OLD MADRAS-3: KESARI KUTEERAM

The Kesari Kuteeram Ayurveda Aushadasala was started in 1900 by Dr.K.N.Kesari, who was born in the Ongole district of Andhra Pradesh in 1875. Moving to Madras when he was eleven years of age, he studied at the Hindu Theological High School. Later, he learnt Ayurveda under the noted practitioner of the times, Pandit D.Gopalacharyulu and after apprenticing under him for a while, set up his own practice.

Medicines such as Lodhra (for gynaecological problems) and Amrita (a herbal restorative) produced under the Kesari Kuteeram banner were renowned for its efficacy. The business shifted to Egmore in 1917, before shifting to Westcott Road in Royapettah in 1937, wherefrom it still functions. It was registered as a private limited company in 1941.

Dr.Kesari was a philanthropist involved in espousing a number of educational and women’s causes. The Andhra Mahila Sabha, Seva Sadan and the Avvai Home were some institutions that benefited by his munificence. He was also involved with the management of a school in Royapettah that would later be renamed after him, the Kesari High School.

OLD MADRAS ROAD-2: OAKES AND CO.

Founded in 1843 as Oakes, Partridge & Co., it was the city’s first department store, selling everything short of a “wife or housekeeper”. Originally founded in Broadway, they moved their headquarters to Mount Road opposite the Government House in 1895, when they reconstituted themselves as a limited liability company. As general merchants, they held a large and varied assortment of all kinds of hard and soft goods, wines and spirits and were representatives of a number of insurance and shipping companies. They also established a cigar factory in 1892. The “Beehive Foundry” was their iron foundry and engineering works division, which successfully executed several projects for the railways, shipping companies and many leading merchants of the Madras Presidency.

In the 1920s, Oakes & Co was taken over by the Spencers, with the “takeover king” J.O.Robinson spearheading the move. The Beehive foundry still survives today as a part of the Beehive Kowtha Group, having been taken over by Kowtha Suryanarayana Rao, the scion of a leading business family from Vijayawada.

OLD MADRAS ROAD-1: T.R.TAWKER AND SONS

Over the last one year or so, I have been writing a monthly column titled "OLD MADRAS ROAD" for Auditor, the in house magazine of the Society of Auditors of which I am a member. Every issue features advertisements of two old Madras business establishments, with around 125 to 150 words on each business.


The "landmark" event of having featured the 25th and 26th businesses (to be published next month) and Sriram sir's persistence have been instrumental in putting these up on the blog.

My thanks to Somerset Playne, my mentor Mr.V.Sriram and Mr.S.Muthiah, all of whom have provided the column with many pieces of information on these businesses, and of course to Mr.P.S.Prabhakar, Editor of Auditor and the entire team for hosting it every month.

T.R.Tawker and Sons were leading diamond merchants of the Madras Presidency in the late 19th and early 20th century. They belonged to the Gujarati community, with their presence in South India dating back to the mid 1600s.

The business was a flourishing one with customers that included Zamindars, royalty and leading musicians. The Official Catalogue of the Exhibition held in connection with the Coronation Durbar in Delhi in 1903 valued their collection displayed on the occasion at Rs.60 Lakhs. Their showroom, designed by the legendary Henry Irwin was next to where the V.G.P building today stands on Mount Road. The New College came up on the site of their residence, “Tawkers Gardens”.

The business ran into financial problems following a payment that did not materialise for an expensive robe studded with diamonds they had made for the VIth Nizam of Hyderabad. It was a huge blow they never really recovered from. They were declared insolvent in January 1925.

THE TRINITY CHAPEL-THEN AND NOW

I came across this lovely line drawing of the Trinity Chapel, Madras done in 1835, 4 years after its founding. This Chapel is located on the busy thoroughfare that is Walltax Road, near the Southern Railway Parcel Booking Office.

The Chapel doesn't look all that different today, going by this recent photograph

The same cannot be said of the surroundings though!!

