Telangana State Museum: Priceless, yet penniless
A four-pillared mandapam, carved from black basalt stone and dating back to the 13th century Kakatiya period, that greets visitors at the entrance wears a very dilapidated look. Recovered in 1932 at the Sri Swayambhulingeshwara Swamy Temple in Warangal Fort, it now shows signs of seepage and dampness on its roof. Stone sculptures from the same Kakatiya period and even earlier lie neglected, their intricate details fading with time.
Despite possessing one of India's foremost numismatic collections, the museum has its coins locked away in storage after a former director removed the showcases, noted Anuradha Reddy, convenor of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Hyderabad. 'There are also rare Chughtai paintings, many of which were displayed in exhibitions abroad, but most remain unseen by the public due to a lack of display space,' she added.
The crisis extends beyond infrastructure, with dwindling public interest compounding the museum's woes. 'The footfall is very low. Each day, fewer than 50 people visit the museum. Also, we don't have proper records of the sculptures now,' admitted the museum in-charge.
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The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Explore Chennai's Victoria Public Hall, which once hosted ballroom dances and film screenings
Back in 2022, when Victoria Public Hall, an imposing town hall structure standing alongside some of the city's other great monuments like the Ripon buildings and the Central station, was still in disuse, a group of engineers from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) gathered to undertake a study of the premises. Conservation architects and restoration experts who were roped in, said that entering meant danger. Once the ideal location for ballroom dancing in the late 19th and early 20th Century, a heavy step on the floorboard meant that your legs would go through the base of the structure, as the wood was ready to give way from years of having been locked away. Three years hence, the smell of paint and fresh varnish wafts through the air of this iconic red-brick building which is now nearly ready to welcome visitors. Considered to be built somewhere between 1883 and 1890 in Indo-Saracenic style (although historian V Sriram in a recent The Hindu article argues that it is far more Roman in nature with its Travencore caps) by Robert Chisholm, the British architect who conjured up Chennai's most beautiful Colonial-era buildings, the project, under the Singara Chennai 2.0 initiative, cost ₹32.62 crore to restore. A S Murugan, Superintending Engineer, Special Projects Department, Greater Chennai Corporation, wants Chennai-residents to use the town hall as it was initially intended — a public space for residents and travellers. 'You have a train to catch and need a place to wait? Spend some time at Victoria Public Hall where a museum on the history of the hall's conservation is going to be built,' he says. A time of generosity Victoria Public hall was originally conceived to honour Queen Victoria on her Golden Jubilee in 1887. An article in Madras Musings states that Sir AT Arundel, President of the Corporation at the time, raised funds to build the structure as 'an affirmation of loyalty to the Crown'. The opening however, would not have been possible if Rajah Sir Ananda Gajapati, the Maharajah of Vijayanagaram, did not set aside three and a half acres from People's Park to a Board of Trustees on a 99-year lease at eight annas (half a rupee) a ground per year. He is remembered in a tablet, embellished with all his titles, preserved at the entrance, for having laid the foundation stone. Chisholm designed the hall with Gothic arcades and tiled sloping roofs and verandahs. A tall four-sided tower that rises to a height of 150 feet continues to exist till date with a claustrophobic winding path, just perfect to take one to the top to the top. Another article from The Hindu's archives states that Chilsom made small rounded balconies, some of them with canopies to make baldacchinos, all along the length of the tower. A memorial to a former Governor of Madras, Sir Charles Trevelyan, stands in the form of a fountain at the front yard of the Hall. It is said that Trevelyan not just improved Madras' water supply and drainage supply systems but also opened the governor's house to tea parties and tiffins, a concept unheard of at the time. The Victoria Public Hall's purpose was to further the city's cultural and intellectual pursuits. It is why the place hosted several talks, screened films, held ballroom dances, saw performances of plays and discourse on challenging political, spiritual and nationalistic concepts. Chennai owes its cinematic roots to Victoria Public Hall. An article in The Hindu states that the premiere of the first ever film screening in the city was by T Stevenson in December 1896, the proprietor of the Madras Photographic Store. At Victoria Public Hall, he screened ten short films and many magic lantern slides, depicting views of Madras such as the Guindy horse races and a Mowbray's Road street scene. However, the first few shows were quite the bust. The Madras Mail from December 8, 1896 says that only 'a few adventurous ones went forth to see his show' as rain played quite the spoil sport. The reviews for the show were also, frankly, scathing as the Mail stated that the photographs were 'not distinct enough and in some cases seemed too rapidly worked.' Besides the tryst with cinema, several plays, particularly those political by nature, were hosted by the Suguna Vilasa Sabha. It is also stated