1242 During a battle of the ice of Lake Peipus, Russian forces, led by Alexander Nevsky, rebuffed an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights.

1254  Willen van Rubroeck, a Flemish Franciscan, meets the Mongolian Khan Möngke

1566 Two-hundred Dutch noblemen, led by Hendrik van Brederode, forced themselves into the presence of Margaret of Parma and present the Petition of Compromise, denouncing the Spanish Inquisition in the Netherlands.

1614 Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe.

1621 The Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, Massachusetts on a return trip to Great Britain.

1649 – Elihu Yale, American benefactor of Yale University, was born  (d. 1721).

1722 The Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen discovered Easter Island.

1792  U.S. President George Washington exercised his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power is used in the United States.

1804 High Possil Meteorite: The first recorded meteorite in Scotland fell in Possil.

1818 In the Battle of Maipú, Chile’s independence movement – led by Bernardo O’Higgins and José de San Martín – won a decisive victory over Spain, leaving 2,000 Spaniards and 1,000 Chilean patriots dead.

1827 Joseph Lister, English surgeon, was born (d. 1912).

1837 Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet, was born (d. 1909).

1862 American Civil War: The Battle of Yorktown started.

1871 - NZ’s first overseas diplomatic post was created with Isaac Featherston’s appointment as agent-general in London.

1874 Birkenhead Park, the first civic public park,opened in Birkenhead.

1879  Chile declared war on Bolivia and Peru, starting the War of the Pacific.

1897  The Greco-Turkish War, also called “Thirty Days’ War”, was declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire.

1900 Spencer Tracy, American actor, was born  (d. 1967).

1904 The first international rugby league match was played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh & Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan.

1908 Bette Davis, American actress, was born  (d. 1989).

1916 Gregory Peck, American actor, was born (d. 2003).

1920 Arthur Hailey, American writer, was born (d. 2004)

1923 Firestone Tire and Rubber Company began production of balloon-tyres.

1928 Tony Williams, American singer (The Platters), was born. (d. 1992)

1929 Nigel Hawthorne, British actor, was born (d. 2001).

1930  In an act of civil disobedience, Mohandas Gandhi broke British law after marching to the sea and making salt.

1932 Champion race horse Phar Lap died.

1932  Alcohol prohibition in Finland ended. Alcohol sales begin in Alko liquor stores.

1932 – Dominion of Newfoundland: 10,000 rioters seized the Colonial Building leading to the end of self-government.

1933  U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102 “forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates” by U.S. citizens.

1936 Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak: An F5 tornado killed 233 in Tupelo, Mississippi.

1937 Colin Powell, U.S. Army General, 12th Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff; and 65th Secretary of State, was born.

1937 Allan R. Thieme, American inventor, was born.

1942 World War II: The Japanese Navy attacked Colombo. Royal Navy Cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire were sunk southwest of the island.

1944 World War II: 270 inhabitants of the Greek town of Kleisoura were executed by the Germans.

1945 Cold War: Yugoslav leader Josip “Tito” Broz signed an agreement with the USSR to allow “temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory.”

1946 Jane Asher, British actress, was born.

1946 Soviet troops left the Danish  island of Bornholm after an 11 month occupation.

1949 Fireside Theater debuted on television.

1949 – A fire in a hospital in Effingham, Illinois, killed 77 people and leads to nationwide fire code improvements in the United States.

1950 Agnetha Fältskog, Swedish singer (ABBA), was born.

1955 Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health.

1956 Fidel Castro declared himself at war with the President of Cuba.

1956  In Sri Lanka, the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna won the general elections in a landslide and S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was sworn in as the Prime Minister.

1957 In India, Communists won the first elections in united Kerala and E.M.S. Namboodiripad was sworn in as the first chief minister.

1958 Ripple Rock, an underwater threat to navigation in the Seymour Narrows in Canada was destroyed in one of the largest non-nuclear controlled explosions of the time.

1966 Mike McCready, American musician (Pearl Jam), was born.

1969 Vietnam War: Massive antiwar demonstrations occured in many U.S. cities.

1971 In Sri Lanka, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna launched insurrection against the United Front government of Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

1976 The April Fifth Movement led to the Tiananmen incident.

1986 Three people were killed in the bombing of the La Belle Discothèque in West Berlin.

1991 An ASA EMB 120 crashed in Brunswick, Georgia, killing all 23 aboard.

1992 Several hundred-thousand abortion rights demonstrators marched in Washington, D.C.

1992 Alberto Fujimori,  president of Peru, dissolved the Peruvian congress by military force.

1992 The Siege of Sarajevo began when Serb paramilitaries murder peace protesters Suada Dilberovic and Olga Sucic on the Vrbanja Bridge.

1998 The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge linking Shikoku with Honshū and costing about $3.8 billion, opened to traffic, becoming the largest suspension bridge in the world.

1999 Two Libyans suspected of bringing down Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 were handed over for eventual trial in the Netherlands.

2009 North Korea launched its controversial Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 rocket.

2010 – Twenty-nine coal miners were killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia

Osborne & Little Trapani Madras Spring 2013

When Cole Porter sang “only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun” he meant folk like Elihu Yale, i.e. denizens of the Northern Hemisphere who become intoxicated by the Southern Hemisphere’s hot sun on tap. Said to be the first Yank to wear madras, Yale spent 27 years as Governor of the East India Company at Madras (now known as Chennai), India. Local fascination with Scottish tartans is said to be the source for Madras plaid designs. Maybe Yale’s Madras office was decorated with a forerunner print similar to the portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie in a tartan suit which by comparison makes Campbell’s Mad Men madras look rather conservative. (Cont)

Osborne & Little Trapani Madras

Your scribe longs for barbecues with dads in chef hats and madras board shorts manning the poolside grill, but in lieu of that and in expectation of a damp squib London summer, your scribe suggests SAD sufferers, Mad Men fans and Madras aficionados buy Osborne & Little’s Trapani from the Lorca Silk Road Collection. A riff rather than a replica of traditional Madras plaid, Trapani’s colourways include pink and Indian sunshine yellow which will lift spirits in any hemisphere. Whatever the source, Madras has stayed the course through preppy Ivy League alignment, to parody in National Lampoon’s Animal House, to Andy Spade’s recent reinvention of the classic. And so too Osborne & Little’s Trapani is the bright note sun lovers can count on for Summer 2013. DJ

Osborne & Little Trapani fabric

Per fortuna che ciò non avvenne perchè così la città riuscì a salvare il suo impianto coloniale e la sua nascente industria che  verso la fine del 18° secolo diventèrà una delle più particolari aree di sviluppo degli States, grazie alle invenzioni e alle fabbriche impiantate da Heli Whitney. Strana e beffarda vita, quella di Whitney. Come inventore  è passato alla storia per la famosa “sgranatrice” una macchina industriale che separava la fibra dai semi di cotone, ma che in realtà non aveva inventato lui, ma una sua amica che, essendo donna, non aveva la possibilità giuridica di  brevettare l’invenzione. Come  imprenditore è da tutti ricordato per la sua fabbrica d’armi che però acquistò fama mondiale  solo in seguito e per merito di  Samuel Colt che vi siluppò la famosa pistola automatica che da lui prese il nome.

