Andha Naal Nyabagam - The Madras High Court

While talking about The Madras High Court, it brings to my mind an article which appeared in the Hindu some time back, on the many renowned stories attached to this great Heritage Building.


Here is the article [Courtesy :The Hindu]


As this historic institution marks the 150th year of its founding. K. Chandru, Judge of the Madras High Court, takes a look at some of its early chronicles.


Chennai — 600 104. This is the pin code allotted by the Department of Posts to the zone occupied by the Madras High Court. Any such “zone” has to have its boundaries. In our land, if there is a boundary, it has its own boundary deity. In the villages, this deity is called the sentinel goddess.


The High Court campus also has two sentinel deities. One, a statue of Rajaji in the north-east; the other, a statue of T. Prakasamgaru in the south-west. The two roads stretching northward from these two statues constitute the boundaries of the High Court. One is Prakasam Road [formerly Broadway], and the other is Rajaji Road [the old North Beach Road].


What is the link between these two eminent leaders enshrined as statues, and a campus reputed to house the largest number of courts in Asia [from the ‘small causes courts' to the High Court]? 


The Statues on the campus have many a tale behind them.....


Rajaji


Born on December 10, 1878, Rajaji after completing his schooling and undergraduate studies, did his Law course at the Madras Law College. He was Chairman of the Salem Municipality and also had a flourishing legal practice there. 

C. Rajagopalachari [1878 - 1972] 

However, in the interest of his children's education, he landed in Madras with bag and baggage in March 1919. He had planned to practise at the High Court. But the fate of the nation changed that course. Gandhiji issued the call for a ‘non-cooperation movement' against the colonial government. Heeding this call, Rajaji plunged into the movement, not even bothering to unpack the boxes containing legal tomes. Soon enough, he expressed opposition to the visit of the Prince of Wales and was imprisoned.


A person who had the potential to become the foremost legal luminary in India, spent years in the darkness of prison. But history adorned him differently. Law's loss became the legislature's gain.


The Constitution of India came into force on January 26, 1950. It was Rajaji's privilege, as the first Indian Governor-General, to anoint Dr. Rajendra Prasad as the first President of India. What an honour!


Prakasamgaru


The life of the south-western sentinel deity, Prakasamgaru, had been differently moulded. He studied in England and became a barrister. He registered himself at the Madras High Court, which had been denying opportunities to Indian lawyers, and achieved eminence in his profession. His reputation as a lawyer, and his professional income, were both legendary. 

Tanguturi Prakasam - Chief Minister of 
Andhra Pradesh - 1953-1954

He too responded to Mahatma Gandhi's clarion call, renounced his lucrative legal practice and threw himself into the freedom movement. He never again entered the High Court precincts. But, he came to be hailed as the Lion of Andhra [Andhra Kesari]. It was said that a day before his arrest, he returned a fee of Rs.1 lakh to his client and plunged himself into direct political action. Rs.1 lakh was a hefty sum 90 years ago.


Both these leaders had renounced their legal profession in response to Gandhiji's call for non-cooperation. There were also other similarities. Rajaji became the Premier of the Madras Presidency in 1937, and Prakasamgaru in 1946. In 1952, Rajaji took over as the Chief Minister of the State of Madras [now Tamil Nadu]. Prakasamgaru assumed responsibilities as the Chief Minister of the State of Andhra Pradesh in 1953.


The Lion of Andhra launched an English journal; Rajaji extended his support to this venture, naming it Swarajya. Later Rajaji himself took charge of publishing it. It is noteworthy that instead of pleading as lawyers before judges, they played roles in the very appointment of High Court judges. Rajaji played a key role in ensuring that Madras was retained as the capital of the State that is today Tamil Nadu. Thanks to his efforts, the Madras High Court is still with Tamil Nadu.

Having failed to make Madras City a part of Andhra, Prakasamgaru formed the State of Andhra and established a new Andhra High Court at Guntur in 1953, incorporating the Andhra districts which had until then been under the jurisdiction of the Madras High Court.

Is it any cause for wonder that these two stalwarts stand guard today as the sentinel deities of the Madras High Court?


