Weeks before the aradhanai, we would go around the streets singing (unchavrrti) and collecting rice. The singing culminated in lunch at the house of one of the residents of the area. The rice collected was used to serve food to those who attended the aradhanai.An ode to Sampradaya - 7 Dec 2011
It was a concert organised for a small audience by my French friends in Pondicherry. The venue was bustling with people when I arrived. The miffed security man stopped me at the gate and said I could stand at the entrance if I wanted to hear the music. Later, when he came to know I was the performing artiste, he could not hide his embarrassmentStory of a submerged city - 23 Nov 2011
The crisis brought people together. Citizens formed groups that fed the homeless. The Mayor's Flood Relief Fund, instituted in the 1930s, was resurrected and opened for donations. The Council of the Madras Corporation transferred Rs. 50,000 from the general funds to this Fund. People from all walks of life pitched inVerse in the woods - 9 Nov 2011
I couldn't understand half the words the locals spoke. It took me a few months to decipher the Madras slangOf Kavignar, khadi and Kovai - 9 Nov 2011
One evening in 1975, after a Congress public meeting in Tirupur, I accompanied Kavignar Kannadasan to an MLA's house. It was about 10 p.m. His aide Kannappan said to him, “Anna, this producer wants you to write a sweet song for his film.” Kavignar asked, “Is it? Here, take it down.” He broke out, “Paarthen sirithen…” as he paced up and down. In less than 15 minutes, the song was ready. He then asked Kannappan to read it out to him to review it. Not a syllable was changed!From Sholavaram to Irungattukottai - 12 Oct 2011
Based on a suspicion that young motorcyclists were taking alcohol before their races, I got breath analysers from the police. Following this scrutiny, 50 per cent of the motorcyclists were disqualified from the race. When we repeated the test for the next race, not one was found to have had liquor.Turning the pages of life - 28 Sep 2011
Education Minister of the Madras Presidency from 1946 and 1949, T.S. Avinashilingam Chettiar introduced Tamil as the medium of instruction in secondary education. I remember teaching world history in Tamil.A reminiscent note - 14 Sep 2011
Listening to the radio was a community ritual. The cone speakers installed by the radio station were a big hit.A Simple life - 31 Aug 2011
Kripa Amateurs — a drama troupe founded by Dr. V. Ramamurthy and comprising professionals in other fields – was without equal when it came to male artistes essaying female roles.Portrait of artists as young men - 16 Aug 2011
Riders of a bygone era - 3 Aug 2011
Sergeant Monroe was an unlikely coach and manager of the Riding Club of Madras. The Englishman stayed on in Madras — even after India's Independence — and worked for the Madras Mounted Police. Riding a Matchless bike and sporting a handlebar moustache, he inspired respect in the horse riders and polo players of Madras.A fan called Balaji and other stories - 20 Jul 2011
A cop and his cases - 6 Jul 2011
A gang of pick-pockets from Thiruverumbur (near Trichy) employed an unusual ruse to get their victims. They would discreetly throw muck on a victim's head and inform him about it. Overcome by embarrassment, the victim would invariably try to wash it off after dropping his bag on the floor. When the victim is bent with head under a jug of water or a running tap, one of them goes for the bag.Where the mind was without fear - 22 Jun 2011
An elderly gentleman used to be in-charge of clearing the two post-boxes at the Theosophical Society, and every day, we would see him jogging through the grounds from one box to the other. When we asked him why he jogged, he explained that the grounds used to be full of wild animals, such as polecats and jackals in the old days, and he had to run carrying metal noisemakers strung from his shoulders to scare them away. The running had become such a habit that he couldn't stop!When life was a song - 15 Jun 2011
During a performance by The Medics, a youngster came on to the stage with a request. He was carrying a violin and a paper with music notes. He handed us the paper and requested that we play it. Since none of us could read music fluently, we asked him to play it on his violin while we followed him. As he played, we were wonder-struck. We took our hands off our instruments and were lost in the grandeur of his music. That youngster was L. Subramaniam - a fellow student at MMC. He later became the kingpin of the MMC orchestra which won many contests around the country.In a league of its own - 8 Jun 2011
In those days, the SIAA grounds and MUC grounds were venues for major football tournaments. When a match was in progress at MUC, the foot-over bridge at the Fort Railway Station was occupied by football fans trying to catch a glimpse of the action. They hindered the movement of passengers but nobody would complain.A cheery canvas of yore - 1 Jun 2011
As a kid, I had a chance to travel with my father to Mahabalipuram in director A.P. Nagarajan's Plymouth. I noticed that his number plate said APN (followed by the car number). I knew M.S. Subbulakshmi's car said MSS. I thought number plates were, in fact, the owners' initials! Much later, when the registration series was TSL (for T.S. Loganathan), I could not afford a vehicle. Finally, I got a car when the series was TMC, and I consoled myself saying it, after all, stood for Thandarai Maniam `Chelven'.String of thoughts - 25 May 2011
In those days, the radiogram (combination of a record player and radio) was a big craze, and the wealthy would have imported Philips and Grundig radiograms. I requested a carpenter living opposite my house to build me one, so that I too could boast that I owned a radiogram!Clubs and comic tales - 18 May 2011
In those days, there were no restrictions to enter the American Consulate, no high walls around it. You could just ride your bike into the compound at any time of the day.