Eppure l’industria non era il vero destino di New Haven  perché  nella seconda  metà del XX secolo, la città è entrata in crisi economica e ha spopolato il suo centro soprattutto a causa dei conflitti sociali e dell’eterogeneità delle sue etnie.

Per fortuna che New Haven ha avuto sempre il suo asso nella manica e seppure il  modello cittadino  e la vocazione industriale sono entrate in crisi ha  finito per diventare il Centro Servizi  di una delle più prestigiose università del Mondo.  Yale, che porta il nome del suo principale benefattore, non potè nemmeno usufrire  del patrimonio che  Elihu Yale gli aveva lasciato per testamento. Successe infatti che, per una spaventosa commedia degli equivoci, il Sig. Yale lasciò i suoi averi al Collegiate College, morendo prima di sapere  che il Collegiate non esisteva più, avendo cambiato il  suo nome in  Yale College. Ma ciò nonostante, oggi Yale ha beni per 22,5 miliardi di dollari, 12,5 milioni di libri distribuiti su 12 biblioteche, più di 3000 docenti e 11.000 studenti fra laureati e laureandi. E c’è di più! Se  qualcuno  sta programmando di diventare presidente degli Stati Uniti, o giù di lì, la cosa migliore che possa fare è quella di andare a studiare a Yale. Già una decina di anni fa un’autorevole rivista  ha scritto in proposito ” Se c’è una scuola che può proclamare di educare i miglior leader della nazione, dai tre decenni passati, quella scuola è Yale” E come contraddirla se da Yale  sono usciti i due Presidenti Bush, Gerald Ford e Bill Clinton  e a scendere, ma nemmeno tanto, John Kerry, Gary Hart e Hillary Clinton?

Intanto da una decina di anni  la città si sta veramente riqualificando, forse anche per non sfigurare di fronte a tutti i futuri presidenti che oggi sono solo  studenti… Vita notturna, librerie, centri informatici, nuovi condomini, nuove linee ferroviarie e un incoraggiante ritorno della popolazione nel centro storico.

Ma dove la vita non è mai mancata, anche nei momenti più bui dell’ultima storia di New Haven è nei servizi di ristorazione. Se è vero che più di 120 ristoranti si trovano nelle zone centrali, è anche vero che tutta la città è  la massima espressione dei ristoranti etnici che includono le cucine più  svariate del mondo, la malese, l’etiope, la messicana, la thailandese, la vietnamita e naturalmente l’italiana. Perché New Haven è stato  fra la fine del 19° secolo e i primi decenni del 20° uno dei poli di maggior attrazione dell’emigrazione dall’Italia meridionale e  oggi si calcola che nei quartieri di East Haven, West Haven e  Hamden, la percentuale di quelli che ormai sono italo – americani arriva al 50%. E qui gli italiani  hanno dato o ridato vita a quello che pur essendo uno dei piatti più noti e sfruttati della cucina italiana, qui rivisitato in veste mix, è diventato un  cult : “Sua maestà la Pizza” anzi come tutti qui dicono “Apizza”. Il suo debutto? L’anno 1925 da Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana. La sua cottura? In un  forno di mattoni, una volta a carbone, oggi a legna. I suoi colori? Rossa pomodoro o bianca, ottenuta con solo aglio, olio d’oliva e scamorza o pecorino. Chi vuole la mozzarella la deve chiedere! La sua base di pasta? un po’ bruciata in cottura! Una ricetta particolare? Quella con le vongole che si può mangiare da Pepe a da Sally Apizza. Ma se andate a New Haven non vi dimenticate nemmeno di  Modern Apizza. E’ li dal 1934!

La storia di Pepe, colui che per primo ha portato la pizza a New Haven è emblematica dell’emigrazione italiana. Viene da Maiori, un piccolo paese della costa amalfitana, e quindi di pizza se ne doveva già intendere, ma quando arriva  a New Haven  va per diversi anni a preparare gli spaghetti nei ristoranti degli altri. Solo nel 1925 ha il coraggio di mettersi in proprio e apre un panificio che ovviamente diventa l’anticamera della Pizza. Riunisce la famiglia e 10 anni dopo è già famoso e apre un nuovo locale, andando ad abitare al piano sopra la Pizzeria. Le sue pizze sono bianche e rosse, tonde e grandi, con alcune caratteristiche anche un po’ strane come quell’impasto  più simile al pane e un pò bruciato in cottura, il cui  sapore un po’ forte si andava a smorzare col pomodoro o col formaggio!

Poi nel 1960 l’ultima invenzione, la pizza con le vongole. Le guardava sempre al banco  del bar dove le servivano con gli aperitivi, tanto che una sera se le portò in cucina e le rovesciò sopra la pizza.

Era nata la PEPE’S STYLE WHITE CLAM PIZZA

INGREDIENTI (per una pizza da circa 35 centimetri): Per l’impasto: 3 cucchiai di farina, 2 cucchiai di farina di mais, 1/2 bustina di lievito istantaneo, 1 tazza  di acqua calda,1/2 cucchiaino di sale, 4 cucchiai di olio extra vergine di oliva. Per il top della pizza: 36 vongole, 1/2 tazza (circa 100 grammi) di pecorino romano grattugiato,2 spicchi di aglio tritati, 4 cucchiai di olio extra vergine di oliva, 2 cucchiai di origano secco.

