One of the British-built revetment which had got weakened at the Sozhagan head sluice near Kuthalam in Nagapattinam district. / Photo: A. Muralidharan
Under IAMWARM scheme on an outlay of Rs. 90 crore
A British-built irrigation infrastructure on three major rivers passing through Nagapattinam and Thanjavur districts will be renovated at an estimate of Rs. 90 crore.
The Public Works Department will execute the work under the Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation and Water bodies Restoration and Management (IAMWARM) scheme. The British-built revetments, damaged sluices, regulators and weak banks will be renovated and strengthened so ensure effective management of irrigation supply.
The infrastructure on rivers such as Manjalaru, Veerasozhanaru and Manniyaru will be given a facelift with total strengthening of the revetment. The brick work will all be replaced by concrete structures and the damaged head sluices, regulators and bed dams would be renovated, an official source told The Hindu here on Thursday.
The Manjalaru flowing from Sathanur near Kuttalam accounted for a course of 40 km, with 25 sluices, eight regulators and one bed dam. It had an ayacut of about 50,000 acres. The Manniyaru, with a total course of 60 km from Thanjavur to Nagapattinam, had about 60,000 acres irrigating the fields through 30 sluices, two regulators and one bed dam. The Veerasozhanaru had 50 head sluices, six regulators and eight bed dams. It ran its course for about 50 km.
The source said that the work would facilitate efficient management of water for irrigation. The work would be taken up after the forthcoming monsoon. “As it involves a good part of masonry and civil works, it can be executed only during the non-monsoon season,” the source said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / M. Balaganesin / Nagapattinam – August 02nd, 2016
The road in question is in Adyar, shortly after the bridge / Photo: Special Arrangement
That is an intriguing name. The road in question is in Adyar, shortly after the bridge. It had me scurrying home to consult Venkatesh Krishnamoorthy’s book A Tale of Two Schools, which documents the history of the Sankara Schools run by the Indian Education Trust. Much of the details in this article are from that work.
Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Colonel Henry Steel Olcott founded the Theosophical Society (TS) in 1875 in New York. They acquired the 27-acre estate of the thickly wooded Huddlestone Gardens on the banks of the Adyar River in 1882 and established the world headquarters of the Society there in 1883. Annie Besant, who became its President in 1907, was instrumental in the Society becoming a huge 266-acre estate by 1910.
The TS needed a press for printing its tracts, and in 1907, Annie Besant purchased the necessary machinery and established it just outside the estate, on a narrow road adjoining the Society’s world headquarters entrance. By then, the Theosophists had ‘sanskritised’ Besant into Vasantha, and the printing facility became the Vasantha Press, the road taking its name from it. An interesting aside is that the Besant School begun by the TS had its prayer dedicated to Annie Besant. The song composed by the legendary Papanasam Sivan is in raga Vasantha and begins with the words Devi Vasanthe!
The foundation stone for the Vasantha Press was laid in 1908, and it became functional a short while later. In 1914, Mrs Besant acquired the Madras Standard, a daily, and renamed it New India. The paper, which electrified the freedom movement with its demand for Home Rule, was initially brought out from the Vasantha Press.
Running into frequent trouble with the authorities, it moved its offices in 1916 to the New India Building on Second Line Beach, from where it was published till its demise, which was probably in 1926. New India Building is now home to another of Besant’s creations, the Young Men’s Indian Association (YMIA). It is temporarily housed there, even as it takes ages to make up its venerable mind over what is to be done with its original home — Gokhale Hall, on Armenian Street.