Conversations between non- Tamil golfers and caddies led to new phrases. When a ball hit a tree, Megan Utley - who was with the British Council - would tell her caddie, "Maram patti!" The mispronounced words gained acceptance as a phrase for "a golf ball hitting a tree", among the golfers of Madras. Sometimes, the semantic confusions resulted in hilarious misunderstandings. When Padma Devi, with a heavy Telugu accent, asked a caddie, "Gundu poduthu", he shook his head. She meant "throw the ball for me", but he thought she wanted him to "drop a bomb"!The Society and the City - 11 May 2011
There was a time when Ammu Swaminathan, a prominent social worker and political activist, and others used to run what was then considered important - a shop with Indian goods. My mother too took turns to assist them.Life on a gentler wicket - 4 May 2011
When I came to Madras for an interview at Parry & Co, A.G. Ram Singh let me stay at his sports shop. After I had dressed up for the interview, Ram Singh looked at me with a frown of disapproval on his face. He went into a room and brought a tie and asked me to wear it. "Remember, you are going to be interviewed by a European."Football's field day - 27 Apr 2011
In 1970, the crucial match that would decide the winner in the senior division between SBI and Southern Railways was played at Nehru Stadium. Fans cheered their respective teams with gusto. SBI had 18 points. With 19 points, Southern Railways needed just a draw to win the championship. At one goal each, the match headed for a draw. In the last minute when all hope had drained out of SBI's supporters left-inside Krishnan scored and won the match for SBI.Days of baby taxis and food tickets - 20 Apr 2011
When I joined Chitralaya Gopu's Unity Club, we spent a lot of time in Triplicane. I realised now that it hasn't changed all that much. There are still people in a constant rush, trudging up and down the streets, lazy cows hanging around, sometimes right in the middle of the road. But my fondest memory of Triplicane is that it is the only place where you can get a plate of idlis and filter coffee as early as four in the morning.Chops, lobs and drops... - 13 Apr 2011
With their colonial influence, Indians players adopted the handshake grip. Viswanathan - a Madras player of the 1950s - was a novelty due to his penhold grip (unique to players from countries such as Japan and China, where chopsticks are used for eating)Ode to an institution - 6 Apr 2011
A different beat - 30 Mar 2011
In 1975 after I received the Sangeetha Choodamani honour at the Krishna Gana Sabha, Palghat Mani Iyer said, `The layam and sruti sudham in his playing comes from the blending of the skin - of the palm and the mridangam.`Under the arc lights - 23 Mar 2011
When we lived on Vijayaraghava Chari Road, many devotees from Tirupati and all over Andhra would come in lorries to meet N.T. Rama Rao. They would visit other Telugu celebrities, come see my home, and then leave. Meeting cine stars was such a huge craze.When women called the shots - 16 Mar 2011
Balu Alaganan combined talent, humility and fair play. According to the rule book, a golfer can carry only 14 clubs in his bag. Due to oversight, he once carried 15 at a Cosmopolitan Club game; when he noticed it, he informed the authorities and insisted on being disqualified.The far pavilions - 9 Mar 2011
'Plays were crowd pullers' - 2 Mar 2011
When I started out, I had a hard life. I was young, had no support and was new in the city. There have been days when I went hungry and didn't have money even to buy some fruits for myself. When I entered cinema, I began to do daring roles. In `Baghdad Thirudan', I fought a leopard.'My heart beats for Triplicate' - 23 Feb 2011
To avoid getting mobbed in music-loving Triplicane, M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar once came to our house on Pillayar Koil Street at midnight to call me for a concert in Kollam. Since I had fever and was fast asleep, my father told MKT that he would not let me go with him.Tunes from an old city - 16 Feb 2011
MKT requested that he be allowed to talk to me. When the legendary actor-singer woke me up and offered to hire me as his percussionist, I instantly agreed.
