Mangling Chennais road names and distorting historical past

The regulars at Madras Musings are having a subject day discussing the most recent identify change bulletins of the federal government. Is it vital, ask many. Some argue that it’s all an eyewash with no change at floor stage so far as attitudes to caste are involved. I subscribe to that idea and imagine that even the removing of caste suffixes within the Nineteen Eighties served solely to erase historical past. B. Narasimham, for my part, is just not the identical particular person as B.N. Reddy. 

But it was Ramesh C. Kumar who despatched in what can be a prize-winning response. What is the aim in renaming streets he requested, when even present road names can’t be printed correctly on signboards by the Chennai Corporation? He cites Rajachar Street in T. Nagar for example. It is spelt in three alternative ways on the signboards of the Corporation at three intersections he writes – Rajachar, Rajachari and worst of all, Raja Sir. 

All three signboards had been made on the similar time and this is regardless of the sooner painted wall indicators nonetheless surviving, all right. 

After chuckling over this e-mail (what else can we do?), I utilized to Karthik Bhatt who instantly got here up with who the particular person behind the road identify was. S.N.V. Rajachar was his identify, and he was from Coimbatore.

Born in 1869, he studied on the Madras Christian College and joined authorities service as a clerk within the Nellore collectorate and from there rose quickly, changing into, in 1917, a Presidency Magistrate in Madras, a place he served until 1920. He additionally acted because the Chief Presidency Magistrate for some time. Awarded the Rao Sahib in 1921 and the Rao Bahadur in 1922, he was made Dewan of Venkatagiri property and later served as Collector, South Kanara and Additional District Magistrate Thanjavur. In 1925, he was Dewan of Bobbili. Retiring in 1929, he handed away in 1935. 

Karthik then added that I used to be clearly not the sharp man I used to be, for a way may I neglect I had a photograph of the person within the Illustrated Souvenir of the Indian Officers’ Association, 1925? So, I went attempting to find that quantity and shortly ran Rajachar to the bottom. 

If we’re to go by the most recent determination of the authorities, this highway will quickly be both Raja Sir (no caste right here, solely a colonial title) or plain Raja Street. If the previous is chosen, it can commemorate both Raja Sir Savalai Ramaswami Mudaliar or Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar. Apparently, music director Ilaiyaraaja is just not far off and in order that could be given as the rationale if the latter model is adopted. The tragedy is that the actual particular person commemorated is forgotten. 

Why is he commemorated in T. Nagar? That nice housing colony and present-day city nightmare was, if you happen to recollect, developed within the Twenties. Most of the Justice Party leaders had been commemorated in highway names there after which, in a transfer that might be unthinkable in the present day, for it’s essential to be related both in politics or movies to obtain such an honour, a number of civil servants too had been commemorated, virtually all of them dwelling. Presidency Magistrates had been included too. For occasion, Lodi Khan Street in T. Nagar commemorates P. Muhiuddin Khan Lodi, who was third Presidency Magistrate whereas Rajachar was the fourth, between 1917 and 1920. He is now Lodi Khan and wouldn’t recognise his identify, if he had been to return. 

As Ramesh suggests, the Corporation would do properly to right the present road names reasonably than altering them.

(Sriram V. is a author and historian)