Madras Medical College

Madras has been the pioneer in India for many fields and it was also the go to healthcare destination even while under the British rule. Way back in 1664, the first British hospital in India was set up at Fort St. George, to minister to sick soldiers of the East India Company. It was the initiative of Sir Edward Winter who was an agent of the company that materialised in the first British Hospital at Madras. The Hospital moved out of the Fort after the Anglo French War and it took 20 long years before it could settle in the present permanent place in 1772.
A private medical hall run by Dr. Mortimar was regularised as a medical school and it was opened by, the Governor of Madras on 2nd February 1835. In 1842 the Hospital opened its doors to Indians. It was only in the 1850’s that the school got its status as a college. The Government granted this request and from 1st October 1850 it became Madras Medical College.

Chennai today thrives as an international Hub for Medical tourism and also manages a robust state wide health care system.🚑 And in a way we owe it to those humble beginnings laid by such visionaries. Today even they would put down their heads in shame, as we deprive an equal opportunity in pursuing medicine.

SOURCE: MadrasRediscovered | S.Muthiah

Victoria Public Hall

In a meeting held in March 1882 at the Pachaiyappa’s Hall in George Town by some leading citizens, the decision to construct a town hall for Madras was taken. This resulted in the mobilisation of a sum of ₹ 16,425 from around 30 persons who attended the meeting.
The municipal corporation leased a 57-ground (3.14 acres) site in the People’s Park to the Victoria Public Hall Trust for 99 years effective from 1 April 1886 at a lease rent of eight annas a ground or ₹ 28 for the property. The then Maharajah of Vizianagaram, laid the foundation stone for the new building on 17 December 1883, who also led a list of 35 donors for the construction work with a contribution of ₹10,000. It took about five years to complete the construction.
The hall, an example of the Indo-Saracenic architecture, was designed by Robert Fellowes Chisholm (1840-1915) in the Romanesque style and was built by Namperumal Chetty between 1888 and 1890. It was opened to public by Lord Connemara in 1887, In January 1888, a citizens’ meeting decided to name the hall after Queen Victoria. The then Municipal Corporation President Sir A.T. Arundale took the initiative.

Source: Wikipedia.

Ripon Building

Ripon building which currently houses the office of the corporation of madras is a fine example of the Indo-saracenic style with a combination of Gothic, Ionic and Corinthian styles. The building is named after Lord Ripon, Viceroy(1880-1884) who introduced several government reforms and also has a statue of him in the premises.
A magnificent white building, it was designed by G S T Harris and built by P Loganatha Mudaliar at a cost of 7.5 lakhs. The building was inaugurated on November 26, 1913 by Viceroy and Governor General Charles Baron Hardinge of Penshurst. Ripon building is 252 feet long and 126 feet wide with 132 feet tall tower. It also features a clock eight feet in diameter which was supplied by Oakes. The first floor of the building has an area of 25,000 sq ft.. However, several parts of the building had fallen into disrepair over the years, and in 2009, the Corporation began a strengthening and restoration project. The building was reopened for its centenary celebrations in 2013. While the mayor and council’s chambers remain there, the rest of the building was converted into a museum about madras.

Source:The Hindu |S.Muthiah

Moore Market, 1900

Think of a market that sells old books and antiques at giveaway prices though they would cost a fortune outside. Put together with shops that sell everything under the sun  (Living and Non-Living) Dogs, kittens, little jackals, monkeys, slender lorises , star tortoises , an array of cosmetics and fashion apparel and all the latest gadgets and toys. Sounds like an imaginary one doesn’t it? But it sure existed in Madras right until a few decades ago.
It was the brainchild of Lt Col Sir George Moore, President of the Corporation of Madras in the 1890s. He was of the view that a market at a central location would solve two problems – get rid of the old and insanitary market off Broadway and provide a home for hawkers in Guzili Bazaar between Memorial Hall and Central Station. Moore market was thrown open to the public in November 1900. The architecture was Indo-Saracenic and the market occupied 40,000 sq ft. Based on an overall quadrangular design, the complex had an outer circle of shops which led to an inner circle of shops, through broad passages.
Moore market was a must visit place for every tourist who stepped in to Madras. It is considered as a mecca for second-hand books and gramophone plates. The sellers’ knowledge about books pertaining to science, humanities and fiction was impressive. There was nothing they could not get for you. Most importantly, every item could be bargained for. After shopping, people parked themselves in an open-air platform for a chat and a bite, Pressure on urban space began mounting in Madras in the 1980s.
The railways wanted land for expansion. And when the market rather conveniently caught fire in 1985, it was doomed. The vendors in Moore Market were hastily accommodated in a new building, which was built on land reclaimed by filling in the beautiful Lily Pond. But somehow it never caught on. The vendors vanished one by one and those that remain sell gimcrack goods.

Source: Madras Rediscovered | S.Muthiah

People’s Park, 1861

The people’s park was the brainchild of Governor Charles Trevelyan during his brief 1859-60 tenure. Behind the Ripon Building, 116 acres in extent it had 11 ponds, 5 1/2 miles of roads , a bandstand, a public bath and two tennis courts . It was home to the Madras Zoo till 1985, hosted the annual Park Fair and several other entertainments, and in a park within a park, had one of the prettiest gardens in the South. My Ladye’s Garden was a beautiful little green patch rich with fountains and ornamental sculpture. Several black-and-white Tamil films feature the garden in its full glory.

People’s park in its hey days comprised of Ashok Vihar garden, My Ladye’s Garden, Pavilion of the Ashley Biggs institute and the Nehru indoor and outdoor stadiums. Today it is home to the Ripon Building where the Corporation of Madras functions and an extension of the central railway station.

The oldest zoo in the country, thanks to Edward Green Balfour, Director of the Government Museum, Madras, who in 1854 persuaded the Nawab of Arcot to hand over his menagerie to the Museum. The Zoo was founded officially a year later in the Museum premises. In 1863, the Zoo was shifted to People’s Park, where it was to remain for almost 125 years.

The Madras Zoo, which was located next to My Ladye’s Garden, was relocated to Vandalur in 1985. In the same year Moore Market complex was razed in a fire and subsequently hawkers started encroaching upon the approach road to the park. Slowly it began losing its patronage.

In a city that has lost its green cover to Vardah and unscrupulous human greed. It is astonishing to even think of such a lush green park right in the heart of Madras. Or should I say Lungs of Madras?

Source: Madras Rediscovered | Madras Musing.