After Annie Besant’s death in 1933, the TS acquired and ran Vasantha Press for long. An expanded facility was built in Besant Gardens in the TS premises in 1971 and the Press moved there. The Sankara School, set up in R.K. Nagar, Raja Annamalaipuram, at the instance of the Kanchi Paramacharya and spearheaded by P.R. Pattabhiraman, was then looking for property that it could acquire and expand in. The Indian Education Society (now Trust) that manages the school purchased the erstwhile Vasantha Press property in 1973. The school moved in the same year and continues to function from there. The old press building has made way for state-of-the-art classrooms, but the spirit of Besant, who believed in preparing the younger generation for meeting the challenges of the future, lives on.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Sriram V / Chennai – July 29th, 2016
The street commemorates members of the Lodd family / Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Chennai has never had it so good as far as interest in its history goes. Numerous heritage walks, talks, discussion forums, photography and art groups are flooding us with information on our rich past. Most of it is wonderful, throwing up long-forgotten nuggets. Sadly, we also have some mischievous elements contributing what can be classified as plain tales.
Take for instance the story of Lord Labak Das. That phrase, for it cannot be qualified as a name, though an old one, became famous following a sequence involving comedian Vivek in a movie that I have long forgotten. But of late, there is a persistent WhatsApp forward, which claims that Lord Labak Das was in fact Lord Labough Dash, a kind-hearted Governor of Madras in the pre-Independence era. The message also has an image of the supposed person, which on closer inspection turns out to be Lord Curzon! And so, Lord Labough Dash is a figment of someone’s imagination. There was never any pre-Independence governor of that name and none of the incumbents could be termed kind-hearted, with the sole exception of Sir Thomas Munro.
As always in such cases, the tale of Lord Labak Das has a grain of truth. It draws inspiration from the Lodd family. These were wealthy and highly philanthropic Gujarati merchants of the late 19th and early 20th Century Madras, the patriarch being Lodd Krishnadoss Balamukundoss, who was a partner in the firm of Govindoss Giridhardoss & Co. His son Lodd Govindoss has been frequently written about in The Hindu. The family’s community prefix of Lodd gave rise to an interesting story even in the early 20th century — it was said that they got the name because they distributed laddus free to everyone in George Town! It also inspired humorists and the early Tamil magazine Ananda Bodhini carried stories of two warring businessmen, Gulab Jan Das and Kunja Ladu Das, both named after sweetmeats!
The Lodd family owned a vast area bounded by General Patters Road. This was known as Patters Gardens and in its heyday played host to the likes of Raja Ravi Varma, Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and the Music Academy’s 1937 annual conference. The estate has long been divided among family members, some of whom still live within it. Lodd Govindoss has a memorial in a corner. One part of the erstwhile estate is now known as Border Thottam, most likely a corruption of Patter Thottam (Gardens). This was privately developed and sold by the Lodds even in the 1930s and L(odd) G(ovindoss) N(agar) Road, V(ijaya) N(arayana) Doss Road and Gopal Doss Road commemorate members of the family. Satyamurti Bhavan, the Chennai home of the Congress Party, fronts Patters Gardens and stands on land gifted by Lodd Govindoss.
It is time we stopped looking for anglicised props to support history in our backyard. If we at all want to search for the inspiration behind Lord Labak Das, let us give a kind-hearted Gujarati the credit.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Sriram V / Chennai – July 15th, 2016
The author of Tamil prayer Neeradum Kadaludutha was a philosopher, historian and epigraphist
He is known as the author of the Tamil prayer Neeradum Kadaludutha , which is part of his verse drama ‘Manonmaniam’. But few people know that P. Sundaram Pillai was a philosophy professor at the Maharaja’s college in Trivandram for over 15 years and the work was dedicated to Robert Harvey, Professor and Head of the Department of the College.
Sundaram Pillai, who died at the age of 42 in 1897, was also a historian, an epigraphist and a government official who held the post of Commissiones of separate revenue.
“He dedicated his work to Dr. Harvey as it was he who had recommended the appointment of Sundaram Pillai in his place after he decided to leave for England. He had even named his house as Harverypuram,” said A.K. Perumal, whose new book Manonmaniam Sundaranarin Innorupakkam (‘The other side Manonmaniam Sundaram’, NCBH), throws light on the multi-faceted personality of the author of the Tamil prayer.
‘Manonmaniam’ has its roots in Lord Litten’s ‘The Secret Way’, which was part of the collection of ‘The Lost Tales of Miletus’.