The ‘SMS Emden'


A Tamil film titled Emden's Son was produced, and the title was ‘Tamilised' as Em Magan [Our Son] and released, in order to derive the tax benefits that a “Tamil” title would bring. The film producer offered the following clarification on the name: “SMS Emden” was a German warship that had hurled a bomb near the Madras Port during the First World War. The bomb splintered and landed near the High Court on September 22, 1914. A memorial tablet was installed at that site. We can still see that tablet some 10 metres behind the Rajaji statue.

There is a ‘Karjili” ditty in Tamil on the arrival of the “Emden” and the hurling of the bomb. Here is an excerpt:

“Emden the German cruiser

On South-east Madras shore

….………….

To damage Fort and Light house too

Hurl they did some bombs

….. ………….

With elation evident

Declared a British Worthy

Rolled three bombs

Near High Court

No damage, ha, no damage.”

The ditty was published in 1914 by Vijayapuram Na.Sabhapati Pillai at the Mannarkudi Bharat Press.

The “Emden,” which had caused consternation in Madras, has since become a part of Tamil folklore. But the film producer, eager for a tax privilege, made a mess of that name.

Not many know that the engineer of that ship was a Tamil: his name was Shenbagaraman. An association in his name still honours his memory, offering floral tributes at the tablet outside the High Court premises each year.

View of the Old Lighthouse in the
Madras High Court

The unique Lighthouse

In fact, the “Emden's” target was not the High Court, but the lighthouse that stood majestically next to it. How at all did the lighthouse get located in the High Court complex? 


That is an interesting story....

During the early 19th century, the vast area of land west of Fort St. George held a fascination for the British. That was the buffer zone between the Black Town and the fort — today's George Town at G.T. Till 1762, the Chenna Kesavapperumal temple and the Chenna Malleeswarar temple flourished in that area. Suddenly a fire destroyed these temples. Immediately, the colonial government took over that land and provided funds and land near the Flower Bazaar to construct the temples anew. Till this day, no one knows if that fire was indeed an accident or an engineered one. A new lighthouse was constructed on the land where the temples stood earlier. That lighthouse functioned from 1838 to 1844. Firewood was lit at the top of the structure to provide light. That lighthouse still exists in the High Court complex. It is under the watch of the Department of Archaeology, as a protected monument.

This lighthouse was only 125 feet in height. So the British government decided to build a new, taller lighthouse. In that vast area of land, the foundation was laid for a new [High Court] building.

Based on a proclamation by Queen Victoria, the Madras High Court, which was created in 1862, started functioning in the old Collector's office on Rajaji Salai [the present Singaravelar Mansion]. A new High Court building was constructed at a cost of Rs.12 lakh and inaugurated on July 12, 1892. At the top of the main tower of the building [175 feet high], a new lighthouse was constructed. It was then the tallest structure in Madras. Till the 1970s, the public was allowed to climb up the lighthouse. This has been stopped over the past 35 years. A new lighthouse has been put up near the Gandhi statue on the Marina.

The lighthouse was not only guiding sailors in distress on the high seas, but was also serving as a beacon for legal clients in turmoil. This is unique to the Madras High Court. Two such buildings do not coexist in the same complex in any other State in India.


First Advocate-General

See the lighthouse and go to the northern side of the High Court [that is, the Subhas Chandra Bose Road: formerly China Bazaar], and you can see the statue of V. Bhashyam Iyengar. It is planted on a lofty pedestal. Who is this person, you might ask. He was the first Indian Advocate-General. 

His Lordship: Sir V. Bhashyam Iyengar-
First Indian Advocate-General

A very eminent jurist, he became Advocate-General in 1897, and served as a judge in the Madras High Court from 1901 to 1904. While many were amazed at his independent attitude, the white judges of that period refused to allow his statue to be installed in the court premises. But thanks to the relentless efforts of lawyers, a statue was eventually installed in 1927. He was denied a judgeship for long due to his fearlessly independent attitude and was granted the judgeship when he had less than two years of tenure left.

The white judges who had refused to countenance the proposal, were later obliged to have a darshan of this statue on a daily basis. Every time they entered the court through the southern gate, they could not do so without seeing Bhashyam Iyengar standing majestically on a pedestal.

