The two faces of Chennai’s Moore Market

Had it stood, it would person completed 125 years successful November this year. Moore Market, however, inactive remains, 40 years aft a disastrous occurrence engulfed it, arsenic an evergreen memory. It is conscionable that I find with immoderate digging, that determination were intelligibly 2 views astir it: the roseate nostalgic one, and the other, much based connected world – of an municipality installation that was a byword for chaos and galore malpractices.

Planned arsenic the cardinal marketplace for the metropolis aft Popham’s successful Broadway was condemned arsenic unsanitary, enactment connected it began successful 1898 and was completed successful November 1900, erstwhile Governor Sir Arthur Havelock threw it open. The earlier market, named aft the antheral who planned retired Broadway, was demolished and a park, the acme of Victorian ideals successful planning, was laid retired successful its place. It was named Loane’s Square, aft S.J. Loane, the past Corporation engineer. It is present Sriramulu Park, aft a erstwhile mayor.

The caller facility, built alongside Central Station, was named aft Lt. Col. Sir George Moore, President of the Madras Corporation successful 1898 erstwhile the marketplace was planned.

Built astatine a outgo of 26,000 pounds, Moore Market had 291 stalls, and spanned a monolithic site, 350 ft. by 240 ft. It was designed arsenic a rectangle astir an open, central, courtyard, truthful arsenic to let escaped circulation of aerial and light. The Indo-Saracenic operation had a verandah connected the outer periphery with a bid of arches allowing entry.

Planned arsenic it was arsenic a wide market, Moore Market had sections for vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, wide provisions and different goods arsenic well. That whitethorn person good been the plan, but what emerged was a haven for second-hand, spurious, and precise often stolen goods.

Poor administration

A benign/negligent medication watched but ne'er took steps to close the situation. Thus, portion officialdom successful its reports simply trotted retired statistic of fig of stalls occupied, rent collected and funds spent connected upkeep, we request to crook to fashionable penning to get an thought connected however severely the spot was run. An nonfiction by Sa. Viswananathan successful Ananda Vikatan of 1962 gives america a wide thought of the chaos that prevailed successful Moore Market. While determination whitethorn person been officially a definite fig of stall hirers, successful reality, determination were plentifulness of itinerant vendors who were a grey colonisation arsenic it were, retired of show of the authorities but precise overmuch a beingness arsenic acold arsenic shoppers were concerned. And they could marque a sojourn for the unwary a astir harrowing experience.

If you touched something, it was considered sold. And if you tried to argue, a radical would abruptly signifier astir you and unit the sale. The spot was besides known for worldly that did not enactment oregon was branded lone successful sanction but not by mode of the product. A superb transition astir Moore Market astatine its worst emerges successful Kothamangalam Subbu’s Thillana Mohanambal the novel. The scene, however, was not featured successful the film. As the communicative is acceptable successful the 1920s/1930s, we tin ideate that Moore Market had degenerated adjacent by then. And it was visitors from the countryside who were seemingly cheated the most.

By 1962, erstwhile the movie Anubhavi Raja Anubhavi was made, Moore Market, successful Kavignar Kannadasan’s eyes, symbolised each that was atrocious with the city. In the opus ‘Madras, Nalla Madras’, helium included a enactment – Ooru Kettu Ponadukku Mooru Market Adaiyalam – which meant conscionable that. The vendors of Moore Market roseate up successful protestation and demanded an apology from Kannadasan. He did not budge from his position.

Thus, a deadly operation of administrative negligence, the wide lawlessness successful immoderate vending portion successful the city, and nationalist apathy sounded the decease knell for Moore Market. With the railways needing onshore to grow and the hawkers refusing to move, the large fire, the archetypal of galore successful practice buildings of Madras, proved precise convenient. The vendors were provided alternate accommodation of a precise mediocre benignant successful the Lily Pond Complex, which arsenic the sanction indicates, was built connected a filled-up lake.

Perhaps ,it was lone the booklovers and gramophone grounds collectors who mourned the passing of Moore Market.

The bittersweet facet is that the gathering was made to wage the price. Surviving photos amusement that it could person been repurposed beautifully for the suburban railway terminus, with whitethorn beryllium a multi-storey operation to its rear. But years of maladministration of Moore Market had brought it to a constituent wherever lone a catastrophe could bring astir change. And that is however it came to be.

There was 1 metallic lining. Moore Market, and different practice buildings of the metropolis that nary longer exist, paved the mode for a much caring administration. Heritage buildings are not demolished with impunity immoderate more.

(Sriram V. is simply a writer and historian.)