It was made into a film by Modern Theatres in 1942. The prayer song was set to music by late M.S. Viswanathan, but M. Karunanidhi, the then Chief Minister, deleted a few lines.
Sundaram Pillai’s family was from Kalakadu in Tirunelveli district and moved to Alapuzha in the 18th century.
“He had studied Tamil in school. It is not clear how he had learnt Tamil literature in Kerala even though he was in touch with great Tamil scholars of his time, including U.Ve. Swaminatha Iyer and C.V. Damodaram Pillai,” said Mr. Perumal.
When he was the principal of the MDT Hindu School he learnt Saiva Siddantha from Kodakanallur Sundara Swamigal and held a long discussion with Swami Vivekananda during his visit to Kerala.
As the Commissiones of separate revenue, the temple management was under his control and it came in handy for his research on epigraphs.
“As a historian he established with substantial evidence that Saivaite saint Thirugnana Sambandar belonged to 7th century and his English essay on the subject was published in the journal of the Madras Christian College. He also wrote an early sovereign of Travancore, an in-depth study of Travancore history,” said Mr Perumal, who has collected the essays.
Lost letters
“Unfortunately, we are not able to get many of his letters and photographs. Since he was a Congressman, police seized many documents from his residence, including his correspondence with Swami Vivekananda. They are lost permanently,” said Mr. Perumal.
‘He was in touch with great Tamil scholars of his time, including U.Ve. Swaminatha Iyer’
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – July 24th, 2016
The 26th annual conference of the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Association was held at Kaveripattinam here on Saturday.
Scholars, archaeologists, epigraphists, and students attended the conference.
The theme of the conference was themed around Aavanam or Documentation by the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Association. Exclusive journals on archaeology and epigraphy were released on the day.
Arun Raj, Superintendent Archaeologist, ASI, Bengaluru, presented a report on Arthipura excavation of the Jain Site near Maddur in Hassan district of Karnataka.
The special paper on the excavation was presented by Arun Raj, Superintendent Archaeologist, ASI, Bengaluru. The structure and artifacts that were part of the discovery made in November 2015, is a significant 9th century AD excavation for South Indian Jainism. Arthipura is about 50 kilometers from Shravanabelagola. The excavation was a four-month-long process, Mr. Arun Raj told The Hindu .
“This is the first presentation after the major discovery as far as South Indian Jainism is concerned,” he said. Amarnath Ramakrishnan, Superintendent Archaeologist, ASI, Chennai, presented the Keezhadi excavation that revealed ancient settlements dating back to the Sangam age.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Staff Reporter / Krishnagiri – July 24th, 2016
Searching for some information the other day I was delving into The Madras Tercentenary Commemoration Volume when I noticed that there had been an officially constituted Madras Tercentenary Celebration Committee in1939 and that it had been chaired by a Dewan Bahadur S E Runganadhan. The name struck a chord and I recalled having written briefly about him in his role as Vice Chancellor of the University of Madras. It was as Vice Chancellor (1937-40) that he had ensured the publication in 1939 of the 20,000-word addendum to the Tamil Lexicon (1924-1936). And it was while Vice Chancellor that he had steered the celebrations of Madras’s 300th birthday, which included the publication of the Tercentenary Volume and a History of Madras by Rao Saheb C S Srinivasachari who had been the first Professor of History at Annamalai University.
Srinivasachari’s Vice Chancellor at Annamalai University had been its first, Samuel Ebenezer Runganadhan (1929-35). Starting from scratch, Runganadhan had developed at Chidambaram the country’s first private university to a level of the country’s pioneering ones — Calcutta, Bombay, Madras and Allahabad. Runganadhan had come to Annamalai after heading a college and teaching English at Presidency from 1908 to 1915 and heading that famed Department from 1919 to 1929.
The quintessential ‘brown sahib’ in immaculate Western attire, speaking impeccable English perfectly pronounced, and displaying the elegant manners of English gentry, he was considered a better teacher of English than any Englishman. It was only his occasional outbursts of temper over carelessness and shoddy work that cracked the veneer, it was said. But it was also said that it was the standards that he set that helped Annamalai University sink deep roots and grow into an institution of repute, a reputation unsullied until recent years.
