SOURCE:::::ARTICLE BY V.SRIRAM,,,HISTORIAN…
CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT T.NAGAR WAS NOT IN THE MAP OF MADRAS TILL 1921!!!!!…… IT WAS FORMED OUT OF A LONG LAKE !!!!…READ FURTHER
Home to a king, politicians and film stars
Incredible though it may sound today, there was no Chennai or Madras to the west of Mount Road till 1921. Land’s end was effectively Gemini Studios, after which, all along the western side was a vast lake, known as the Long Tank of Mylapore. By 1921 however, there was a severe housing shortage in the city and it was decided that this lake be filled in and the space converted into a vast self-contained residential colony – Theyagaraya Nagar. This was the first instance of planned development in 20th century Madras. The draining of a water body would today raise concerns from environmentalists but then it was not thought to be of any importance.
The removal of a lake has led to some place names being meaningless but they have survived nevertheless. There is a Lake Area nearby, and there are the Lake View and Tank Bund Roads. All of these commemorate the vanished Long Tank. The entire area was once the village of Mambalam and when the lake on the eastern side became T Nagar, what was left became West Mambalam as it survives even now.
T Nagar, when it was planned in the 1920s, was conceived to be bounded by four roads – Mount Road, Mambalam High (now Usman) Road, Burkitt Road and Bazullah Road. This was the era when for the first time a Government by Indians was in power in the provinces. In Madras Presidency, the Justice Party was in power, with the Raja of Panagal being the Prime Minister. This grand title did not amount to much, for the real power was the British Governor. But nevertheless, T Nagar, developing as it did during the Justice Party’s tenure, was to see a number of that party’s leaders commemorated in its streets and parks. Several still survive – Panagal and C Natesa Mudaliar have parks named after them while O Thanikachalam Chetty, Sir Gopathy Narayanaswami Chetty, Dr. TM Nair and Sir Mohammed Usman among others have roads remembering them.
Officialdom was not forgotten either. Thus Molony Road is in honour of J Chartres Molony who was then President of the Madras Corporation. JW Madeley, JR Coats, Sir GT Boag, J Venkatanarayana Rao and Sir T Vijayaraghavachariar were all officers of the Corporation. In the midst of all this, we also have touching tributes to the humble labourers who made T Nagar a reality. Thus Nathamuni and Govindu Streets remember two diggers who were killed while laying the underground drains in T Nagar. Pondy Bazaar, which was the main shopping precinct, is named after W Soundarapandia Nadar, another Justice Party man. Pride of place however goes to Sir Pitty Theyagaraya Chetty, one of the founders of the Justice Party and one of the prominent councillors of the Corporation. T Nagar takes its name from him and one of its principal arteries – Sir Theyagaraya Road commemorates him too.
Along these principal roads and arteries came the houses. The main roads had several stately bungalows, largely reflective of the then prevailing art-deco style in architecture. The area slowly developed its own amenities – the Mambalam Railway Station, the bus terminus, schools by way of the Ramakrishna Mission institutions, the Holy Angels Convent and Vidyodaya. The T Nagar Social Club, founded in 1935, provided the space for social interaction. It is still going strong, operating from its handsome premises at Panagal Park corner. Another, less known but more historical is the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, set up in 1918 but moving only in 1936 to T Nagar. Mahatma Gandhi was its President from 1927 till his passing. Another historic institution is the SGS Sabha, the community association for the Goud Saraswaths or Konkani-speaking people, which turns 100 in 2012.
For some reason, T Nagar became the home of the Telugu speaking community. Even today it is rumoured, you can get through life knowing Telugu, if you happen to live in that area. And perhaps because of this connection, many film stars and directors of the 1950s lived here. Savitri, BN Reddy and Chittoor V Nagiah were just a few. The last named was also to give T Nagar its first music sabha – the Tyagabrahma Gana Sabha which functions from its landmark building – the Vani Mahal. Rather appropriately, his statue adorns Panagal Park as does a small exquisite one of the Raja of Panagal. Other film personalities who have statues in T Nagar are NS Krishnan and the composer Kannadasan. Perhaps the greatest of them all, Sivaji Ganesan was a long time resident too. He bought the house of Sir GT Boag in the 1960s and lived in it till his death. Annai Illam as the house is called, is beautifully maintained and lived in by the family. A part of Boag Road is now Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Road. Several theatres once stood here – Rajkumari (earlier Sayani) and Nagesh were two that were owned by the eponymous film stars. These have become shopping malls.
T Nagar is today known more for its shopping complexes. Among the first to set base here was Nalli, its trademark white art-deco showroom still a prominent presence. Another old name is Naidu Hall. Since then, we have had any number of famous names here. Come festival season, the crowds that throng T Nagar are legendary. This has also led to several problems, most notably congestion. But there is no denying that T Nagar possesses a vibrancy all of its own. It is therefore no surprise that some have come to think of the ‘T’ as being an abbreviation for trade.
T Nagar is perhaps unique in that it has a book on it and its author is none other than the textile baron Nalli Kuppusami Chetti, long time resident of the area. ‘Theyagaraya Nagar, Anrum Inrum’ is a succinct account of the various aspects of T Nagar and is a must-read. The veteran writer Ashokamitran has also penned several interesting accounts of life in this neighbourhood. Reading his works transports you to a T Nagar that was lush green and laid back.
Sriram V
The writer is a well known historian of the city
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