. My wish is to take his family to the dam. The film is 70% complete already and soon will be ready,” he says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by Udhav Naig / Chennai – November 02nd, 2017

Chennai girl awes with her boxing skills

Records, All, Sports

Chennai:

“I always get to hear this question: Why boxing? May be because, I am a girl. Well, this is the only venue, where I can beat somebody and not get into any trouble,’” grins A Pavithra, a resident of Aadhanoor, who is being trained at Railway Institute Tambaram Boxing Club, located at Railway Ground, East Tambaram.

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A class 8 student of Adi Dravida Higher Secondary School, she is a national and State-level boxer and has won several medals.

“Mohammad Ali is my role model. There is a lot to learn from his tactics and follow it,’” said Pavithra, who is trained by coach P Saravanan.

In the recently held State-level championship for boxing in the under-15 category, she won a medal. She has also won several medals in 200 and 400 metres athletics.

“‘Pavithra is one of my most obedient students, who does not miss her practice like others of her age group do. And, above all, she often does it with a smile and willingness on her face. She’s an inspiration to some and a role model to many,”’ said coach Saravanan.

On how she took up boxing, her uncle S Balaji said, “‘It all started at the age of 9. She was strong enough to defend her family members and seeing it, I enrolled her to karate, which she discontinued due to lack of interest. Later, given a choice, she chose to learn boxing and also showed interest in athletics.”

An average student in academics, Pavithra finds it hard to juggle between her passion and studies. Also hailing from a middle class background, it becomes a challenge at times for her to pay for the expenses and get good accessories for the sport.

Fortunately, she has been recognised and is being supported by Tamil Amudhan, who is extending all help. Pavithra is taken care of by her uncle Balaji and he can be reached at 98845 43839.

source: http://www.newstodaynet.com / NewsToday / Home / by Konda Somna / Nov 04th, 2017

Neeru’s opens first family store in Chennai

Business & Economy, Records, All

Neeru’s, a leading ethnic wear retailer is opening its first family store at Anna Nagar. The store will be inaugurated by actress Shruthi Hassan along with Neeru’s family. Alongwith Chennai, Neeru’s has also expanded its footprint in Kochi and Kanpur.

Apart from opening in Chennai, Neeru’s has also made its mark in MG Road Kochi and Lucknow
Apart from opening in Chennai, Neeru’s has also made its mark in MG Road Kochi and Lucknow

The store features an inviting and inspiring design which exudes the sophistication of the brand.

The store showcases Neeru’s extensive range of clothing which redefines and modernizes Indian attire for women. Right from innovative silk lehengas to stylish Banarasi sarees, suits, mix-and-match, accessories and the signature Neeru Kumar collection. The store also houses Little Neeru’s which is dedicated to children up to 14 years of age. Ranging from everyday ethnic wear to festive wear, the brand caters to a spectrum of discerning audiences with varied tastes and style.

Neeru’s has an exclusive 1,000 handpicked silk saree collection and is all set to revolutionize silk with a bouquet of ensembles from silk collection from Kanjeevaram, Banarasi, Uppadas, Pochampally, Coimbatore, Gadwal, Rajkot Patola and Pure Zari.

Apart from opening in Chennai, Neeru’s has also made its mark in MG Road Kochi and Lucknow.

The store also caters to the young fashion trends with an array of ethnic attires for the little ones. The kid’s collection is on par to the men and women’s collection when it comes to designs and style.

Stating the USP of the brand – Selling the latest and the best of Indian ethnic wear at a reasonable price tag, Director, Neeru’s, Avnish Kumar said, “We are delighted to open our first family store in Chennai and will be expanding our presence with three more stores, taking the count to five stores. Our aim is to serve the clothing demands right from everyday to D-day of the mass, thus our collection rejoices the finest craftsmanship and grandeur of luxurious fabrics with just perfect blend of traditional Indian finery with contemporary styles.”

source: http://www.indiaretailing.com / IndiaRetailing.com / Home> Fashion / by India Retailing Bureau / October 30th, 2017

In a first in Tamil Nadu, Srirangam temple bags Unesco award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion

Trichy :

The Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam has bagged an award of merit from Unesco for protecting and conserving cultural heritage, thus becoming the first temple from Tamil Nadu to grab the prestigious honour from the UN body. The traditional method of renovating temple premises as well as re-establishment of rainwater harvesting and the historic drainage system in preventing flooding are the two key parameters that earned the temple the award.