Field day for cricket lovers - 9 Feb 2011
SBI had two teams, A and B, in the First Division. We would hope that a contest between these teams came late in the season. Once, when the SBI teams had to clash early on, we tried to find excuses. We told the umpire the mat was not up to the mark. The umpire did not give in and we refused to play the match. To our dismay, TNCA deducted points of both teams.Shades of a bygone era - 2 Feb 2011
Among the saddest days in my life was when I passed by Thayappa Mudhali Street near Broadway. It was a contrast to the rest of the city - tiny huts with small entrances, with old tyres and torn saris spread across the roof. It was a wretched life the people there led.Sketches from the past - 26 Jan 2011
In those days, when you asked for directions, you'd be surprised at the way people would direct you. I remember that anyone who wanted directions from Alwarpet to St. Mary's Road got the same answer - `go left and you will see C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyar's house. A bit further down, you will reach C.V. Raman's house. Then you must turn left'. There were other such `sirs' whose houses people referred to as landmarks!A formula for fine living - 19 Jan 2011
There was never a dull moment in Prof. Quibble's maths class. While cleaning the scrolling blackboard, he went up and came down with it, sending his students into a tizzy of laughterEchoes of a melodious past - 12 Jan 2011
After I played the role of Narada in `Bhakta Prahlada' (in Telugu) under the AVM banner, quite a few offers to do the same role came my way. I did not want to take them up, but found out a way to reject the offers. I told the producers I was not interested in doing roles that did not have scope for heroines.Bowled over by the past - 5 Jan 2011
League cricket was much smaller in dimension and there were fewer tournaments, but still cricket was on people's lips all through the yearThe sands of time - 29 Dec 2010
Soon after joining the film industry, I quit my teacher's job. I faced financial problems, and, for sometime, did not have a roof over my head. I sent my family back to my hometown. I would head to the beach in the evenings. The sand would be so pure and soft that I would make a pillow out of it and rest there for the night.Wind in the willows - 22 Dec 2010
Pandit Ravi Shankar was responsible for bringing Pandit Hariprasad Chourasia and me together for our first jugalbandhi concert. Ravi Shankarji during a visit to Madras heard my playing on the radio at the airport. So taken in was he with my rendering of bass notes in Sindhubhairavi that he enquired who the artiste was. He expressed the desire to see me. When I went to meet him, he said, `I think you and Hariji will make a great pair on stage'.Notes from the past - 15 Dec 2010
The golden age of theatre - 8 Dec 2010
In pursuit of excellence - 1 Dec 2010
In those days, ragging was innocuous. At the Madras Medical College, the seniors donned the roles of professors and the juniors were captive students. All they did was give funny interpretations of medical principles. The only thing expected of the juniors was hearty laughter and spirited clapping.Heaven on earth - 24 Nov 2010
When simplicity ruled our lives - 17 Nov 2010
I was crazy about Jawaharlal Nehru, and always waited on the road to cheer him during his Madras visits. When Panditji died, I was shattered, unable to imagine India without him. How could we survive? Headlines screamed: `After Nehru who?' I'd wake up feeling blank, shivering, as though I'd lost a parent.Replay of fine innings - 10 Nov 2010
On my way to present myself before a panel that would select the junior cricket team of the Madras Cricket College High School, two seniors stopped me and showed me how a right-hander should hold the bat. Until then, I gripped the bat with my left hand below the right!Of happy childhood days - 3 Nov 2010
The call of concerts - 27 Oct 2010
In the 1940s, dress regulations at medical college were very strict. So I would have to cycle to college every day - in a full suit and tie!Flash back! - 20 Oct 2010
Soon after I'd signed Waheeda Rahman for `Ondre Kulam' for a ballet dance-drama based on Tagore's Chandalika, Guru Dutt wanted her for `Pyaasa'. We sent her to Bombay, and she returned months later to do our film. Effectively, she was introduced here.Life under the arclights - 13 Oct 2010
In the mid-1960s, `Cho' Ramaswamy staged a fulllength situation comedy, "If I Get It!" at the Mylapore Fine Arts Club, in which he gave funny names to all the characters in a newspaper office. I played a cartoonist called Kathadi (kite). On the streets of Mylapore, strangers started shouting out to me as `Kathadi'. And, even people who knew me began to call me `Kathadi'.Flight of time - 6 Oct 2010