Invited to serve on the Council of the Secretary of State for India in 1940, Runganadhan moved to London and from there it was but a step to being appointed High Commissioner of the Government of India in 1943, the year he was knighted. He was succeeded by V K Krishna Menon in 1947, who became Independent India’s first representative in the U.K.
The years immediately after the end of the war in Europe saw Indian students wanting to come to the U.K. for higher studies; the U.S. had not yet been ‘discovered’. But with its own war veterans returning to civvy life and Britain’s limited number of universities and polytechnics having to cater to them, Sir Samuel had his hands full trying to find seats for Indian students (I was one he couldn’t help) — especially with all the pressures being exerted on him. Getting Indian victims of the war — the wounded in hospitals, stranded sailors from torpedoed ships, and released prisoners-of-war — back home with the limited passages available was another problem that he had to tackle. And not least of all, he had to ensure the supplies India’s nascent industries needed. But he coped and survived and returned to India to enjoy a long retired life involved with various Christian activities like the Christian Medical Colleges and the YMCA.
The Best cricketers
The mention of A W Stansfeld of Best & Co in this column on June 13 reminded me of an era when the British business houses expected their ‘officers’ (they’re ‘executives’ nowadays) to be members of clubs and participate in the activities of such institutions, particularly in sport. Stansfeld’s firm (later Best & Crompton) was one of the most sports-minded of the lot and contributed significantly to Presidency teams and sports administration. Stansfeld, like Robert Carrick, Robert Denniston (later to be knighted) and E K Shattock, played cricket for the State and was to later say that the fact that he enjoyed playing cricket had a great deal to do with his being recruited by Denniston.
When Stansfeld sailed for India in 1937, Best’s London representative cabled Madras, “Sending A W Stansfeld. Left hand bat, played Kent Second Eleven.” Hastening Stansfeld’s departure from London was the fact that he was needed to replace Raymond King who was going on Home Leave. King himself was to remember his arrival in Madras at about 9.30 a.m. on a Sunday morning in January 1929. No sooner had he sat for breakfast with a colleague in the chummery, there was a call for him. It was from Denniston. “The A team (Madras Cricket Club) is one short,” said the legendary Denniston (Miscellany, July 28, 2003) after the usual warm welcome. “Would you be a good chap and join us?” And, since you don’t say ‘no’ to the boss even if you have spent two nights on the train for Bombay, there was R M King, later to be Chairman and Managing Director of the Company, on the field at 11.30 a.m.! He goes on to recollect, “At lunch, I signed the membership form and by 6 pm the following day I performed a similar action for the Gymkhana Club as I was required to play rugger against HMS Emerald on the Thursday of my first week.”
The most talented of the Best cricketers was, however, the burly Robert Black (Bob) Carrick. The ‘Four Musketeers’ of early Madras cricket were Daniel Richmond (also to be later knighted), Robert Denniston (Denny to all), C P Johnstone and H P Ward, the former two for their administrative contributions though their cricketing role was not insignificant, the latter two for their cricketing prowess, making the two Oxbridge Blues amongst the best ever in Madras cricketing history. But if they were the musketeers, they needed a D’Artagnan. And that was Bob Carrick.
Carrick, described as the ‘Jessop’ of Madras cricket and a player who could hit sixes on request, it was said, played for the Presidency for 18 years, including turning out against A E Gilligan’s team in 1927. C Ramaswami described this public school (Winchester) product as “the idol of the crowds”, a “natural cricketer who lifted the ball over the ropes with ease. His off-drives and hits to the long-off and long-on were pleasing to watch. Brilliant in fielding, his medium paced bowling was often used.” But typical of the best sportsmen of the age, Carrick was an outstanding all-rounder.
By 1929, Carrick had won the South India Golf Championship at Ooty nine times, on every occasion he participated. He played hockey for the MCC’s title winning teams, he muddied himself at rugby and soccer for the Gymkhana Club in championship events, and was a regular at the South Indian Tennis Championships. They don’t make them like that any more.