PREPARAZIONE : Far aprire le vongole fresche mettendole sul fuoco in una padella con l’aggiunta di qualche cucchiaio di acqua. Non appena si saranno aperte sgusciarle e metterle da parte.  Nel frattempo pre – riscaldare il forno a circa 250°C.

Preparare l’impasto della pizza con tutti i suoi ingredienti e stenderlo su una superficie liscia dandogli un altezza di circa 1/2 centimetro. Spolverizzare la teglia con un po’ di farina di mais e poggiarvi sopra l’impasto. Distribuire le vongole sull’impasto in modo uniforme lasciando circa un centimetro di bordo vuoto, poi cospargere di aglio, formaggio, origano e infine versare sopra l’olio. Cuocere in forno per 30 minuti.La crosta, nel migliore stile Pepe, deve essere ben dorata, ma non bruciata. Servire calda accompagnata  con la tipica bevanda  Foxon Park o in alternativa con una  birra  ghiacciata o un vino Sauvignon Blanc.

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http://www.wrexham.com/news/wrexhams-victorian-christmas-market-15453.html

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Incidentally, St Giles is well worth a visit for other reasons, most prominent among which must be the tomb (right) of Elihu Yale of Plas Grono, who was born in America but returned to his family home in North Wales, a very wealthy man who made many gifts to St Giles and was also the primary benefactor of Connecticut College, which was renamed Yale after him – the rest, as they say, is history. There is also, on the outside of the church, a stone which replaces one which was presented to Yale University in 1918.

RR Auctions Elihu Yale

When Sir Stephen Evans, Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, went bankrupt and committed suicide in 1712, he left behind an extensive trail of debt, including a large sum owed to Elihu Yale. Having amassed a small fortune while working for the East India Company, Yale certainly did not need the debt repaid for survival; instead, the “great occasion for it” was in building his legacy. Encouraged by the Massachusetts Colony’s agent in London to make a contribution to a struggling school in New Haven, Connecticut, the childless Yale, enticed by the idea that the school ‘might wear the name of Yale College,’ was anxious to get involved. This request for the repayment of Evans’ debt is at the heart of the donation that put Yale’s name at the center of the academic world—an important and exceedingly rare piece, this is the only Yale item we have ever offered. RRAuction COA.

In 1678, she was listed in a Madras survey as one of five English women who were single. She set her cap on the fast-rising Elihu Yale but in 1680, he opted to marry the wealthy Catherine Hynmers, widow of his recently deceased friend. Catherine Barker was a bridesmaid at the wedding.

She soon married John Nicks, a close friend of Yale’s and had ten children for four of whom Yale was godfather. Several were named after members of the Yale family. In business, it would appear that Yale and she were partners.

The Nicks’ fortunes peaked when Yale became Governor in 1687. Catherine was a merchant in her own right, “being so forward as to have invoices, accounts etc” in her own name. She dealt in cloth, and more importantly, diamonds, in which Yale also had investments. By 1689, with Mrs Yale permanently in England, Mrs Nicks and Hieronima da Paivia, widow of a diamond merchant, ran the Governor’s establishment. Nicks was conveniently away as head of the Company’s interests at Connimere.

Fortunes nosedived in 1692 when Yale was dismissed and faced enquiries. Nicks was arrested. Yale retired with Catherine and Mrs de Paivia to his garden house, “to the scandal of Christianity among heathens”. The trial found Catherine guilty of breaking into the Company’s godowns, removing cloth and selling it on Yale’s private account. She absented herself from the enquiry and a warrant was issued for her arrest. It took a “file of Musqueteers with a Corporal” to bring her to justice.

She paid a fine of 600 pagodas and was allowed to leave for England. Unable to pay the fee of 26 pagodas for each of her children she left them behind, no doubt in the care of Yale. In England, she petitioned the Privy Council on behalf of her husband.

By 1696, charges against Yale came to nothing and he was allowed to return home. He took three leisurely years to settle his affairs in Madras and when he sailed in1699, took John Nicks with him.

Back in England, while Yale retired to a life of comfort and wealth, the Nicks found the going tough. They returned to Madras, Nicks as a merchant and Mrs Nicks, once again as Yale’s agent. Governor Pitt, an old crony of Yale’s, noted that she let out Yale’s godowns, and repaired the houses he still owned in Madras.

Catherine died in Madras in 1709. Nicks died here in 1711. In 1721, Yale passed away. His will, made in 1709 and unchanged thereafter, had provisions for four of the Nicks children and Catherine. Way below was a bequest to “my wicked wife”.

Evidently, the wife Catherine did not like the business associate-cum-companion Catherine.

This article appeared in The Hindu under the Hidden Histories column

That is what the Tamil Nadu Archaeology web site has to say at http://www.tnarch.gov.in/epi/ins8.htm.

Inspired by this, Karthik Bhatt and I decided to visit the tomb. After all, if Henry Davison Love was to be believed, it was “a substantial monument of gneiss, approached by steps and surrounded by an iron railing, the edge of the present western esplanade of Fort St George, opposite to the entrance of the Medical College Grounds.” That was written in 1912/13.

Bulkeley’s tomb?

There being nothing immediately opposite the medical college, we went down the old Fort Glacis, behind the Fort Railway Station. There again we drew a blank, until after a sharp bend, we came upon a splendidly-maintained park with a blue board stating that it was a protected monument. But of the massive monument, that Love describes and the Latin inscription on it that the TN Archaeology site describes, there was not a trace. The park has three raised mounds in the grass. Were these the points on which the Bulkley tomb once rested? Perhaps we were at the wrong place and maybe the tomb still stands elsewhere. Who knows? Should the website now refer to the tomb more appropriately in the past tense? The internet does not reveal any photographs either. This is definitely a well and truly hidden piece of history.

For the record, Dr. Edward Bulkley was sent out by the East India Company in 1692, though it would appear that he already had prior experience in India. He was thought to be “as fit for prescribing Phisick as manuall Operation.” On arrival, He took charge of the hospital in the Fort, the forerunner of our GH. Within a year, he was to perform the first recorded autopsy in Madras. James Wheeler, a member-in-council, and being treated by Dr Browne, was found dead shortly after taking a dose of “Dr Browne’s physic.” The good doctor recollected to his horror that his servant had prepared the medicine in a vessel that had previously been used for arsenic. “I have Murthered Mr Wheeler…please to execute Justice on me the Malifactor as I deserve,” wrote Dr Browne. It was left to Bulkley to conduct the post-mortem. Dr. Browne and servant were tried but committed to custody and tried. They were acquitted, the jury bringing in “the bill Ignoramus.” Did that also mean professional incompetence? Not so, for Browne remained in Company service till 1697.

