CHENNAI: In a narrow street wide enough for only two people to walk side-by-side, off Chavadi street in Pallavaram, is the memorial built for Tamil scholar Maraimalai Adigal. However, the only time that anyone comes in, is to get ration from the ration shop that a part of the building is let out to. “I’ve only seen people when someone comes to visit the library here or the ration shop,” said Karpagam G, a local.
The house that the writer lived in, was converted to a public library and after a brief renovation in 2012, locals said the memorial has received no attention. The memorial of the writer, who authored over 100 books, is being maintained by the Thenn India Tamil Sangam.
“The State had intervened and allocated some funds in around 2010 but nothing has been done for the maintenance since. How can a ration shop function out of this building?” asked V Santhanam, an activist and resident of Chromepet. It may be landscaped to attract visitors, he said. When Express visited the spot, scraps lay strewn in the premises along with scattered plants.
“There was a time when the compound walls were so short that a bunch of thieves tried to split their night’s haul here. After that, the Sangam raised the walls to keep anti-social elements out,” said the caretaker of the building. The shop would be shifted out within three months, he added.
Speaking to Express, an office bearer of the Thenn India Tamil Sangam said, When the scholar’s family wanted the land to be sold, the Sangam, with help from the State, decided to take charge of it.”“If there is reasonable footfall, steps may have been taken to scale it up. But hardly anyone ever comes here,” he said.