The picture is courtesy the tireless chronicler Shantaram's blog post on this Chapel, which can be accessed here:

Chennai Daily Photo

TAMIL STAGE AND THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT

Long before the movie era, the huge popularity of the Tamil stage meant that it was an effective medium of mass communication. Stage actors and actresses enjoyed the adulation and following comparable to that enjoyed by top film stars of today. Stars such as S.G.Kittappa and Kumbakonam Balamani were so much sought after that the Government had to operate “Kittappa Special” and “Balamani Special” trains to transport people to places where they performed. Needless to say that with such a huge audience base, Tamil stage became one of the most popular means to promote the freedom movement in Tamil Nadu.

In his book “Viduthalai Poril Tamizh Valarntha Varalaru”, Ma.Po.Sivagnanam writes that the first nationalistic play was “Arya Sabha”, written by K.Gopalachar, a Tamil scholar. Written at the end of the 19th century, this play was based on the work of the Indian National Congress and its achievements in the first 10 years of its existence. Also involved in promoting the cause of freedom through Tamil drama was the famous freedom fighter Subramania Siva who through his troupe, the “Sri Bharata Vilasa Sabha” staged the lives of heroes such as Sivaji Maharaja, Desingurajan etc and invested all the funds gained through the performances in the freedom movement.

One of the earliest artistes to have used the Tamil stage to arouse the patriotic fervour was S.S.Viswanatha Dass. Born on 16th June 1886 in a wealthy family from the Maruthuvar community, Viswanatha Dass came under the tutelage of Sankaradas Swamigal. His first stage performance was at the tender age of eight. Soon he started making a name for himself with his acting prowess, specialising in female roles and the “Rajapart” in Special Dramas.

It was a meeting with Mahatma Gandhi that led to Viswanatha Dass involving himself actively in the freedom struggle. Invited to sing at the meetings of Mahatma Gandhi during his visit to Tuticorin in 1911, Viswanatha Dass was drawn into the freedom movement by Gandhiji who was captivated by his voice. Dass accepted the offer and soon took to wearing khadi. Not only did wear khadi, he also ensured that the character he was playing on stage too wore khadi. It was thus not uncommon to see him act as Lord Muruga in Valli’s stage play dressed in Khadi or as Kovalan in Kannagi’s play wearing khadi. This idea of using the stage to stoke the fire of patriotism gained momentum and soon it became common sight to see characters in plays such as Kovalan, Valli Thirumanam, Harischandra Mayana Kandam being staged by various other troupes too singing patriotic songs on stage. Viswanatha Dass’s own theatre group, the “Shanmukanandam Drama Troupe” travelled to places such as Singapore, Burma, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, and spread the message of the movement through his plays and songs.

His active participation in the freedom struggle meant that he was never far away from trouble. It was common occurrence for the police to arrive at the venue where Viswanatha Dass was performing to arrest him as soon as he sang the songs propagating the freedom movement. Legend has it that he was arrested 29 times in the 29 years since he first met Mahatma Gandhi in 1911. It is also said that in one case where he was being tried for treason against the Crown, appearing for him was V.O.Chidambaram, the famous “Kappalottiya Thamizhan”. On another occasion, it was Muthuramalinga Thevar who bailed him out after he was arrested in Ramanathapuram for singing songs arousing the patriotic fervour.

Given his dedication and passion for the stage and the freedom movement, it was in a way fitting that his end came on stage. Dressed as Lord Muruga and seated on the peacock during a performance of “Valli Thirumanam” at the Salt Cotaurs theatre on 31st December 1940, Viswanatha Dass suffered a massive attack and passed away. Huge crowds thronged his funeral procession which wended through Elephant Gate, China Bazaar and Mint Street before ending at the crematorium at around 7 PM. As a mark of tribute to the patriot, the theatre owner refused to allow any plays to be staged there after this incident and later disbanded the stage.

The State Government has converted his house at Thirumangalam in Madurai into a memorial as a mark of respect to a man who played a significant role in arousing the patriotic fervour amongst the people.

Yet another stage personality to have used the far reaching medium of Tamil stage to spread the message of the freedom movement was T.P.Krishnaswamy Pavalar. Born on 29th August 1890, Krishnaswamy Pavalar displayed a flair for languages at an early age and became a multi linguist, studying Sanskrit, Telugu and Hindi besides Tamil and earned proficiency in them. In this regard, he took after his father Ponnuswamy, who had earned a reputation for being a renowned Hindu scholar with immense knowledge of the ancient scriptures. It is interesting to note that Krishnaswamy’s younger brother was the famous Tamil scholar T.P.Meenakshisundaram, who too later went on to attain heights of academic excellence.