When I was around seven, my father took me to a public meeting at the Hindi Prachar Sabha grounds. It was only when we went closer to the dais that I realised Gandhiji would be addressing the gathering!A sketch of the past - 29 Sep 2010
When I was living at Cholamandal Artists' Village, we'd go to the beach early in the morning. And, if we helped the fishermen pull in their nets, they'd let us have a bit of the catch for our meal!Theatre of life - 22 Sep 2010
The public libraries in Madras had a variety of books. But still, they were no match for Moore Market. Especially, when it came to educational books. Not once have I returned empty-handed after a hunt for a school or college book at Moore Market!A legacy of healing - 15 Sep 2010
Every General Practitioner had a compounder, who would sit amidst his variously coloured powders and pellets. The prescriptions would read Cough Mixture, Fever Mixture and so on, and the compounder would proceed to measure and mix. A payment of about Rs. 2 would cover the cost of the bottles, the medicines and the consultation. Commercially available asthma tablets were expensive, so in college, we would grind and mix the chemicals for Mixture Asthmatica, and sell them at discounted rates to the poor.Down melody lane - 8 Sep 2010
Sometime in the initial years of my career, I was to sing for the AVM film "Chithi" starring Padmini. All of a sudden, I lost my voice, and the hope that I would ever sing.Lob into the past - 1 Sep 2010
The recording engineer Jeeva convinced the management to wait for me; even the sets were not removed. I finally rendered the melodious hit number, `Kaalamithu Kaalamithu', composed by M.S. Viswanathan.
After our wedding, my wife and I moved to a bungalow on Nungambakkam High Road. It was a six ground plot, and my father purchased it for just Rs. 15,000! I would be scared to take this road because there was no traffic and not a soul to be found anywhere. On either side, there were only five houses, each having an acreand- a-half of land. That gave it a rather eerie atmosphere.Campus jottings - 25 Aug 2010
Buhari's is remembered for its nonvegetarian fare. But vegetarians used to flock to this hotel for an one-off dish - vegetable noodles.Turning the pages of time - 18 Aug 2010
Before I found a job at Best and Company, I ran out of money and had been starving for 13 days. I went for the interview wearing someone else's clothes, and told the official that I needed the job as I had come wearing `borrowed feathers'. Impressed with my usage of the Queen's language and understanding the dire straits I was in, he gave me the job.A case for the past - 11 Aug 2010
A boy was found to have lied about his income to get a Government scholarship. When the aid was withdrawn, the boy went to court. The brilliant Justice K. Srinivasan Iyer ICS, seeing that he had high marks, said, "Throughout my educational life, I've got only third class - and today I'm a High Court Judge. This boy can become so much more!" I intervened, apologetically: "Law is not always logic, sir. For instance, I, with my gold medal, my scholarship, and my Masters' degree, have the misfortune of arguing the case before a third class judge!" He paused, smiled and said, "Mohan, you have a point there!" Anyone else would have hauled me up for contempt! In fact, these repartees kept our courts lively.The woods were lovely… - 4 Aug 2010
Rhythm of an era gone by - 28 Jul 2010
I was part of the children's delegation that was taken to the Raj Bhavan in Madras to interact with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The interaction was recorded for the Children's Film Society. I remember asking Pandit Nehru which fine art he liked the most. And he said, `I don't know if you will understand the significance of my answer now, but living itself is the greatest fine art'. As I grew up, his thought-provoking reply kept coming back to my mind and still does often.Field days - 21 Jul 2010
When the Gandhi Nagar Ladies Club was founded, we started a tennis court there. We couldn't afford to run it, so, in the mornings, we opened the facility to men and collected money. We couldn't even afford new balls so we used to buy one-day old balls from the Republic Club at the Suguna Vilas Sabha premises on Mount Road. All the top players, P.S. Seshadhri, V. Ranganathan, etc. used to play tennis there, and they were so pampered, they used to get new balls every day!The making of a city - 14 Jul 2010
When the Madras Metropolitan Development Authority was established, we were graciously housed in one of the residences of Arcot Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar, the noted educationist, physician and longest serving Vice-Chancellor of the Madras University, on Poonamallee High Road. We worked blissfully, unaware of the strange looks that several of our visitors were giving us. Till one day, one of them gave our office the up-down, and said, `You do know that your office is the surgery room of the Mudaliar?'When simplicity took centrestage - 7 Jul 2010