Bulkley was evidently careful in treating those who had friends in high places. John Nicks, whose wife Catherine was a companion to Governor Yale, was arrested for appropriating Company funds. Bulkley’s medical certificate ensured he was kept in confinement in the comfort of his own home! Another Madras first?

This article appeared in The Hindu dated 25th September 2012 -http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/the-mystery-of-a-missing-tombstone/article3932842.ece

Kachaliswarar Temple, Armenian Street

Kalavai Chetty, commemorated in a Chintadripet street and referred to in records as Colloway Chetty, is first mentioned in 1691 when he was declared insolvent and sentenced to prison by the Mayor’s Court. Governor Elihu Yale, commemorated in Yale University thought differently after Chetty’s relatives met him and a surety of 1000 pagodas (the then currency) had exchanged hands. He demanded the immediate release of the “eminent Merchant of the Hon’ble Company”. It was perhaps the first instance in Madras of political interference in the execution of justice.

By 1708, Chetty was clearly prosperous enough to rent the villages of Tondiarpet, Purasawalkam and Egmore from the East India Company at 1750 pagodas per annum. Within a few months, Governor Pitt, of whom Chetty was clearly a favourite, encouraged the latter to take on the villages of Tiruvottriyur, Nungambakkam, Vyasarpadi, Kattupakkam and Sattangadu, which he did at a rent of 1200 pagodas per annum.

Kachaliswarar Temple, as seen from Kachali Pagoda Lane

Kalavai Chetty formed a joint stock company, a private limited in today’s parlance, through which he and other investing merchants supplied cloth to the East India Company. Apart from Kalavai, the shareholders were Sunkurama, Balu and Kalathi Chetties, all commemorated with street names in North Chennai. But Kalavai Chetty’s continuing involvement in caste riots ensured his dismissal from this venture in 1717. He was soon back in favour, this time on payment of 40,000 pagodas as a surety.

The Kachaliswarar Temple Tank

His various dealings prevented him from regularly visiting the Kachapeeswarar shrine in Kanchipuram to which he was greatly attached. He decided to build a temple for the deity in Madras itself. His garden on Armenian Street was made over for the purpose and on it came up the temple then referred to as the Kachali Pagoda and now known as the Kachaliswarar Temple. Like the shrine in Kanchi, the Shiva Linga here is mounted on a turtle depicting Mahavishnu. The Goddess here is Saundarambika, just as in the Kanchi temple. The temple today has several sub shrines, including some hideous recent structures that ought to have never been erected.

Among the more aesthetic ones is a sanctum for Ayyappa. This has an interesting story behind it. In 1952, when the temple at Sabarimala was damaged by fire, a new idol was made and taken in procession to various parts of the country. When it came to Madras, it was housed at the Kachaliswarar Temple. When the idol was taken back to Sabarimala, a portrait of the deity took its place and was worshipped. In the 1980s, this portrait was replaced by an image.

Signboard recalling an old name

The temple forms a square, on three sides of which is the Kachaliswarar Agraharam, marking the traditional residential area. Was this endowed by Kalavai Chetty? To the rear of the shrine is a large tank. And fronting the temple is Kachali Pagoda Lane, a throwback to the old name. In the 18th century, this was the principal dancing-girl quarter of Madras. It has no vestige of that colourful past now.

This article appeared in The Hindu today -http://www.thehindu.com/arts/history-and-culture/article3621524.ece

I enjoyed reading the book, maybe because i am familiar with the places and the people’s attitude that he enumerates in the book.

His research into the historical FACTS to put together this book is praiseworthy.

Since, Bishwanath Ghosh had not been steeped in the Madrasi culture and originally hails from Uttar Pradesh his presentation, therefore,  is fresh and has a certain innocence to it.  He had interviewed many people including Saroja Devi (former Tamil actress), Dr Kamala Selvaraj (gynaecologist), Mr. Muthaiah (the Chennai historian), Ms. Meena Kandasamy (dalit activist and a poetess) etc., which lend credibility to his presentation.

But it is his personal experiences in Chennai which stamps the hallmark of authenticity to the book. When he discovers a heap of condoms in the Marina beach and when his lady friend says, “KAIKKU ANJU, VAAIKKU PATHTHU” there is an IMMEDIACY to his averment that Chennai beneath the thick layer of tradition is nothing but a molten lava of all kinds of activity!

The interview based presentations are too bland, especially Bishwanath Ghosh’s meeting with Saroja Devi and her statements about herself are very self-redeeming! I wish Bishwanath Ghosh had put in a lot more effort to pull out the sleaze which , probably, lies hidden under the mount of self redeeming interviews and media management. In any case, Bishwanath Ghosh would not have been in any position to write like our good old Kushwant Singh, as Mr. Ghosh wangled most of the interviews based on his credibility as a person working for THE HINDU or as a media person.

But his effort to ferret out history accurately and show that Modern India was built on the foundations laid at Madras is laudable. That Madras was the first centre for the East India Company and that their stability in Chennai helped the British to capture Bengal or  create Mumbai are FACTS; but to say that Madras was the starting point of Modern India is an INFERENCE, which he may still have to fortify with facts for people to accept!

His dilated presentation of the ‘TAMBRAM’ (shortened for for TAMIL BRAHMIN)  with reference to  the existing divisions of IYERS and IYENGARS,  should definitely help my North Indian brethren and sisters to have clarity over the unbridgeable divide!

The book is definitely worth reading.

The two historical inputs which have shaken me to my bones are the inputs relating to Arthur Wellesley (Duke of Wellington) and Elihu Yale.

Duke of Wellington is ascribed the quote , ” THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO WAS DECIDED ON THE PLAYGROUNDS OF ETON AND HARROW”, thereby implying that the discipline shown by the sailors/ navy men in the Battle of Waterloo was inculcated in the public schools of London and that led to the victory. But after going through the book, it seems that the DUKE of WELLINGTON honed his ability as a future Admiral by knowing how to keep accounts from the Chettiars and Pillais of Chennai’ and also developing the skill to be an able admiral by building his skills in COMMUNICATIONS from Fort St. George!