It was the arrest of Annie Besant on charges of sedition in 1917 that spurred the immensely patriotic Krishnaswamy Pavalar to quit his job as the Chief Tamil teacher at the Muthialpet Boys School in George Town and join the freedom movement. He became a part of the Indian National Congress and attended all its sessions across India. This brought him into close contact with the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Bala Gangadhara Tilak, C.Rajagopalachari, C.R.Vijayaraghavachariar, T.V.Kalyanasundaram Mudaliar etc.

Krishnaswamy Pavalar’s tryst with stage started with Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar’s Suguna Vilasa Sabha. In his book “Naan Kanda Nadaga Kalaignargal”, Sambanda Mudaliar says that Krishnaswamy Pavalar played the role of Rajapriyan in his magnum opus, Manohara and the role of Sumantra in Sarangadhara. Krishnaswamy however later quit the Sabha, as he felt that the plays they staged were far removed from the issues that were plaguing the society and decided to start his own troupe that would stage plays on social themes such as evils of drinking, untouchability, gambling etc. Thus was born the “Bala Manohara Nataka Sabha” in 1920.

Krishnaswamy Pavalar started the Pavalar Boys Company after closing the Bala Manohara Sabha due to various reasons. The Boys Company performed Pavalar’s patriotic plays such as, “Kadharin Vetri”, “Desiyakodi” and “Pathi Bhakti” across Tamil Nadu, drawing huge crowds wherever it was performed. Needless to say, these plays often ran into controversy.

Pavalar was refused permission to stage Kadharin Vetri at many places by the police, who wanted the scene where Congress workers were beaten up by them removed. Krishnaswamy Pavalar refused and had to face repeated opposition. He thus stopped the staging of the play for a while and wrote to Gandhiji for advice, who wrote back saying that it was best that the scene was cut, as he did not want the promotion of Khadi to be seen as a means of inciting hatred against the British. Pavalar agreed to this and modified the scene. He also renamed the play “Khadar Bhakti” and staged it many times thereafter. Desiyakodi, based on the Nagpur flag riots too ran into controversy.

Krishnaswamy Pavalar’s biggest success was however when his Boys Company was invited to perform at the Wembley Exhibition in 1924-25. To stage plays promoting patriotism in the country from which freedom was being sought required tremendous conviction and hence this was a monumental achievement.

Pavalar also held various positions in the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee. He also ran a weekly paper called the Desabandhu and a monthly magazine called Bharathi. He also ran a daily “Indraya Samacharam” between 1914 and 1918, which served as the Congress mouthpiece. He passed away on 1st March 1934 after suffering a bout of Tuberculosis. It is indeed sad that he remains virtually unknown today outside of Tamil theatre.

The star couple of S.G.Kittappa and K.B.Sundarambal too were involved with the freedom movement.They were roped in by Congress leader S.Satyamurthi to participate in his political meetings. K.B.Sundarambal was particularly active in the freedom struggle, singing songs at political meetings, campaigning for the Congress and even selling Khadi during the Mylapore festival. The likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and Kamaraj were amongst her ardent admirers.

In what was an amazing coincidence, the first bulletin of the All India Radio on 15th August 1947 at 5.30 AM proclaiming the Independence was read out by Poornam Viswanathan, who later became one of Tamil stage’s most renowned personalities.

This article was first published in Namma Chennai, the bilingual monthly dedicated to the city.

CRICKET IN MADRAS

Cricket, a sport that enjoys the status of a religion in our country is undoubtedly one of the most significant legacies left behind by the British in India.

The game was introduced in the country by the soldiers, merchants and the sailors of the East India Company. The first recorded cricket match in India was played by sailors of the East India Company in Cambay, Gujarat in 1721. The credit for the oldest organised cricket club in the country however belongs to the Calcutta Cricket and Football club, said to be in existence earlier than 1792, as the Madras Courier reports of cricket matches played between Calcutta and Barrackpore and Dum Dum in this year. Bombay’s recorded cricket history began in 1797.