It is indeed a cruel irony that the passage between the southern and northern wings of the court has been taken over for the use of administrative offices, and turned into record rooms.


A High Court judge

Those who proceed from the Fort rail station to the Island Grounds should necessarily pass by an important bridge — Sir T. Muthuswami Iyer Bridge. Who was he? Born into a poor family, he read his lessons under a street lamp. Eventually he held many important positions and became a Judge of the Madras High Court in 1878. 

The first Indian to become a High Court Judge: Thiruvarur Muthuswami Iyer.

Sir T. Muthuswami Iyer 

Sir T. Muthuswami Iyer 

His statue, sculpted in white marble, has the pride of place in the midst of all the courts on the first floor. He served as a judge of considerable repute for 17 years. He died on January 15, 1895. His statue was installed in 1898.

His statue had been so positioned that it appeared to be watching the court of the then Chief Justice. Curiously enough, he never served as a Chief Justice of the court.

Are you wonderstruck at so many stories around the Madras High Court campus? Well, this is but a small sample!

**************
Law courts are actually temples of Justice, Law, Equity and Fairplay. In such a temple, the Madras High Court, the life-size statue in white marble of Sir T. Muthuswami Iyer ­sitting in his legal chair, a signal reminder of what the building stands for – and what he had stood for.


A small note that I would like to add here:

Dr. Pakala Venkata Rajamannar was the first Indian to be appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court at Madras in the year 1948. He succeeded Sir Fredrick William Gentle. Dr. Rajamannar functioned as Chief Justice from 1948 to 1961. For some brief periods during 1957, 1958 and 1961, Dr.Rajamannar officiated as Governor of Madras. During those short periods, Mr. Pundi Rajagopalan offciated as Chief Justice of High Court.

Statue of Manu Needhi Cholan in
 The Madras High Court

Statue, in the Madras High Court premises, of Manu Needhi Cholan, the legendary Chola king believed to have killed his own son to provide justice to a cow whose calf was killed. 

Heritage Buildings in George Town Area of Rajaji Salai -The Madras High Court

Coming to the Heritage Buildings on Rajaji Salai[NSC Bose Road] of George Town area, I went on to see and to learn more about our prestigious - The Madras High Court.  

The Madras High Court is one of the greatest landmarks of Chennai city. Even though Madras was renamed as Chennai, the High Court is still called as Madras High Court. The Madras High Court was built in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture under the guidance of the famous architect Henry Irwin in the year of 1892 AD. 

The Madras High Court, along with the High Courts of Kolkata and Mumbai, are the only three High Courts in India which were started by the British. This is arguably the second largest judicial complex in the world. This is located at NSC Bose Road diagonally opposite to Parry’s corner building.

The Madras High Court [Tamil: சென்னை உயர்நீதிமன்றம்] is a senior court located at Chennai [Madras], in India.  The court buildings, which are believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world are located near the beach, in one of the city's major business districts.

The jurisdiction of the Madras High Court covers Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.

British India's  three presidency towns of Madras [Chennai], Bombay [ Mumbai], and Calcutta [Kolkata] were each granted a High Court by letters patent dated 26 June 1862.  The letters patent were issued by Queen Victoria under the authority of the British Parliament's Indian High Courts Act 1861. The three courts remain unique in modern India, having been established under British royal charter,  this is in contrast with the country's other high courts, which have been directly established under Indian legislation. However, the Constitution of India recognises the status of the older courts.

The Madras High Court was formed by merging together the Supreme Court of Judicature at Madras, and the Sudder Dewanny Adawlut. The Court was required to decide cases in accordance with justice, equity and good conscience. The earliest judges of the High Court included Judges Holloway, Innes and Morgan. The first Indian to sit as a judge of the High Court was Justice T. Muthuswamy Iyer.  Other early Indian judges included Justices V. Krishnaswamy Iyer and P.R. Sundaram Iyer.

The Madras High Court was a pioneer in Original Side jurisdiction reform in favour of Indian practitioners as early as the 1870s.

The Madras High Court's history means that the decisions of the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council  are still binding on it, provided that the ratio of a case has not been over-ruled by the Supreme Court of India. 

