The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : The North Chennai learning experience

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 26, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

The North Chennai learning experience

Swahilya

It was a very interesting tour, says a student

CHENNAI: For the first time in their life, students of Sir Sivaswamy Kalalaya on Wednesday saw parts of North Chennai. They were amazed by the blue sea, but disgusted when they crossed spaces filled with garbage. They covered their noses while passing through dried fish stalls at Kasimedu.

"It was a very interesting experience," remarked a student who found North Chennai more developed than the South in terms of business. For some others the experience was not so pleasant. But all agreed that it was a good way to learn about the city's history.

After a guided tour of Fort St. George, Armenian Street, Broadway and Old Jail Road, the students were treated to a pictorial representation of the landmarks of old Chennai - the Madras High Court, the present Rajaji Salai without Burma Bazaar where the waters of the Bay of Bengal came up to the road, Mint Street, the Government Press, the tramway and Washermanpet, where those who washed clothes and ironed them for the British lived.

N. Renuka Devi, secretary of the Avvai Kalai Kazhagam Women's Wing in North Chennai, arranged the show.

The students who came in their school bus carrying banners of `Chennai Dinam,' traversed the Suryanarayana Road and stood up in their seats and cried in excitement when they saw the blue waters of the Fishing Harbour at Kasimedu.

At the Kavi Bharathi Vidyalaya in Tiruvottriyur, students from Class VI to IX guided by history teachers Anitha Kingslin and J. Sabitha did three projects on historic landmarks of North Chennai. The first model was the bunker, which was the hiding place in 1914 when the German cruiser Emden shelled Madras.

The second model was that of Suzhal Methai (Spiral Terrace) on M.C. Road in Royapuram. It was constructed in 1930 by the snuff company - N.V.S. Pattanam Podi. The land was bought for Rs. 167 and the structure built in the Indo-Saracenic style with stones procured from Rajasthan and architects drawn from Persia and Arabia.

The third model was the Theagaraya Bridge constructed by the Sir Theagaraya Chetty brothers. The unique bridge — that still exists — in Old Washermanpet connects two houses of the family. It was built in 1922 for providing shade to the Governor who visited Sir Theagaraya Chetty's house when he was chairman of the Madras Corporation.

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