Madras Rediscovered

Description

FOR CHENNAI LOVERS AND HISTORY BUFFS, THIS IS A MUST- READ TO GET TO KNOW THE CITY AND ITS EVOLUTION CLOSELY.
After years abroad – punctuated by occasional visits to a Madras remembered as a leisurely but gracious town of conservative people and large houses with larger ‘gardens’ –S. Muthiah came ‘home’ to a metropolis in 1968-69, but found it essentially unchanged. True, the town he had known had grown bigger, become more populous and acquired an industrial base. But at heart it had remained the charming overgrown village of the 1930s,1940s and 1950s; a leisurely, gracious town with quaint old-world values, that had spread itself out comfortably in its quest to retain the spaciousness of the past. His first assign mentions his return was to prepare ‘copy’ to accompany a street guide to Madras. A brief history of an old British company followed. And out of those quests for information was born an interest in the history of Madras and a need to do his bit to conserve its relics. Madras, Rediscovered, therefore, is as much a historical guide for those who wish to look around Madras, or wish to find out more about their city, as it is a plea to conserve not only its spacious environment but also its cultural and historic relics, be they Indian or European.

About the Author

Educated in Sri Lanka, India and the United States, where he dabbled in engineering, journalism, and International Affairs, S. Muthiah finally settled for a career in journalism. After nearly two decades as a senior journalist with the Times of Ceylon group, he returned to Madras and was in printing and publishing for nearly 25 years. He was a freelance journalist, editor of Madras Musings, and a columnist for The Hindu. Despite his busy professional life, he kept alive his love of reading, writing, teaching and took a keen interest in history. His causes included campaigning for the conservation of the historical and protection of the environment.