Although the name of the city was changed from Madras to Chennai in 1996, the Court as an institution did not follow suit, and has remained as the Madras High Court.

The building of the High Court, an exquisite example of Indo- Saracenic style of architecture, was built in 1892 with the design prepared by J.W. Brassington and later under the guidance of the famed architect Henry Irwin, who completed it with the assistance of J.H. Stephens. The High Court building was damaged in the shelling of Madras by S.M.S. Emden on 22 September 1914, at the beginning of the First World War. It remains one of the very few Indian buildings to have been damaged by a German attack.

The minarets or domes are atop the building represent architectural excellence and are exquisitely beautiful.  

There are several matters of architectural interest in the High Court. The painted ceilings and the stained glass doors are masterpieces in themselves. The old lighthouse of the city is housed within the High Court campus, but is unfortunately poorly maintained and is in disrepair.

The Department of Posts has allotted a Postal Index Number [PIN] code of 600 104 to the zone occupied by the Madras High Court. The boundaries of the High Court complex are marked by two roads, namely, Prakasam Road [formerly Broadway] and Rajaji Road [the old North Beach Road], stretching northward from the statue of Rajaji in the northeast and the statue of T. Prakasamgaru in the southwest within the complex. The complex houses the largest number of courts in Asia.  


The Different stages of Pictures of the Madras High Court is given here for your viewing:

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The Madras High - Today

Rich Historical Background of Madras now Chennai

Chennai [சென்னை in Tamil], formerly known as Madras, is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, and is India's fourth largest city.  It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal.  With an estimated population of 7.60 million [2006], the 400-year-old city is the 36th largest metropolitan area in the world.

Heritage Buildings - The Madras High Court

Chennai boasts of a long history from the English East India Company, through the British Raj to its evolution in the late 20th century as a services and manufacturing hub for India. Additionally, the pre-city area of Chennai has a long history within the records of South Indian Empires.

Madras - now called Chennai, houses great many architectural, historical and religious attractions.  Modern Chennai had its origins as a colonial city and its initial growth was closely tied to its importance as an artificial harbour and trading centre. The Portuguese arrived in 1522, It passed to the Dutch in1612. Next it was briefly under the Mughal Rulers before the British East India Company were granted trading rights. Chennai steadily progressed during the period of the East India Company. In 1746 Fort St.George and Chennai were captured by the French but quickly regained by British Forces in 1749. The East India Company administered Chennai for over 200 years before the British Crown, under Queen Victoria, directly took over rule in the mid 19th century. They ruled for a 100 years before India attained freedom in 1947. Picture above is that of the Chennai mounted police on an early morning march. 

It is also the cultural capital of India for its deep-rooted traditions and long heritage. It was called Madras till 1996 and then renamed Chennai. Today this city is a blend of the old and the new, the traditional and the modern. It is spread over 200 square kilometres with the Bay of Bengal on the east, the city is the gateway to the rest of South India, with many attractions. 

Madras Nalla Madras!

I always remember Chennai as Madras, the city I was born in and brought up all of these years.  I thought I would begin by sharing some memories unique to our Unhurried Town that became a city and is threatening to hurry up.


To many, memories of old Madras will have to be written as a book only...what with most of the precious landmarks being brought to the ground, leaving just fond memories in our 
minds...... only to cherish those by-gone years..!  

My Blog purely is a  Reminiscence of the past.  It is a great feeling to see the old Madras photos in black and white. They bring the impression of how the old Madras city was untainted and that which still leaves behind a sense of richness and flavor. 

Have you dreamt of going back to the old streets of Chennai and spend sometime....?


This Blog of mine is sure to bring that nostalgic feelings and remind you of your  childhood days. Of course it is we who brought all these changes and I presume that it is now too difficult to go back to old times.

The Founding of the "Madras Day"

Madras Day is a day of celebrations organised in the city of Madras [Chennai], the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.  It is celebrated on 22 August every year, and is named after Madras. It commemorates the founding of the modern city by establishing Fort St. George on a small piece of land acquired from the last King of Chandragiri in 1639 by the British East India Company. 