that the Justice Party had its first meeting at the Victoria Public Hall in 1916. The hall has also played host to several eminent speakers. An article from The Hindu's 1897 edition speaks of Swami Vivekananda's visit. Mahatma Gandhi has also addressed a gathering here. Chennapuri Andhra Maha Sabha also functioned out of the premises in 1914 with the aim to promote Telugu culture and literature for 30 odd years. Several sports: table tennis, billiards, and chess found patronage here at the ground floor of the venue. Despite having played such a central role in Chennai's pursuit, the hall was often found in dire straits. Although exhibitions were held at the hall intermittently since the 1980s, no consistent use was planned for the location. Heralding change With the latest restoration in place, Victoria Public Hall is expected to return to its glory days. Galleries have been installed on the premises for travelling exhibits and a permanent one on the reconstruction of the heritage building. The GCC plans to open the space for talks and occasional performances. There is also a plan to replicate the heritage walk model currently in place at the Ripon Buildings. Abha Narain Lambah, the country's preferred conservation architect, who was roped in for the restoration project says that work primarily went into structural strengthening. 'A lot of archival research, assessment of documents and mapping the structure was undertaken one and a half years ago. We looked at fabric and structural assessment of buildings in the 19th and 20th Century for reference but also needed to conserve it in such a way that it could be in active use. The aim was to ensure that it does not fall back into dilapidation. We also looked into the acoustics of the hall because it was primarily a performance venue,' she says. Raj Cherubal, Executive Director, Chennai Smart City and Christy Lemma, Communication Cell In-Charge, GCC, say that much of the original pillars of the building were maintained. Earthquake proofing was done and an attempt to conceal the use of modern embellishments like air conditioners and lighting were done in a manner so as to not appear garish. 'For the inauguration, we plan on hosting an exhibition on Chennai, its roots, the recent discoveries of the Tamil civilization and many more. There will also be a fete with cultural performances and a food festival,' says Christy. Of contributions Victoria Public Hall is about 90% ready to invite visitors as of today but a date is yet to be set on the inauguration. As workers put the final touches on the historic staircase of the building and the front yard, I ask a labourer what he thinks of working on the building and his thoughts on the recent sanitary workers' protest that was held close to the entrance of the hall. The labourer insists on a state of impermanence. He says that nobody will acknowledge his effort of having painted the building, the effort of daily wage labourers, or even the function of the government. 'Nothing is permanent but this building. That is where the beauty lies.'
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Writer's Corner: ‘Development shouldn't erase heritage,' says Meera Iyer who has spent years documenting Bengaluru's past
From a dovecote at Lalbagh to the old clubs of the city, if you are near a part of Bengaluru that is of any significant age, Meera Iyer has probably helped document it in her books. Iyer's first work, Discovering Bengaluru, is one of the more comprehensive and accessible English resources published in recent years, dealing broadly with the history of most parts of the city that one might see as a pedestrian. Her latest, India in Triangles, co-authored with Shruthi Rao, deals with the history of the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, an initiative in which Bengaluru also played a part. Looking back on her memories of the city, Iyer told The Indian Express on Monday that she spent a good chunk of her childhood in Bengaluru. 'I have stayed in Basavanagudi, Austin Town, Frazer Town… So I feel like I have personal connections in many different parts of the city which have many different cultures.' Iyer, who also serves as the convenor of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in the city, added, 'I had come back to Bangalore in 2005 and used to travel on the weekends to places in and around the city. I remember going to the Devanahalli fort. It was a place full of historical importance, and yet there was nobody there to tell us anything about the place, no information on hand. At that point, I wanted to be in a place where I could change that.' By 2007, she had begun volunteering with INTACH. As Iyer recalled, INTACH had also begun conducting heritage walks in the city in 2008, around one each month. She said, 'At that time, there weren't so many people doing heritage walks. A lot of people who came on our walks said we ought to write a book about all this… It came to fruition in 2019 when the book was actually published.' The book took four years to write, with the research beginning even earlier. Iyer said, 'Of course, some great books have been written about Bangalore. Janaki Nair has written The Promise of the Metropolis, Fazlul Hasan has written a really popular and accessible history (Bangalore Through the Centuries). What we wanted was a book about the neighbourhoods, a hyperlocal kind of history. Something that is accessible to people, but when you read it, gives an idea of the evolution of the city.' The research work involved poring over the archives in the Vidhana Soudha and sourcing information from abroad. She said, 'You have access to information