The second one relating to Elihu Yale, in even more intriguing. Elihu while he was the Governor of Madras, had abolished a system for procurement and thereby enriched himself. A part of the ill-gotten money seems to have been DONATED by the said Yale to the University which had been subsequently named after him. If the naming was because of his donation, then it is WORSE, but if it was because of his eminence as an Administrator, it is BAD.

Anyway, as my senior said, don’t worry, after all YALE UNIVERSITY discharged its obligation by conferring a Doctorate degree on C N ANNADURAI, while he was the CM of Tamil Nadu.  Some repayment of debt for all the looting Elihu Yale did.

456  St. Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary bishop.

1242 During a battle of the ice of Lake Peipus, Russian forces, led by Alexander Nevsky, rebuffed an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights.

 Depiction in the illuminated manuscript Life of Alexander Nevsky.

1254  Willen van Rubroeck, a Flemish Franciscan, meets the Mongolian Khan Möngke

1566 Two-hundred Dutch noblemen, led by Hendrik van Brederode, forced themselves into the presence of Margaret of Parma and present the Petition of Compromise, denouncing the Spanish Inquisition in the Netherlands.

1614 Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe.

1621 The Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, Massachusetts on a return trip to Great Britain.

1649  Elihu Yale, American benefactor of Yale University, was born  (d. 1721).

1722 The Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen discovered Easter Island.

1792  U.S. President George Washington exercised his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power is used in the United States.

1804 High Possil Meteorite: The first recorded meteorite in Scotland fell in Possil.

1818 In the Battle of Maipú, Chile’s independence movement – led by Bernardo O’Higgins and José de San Martín – won a decisive victory over Spain, leaving 2,000 Spaniards and 1,000 Chilean patriots dead.

1827 Joseph Lister, English surgeon, was born (d. 1912).

1837 Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet, was born (d. 1909).

1862 American Civil War: The Battle of Yorktown started.

1874 Birkenhead Park, the first civic public park,opened in Birkenhead.

1879  Chile declared war on Bolivia and Peru, starting the War of the Pacific.

1897  The Greco-Turkish War, also called “Thirty Days’ War”, was declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire.

1900 Spencer Tracy, American actor, was born  (d. 1967).

1904 The first international rugby league match was played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh & Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan.

1908 Bette Davis, American actress, was born  (d. 1989).

1916 Gregory Peck, American actor, was born (d. 2003).

1920 Arthur Hailey, American writer, was born (d. 2004).

1923 Firestone Tire and Rubber Company began production of balloon-tyres.

1928 Tony Williams, American singer (The Platters), was born. (d. 1992)

1929 Nigel Hawthorne, British actor, was born (d. 2001).

1930  In an act of civil disobedience, Mohandas Gandhi broke British law after marching to the sea and making salt.

1932 Champion race horse Phar Lap died.

  1932  Alcohol prohibition in Finland ended. Alcohol sales begin in Alko liquor stores.

1932 – Dominion of Newfoundland: 10,000 rioters seized the Colonial Building leading to the end of self-government.

1933  U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102 “forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates” by U.S. citizens.

1936 Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak: An F5 tornado killed 233 in Tupelo, Mississippi.

1937 Colin Powell, U.S. Army General, 12th Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff; and 65th Secretary of State, was born.

1937 Allan R. Thieme, American inventor, was born.

1942 World War II: The Japanese Navy attacked Colombo. Royal Navy Cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire were sunk southwest of the island.

1944 World War II: 270 inhabitants of the Greek town of Kleisoura were executed by the Germans.

1945 Cold War: Yugoslav leader Josip “Tito” Broz signed an agreement with the USSR to allow “temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory.”

1946 Jane Asher, British actress, was born.

1946 Soviet troops left the Danish  island of Bornholm after an 11 month occupation.

1949 Fireside Theater debuted on television.

1949 – A fire in a hospital in Effingham, Illinois, killed 77 people and leads to nationwide fire code improvements in the United States.

1950 Agnetha Fältskog, Swedish singer (ABBA), was born.

1955 Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health.

1956 Fidel Castro declared himself at war with the President of Cuba.

1956  In Sri Lanka, the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna won the general elections in a landslide and S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was sworn in as the Prime Minister.

1957 In India, Communists won the first elections in united Kerala and E.M.S. Namboodiripad was sworn in as the first chief minister.

1958 Ripple Rock, an underwater threat to navigation in the Seymour Narrows in Canada was destroyed in one of the largest non-nuclear controlled explosions of the time.

1966 Mike McCready, American musician (Pearl Jam), was born.

1969 Vietnam War: Massive antiwar demonstrations occured in many U.S. cities.

1971 In Sri Lanka, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna launched insurrection against the United Front government of Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

1976 The April Fifth Movement led to the Tiananmen incident.

1986 Three people were killed in the bombing of the La Belle Discothèque in West Berlin.

1991 An ASA EMB 120 crashed in Brunswick, Georgia, killing all 23 aboard.

1992 Several hundred-thousand abortion rights demonstrators marched in Washington, D.C.

1992 Alberto Fujimori,  president of Peru, dissolved the Peruvian congress by military force.

1992 The Siege of Sarajevo began when Serb paramilitaries murder peace protesters Suada Dilberovic and Olga Sucic on the Vrbanja Bridge.

1998 The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge linking Shikoku with Honshū and costing about $3.8 billion, opened to traffic, becoming the largest suspension bridge in the world.

1999 Two Libyans suspected of bringing down Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 were handed over for eventual trial in the Netherlands.

2009 North Korea launched its controversial Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 rocket.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia

456  St. Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary bishop.

1242 During a battle of the ice of Lake Peipus, Russian forces, led by Alexander Nevsky, rebuffed an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights.

 Depiction in the illuminated manuscript Life of Alexander Nevsky.

1254  Willen van Rubroeck, a Flemish Franciscan, meets the Mongolian Khan Möngke

1566 Two-hundred Dutch noblemen, led by Hendrik van Brederode, forced themselves into the presence of Margaret of Parma and present the Petition of Compromise, denouncing the Spanish Inquisition in the Netherlands.

1614 Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe.