It was on 22 August 1639 that a sliver of land, where now stands Fort St. George was handed over by the local Nayak rulers to the East India Company’s Francis Day his dubash Beri Thimmappa, and their superior, Andrew Cogen.  From this small three square miles given to the East India Company grew the city of Chennai where more than four and a half million people live now.  As years passed by out of the fort grew settlements and the villages around it were brought together with the old and new towns linked up and hence birth of a city. 


Thus ...the founding day of Madras is considered to be August 22, 1639.


Anybody....be it a person or a place surely deserves to celebrate their Birthday.  And more so, our city Madras that is now Chennai, definitely deserves this celebration!


Madras Day was an idea that three people put together – the city’s famed historian, S. Muthiah, journalist Sashi Nair and publisher Vincent D’ Souza. Later, they have been joined by three others – senior journalist and editor Sushila Ravindranath, journalist and entrepreneurs Revathi R and V. Sriram, who is also a writer-historian.   


Madras Day celebrates the city.  This enthusiastic group of people in 2004, who loved this City called Madras, launched this Birthday Celebration.   The celebrations include several events organised, including citizens and students and lasts for a week.


This is how the Madras Day celebrations came to be.  


Today, Chennai stands tall for a variety of reasons- be it - in the field of Education, healthcare, IT, history, tourism, auto industries, movies, etc.  And yes, it also has its warts.


Many events take place like Heritage walks, school exchange programmes, talks and contests, poetry and music and quiz, food fests and rallies, photo exhibitions and bike tours . .these and more are the ways in which the city is celebrated.


Madras Day focuses on the city, its history, its past and its present and the core team motivates communities, groups, companies and campuses in the city to host events that celebrate the city.
In order to enlarge participation, the Madras Day has been expanded to create the Madras Week.


In 2011, MADRAS WEEK was celebrated from August 21 to 28.   Let us appreciate the efforts taken by one and all to celebrate the greatness of Madras , our very own city that has stood the test of time and still has a unique character and style.
It is definitely a joy to be part of this historic city.  
Let us be proud to be in our homeland...the Madras as we will always remember it to be!

Hello Madras

Whenever a person asks me about my home town....Madras or is it Chennai ---I would proudly say ..."ethu Nama Ooru Madras.....!

"Hello Madras"!


What I love most about Madras is everything and what I dislike most is the name Chennai.  I love  the name “Madras” rather than Chennai. 


This Blog of mine is a thoughtful Reminiscence of the past.  It is sure to give one that  great feeling of satisfaction to see the old Madras photos in black and white. As rightly felt the old Madras city was untainted and that it still leaves behind a sense of richness and flavor.


In my website, you can find some vintage photographs of Chennai or Madras, as the older generations or many of the people, still like to call the city.
These photos have appeared elsewhere before and in my understanding the copyrights on some of them have expired. Quite nostalgic, you will find an "un-adultrated city"- [as I would call it] - that still lies beneath the modern high-rises, concrete flyovers and shopping malls.
Old photographs give a glimpse into the Madras that was and indulges one to take another look at the Chennai we are in today.    I bring before you  the past--  the City - non-corrupt and non-polluted!

As is evident in the present day Chennai....one feels Change is the only constant thing in life.  This holds good when one looks at the evolution and changes in several landmarks and lifestyle in the city that was once “Madras”.   While some places show great signs of having developed over 100 years, others have disintegrated into  Take the Madras High Court for example.  Not to mention, the famous Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore which also built in the early 19th century, still continues to be a major attraction for all the folks. Having a look at such old photos of important places in Chennai, shows how the transition of change has taken place over the years.


The city today has become a concrete jungle.  In those times/days,  one knew every one in the colony [ may be around 70 houses and around 120 families] , whereas -  today it is full of apartments and we  do not even  know our neighbours!  The high- rised buildings, overflowing garbages, satellite TV invasion, frequent cell phone calls, day to day politics in office, the thrills of  T-20 Cricket, our quest for privacy in the neighbourhood, our changed priorities and on the whole the mechanical life in this busy competitive world is redefining the meaning of happiness. 


Amidst this scenario, pictures/writings  like these, provide me an oppurtunity to turn and have and also give you a glance at [or] even re-visit those golden, olden moments.  