on the internet, so it makes things easier, but you still have to go back to the archives as not everything is available. It is such a connected world now, I can reach out to someone who is studying in a university in the US, etc, and ask them to find some information, because very often they have information that we do not have in our libraries.' Several sections of the book were also worked on by other contributors, including Krupa Rajangam, Hita Unnikrishnan, B Manjunath, S Karthikeyan, and Harini Nagendra. A key site that played its part in India in Triangles – the book was released in June – was the Great Trigonometrical Survey (GTS) Observatory off the Hennur-Bagalur Road. Iyer added, 'The city is littered all over with remnants of this survey and traces. Many have been lost, but there is still a sizeable number.' In 2024, her co-author Shruthi Rao reached out regarding collaborating on the book. Recalling the research process, she said, 'I really loved the process of going through the archives… We are blessed with the ability to read reports that (William) Lambton (the British infantry officer who initiated the Great Survey) wrote after his early surveys in Bangalore and Chennai. A lot of the documents have also been digitised.' But in Bengaluru, as elsewhere, history does not always stand protected. The GTS Observatory was heavily damaged and broken, with the land it stood on being subject to a property claim. Iyer said, 'That was something that really shattered us when we were working on the book. But the demolition… There were people who lived there who tried to stop it. I think we should hold on to that. There were people who cared enough. That is our hope, that despite everything that happens, there are people who understand that such structures are important to our city.' She added, 'Urbanisation can proceed without erasing our past. Development does not have to be at the cost of heritage. If you look at New York, there are several hundred protected sites. It is not that we should import their lessons exactly, but we can be modern and still retain our past.'
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
An ode to Madras, in 1939
This is that month of the year when research and presentations on Madras reach fever pitch. Some, however, seem to be ever prepared with something new, or old, depending on how you look at it. Karthik Bhatt who is of that kind, sends me Chennai Kanchi, a poem on the city, written in 1939 by Ra. Krishnamurthy, teacher at the Nagarathar High School, Devakottai. It was one of three publications on the city to be brought out that year, which some sections in the city observed as the tercentenary of its founding. The first was the Madras Tercentenary Volume, edited by Rao Bahadur C.S. Srinivasachari and containing articles contributed by various members of a tercentenary committee. The second was The History of the City of Madras written by C.S. Srinivasachari, and the third was Chennai Kanchi. Given that Srinivasachari was himself with the Annamalai University as history professor, it is clear he must have known of Ra. Krishnamurthy's skills as a poet and invited him to write. The work is based largely on the format of the famed Madurai Kanchi, a Sangam-era work that is part of the Pattupaatu compilation. Kanchi incidentally, does not refer to the temple town but is a form of verse. In his introduction to Chennai Kanchi, R.C. Subramania Iyer, lecturer at the Sri Meenakshi Oriental Training College, Chidambaram, which a decade earlier had been the seed of Annamalai University, offers some details on Kanchi as a format. He writes of it as a long form of poetry where the impermanence of youth, wealth, etc. are contrasted with lasting glory by way of valour and salvation. The Chennai Kanchi while speaking of the glories of Madras, also warns the then ruling dispensation of the evanescence of rule, empire and domination. Even its lines at the beginning, ostensibly paying obeisance to King George VI are tongue-in-cheek – 'O those who rule over this glorious land in the name of George VI who is king of a small country several thousand miles away.' The work then goes on to describe Madras. It begins with the arrival of Francis Day, the growth of the Fort, the foundation of Black Town, its demolition after the French leave and then the construction of New Black Town. It then proceeds with the development of company village such as Chintadripet, Washermanpet, and Colletpet. It dwells on the manner in which the Nawab was made to give up his lands and how the areas of Thiruvallikeni, Nungambakkam, etc., gradually became part of Madras. Interestingly, it says Francis Day arrived in Mylapore! There follows a description of various important locations of the city – the beach, the University buildings, Ice House, the Senate House, and Queen Mary's College. Likewise the Harbour, George Town, the High Court campus, Central Station, Général Hospital, the Madras Medical College, the Zoo, and the old jail are all mentioned. At that time, the wireless was clearly a wonder and the poem describes in detail its use by the police around Fort St. George. What is of interest is the complaint about motor car proliferation and the noise consequently caused. It makes you wonder as to what the composer would have thought of the situation today. The work ends with the poet telling the British to leave this city to Indians and let them get on with it. And then comes the sting – which is on the back cover – copies of the book can be had from an address at Basavangudi, Bangalore. Surprising that nobody in Madras city could take on the task of selling a book on Madras!