1621 The Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, Massachusetts on a return trip to Great Britain.

1649  Elihu Yale, American benefactor of Yale University, was born.

1722 The Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen discovered Easter Island.

1792  U.S. President George Washington exercised his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power is used in the United States.

1804 High Possil Meteorite: The first recorded meteorite in Scotland fell in Possil.

1818 In the Battle of Maipú, Chile’s independence movement – led by Bernardo O’Higgins and José de San Martín – won a decisive victory over Spain, leaving 2,000 Spaniards and 1,000 Chilean patriots dead.

1827 Joseph Lister, English surgeon (, was born.

1837 Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet, was born.

1862 American Civil War: The Battle of Yorktown started.

1874 Birkenhead Park, the first civic public park,opened in Birkenhead.

1879  Chile declared war on Bolivia and Peru, starting the War of the Pacific.

1897  The Greco-Turkish War, also called “Thirty Days’ War”, was declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire.

1900 Spencer Tracy, American actor, was born.

1904 The first international rugby league match was played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh & Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan.

1908 Bette Davis, American actress, was boprn.

1916 Gregory Peck, American actor, was born.

1920 Arthur Hailey, American writer, was born.

1923 Firestone Tire and Rubber Company began production of balloon-tyres.

1928 Tony Williams, American singer (The Platters), was born.

1929 Nigel Hawthorne, British actor, was born.

1930  In an act of civil disobedience, Mohandas Gandhi broke British law after marching to the sea and making salt.

1932 Champion race horse Phar Lap died.

  1932  Alcohol prohibition in Finland ended. Alcohol sales begin in Alko liquor stores.

1932 – Dominion of Newfoundland: 10,000 rioters seized the Colonial Building leading to the end of self-government.

1933  U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102 “forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates” by U.S. citizens.

1936 Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak: An F5 tornado killed 233 in Tupelo, Mississippi.

1937 Colin Powell, U.S. Army General, 12th Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff; and 65th Secretary of State, was born.

1937 Allan R. Thieme, American inventor, was born.

1942 World War II: The Japanese Navy attacked Colombo. Royal Navy Cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire were sunk southwest of the island.

1944 World War II: 270 inhabitants of the Greek town of Kleisoura were executed by the Germans.

1945 Cold War: Yugoslav leader Josip “Tito” Broz signed an agreement with the USSR to allow “temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory.”

1946 Jane Asher, British actress, was born.

1946 Soviet troops left the Danish  island of Bornholm after an 11 month occupation.

1949 Fireside Theater debuted on television.

1949 – A fire in a hospital in Effingham, Illinois, killed 77 people and leads to nationwide fire code improvements in the United States.

1950 Agnetha Fältskog, Swedish singer (ABBA), was born.

1955 Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health.

1956 Fidel Castro declared himself at war with the President of Cuba.

1956  In Sri Lanka, the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna won the general elections in a landslide and S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was sworn in as the Prime Minister.

1957 In India, Communists won the first elections in united Kerala and E.M.S. Namboodiripad was sworn in as the first chief minister.

1958 Ripple Rock, an underwater threat to navigation in the Seymour Narrows in Canada was destroyed in one of the largest non-nuclear controlled explosions of the time.

1966 Mike McCready, American musician (Pearl Jam), was born.

1969 Vietnam War: Massive antiwar demonstrations occured in many U.S. cities.

1971 In Sri Lanka, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna launched insurrection against the United Front government of Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

1976 The April Fifth Movement led to the Tiananmen incident.

1986 Three people were killed in the bombing of the La Belle Discothèque in West Berlin.

1991 An ASA EMB 120 crashed in Brunswick, Georgia, killing all 23 aboard.

1992 Several hundred-thousand abortion rights demonstrators marched in Washington, D.C.

1992 Alberto Fujimori,  president of Peru, dissolvesd the Peruvian congress by military force.

1992 The Siege of Sarajevo began when Serb paramilitaries murder peace protesters Suada Dilberovic and Olga Sucic on the Vrbanja Bridge.

1998 The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge linking Shikoku with Honshū and costing about $3.8 billion, opened to traffic, becoming the largest suspension bridge in the world.

1999 Two Libyans suspected of bringing down Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 were handed over for eventual trial in the Netherlands.

2009 North Korea launched its controversial Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 rocket.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia

சென்ற ஆகஸ்ட் மாதம் 22ம் தேதி எங்கள் ஊர் ‘சென்னை’க்கு 370 வயது நிரம்பியது. சென்னைவாசிகள் இந்த தினத்தைப் பல்வேறு வகைகளில் கொண்டாடி மகிழ்ந்தார்கள். பள்ளிகளிலும், மற்ற பொது இடங்களிலும், சென்னையைப் பற்றியும் அதன் சிறப்பு அம்சங்களைப் பற்றியும் பேச்சுகளும், நடனம், நாடகங்களும் இடம் பெற்றன.

சென்னையின் சிறப்பு சரித்திராசிரியர், திரு எஸ்.முத்தையா அவர்களின் வழி காட்டுதலில், சசி நாயர், வின்செண்ட் டி’சௌசா, சுசீலா ரவீந்திரன், வி.ஸ்ரீராம், ஆர்.ரேவதி ஆகியோர் சிறந்து பணியாற்றினர்.

1639ம் வருஷம், இந்த ஆகஸ்ட் 22ம் தேதியில் தான் தாமர்லா வெங்கடப்பாவும் அவரது சகோதரர் ஐயப்பாவும், கிழக்கிந்தியக் கம்பெனியின் ஏஜண்ட் ஃப்ரான்சிஸ் டே அவர்களுக்கு, சென்னைக் கடற்கரையோரம் நிலமும், கட்டடங்கள் கட்டவும் ஏற்றுமதி இறக்குமதி செய்ய அனுமதியும் வழங்கினர்.

நீங்கள் எல்லோரும் அறிந்தபடி, ஆங்கிலேயர் நம்மிந்திய நாட்டில் முதன்முறை யாக வந்திறங்கியது சூரத்தில், ஆயிரத்தி ஐநூற்று தொண்ணூற்றியொன்பதாம் வருஷத்தில். அடுத்த வருஷம் ஈஸ்ட் இந்தியா கம்பெனி நிறுவப்பட்டது.