This Blog of mine  looks back at Chennai, in fact the Madras as it was known and existed....traces the city's life-scape at various points of time.

Landmarks


You will find that the Famous “Bata” store at Mount Road [now Anna Salai], which has been in existence for more than 80 odd years, has indeed stood the test of time and even till today, continues to be a crowd puller. 

The old photographs takes us down memory lane, to the good old days where there was no hike in fuel price or pollution problems, [an "undultrated city" as I refered to earlier],  with just about good old citizens riding their bicycles in the serene atmosphere..... The Memorial hall, NSC Bose Road [earlier Esplanade Road] and the popular Fort St George have all developed to some extent but more or less look the way they did in 1900. The Theosophical Society, the vastly popular “Burma Bazaar” also feature in the list of Chennai’s oldest landmarks. How many of us know that the M.A. Chidambaram stadium at Chepauk, whose name everyone in Chennai is familiar with, could once accommodate only a crowd of about few hundreds people!

Then there was the  ever popular and much utilized tram service daily, which attracted 1,10,000 to 1,25,000 passengers which ran for a few years in the 1940's/50's,  and finding a quick replacement for the discontinued service was quite a task.  The Tram facility service was run by the then  Madras Electric Tramway Company , which closed shop, citing recurring losses and labour trouble. This Tram service was indeed the vestige of a great transport service that was unrivalled in utility and beauty.

The other alternatives available for the commuters were the hand-drawn-rickshaws or the horse-drawn-cart popularly known as Maattu-vandis.


There were not many buses in those days in Chennai and even the buses that were plying were relatively smaller.  Even unbelievable  is the fact that most  people might not be aware of is that the earliest buses in Madras then,  could accommodate just about a handfull and this bears  a stunning resemblance to the heavy vehicular traffic- with the many cars, autos and other modes of transport, that we see in the busy life of today.  As the city expanded, mass transport evolved and the traffic of today's Chennai is definitely a cause for concern - and the air which is so full of pollution!  

The above/below photographs will give you a picture of the Madras Then  and the Chennai Now.

But I should emphasize here that there still stands a handful of the yesteryear's eminent monuments/ structures even till today. 


To name a few----Chennai continues to have in its proud possession the famous Munroe statue, the Senate House, the Secretariat [originally built in 1911], the “Chennai Harbour”, the Famous Hong Kong Bank on Rajaji Salai, known as the Mercantile Bank back in 1925, and the Fort St George monument. It may come as a shock to us that one of Chennai’s most famous landmarks, The Marina Beach now surrounded by several large buildings, earlier bore a deserted look. So too might the fact that another famous landmark, Spencer Plaza, earlier called “Spencer’s Madras” was just about the size of a four-storey building.

One should not forget the State Bank Of India which has a history of over 200 years, proudly stands even today and bears testimony to the rich heritage of this beautiful city "Madras--now called Chennai" ! 

The same First line beach road - now and Then [1915]


In the second old picture of First Line beach - The Tram lines and tracks are clearly visible. 


The SBI building [now] - Bank of Madras [Then] is clearly seen in both the old pics. 


Definitely a treat for one's eyes to see the pictures in same angle!


In the series of surprises, the famous Adyar River....the river which once upon a time had very pure water, now presents a miserable picture of a river filled with dirt and filth so revolting to the human eyes...!   


A look at these photographs of the past, is bound to make every Chennaite relish the city’s past glory, relate to present developments and contribute to future innovations!!


The old Madras is still present to a certain extent but for how long?  We are also aware of the demolition of some buildings of distinct heritage value.  This is rather saddening to hear and see such historic monuments being brought down to keep in pace with the modern times.


One definitely knows and is aware of the fact that development is essential, as is constant change, yet one still hopes for some restraint and patience so that Madras now called Chennai will continue to be the jewel among cities that it is,  if you have the eyes to see. 


On every Madras Day, Photo Exhibitions of old and new Madras are organised at various locations like the C.P. Ramaswami Aiyer Foundation, Gallery Sri Parvati on Eldams Road, the Forum Art Gallery in Adyar and at Gallery 4-Kilpauk Garden, the celebrations maring the founding of the city in 1639.


More of my anecdotes on Madras to follow...