CHENNAI: Being a political and cultural hub, Chennai is the epicentre of development and transformation in Tamil Nadu. And while we recognise the city in all its metropolitan, technologically advanced glory, there are many whose memories serve a very different image of Madras.
On Saturday, in a talk hosted by The Grey Connect called 'Chennai to Madras' with architect Thirupurasundari Sevvel and SS Sriram as part of their Kadhai Connect series, we rewound the clock on the Chennai of today to reminisce the Madras of the past through experiences and various elements of the city.
The Grey Connect is a community that aims to create fun, eventful and lively experiences for the senior citizen community. The session was based on the social history trails and documentation of the city by Nam Veedu Nam Oor Nam Kadhai.
The evolution
There are several aspects of the city, as Sevvel elaborated through the talk, which induce a sense of nostalgia in these long-term dwellers of the city. Take transportation, which has seen many phases from hand and cycle rickshaws to trains and short-lived trams to buses and autorickshaws.
There was a time when long bus rides cost merely 10 paise, according to a participant, an amount of no value today. Another recounted their unforgettable experience of being one of the first passengers of the electric trains in 1981.
The roads of the city were also frequented by half-decker buses for a short period in 1953, mentioned Sevvel.
Then there are the PCO, ISD booths that were deemed redundant in the 1990s and 2000s with the advent of landlines and mobile phones. These booths were once imperative to communication within and beyond the city but now have been converted to Xerox and other small stores.
"Many have memories of collecting coins and looking for the nearest booth. Now, everyone can connect within seconds on the Internet but there was a time when you had to wait a long time for a trunk call. A lot of people now don’t know what that is like," said Sevvel. Then, last-minute cancellations were rare due to lack of communication and thus, time-keeping was valued.
How we consume content has changed radically in the past years. While everything is now available on mobile devices, many remember a time when going to the theatre with family was a rather celebrated outing.
Displaying a movie stub, Sevvel said that the film tickets that are online now were earlier presented as yellow or pink slips that had little markings regarding seat, air-conditioning and reservation status.
The Blue Diamond Theatre once played continuous movies 24X7, said one of the members of the audience. Arts and theatrics have always been important to Madras, said Sevvel, showcasing an image representing the banner or poster culture of the city.
Building joys
Several other buildings and elements of Chennai's culture the beaches, theatres and halls, banners and posters, and food establishments inspired many memories that we saw bubble to the surface during the talk.
Sevvel shared stories of jannal kadai and mor thatha. An audience member added, "I miss drive-in hotels where we could go and eat and chat as a family. They were popular family outings in the city."
Throughout the talk, the group Sevvel and the audience members shared the smaller joys of the olden days of Madras, from the once-popular rose milk and milk sweets to the masala dosa at Woodlands drive-in; from the outdoor study sessions under trees to the 1 rupee adventures at the Marina Beach; from Buhari's ice cream and falooda to screenings at Prarthana theatre.
The discussion was summarised by Thirupurasundari aptly, when she thanked the participants and said, "These stories are what Madras is; the people's stories, not what you learn in schools and colleges. This is what the actual history of Madras is."