சில காலம் அங்கிருந்த பிறகு, வியாபார முன்னேற்ற நிமித்தம், ஒரு குழு கிழக்குக் கடற்கரையோரமுள்ள மசூலிப் பட்டணம் வந்து சேர்ந்தது.   அருகேயுள்ள ஆர்மகோன் (துர்காராயப் பட்டினம்) அடுத்த இலக்கு. முதலில் அங்கே முன்னமேயே வந்திருந்த டச்சு நாட்டினருடன் சேர்ந்து வணிகம் செய்யலாம் என்ற எண்ணத்தை, 1626ல் கைவிட்டனர். அதன் பின்னர் தங்களுக்கென்று ஒரு நிரந்தர இடம் தேடிக் கொள்ள விரும்பி, பல முயற்சிகள் செய்தனர்.

இந்தக் காலகட்டத்தில் விஜயநகர மன்னரின் பிரதிநிதியாக, சந்திரகிரி ராஜா இருந்து வந்தார் – அவரது வந்தவாசி தளபதி தான் தமர்லா வெங்கடப்பா. வெங்கடப்பாவின் சகோதரர் ஐயப்பா சென்னை அருகேயுள்ள பூந்தமல்லியில் அவர்களது நிர்வாகத்தினராயிருந்தார்.

கிழக்கிந்தியக் கம்பெனியின் ஏஜண்ட் ஆன்ட்ரூ கோகனும், ஆர்மகோன் நிர்வாகி ஃப்ரான்சிஸ் டேயும், தாமர்லா சகோதரர்களை முன்னமேயே சந்தித்து கம்பெனி கடற்கரையோரம் நிலம் விரும்புவதாகவும், அதற்கு ஆவன செய்ய வேண்டும் என்ற வேண்டுகோள் விடுத்திருந்தனர்.  சமயமறிந்து, சகோதரர்கள் சந்திரகிரி ராஜாவிடம் பேசி அனுமதி பெற்ற பிறகு, கடற்கரையோரமுள்ள ஒரு நிலத்தை கம்பெனிக்கு வழங்க சம்மத்தினர். இதுதான் கூவம் நதிக்கு வடக்கே விஸ்தாரமான நிலம்.

கோகனும் டேயும், 1639 ஜூலை மாதக் கடைசியில் சென்னை வந்து சேர்ந்தனர். பேச்சுகளுக்குப் பிறகு, ஒரு ஒப்பந்தம் கையெழுத்திட்டனர். அதன்படி, இரண்டு வருஷ காலங்களுக்கு, இந்த நிலம் கம்பெனிக்கு அளிக்கப்படும் என்றும், கம்பெனியினர் அங்கு ஒரு கட்டடம் (கோட்டை) கட்டிக்கொள்ளலாமென்றும், அங்கிருந்தபடியே ஏற்றுமதி, இறக்குமதி வியாபாரம் தொடரலாம் என்றும் நிச்சயிக்கப்பட்டது. கம்பெனியிடம் அப்போது நிதி வசதி குறைவாகவே இருந்ததால், கட்டிடச் செலவுகளையெல்லாம், ராஜாவே ஏற்றுச் செய்வதென்றும் இந்தச் செலவுகளை, கட்டிடத்தில் குடியேறியவுடன் கம்பெனி திருப்பித் தர வேண்டும் என்றும் ஒப்பந்தமாயிற்று.    இந்த ஒப்பந்தம் கையெழுத்திட்ட நாள்தான் ஆகஸ்ட் 22ம் தேதி. இந்த இடம் தாமர்லா சகோதரர்களின் தந்தை சென்ன கேசவ நாயகர் நினைவாக ‘சென்னப் பட்டினம்’ என்று பெயரிடப்பட்டது.

கம்பெனியாருக்குத் துபாஷி பேரி திம்மப்ப செட்டி அவர்கள் – அவரே ராஜாவுக்கும் தாமர்லா சகோதரர்களுக்கும் தரகராகவும் இருந்தார்.

கம்பெனியின் பிரதிநிதிகள் 1640 ஏப்ரலில் 23ம் தேதி, உள் கட்டிடமொன்றின் வேலைகள் நிறைந்தவுடன், குடியேறினர். அந்த நாள் ஆங்கிலேயர்களுக்கு செயிண்ட் ஜார்ஜ் நாளாகையால், குடியேறிய இடத்திற்கும் அவர்கள் ஃபோர்ட் செய்ண்ட் ஜார்ஜ் என்று பெயரிட்டனர் என்று சொல்லப்படுகிறது.

1640ம் வருஷத்திலேயே குடியேறி விட்டாலும், கோட்டையில் யூனியன் ஜாக் கொடி பறந்தது, 1687ம் வருஷம், எலிஹு யேல் கவர்னராகப் பொறுப்பில் இருந்த போதுதான்!

டேயின் போறாத காலம், குடியேறிய சில மாதங்களிலேயே, கம்பெனி டைரக்டர்களின் அனுமதியின்றி எப்படிக் கோட்டை கட்டப் பட்டது என்று விளக்கமளிக்க இங்கிலாந்துக்குத் திருப்பி அழைக்கப் பட்டார்.  அவர் அளித்த விளக்கம் கம்பெனியாருக்குத் திருப்தியாயிருந்ததால், டே இந்தியாவுக்குத் திரும்ப வரவும், கம்பெனி ஏஜண்ட்டாக (1643-1644) இருக்கவும் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டார்.

சென்னையிலே எவ்வளவோ இடங்கள், கம்பெனியின் அதிகாரிகள் பெயர் தாங்கியும், அரசாண்டவர்கள் பெயர் தாங்கியும் இருந்தாலும், துரதிர்ஷ்டவசமாக ஃப்ரான்சிஸ் டே பெயரிலோ, அல்லது கோகன் பெயரிலோ ஒரு நினைவுச் சின்னம் கூடக் கிடையாது – சிலைகளோ, படங்களோ, முக்கியமான இடங்களோ அவர்கள் பெயரில் இல்லை – கம்பெனியாரும் மற்றவர்களும் அவர்களை ஏனோ கை கழுவிவிட்டனர்.

***

சென்னையில் இன்னொரு பிரசித்தமான இடம் தன்னுடைய ஐம்பதாவது ஆண்டு நிறையப் பெற்றது. ஏனோ தெரியவில்லை – இதைப் பற்றி யாருமே பேசவும் இல்லை, எழுதவும் இல்லை. இதுதான் சென்னை நகரின் முதல் முதல் “வானளாவி”க் கட்டிடமான, மௌண்ட் ரோடிலுள்ள (தற்போதைய அண்ணா சாலை) எல்.ஐ.சி. கட்டிடமாகும்.