The Tom Kibble wedding
A picture out of the past
Prof. Rani Siromoney of Madras Christian College sends me this wedding picture from the past through Prof. Joshua Kalapati, the chronicler of MCC, as a reminder of the connection Prof. Tom Kibble, F.R.S., internationally renowned mathematical physicist, who passed away recently, had with MCC. He was the son of Prof. Walter Frederick Kibble, the third head of MCC’s Department of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, a department Kibble Sr. served from 1924 to 1961. His wife Janet was head of the women’s hostel in Guindy.
Tom Kibble was born in Madras, when MCC was in George Town, and grew up in Tambaram till he left for the U.K. for higher studies in the 1940s. In Madras, he schooled at Doveton Corrie. I wonder how many there remember him.
Walter Kibble was the mentor for several students who went on to teach at MCC, like Rani and Gift Siromoney and George Abraham.
Today’s picture of Tom Kibble’s wedding dates to 1957 and on the extreme right are Walter and Janet Kibble.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Metroplus / by S. Muthiah / June 19th, 2016
Best of Chennai Volume 2 tells a vibrant story of the metropolis through perceptive articles and beautiful visuals. Editor Sandhya Mendonca talks to DEEPA ALEXANDER about the making of the coffee table book
The Sangam Lobby at ITC Grand Chola, with its elegant white stucco and spectacular copper-and-bronze horses, is an ornate narrative of Chennai, a city that Sandhya Mendonca celebrates in her latest book. As she sits to be photographed at the head of a sweeping staircase, she holds in her hands Best of Chennai Volume 2, to be released that evening by the Governor of Tamil Nadu, K. Rosaiah. Published by Bangalore-based Raintree Media, the book — sixth in a series published in India — is part of a unique format that is brought out in over 40 countries by Global Village Partnerships to showcase entrepreneurial spirit and bridge cultures.
Coming seven years after the first volume published in 2009, Best of Chennai Volume 2 is an opulent production, a slim slab that covers topics as far afield as culture and corporate icons, education and hospitality, luxury and logistics, spaces and entertainment and media and start-ups.
“It took our team of nine, the better part of a year to lay it out,” says Sandhya Mendonca, editor-in-chief, Raintree Media, who conceived and edited the book. Mendonca, who holds a Masters in Political Science and started out as a journalist, took her love for writing and editing further, when she founded her media brand 12 years ago. “I handled public relations for events with artistes such as Mark Knopfler and Sting, and taught as visiting faculty at IIM-B. I had explored nearly all aspects of communication… it was time to become a publishing entrepreneur.”
“The first book I published was on a golf course in Bangalore. I approach publishing like an artist does his painting — and therefore, the book was designed like a golf ball, with birds that populated the course as page holders. I got hooked to doing different kinds of books filled with both style and substance,” says Mendonca. An eye for unusual layout and a love for celebrating communities pictorially led to Raintree producing handsome customised volumes on the culture of states, gymkhana clubs, Raj Bhavans, cricket teams and schools. Fiction, articles for magazines and websites, and books in the Best of… and Marvels of… series artfully mix travel with scenes from the everyday.
“The Best of… series is part of Sven Boermeester’s Global Village Partnerships. When Sven travelled to Australia, he decided to create a template to show the best of what is local. Most people feel they know everything there is to know of their city or country, but that isn’t always true. The Best of… series has the same format across the world, whether the regions they feature are homogenous or culturally diverse. In particular, they look at businesses and what makes the region tick,” she says.
Decades of photojournalism have illustrated Chennai’s major themes and trends, so how different then is this book from others? “It serves a fresh dish. You try to find hidden aspects even in the many stories and people that are known in the city. Not many in Chennai are aware of the Officers Training Academy or how Real Image Media Technologies enhances their cinema experience or that Ajit Narayanan, who pioneered an app for children with communication impairments, is an IIT-Madras boy,” says Mendonca.