K. Balachander, who saw me in `Dowry Kalyanam' asked to see me for a role he had in mind for his latest movie. I walked in, and he apologetically told me that there had been mistake; he wanted to see the middleaged Mambalam Kuchelan, not a 28-year-old man!The warp and weft of time - 30 Jun 2010
One day Prema Srinivasan of the TVS family came to Nalli Silks with a well-dressed foreigner. Nobody gave the woman a second look as we were used to such tourists. After making their purchases the two women left their car here and sauntered across to the market around Panagal Park. The visitor had a wonderful time looking at everything and buying whatever she fancied. Only later did we learn that she was Jacqueline Kennedy!The theatre of time - 23 Jun 2010
Once when we returned to Victoria Hostel at midnight after a late night show, the sergeant asked us to sign our names in the notebook because we had stayed out without permission. We got an idea. The monthly bills on the notice board always carried the signature of the warden. Since we knew his signature, we signed and went in. The next morning, the warden happened to inspect the book and asked: `Sergeant, did you see me last night? Half-a-dozen times?' That was the last day we had that book.The mystic aura of Mylapore - 16 Jun 2010
At Chepauk, my friends and I managed to get into the stand right next to the pavilion. We had the privilege of watching the three great Ws - Worrell, Walcot and Weekes, not only bat and bowl, but catch the kamala oranges we threw at them - with the same effortless style, mind you, and eat them before our enthralled eyes!Stepping back in time - 9 Jun 2010
Congress leader Kamaraj was a frequent visitor to the Kathakali cottage in Kalakshetra. He sat quietly and watched irascible Ashaan Chandu Panicker teaching us with an iron will. We felt his intent focus, though Kamaraj seldom made comments. Once, he did break his silence to ask Ashaan testily, "Do you feed these boys at all? Why, you can count their ribs!"Curtains up on the past - 2 Jun 2010
Sometime in the late 1940s, the famous Indian opener Mushtaq Ali was playing in Madras. He had injured his hand, and we needed four runs off the last ball to win the game. Using his good hand, he swung a four and clinched the match, literally single-handedly!Singing paeans to simple living - 26 May 2010
I remember the appearance of M.S. Subbulakshmi, who sang bhajans for the Mahatma, when he came to give a talk at the Hindi Prachar Sabha. Her signature jasmine crescent, streaked with green marikozhundu and orange kanakambaram, curved above the high "bichoda kondai", creating an aura above her head. She too commanded reverence!Lessons by the beach - 19 May 2010
Growing up in Dindigul, I came to Madras on annual visits to watch international test matches at the Madras Cricket Club, along with my father and brother. We'd bring food along and spend the whole day in the galleries! In those days, cricket was unknown South of Madras. My headmistress and teachers would be furious. They would ask, "What are you taking a week's leave and going off for? What is this cricket?!"Street-side stories - 12 May 2010
On the same wavelength - 5 May 2010
Drive-In While installing an antenna, I was stuck on the terrace along with my eldest son Prakash. As the two ladders providing access to the terrace had fallen down, we were waving at passers- by a little far away for help. Unfortunately, they mistook it for a friendly gesture and waved back.When women were service-driven - 28 Apr 2010
My grand-uncle Sir Sivaswami Aiyar was awe-inspiring. He was very kind to children. When I was five, he took me in his Brougham car to the Madras Literary Society. My mother had me dressed in an organdie frock with my hair done up in a tight plait. "Shh! No talking and giggling," she warned me sternly. I was so proud travelling in that car. It was a lovely drive.Poses and postures - 21 Apr 2010
When it was time for my marriage, I mentioned my profession as engineer, although I was almost completely into teaching yoga at that point - an engineer got much more respect!Life, in sepia - 14 Apr 2010
Carnatic musician M.L. Vasanthakumari was a family friend. Once when she came home, she saw me painting a postersize picture of Nala and Damayanti. `Can I join you?' she asked eagerly, sat down beside me, and took up a brush. I was a child, she was childlike. For a long time we worked together in happy silence.Bands, Banquet and Bach - 7 Apr 2010