Launched in 2000, Unesco-Asia Pacific awards for cultural heritage conservation programme is aimed at acknowledging the efforts taken to restore and conserve historical structures without affecting their heritage value in the region comprising 48 countries. Unesco had invited applications earlier this year to submit conservation projects either taken up by individuals or in public-private partnership model in the last 10 years for the awards. Subsequently, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department of Srirangam temple applied for the awards in May. As the results of the awards given under four categories were disclosed by Unesco Asia-Pacific on Wednesday, Srirangam temple was the only religious centre from south India to find a mention under ‘Award of Merit’ category.

HR&CE sources said that the temple had received the international recognition for the Rs 20 crore (from HR&CE and donors) renovation project taken up prior to a consecration ceremony in November 2015, especially without affecting its centuries’ old architectural design. “The communique received by us cited the traditional construction method involved in reworks and re-establishment of the historical sewage system as parameters for receiving the international award,” P Jayaraman, joint commissioner of the temple, told TOI. In 2015, restoration work was carried out in the entire temple complex by craftsmen who had in-depth knowledge in traditional architecture involving the usage of limestone and chemical-free construction practices.

Similarly, the flooding problem in the temple was overcome by re-establishing historical water harvesting and drainage system, and the waste water after re-treatment was used for watering the garden within the temple.

There were 43 applications from 10 countries for the 2017 Unesco Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. Mumbai’s Christ Church and Royal Bombay Opera House were the other monuments in India that received the Award of Merit this year.

The awards are classified under four categories — Award of Excellence, Awards of Distinction, Awards of Merit and Award for New Design in Heritage Context. They are being given to encourage the efforts of all stakeholders and the public in conserving and promoting monuments and religious institutes with rich heritage in the Asia-Pacific region. A jury comprising nine international heritage conservation experts reviewed the documentation of the conservation project taken up by Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple management.

In Video: In a first in Tamil Nadu, Srirangam temple bags Unesco award

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Tamil Nadu / TNN / November 02nd, 2017

Neurologist Krishnamoorthy Srinivas dies in Chennai aged 84

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technologies, World Opinion
Dr Krishnamoorthy Srinivas
Dr Krishnamoorthy Srinivas

Chennai :

More than 50 years ago when many doctors were leaving India in search of green pastures, Dr Krishnamoorthy Srinivas returned home. The clinical neurologist, who had ensured free or subsidised but quality care for all his patients since then, breathed his last in a private hospital at Mylapore at 6.10am on Wednesday. He was 84.

“He went into coma on Sunday and never woke up,” said his son Dr Ennapadam S Krishnamoorthy, a neuropsychiatrist.

Senior doctors, patients, industrialists and several eminent people paid their last respects to Dr Srinivas who had always looked into his patients’ eyes and listened to them.

After landing in Chennai with three FRCPs and intensive training in Canada, Dr Srinivas worked in Voluntary Health Services, a hospital founded Dr K S Sanjeevi, and in the Public Health Centre at West Mambalam.

“I started my training in July 1959 at Montreal, Canada. Fifty-six years have passed since I entered neurology. Essentially, I am a clinical neurologist with interests in the welfare of patients, especially in patient care, in clinical diagnosis and teaching. I follow Sir William Osler’s obiter dictum—placing research after the above are done,” he wrote for a commentary in Neurology India journal in 2015.

Dr Srinivas belonged to the rare breed of doctors who encouraged patients to speak more in his consultation room.

One of his students, senior neurologist Dr AV Srinivasan recalled how he would tell his postgraduates. “Hurry, hurry, listen to the patient, he is giving us the diagnosis.”

He sent them for tests and prescribed medicines only if was convinced that they were necessary. “It is not that he did not believe in scans or other diagnostic tests. He used technology only to enhance his clinical skills,” Dr A V Srinivasan.

Though research came last, he has authored several papers in peer reviewed journals. He loved teaching and worked as an honorary professor at the Madras Medical College and in several other medical colleges.
He set up the Institute of Neurological Sciences at the VHS and brought eminent scholars in neurology to speak on fascinating topics such of the brain and mind that would interest not just doctors, but members of the public as well.

On Wednesday, as he bid adieu, one of his patients, 74-year-old R Venkatraman, said, “His work is done. He may now rest forever.”

The last rites will be held in the Mylapore crematorium at 5pm.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Chennai News / Pushpa Narayan / TNN / November 01st, 2017