The book decodes Chennai’s history from its gracious days as modern India’s first city with its garden houses and elegant boulevards, to its status as a hub for films, fine arts, start-ups and education. It celebrates change through finely-scripted articles by both producers and guest writers, such as dancer Anita Ratnam and film critic Baradwaj Rangan. It interviews heads of established business houses, hotels, restaurants and building conglomerates, who have shaped the city’s many incarnations. “The business houses here are icons, their work is mindboggling, but they are very low-key about it. So, the book has some rare interviews where these corporates speak of the role of their companies.”
It also captures the zeitgeist of our culture — dance, music, art and theatre — from the classical to the common. “This is a city framed by the idea of culture,” says Mendonca, flipping through the pages punctuated with a rich tapestry of artwork by Achuthan Kudallur, S. Nandagopal and K. Muralidharan. “The book focusses as much on mainstream culture as it does on the alternative,” she says, alluding to Sofia Ashraf’s music video on the mercury pollution in Kodaikanal and the incredible work of the common man during the floods. “It weighs on Chennai’s culture and commerce in equal measure. A community that hinges only on commerce will have no soul.”
It is this essence of the book that Governor K. Rosaiah endorsed at the launch, when he commended the team for capturing the city’s indomitable spirit. “The book nicely depicts the bouquet of culture, architecture and commerce of Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai,” he said.
It should be read not only because it celebrates the city but also because it celebrates us.
(Priced at Rs. 3,000, Best of Chennai Volume 2 is available at Odyssey, Chamiers and online.)
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Metroplus / Deepa Alexander / Chennai – July 08th, 2016
Rich tributes were paid to the British Governor of Madras Presidency Sir Thomas Munro on Wednesday on the occasion of his death anniversary. This year also marks the 190th year of his visit to The Nilgiris.
Dharmalingam Venugopal, Director of the Nilgiris Documentation Centre, which had organised the function, said that it was on this day in 1827 the Governor in Council in Madras, headed by Sir Thomas Munro finally recommended to the Court of Directors of the East India Company to establish. The Nilgiris as a convalescing station for invalid British soldiers. It resulted in establishing the first hill station of the British Raj at Ootacamund.
Superintendent of Police, The Nilgiris, Murali Rambha, who was the chief guest, said that it was the authority of the Government headed by Munro that laid the foundation for a British hill station in The Nilgiris.
Congratulating the Nilgiri Documentation Centre for its ongoing efforts, Mr. Murali Rambha urged that it was essential for the local people of The Nilgiris to recognise and remember the contribution of such great administrator to preserve the beauty and environment of The Nilgiris. Representatives of Make Ooty Beautiful, Nilgiri Library Book Club, Nilgiris Educational and Research Foundation and Sullivan Court participated.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Special Correspondent / Coimbatore – July 07th, 2016
Deep connections:Students looking at an ancient ring found at Pattarai Perumbudhur.—Photo: B.Jothi Ramalingam
Romans used the city as a transit hub to trade with northern States
For ancient Romans, Chennai was not just another trading port town along the coastline. Instead, the city was a key transit hub for them to carry out their trade.
New findings have emerged after a team of archaeologists from the Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department found broken pieces of roulette ware, a Roman royal household ware, at an excavation site in Pattarai Perambadur, a small village with around 600 farming families on the western outskirts of Chennai.
“Presence of roulette ware far away from the coastline is interesting because it indicates Romans traded beyond coastal towns,” R. Sivanantham, deputy director, Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department, told The Hindu.
Funded by the State government , the three-month-long excavation, which ended last Tuesday, was monitored by the Commissioner of the Department, D. Karthikeyan. The team comprised J. Baskar, archaeological officer (Chennai); J. Ranjith, Arcot curator; and P. Baskar, epigraphist, Poompuhar.
Three sites excavated
Archaeologists said this was the first time evidence has emerged on Roman presence in western parts of the city, indicating they travelled away from the coastline. The three ancient sites – Nathamedu, Aanaimedu and Irularthoppu – in Pattarai Perambadur village were excavated with 12 trenches.