The earliest reference of the sport being played in Madras is in the year 1792, as seen from an oil painting of a match in progress produced by the famous uncle nephew duo of Thomas and William Daniell. Though titled “Cricket in India”, it is presumably a representation of cricket being played in Madras, as the duo was then based in the city. The painting depicts a match in progress at The Island, a venue that would continue to play host to the sport for a long time.

The organised cricketing history of Madras began in 1846, with the formation of the Madras Cricket Club. The founder was Sir Alexander Arbuthnot, the famous civil servant who for a brief time also served as the Governor of Madras. The association of the Arbuthnot family in Madras was a notable one, the most famous link (later to attain notoriety) being that of Arbuthnot & Co., the leading bank whose crash in 1906 was one of the Presidency’s most shocking scandals. Sir Henry Pottinger, Governor of Madras was elected the first President of the club.

By the 1860s, the Club was well established and cricket became a regular weekend activity. The matches were played at The Island, where makeshift pitches were laid close to the Cooum River and across from what is today the Medical College. With a view to establishing a more permanent arrangement, the Club sought the permission of the Chief Secretary to the Government to make a cricket ground and enclose a portion of The Island for the purpose. The permission however was not forthcoming. A couple of weeks later, Lt.J.Pennycuick, the newly elected Secretary of the Club wrote to the Government again, this time requesting that a portion of the ground on the premises of the Chepauk Palace be granted to create a cricket ground. The Government, which had acquired the Chepauk Palace and grounds in 1859 saw no objection to this proposal and handed over the land to the Club, which thus shifted from The Island to the grounds of the Chepauk Palace. The ground was levelled and the Club moved to a permanent abode. A pavilion built to the design of the legendary Robert F.Chisholm was built at a cost of Rs.3700 and was inaugurated in 1866. This served as the pavilion for a quarter century, before being pulled down in 1891 to make way for a new pavilion that was built to the design of Henry Irwin. This was inaugurated in 1892 and served as the pavilion for nearly 90 years, before being pulled down in 1981 on the grounds that with the new stadium that was coming up would no longer provide a view of the cricketing action.

In the meantime, Madras played its first match in 1862 versus Bangalore. Unfortunately,there are no details of that game except that it resulted in a win for Madras. The match, which was played at Guindy became an annual home and away fixture, being played well until the 1890s.

For nearly 90 years after its founding, the Madras Cricket Club remained the exclusive preserve of the Europeans. In 1935 however, Kumararaja M.A.Muthiah Chettiar was admitted as the first Indian member. The distinction for being elected the first Indian President of the MCC belongs to A.M.M.Arunachalam, who was elected the President in 1959.

Two decades after the birth of the MCC was born a man who would go on to earn the moniker “Father of Madras Cricket”. Born in 1868, Venkatamahipathi Naidu, or Buchi Babu Naidu as he was more popularly known was adopted by his own grandfather Modhavarapu Dera Venkataswami Naidu, who had no male progeny. Venkataswami Naidu was a wealthy man who made his fortune working as the Dubash of Parry and Co. Buchi Babu took to cricket at a young age, the tennis courts and long verandas at their family home Lakshmi Vilas in Luz, Mylapore serving as pitches and the servants of the household playing the role of the bowlers.

Struck by the fact that the doors of the only organised facility for playing the game the MCC were open only to Europeans, Buchi Babu took upon himself the task of starting a club that would admit Indians and raise teams to play the game. His efforts bore fruit with the formation of The Madras United Cricket Club (MUCC) in 1888. It would not be far-fetched to say that the formation of this club that was situated on the Esplanade laid the roots for the birth of Indian Cricket.

Thanks to Buchi Babu’s untiring efforts, the club developed excellent facilities and was much sought after by keen players of the game. His finest moment however was when the MCC invited the MUCC to play a game against their team. This was made possible thanks to the efforts of Mr.Partridge (of the famous law firm King and Partridge) who was then the captain of the MCC team. Buchi Babu agreed on the condition that his team would be allowed to lunch in the MCC pavilion. Mr.Partridge was faced with the unenviable task of convincing the other members of the MCC agree to this. But they did relent to it and the game between MCC and MUCC became a reality. It was a fixture that would become a regular feature.