My mother, Beatrice Dubier, was quick-tempered and would not check herself even while being surrounded by fans. During a performance in Madras, she snapped at the audience as they shouted, "Come on, band!" They wanted an `encore' and made their desire known with an inappropriate expression. She corrected them in an angry tone, "Say `encore'!"Of gentry and broad acres - 31 Mar 2010
My first introduction to a Test match in 1959 at the Nehru Stadium turned into a clamorous drama as a bouncer from Roy Gilchrist, the controversial bowler, hit our batsman G.S. Ramchand. The crowd roared and stamped in anger. But, Ramchand gamely got a few stitches put in and returned to play.Down racing lane - 24 Mar 2010
An award for best reporting of racing events at Sholavaram was instituted by the Madras Motor Sports Club. As it began to drive a wedge between sports journalists from different publications, the award was later scrapped.Walk in the wilderness - 17 Mar 2010
General Patters Road had a theatre where they showed English movies. In those days, there wasn't much of a culture of watching English movies, and a movie would run for only three or four days. So, I would quietly sneak out every three or four days to watch a new movie during the matinee show. and no one at home ever knew!Where arts and academics met - 10 Mar 2010
We were one of the few troupes that used to stage English plays. Once, after a performance, we clamoured around Prof. Archibald McLeod from the Illinois University, asking for his feedback. He looked at us and said, "Oh, the play was wonderful, all of you acted brilliantly.great job." He paused and then added, "But only she spoke English." He had pointed at Jayalalithaa.Bowing to a glorious past - 3 Mar 2010
Sometime in the early 1950s, when I lived in Saidapet, I saw a big crowd outside my house, and wondered what was wrong.Around the wicket - 24 Feb 2010
Apparently, popular actor T.S. Balaiah had come to invite me to perform at his daughter's wedding. My father never allowed me to watch films, and so, I did not recognise the star. Only when I heard people shouting out his name did I realise who it was.
In those days, excerpts from a recent Test match would be shown in the newsreel preceding the screening of a feature film. To watch a capsule on the 1962 Test against Pakistan in Delhi, which was also my debut Test, I bought a ticket for "Daag" (starring Dilip Kumar), which was on at Wellington cinema.In a flashback mode - 17 Feb 2010
When Indira Gandhi was the information minister, she visited Madras for an official function. When she was leaving, several officers came to see her off at the airport, and left as soon as she boarded. But there was a technical snag and the flight returned, and there was nobody to accompany her when she disembarked except my brother and I, who had stayed behind to watch the plane take off! She went to the VIP lounge and since she was very hungry, we rushed to the Udipi hotel and got some idli, chutney and sambar. We had the golden opportunity to spend nearly three or four hours with her. and nobody ever knew!Through the lens of time - 10 Feb 2010
Once, Annan (Kannadasan) and I were travelling on the Beach Road with Chittibabu at the wheel. Suddenly, a motorbike gave chase. Not wanting to allow a bike to overtake us, Chittibabu kept speeding. Then, Annan asked him to stop. The motorist flung himself at Annan, and hugged him in relief. Apparently, a wheel in the car was loose, and terrified that the poet's life was in danger, the man chased us to warn us about the danger!All the world's a stage - 3 Feb 2010
The day I entered Club House, I was very tired and slept on the stairs. Soon, I saw a mattress, and rested there. The next orning, someone woke me up asking me why I slept there. I answered that I was tired (asadhi); the person said that I could sleep on a mattress only if I was wealthy (vasadhi). Who else could have played on words so beautifully but Nagesh, who remained a great friend till his death!For the love of the game - 27 Jan 2010
Laura Woodbridge had bowed out of the 1964 Asian Championships. Beaten by Jill Mills, she volunteered tips to tackle Mills who I was going to face in the title clash. Laura told me Mills had a deadly backhand and asked me to direct my shots at the British player's weak forehand. During the match, I discovered the contrary was true. It was clear who Laura wanted to win.Warp and weft of life - 20 Jan 2010
The wind in the willow - 13 Jan 2010
On select days in a week, a music band from the Madras Corporation played at the Marina, near Gandhi Statue. A van that served as a mobile canteen was perfect accompaniment to the musical treat.The villu to keep it going - 6 Jan 2010