The team found most of the 200 antiques, including stone tools, pot shreds, beads made of ivory, glass and terracotta, conical jars and a ring well from Irularthoppu hamlet in three small trenches.
Palaeolithic age
They found an entire sequence of habitations since the early Palaeolithic age (10,000 years ago) to early Christian era.
Presence of rouletted ware, conical jars, hopscotch, lid knob of various sizes and a deer horn indicated that the site acted as transit route to the Romans for trading.
For instance, a two-feet-high conical jar with holes was among the findings. As per the Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology, such jars with holes were found mainly in ancient towns such as Bairat and Sambar in Rajasthan and in Vaishali (Bihar). Such jars were used to hold incense sticks.
First time in T.N.
Interestingly, the jar with holes has been found for the first time in Tamil Nadu, the team members said.
They believe that as it was an ancient town located along the Kosasthalaiyar, the site might have been a key link connecting the Romans with northern States via Andhra Pradesh. Pot shreds with boat graffiti found at the site also support this theory because transporting goods by boats was common during the ancient times, the team members said.
“As the site was located en-route Kancheepuram, a trading and cultural capital during the ancient times, the Romans, before proceeding northwards, might have halted there. Northern traders might have done the same before going to Kancheepuram,” said D. Thulasiraman, regional assistant director (retired) of the Archaeology Department.
Archaeologists have found rouletted ware, conical jars, lid knobs of various sizes and deer horn
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / D Madhavan / Chennai – July 04th, 2016
The statue of the Raja of Panagal (actually Paanagal) stands inside the park in T. Nagar that is named after him. It is usually the starting point for my T. Nagar Heritage Walk. It was during one of these that I happened to meet MVS Appa Rao, one of the great grandsons of the Raja. And it was through him that I came to know that July 9 this year will mark the 150th birth anniversary of the king who became Chief Minister.
Panaganti Ramarayaningar was born into an aristocratic family of Kalahasti. A polyglot, he completed his matriculation from the Hindu High School, Triplicane, in 1886. He then did his BA at the Presidency College, Madras, and obtained his MA from the University of Madras in 1899. In between, he also acquired a BL degree from the Law College, Madras.
His life of public service began with his being selected as Member, North Arcot District Board. In 1912, he became a member of the Imperial Legislative Council in Delhi, where his debating skills and intellect came to the notice of the Viceroy, Lord Hardinge of Penshurst. In 1918, he was awarded the title of Dewan Bahadur. He was also made a member of the Imperial War Council the same year.
Back in Madras meanwhile, the non-Brahmin movement had gained momentum, with the formation of the Justice Party. Ramarayaningar joined it and was soon recognised as one of its leading lights. He was sent to England to depose before a Parliamentary Committee on the condition of the non-Brahmins in South India. In 1920, Madras Presidency saw its first democratic Government, albeit on a limited franchise. The First Minister, equivalent to today’s Chief Minister, was A. Subbarayalu Reddiar, who stepped down six months later, citing ill health.
Ramarayaningar succeeded him. His Government was returned to office in 1923, with a comfortable majority. He was given the honorific of the Raja of Panagal the same year. However, the Justice Party lost in 1926 and the Raja became the leader of the Opposition. He was knighted that year.
The Panagal administration was known for some far-reaching reforms. Reservation in Government jobs was brought in, thereby putting Madras on the route to inclusivity. The administration of temples and mutts came under a newly-formed Hindu Religious Endowments Board. A School for Indian Medicine was set up, the Raja giving his property, Hyde Park Gardens, Kilpauk, for it. The Kilpauk Medical College is now in that campus. Work also began on the laying out of Thyagaraya Nagar as a residential area.
Panagal passed away on December 16, 1928, at Madras. His statue in the park, by M.S. Nagappa, used to be relegated to a corner till a decade back, with a mutilated bust of King George V occupying centre stage. Happily, the bust has since been removed and the Raja placed in a prominent position. Unfortunately, whoever did that also gave the wonderful bronze a coat of gilt.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Metroplus> Society / by Sriram V / Chennai – July 01st, 2016