Buchi Babu passed away in 1908. His legacy was carried on magnificently by his three sons, M.Venkatramanujulu, M.Baliah and C.Ramaswami, all of whom played the sport with distinction. His legacy extended to other sports too. C.Ramaswamy was a double international, representing India in both cricket and tennis. Later generations of the family too made a mark in various sports.

Organised League Cricket came to the State in 1932. Eighteen teams took part in the Championship, which was conducted by the Indian Cricket Federation (forerunner to the BCCI). The winners, Triplicane Cricket Club were presented a trophy donated by the Rajah of Palayampatti. It is a practice that continues to this day, with the teams in the First Division competing for the Rajah of Palayampatti Shield. The success of the first edition of the tournament saw the addition of more divisions. Today, 5 divisions constitute this very strongly contested league.

Madras took on Mysore in the first ever Ranji Trophy game. Played in November 1934 at Chepauk the game finished in just a day, with Madras winning by an innings and 23 runs. Madras scored 130 runs while bowling out Mysore for 48 and 59 runs in their two innings. It is a matter of regret of keen followers of the game in the State that despite this auspicious beginning, the Tamil Nadu side has won the trophy on just two occasions, in 1954-55 and 1987-88.

The formation of the Madras Cricket Association in 1935 was yet another significant milestone in the history of the sport in the city. It was renamed the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association in 1971 and to this day remains the apex body for the administration of the sport in the State.

Given the city’s strong connections with the sport, it was a fitting tribute of sorts that India recorded its first ever test win at Madras. Captained by Vijay Hazare, it defeated England by an innings and 8 runs. The star of the game was Vinoo Mankad who took 12 wickets in the match, including 8 wickets in the first innings.

The Corporation Stadium (Nehru Stadium) played host to test matches for nearly a decade, between 1956 and 1965. It was at this ground that Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy put on a partnership of 413 runs for the first wicket against New Zealand in 1956, a record that stood for more than 50 years before being broken by the South African pair of Neil Mckenzie and Graeme Smith in 2008. The “Pongal Test” was yet another integral part of Madras cricket, with more than 10 tests being played during the harvest festival season. With the weather being at its most pleasant, crowds thronged from all over the State to watch these games. It is a tradition that many old timers wish to be revived.


This article was published in the latest issue of Namma Chennai, the bilingual monthly dedicated to the city.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF PAMMAL SAMBANDA MUDALIAR:PART 3

In the meanwhile, Sambanda Mudaliar made rapid strides in his professional life too. Qualifying in his law exams in 1897, he joined as an apprentice under Sundaram Shastri, the son of the legal luminary Ranganatha Shastri and in 1898, enrolled as an advocate of the Madras High Court.

Practicing predominantly in the Small Causes Court, though he appeared in cases before the City Civil Court and the Police Courts too, Sambanda Mudaliar developed a strict work routine according to which clients could approach him only between 9.30 AM and 5.00 PM, after which he focussed on his Sabha activities. He took up cases according to their merits and avoided taking those that he felt were against the law or were unreasonable. He developed a reputation for being an expert on cross examination and rose to the position of Judge of the Small Causes Court. He also served for a brief while as the Chief Presidency Magistrate. Retiring from service on 1st February 1928, he went against the then prevailing practice of retired judges donning the lawyer robes again, instead choosing to devote more time to the study of Tamil language and the functioning of the Suguna Vilasa Sabha.

He was involved in several other social activities too. Serving as the dharmakartha of the Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore for nearly a quarter century, between 1900 and 1924, he was instrumental in bringing about changes to ensure that the conduct of the annual festival in the months of March-April was streamlined. His biggest contribution was however overseeing the construction of the temple Gopuram and constructing proper steps for the tank.

A sum of Rs.5000 which had been collected by a Sadhu for the work on the steps was nowhere sufficient to undertake such a mammoth task. With the temple Hundis yielding only another Rs.8000, there was a need to undertake a massive drive for collection of funds to complete the work. Sambanda Mudaliar hit upon an idea according to which names of people who donated Rs.108 towards the cause would be inscribed on the steps as a mark of commemoration. This idea was a massive hit and soon funds started pouring in for the task which was successfully completed. Sambanda Mudaliar resigned from the trusteeship of the temple when he was appointed Judge of the Small Causes court as he feared the arising of possible conflicts of interests in cases where temple matters were involved.