ஐம்பத்தி ஐந்து கிரௌண்டுகளில், பதினான்கு மாடிகளுடன் கூடிய இந்தக் கட்டிடம் 1959ம் வருஷம் ஆகஸ்ட் 23ம் தேதி திறக்கப் பட்டது.  இந்தக் கட்டிடத்தின் வேலைகள் 1950லேயே தொடங்கப்பட்டன. எம்.சி.டி.எம் சிதம்பரம் செட்டியார்தான் இக்கட்டிடம் உருவாகக் காரணமாயிருந்தவர். இக்குடும்பத்தினர் இந்தியன் ஒவர்சீஸ் பாங்க் (1937), யுனைடட் இந்தியா இன்சூரன்ஸ் கம்பெனி, திருவாங்கூர் ரேயான்ஸ் (1946) போன்ற வர்த்தக நிறுவனங்களைத் திறம்பட நடத்தி வந்தனர்.

இங்கிலாந்து கம்பெனியான ஹெச்.ஜே.ப்ரௌன் அண்ட் எல்.சி.மூலான் என்ற கட்டிட நிர்மாண நிறுவனம் இவ்வேலைகளை ஆரம்பித்த போதிலும், சில மனஸ்தாபங்கள் காரணமாக அவர்கள் 1957ல் கட்டிட வேலையை மேலே தொடர்ந்து செய்ய முடியாதென்று தெரிந்தவுடன், சென்னை பிரபல ஆர்கிடெக்ட் கம்பெனி “எல்.எம்.சித்தாலே அண்ட் சன்”  இந்தப் பொறுப்பை ஏற்று 1959ம் வருஷம் முடித்துக் கொடுத்தது.   இந்தக் கட்டிடம் மௌண்ட் ரோடு வாசியான எனக்கு “அண்டை வீடு”. இன்றும் இக்கட்டிடம் பொலிவுடன் விளங்குகிறது!!

எல்.ஐ.சி. வானளாவிக்கு முன், சென்னையில் உயர்ந்த கட்டிடம், பீச் ரோடில் இருந்த ‘T.I.A.M. கட்டிடமாகும். இக்கட்டிடமும் இன்னொரு நகரத்தார் குடும்பம் வசமிருந்தது – அவர்கள் தான் ஏ.எம்.எம்.அருணாசலம் குடும்ப்த்தினர்.. இக்கட்டிடத்தின் முதல் சொந்தக்காரர் கலீலி குடும்பத்தினர்.  இந்தியப் பிரிவினைக்குப் பிறகு கலீலி குடும்பத்தினர் சிலர் பாகிஸ்தானுக்குக் குடியேறிவிட்டனர். பல வருஷங்கள் டி.ஐ.இடமிருந்த இந்தக் கட்டிடம் இரண்டு வருஷங்களுக்கு முன்னர் கை மாறியதென்றும், இப்போது ‘ஜீசஸ் கால்ஸ்’ நிறுவனரும்,
சிறந்த மத போதகருமான டி.ஜி.எஸ்.தினகரனின், காருண்யா ட்ரஸ்ட்தான் இதன் சொந்தக்காரரென்றும் இக்கட்டிடத்தின் விலை நூறு கோடி ரூபாய் என்றும் தெரிய வருகிறது. இன்கம் டாக்ஸ் வாரியத்திற்கு இதன் மூலம் இருபத்தியாறு கோடி ரூபாய் வரி கிடைத்ததென்று ஹிந்து எழுதியது.

கலீலி குடும்பத்தினரைப் பற்றிப் பேசும்போது, அவர்களது இன்னொரு பிரசித்தி பெற்ற கட்டிடத்தைப் பற்றிப் பேசாமல் இருக்க முடியாது!  சென்னை மௌண்ட் ரோடில் கம்பீரமாக நின்று கொண்டிருக்கும் ‘கலீல் மான்ஷன்ஸ்’ தான் அது. இந்தியப் பிரிவினைக்குப் பிறகு இந்தக் கட்டிடமும் கைமாறியது. இதன் சொந்தக்காரர்  திரு. அகர்சந்த் மான்மல் அவர்கள், கட்டிடத்தின் பெயரும் இப்போது ‘அகர்சந்த் மான்ஷன்ஸ்’ மாறியுள்ளது.  1947ல் நான் சென்னைக்கு வந்த போது, இக்கட்டிடத்திலுள்ள ஒரு தனியார் வர்த்தகக் கம்பெனியில்தான் வேலையிலிருந்தேன்.  பிரம்மாண்டமான அழகிய கட்டிடம் – இதன் முகப்பை இப்போது பெயர்ப் பலகைகளும், மற்ற கட்டுமானங்களும் அழித்துக் கொண்டிருக்கின்றன.

நகரமே மாறிவிட்டது. இருந்தாலும் எங்களுக்கெல்லாம் வாழ்வளித்த இந்த நகரத்தை மறக்க முடியுமா?

செய்திகள் ஆதாரம்:
டாக்டர் வேதகிரி ஷண்முகசுந்தரம் (மனோன்மணீயம் சுந்தரனார் பல்கலைக் கழக முதல் துணைவேந்தர்), திரு பி.எம்.பெல்லியப்பா ஐ.ஏ.எஸ்.(ஓய்வு) (தற்போதைய தலைவர் – அசோசியேஷன் ஆஃப் பிரிட்டிஷ் ஸ்காலர்ஸ்) ஆகியோர் MADRAS Chennai – A 400 Year Record of the First City of Modern India – Edited by S. Muthaiah – published by Palaniappa Brothers I Volume 2008) புத்தகத்தில் எழுதிய கட்டுரைகள்

Stories like that are quite welcome. Wine shields against cancer.

It seems like a dog’s age since I wrote ‘Usually Fatal‘ for Russell ‘Public Address‘ Brown, and that would be because it is. Three years.

I’m getting old. Must be the wine.

PS – Yale University was founded by a grant from the Yale family who are from North Wales. Elihu is buried in St Giles church in Wrexham where I grew up, although I have no memory of St Giles church at all. Shame really.