Madras as seen in 1942

One of the champion sources for Madras of the aboriginal 20^th period is cinema. The black-and-white epoch keeps giving america precious nuggets each erstwhile successful a while, adjacent though astir of those films were changeable wrong studios. A existent gem among these is the 1942 movie En Manaivi. A.V. Meiyappan was the antheral down it, though his celebrated AVM studios was, by then, inactive successful the womb of time. Having hired the Admiralty House astatine Mandaveli from the Maharaja of Vizianagaram, helium was producing films determination nether the banner of Pragati Pictures.

Meiyappan had tried his manus astatine films respective times earlier and undeterred by aboriginal disasters, helium kept astatine it till helium recovered success. En Manaivi was 1 of his aboriginal hits. It was based connected Samshay Kallol, a Marathi play by G.B. Deval, which was based connected Moliere’s 17^th period French one-act verse play Sganarelle oregon the Self-Deceived Husband. The crippled revolves astir suspicion betwixt 2 couples starring to galore comic situations. The pb mates was Sarangapani and K.R. Chellam. It is absorbing to spot that the halfway of the communicative – a pistillate fainting connected the thoroughfare and a representation landing successful the incorrect hands – remains unchanged crossed the archetypal and the Indian versions.

But it is Madras that sparkles passim the Tamil film. The casting credits diagnostic a speedy succession of cinematographic footage of immoderate salient locations successful the city. We person what seems a ghostly Egmore railway station, followed by a busier but inactive reasonably bare Central. The camera past moves onto what is presently the Muthuswami Iyer Bridge, named aft the archetypal Indian to go a justice of the High Court of Madras. From here, with a cyclist pedaling furiously, we spot the anatomy artifact of the Madras Medical College, popularly known arsenic the Red Fort. Though the MMC has moved further down the roadworthy and this gathering awaits conversion into a museum, we tin spot that the presumption has remained substantially unchanged.

We are adjacent transported to China Bazaar (NSC Bose) Road wherever the intersection with Broadway (Prakasam Salai) is seen with a tram cutting across. A cautious viewing shows 1 much of the six bound pillars of the Esplanade lasting astatine the corner. It has vanished on with 4 of its companions, leaving the 1 adjacent Dare House arsenic the survivor. We spot trams moving on the aforesaid road, with the aged Madras Christian College buildings inactive lasting – Anderson’s Church, College Hall and College House, of which lone the archetypal named remains. We besides spot glimpses of the High Court and the Law College.

The camera seems to pivot to Esplanade Road, wherever we spot the Travancore Maharaja Park with its statue. The parkland aboriginal became the Broadway Bus Stand, and the statue was shifted to Gandhi Nagar wherever it stands successful the shadiness of the Ananthapadmanabhaswami Temple. Raja Annamalai Manram’s abstraction is an bare crippled but adjacent to it rises elegant Madras (now Chennai) House, erstwhile the office of Burmah Shell and present security offices.

The Kodambakkam railway presumption comes arsenic thing of a daze – determination is not a psyche anyplace astir arsenic a suburban bid arrives. The roadworthy by the broadside is wide and uncluttered, with a fewer houses visible. This was intelligibly determination successful the boondocks past for a dialog successful the movie deals with travelling from Madras to Kodambakkam. The Mylapore Kapaliswarar temple makes a fleeting appearance, but the camera lingers agelong connected Thiruneermalai. The temple and elevation are conscionable the same, but GST Road is conscionable a two-way state roadworthy with plentifulness of trees and bushes astir it. War Memorial has conscionable the cardinal tower, and the circular colonnade seems partially built. Once again, conscionable a mates of radical astir and nary vehicles of immoderate kind. Connemara Hotel, past the lone five-star installation successful the city, appears successful pristine achromatic and successful afloat Art Deco glory. Gemini Studios follows – an AVM movie shows Gemini, its rival.

Lux soap fame R. Padma appears arsenic a maid and sings a opus connected the wonders of the city. The archetypal deals with loudspeakers acceptable up astatine the Marina wherever the nationalist tin perceive to vigor broadcasts. Meenambakkam is next, wherever vehicles “not led by bullocks, really traverse the sky” and marque landing. A formation is shown landing astatine the airdrome erstwhile this enactment is sung. Lastly, the High Court dome functioning arsenic the 3rd lighthouse of Madras is shown, with the 2nd one, the Doric column, lasting adjacent to it.

Madras seems different world. From determination to the Chennai of today, we person travel a agelong mode successful conscionable 85 years oregon so. A batch of alteration has, nary doubt, been to the good, but you sometimes bash miss the immense unfastened spaces.

(Sriram V. is simply a writer and historian)