Sambanda Mudaliar was also a prominent Freemason. He was a member of the Carnatic Lodge, the first Masonic Lodge formed exclusively for the Indian community. He served on the committee of the School Books Literature Society, besides being appointed as a committee member for the Tamil language on board the Senates of the Madras University and the Annamalai University. He was part of the Reception Committee during the 1894 Congress Session at Madras. He also served as a member of the Censor Board.

The Suguna Vilasa Sabha too went from strength to strength. The Victoria Public Hall became a sort of a permanent home to it. Starting with the renting of a small room on the Western side of the hall in 1902, the Sabha gradually expanded its occupation of the hall. With time, the Sabha no longer restricted its activities to dramatics and expanded to becoming a social club, providing cards and reading room facilities. The library, inaugurated in 1908 had a fine collection of books dedicated to Tamil theatre. A portrait of Queen Victoria was commissioned at a cost of Rs.200 and was put up on top of the stage.

With many legal luminaries such as V.Krishnaswami Iyer, T.V.Seshagiri Iyer, Sir M.Venkatasubba Rao, S.Satyamurthy and Sir Vepa Ramesam becoming members, the Suguna Vilasa Sabha became one of the most sought after institutions in the city. It organised entertainments and felicitation functions on various occasions and contributed towards raising funds for the war effort. Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar wrote a play titled “Rajaputra Veeran” for the war cause and set it in the backdrop of war. It is interesting to note that the famous Telugu stage actor Bellary Raghavachary donned the role of Bahadur Shah in this play and spoke in Hindi the Tamil dialogues written by Sambanda Mudaliar.

The Suguna Vilasa Sabha also commemorated the memory of the legendary playwrights and poets, Kalidasa and Shakespeare by staging a few scenes from their works on their anniversaries. The Shakespeare Day celebrations, which were first held in 1905 were particularly popular with the huge crowds and had to be gradually expanded into a Shakespeare Week!

February 20th 1920 was a landmark day in the annals of the institution. Its 500th show was celebrated on that day with great pomp and fervour. Governor Lord Willingdon and Lady Willingdon presided over this happy occasion, when a few scenes from Manoharan were enacted. A short play titled “The Surgeon General’s Prescription” written by Srinivasachari was also performed on the occasion.

The memberships expanded rapidly and consequently, the Victoria Public Hall became too small to accommodate the huge turnout for the Sabha’s programs. On the lookout for a space to construct a new hall that would accommodate the large numbers, the Sabha approached the Government which agreed to lease out the Napier Park for the purpose. A foundation stone for the new building was laid on 31st January 1925 by T.V.Seshagiri Iyer. However, things moved only that far as the park was found unsuitable for the purpose, and the Sabha was back at the Victoria Public Hall. In 1935, the current premises on Mount Road was negotiated for and purchased from the Justice Party for a sum of Rs.95000.

Sambanda Mudaliar’s prolific writing skills manifested in the form of more than 100 publications consisting of plays, works on drama literature, collections of short stories and books on religious topics. His memoirs “Nataka Medai Ninaivugal” which was a collection of a series of articles written by him in the Swadeshamitran between 1930 and 1936 is an amazing documentation of the origins and growth of the Suguna Vilasa Sabha, while the slim volume publication “Naan Kanda Naadaga Kalaignargal” is an interesting documentation of some leading stage artistes of those times.

Sambanda Mudaliar was awarded the title of “Rao Sahib” by the Government in 1916 and the Padma Bhushan in 1959 for his contribution to theatre. Besides these, he also won awards from many private organisations.

Commemorating his 80th birthday, grand celebrations were held across the city in 1953. Led by Kalaivanar N.S. Krishnan, many politicians, leading stage and film artistes participated and hailed his immense contribution towards the growth of Tamil theatre.

Sambanda Mudaliar passed away on 24th of September 1964 at the ripe old age of 91.

Today the Suguna Vilasa Sabha functions exclusively as a social club. However, commemorating the times when Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar and his friends bestrode the stage, a few posts in its Management Committee still bear titles such as Art Director, Green Room Director etc.


This article, the concluding part of the three part series was published in the latest issue of Namma Chennai, the bilingual monthly dedicated to Madras.