Madras Week 2013: Stars who made a real difference

As we have been seeing the past few years, Madras Week this year (August 18-25), too, soon became Madras Fortnight and eventually almost a Madras Month, with more than 100 programmes/ events/ across the city.

This year was particularly memorable for my good friend Harry MacLure, comic book illustrator, cartoonist and graphic designer. His film, Going Away, was screened to packed houses at the Press Institute of India and the Madras Club. The film is set in an Anglo-Indian milieu in the Madras of old. It’s about a fictional Anglo-Indian family coming to terms with the possibility of emigration to Australia and having to leave loved ones behind in India. The Anglo-Indians – A 500-Year History, a book that is a must-buy for all those with more than a passing interest in history, authored by S. Muthiah and Harry, was released at the Hotel President in front of more than 400 people.

One of the high points at the Press Institute (there wasn’t even space to squat on the floor) was when Nityanand Jayaraman made a brilliant presentation backed by a lot of perspective on Chennai’s vanishing wetlands, natural events and disasters. Development is all fine, he said, but not at the cost of destroying Nature or by upsetting its laws. His presentation was finely complemented by some magnificent pictures (mostly depressing in the second part) taken by Shaju John, freelance photojournalist who has worked with several reputable publications.

I finally breathed a huge sigh of relief when the final programme at the institute went off without a hitch. Moderating the catchy subject, Madras – the good, bad and ugly, was S. Muthiah. All the speakers did a fairly good job as the discussions weaved through (mainly through the prism of newspapers in Chennai) the various issues and aspects confronting journalism today - paid news, corporate ownership of newspapers, credibility, citizen journalism, advertising and the commercial, as well as the quality of the fare on offer. 

However, for me, the star during the four days of programmes at the Press Institute was Kadambari Badami, an active member of Transparent Chennai who spoke about envisioning a pedestrian-friendly and ‘walkable’ city, through participatory planning, public-government partnerships, citizen empowerment, and the Nanganallur and KK Nagar projects. She made an impassioned plea in the end to the youngsters in the audience and elsewhere to do their bit for the city and make it more livable, even going as far as admonishing them with, “Shame on all of you!” It was probably her frustration coming out in the end, finding little support for her initiative from people her age. More power to her.

But there was even a brighter star that lit the horizon during Madras Week around Thiruverkkadu Road, Seneerkuppam. The Pupil Saveetha Eco School was making a debut in the celebrations. And what a debut! The school organised weeklong programmes that it collectively styled Madras Memoirs. There were a series of inter-school and intra-school events and competitions that highlighted the transition of the city from Madrasapattinam to Chennai. Reflections showcased exhibits from a bygone era - a gramophone, telephones, a hand-woven sari, miniature brass items and vehicles, photographs, old coins, old documents  and postage stamps.

It was nostalgia for many visitors as they had a close look at the pictures that adorned the walls. Another hall had charts, models and photographs that the students had collected over a period. Overall, the event helped them learn more about the city and also gave them a sense of belonging, a sense of pride that they live in a city steeped in history. Madras is after all the first city of Modern India.

The person who made all this possible at The Pupil, almost single-handedly, was Dolly Mohan, who does not like the arc lights and is happy working quietly in the shadows. But it was from those shadows that the brightest spark this Madras Week emerged.  Not only did the school host the weeklong programmes, it also opened up the events to cluster and neighbourhood schools.

Dolly says she initially dreaded taking up the onerous task but as she got into the groove she began enjoying being a part of the old and the new. She’s been in Chennai for more than two decades but, like many, she was ignorant about how the city had evolved and grown. Now having been entrusted with the responsibility of organising the events at the school, she researched hard and found a magical path leading to the past. In the process she rediscovered a small part of the rich legacy of Madrasapattinam. She knew it all amounted to only scratching the surface but she had made a great start. “The quiz, the photographs, the relics – everything added on to my personal knowledge of Madrasapatinam. Wish we had a time machine that would take us back into those days when life was so peaceful compared to the frenetic one we lead today,” she says.

Being a lover of history, I can empathise with what Dolly feels and says. As a catalyst/ coordinator of Madras Day/Week celebrations, it’s people like Dolly who make you feel proud, who motivate you to ‘go for it’ one more time… More power to her, too.

What was also significant at The Pupil was that Saveetha, who runs the school, was herself enthused and that enthusiasm motivated her team. The school is now looking at focusing more on history and geography in the lower classes. I would suggest devoting a period to Madras and its history in classes 5, 6 and 7. Nanditha Krishna has already done it at the school run by the CP Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation on Eldams Road, and Mrs Y.G. Parthasarathy has said that the PSBB Schools would do likewise from the next academic year.  All this bodes well for the future. 

The pictures of Madras Week celebrations at The Pupil, and there are many of them, can be seen at The Pupil website (http://www.thepupil.in/).