Many years ago, when I was on a three-day concert in Alwarpet, I noticed one of the women in the audience weaving a wire basket. I was wondering how she could continue weaving when everyone else seemed immersed in the music. After the concluding day's programme, she stood in a corner, basket in hand. She gifted it to me and requested that I carry it to every performance. Till date, the basket is given the same importance as my villu!With a little help from friends - 30 Dec 2009
The warmth of the arc lights - 23 Dec 2009
We would head to the beach in our battered 1938 Austin (with a self-starter that didn't start), feeling selfconscious. Once, we came across a gleaming 1956 Chevrolet parked by the road. Whenever people passed by, we would nonchalantly lean on it, with an air of ownership. One day, as we stood there pompously, a man walked up to us, and wordlessly inserted his key into the car's door.Of Seasons gone by - 16 Dec 2009
Pitch for the city - 9 Dec 2009
Venkataraghavan grabbed a blinder at gully to dismiss Luckhust off B.S. Chandrasekhar at the famous Oval Test in 1971. With the fall of this wicket, India scored a historic win - its first against England on English soil. When an elated Venkataraghavan returned to the pavilion, an elderly English gentleman approached him with a smile and said, "With a name like that, you must be from Madras!" That old man was C.P. Johnstone!All things green and beautiful - 2 Dec 2009
There would be mild ragging in the hostels, usually on Sundays. For weeks, a friend and I would have breakfast on Sundays and pack off somewhere, returning only after dusk to escape the seniors. The one week we took it easy and stayed back, it happened! They smeared an oily substance on our face; it would not go away even after 20 washes!Grand old days of family bonding - 25 Nov 2009
There used to be a jukebox in Buharis restaurant, where we would go after attending classes at Presidency College, and drop coins in to listen to old English songs.Of Moore Market and moonlit nights - 18 Nov 2009
In the 1970s, the Swedish Ambassador and his wife came on a visit. We took them to Gaylord, where we were amazed to see a striptease in progress! The woman danced, as all of us watched in complete disbelief. It was only at the very end that we realised something very important — it was a man!A string of reminiscences - 11 Nov 2009
In 1952 world famous violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin visited Madras. Musiri Subramania Iyer, the then principal of the Music College organised a concert in his honour. Thirupamburam Swaminatha Pillai played the flute and I, the violin. After the concert was over, Menuhin got up and hugged me. He said ‘I have not heard such violin in all my travels! How superbly this young Indian is playing our instrument!’Post from the past - 4 Nov 2009
On the day of Jawaharlal Nehru's death, the only way to get somewhere was to walk. Every bus in the city had stopped running. Almost all the shops pulled down their shutters as a mark of mourning. The city ground to a complete halt, but there was not a single untoward incident of violence. And since most of the restaurants unusually remained shut, it was also the first time that several men in the city resorted to cooking!All the world was a stage - 28 Oct 2009
During World War II, my mother Phyllis Iolanthe, the lady officer at the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade, conducted mock drills for the air raid wardens and ANS nurses at the open grounds in Saidapet. I usually play-acted the victim in these drills — this role sparked a lifelong interest in acting.‘It was a city of ponds and lakes’ - 21 Oct 2009
In those days, I was an indefatigable walker. One day, a car stopped beside me on the Santhome road. "Thambi, get in," said a familiar voice, belonging to an actor who worked in my uncle’s theatre at times. That is how I found myself at the final preview of "Parasakti" in AVM studios. As I sat sipping coffee with the man, how could I know that never again would he be able to walk on the street without being mobbed. "Parasakti" was released the very next day. And Sivaji Ganesan became a star overnight.‘People didn’t understand mental illness’ - 14 Oct 2009
Every time we had a bet in medical college it would be for a Peach Melba. It was everyone’s favourite treat — for high marks, coming first in class or any prize. We would take the bus to Elphinstone theatre, which used to be at Anna Square. For 14 annas, you would get a huge, delicious Peach Melba in a tall glass.Pitching for cricket - 7 Oct 2009
Hawkers of Rita ice creams doubled as messengers — as they wheeled their pushcarts around the ground, they relayed the scores, taken down with the scorer’s assistance.‘It was more a village than a city’ - 23 Sep 2009
Everyone who visited Kirubananda Variyar’s house was treated to glasses of tangy orange juice. There were times when I went there just to have a few.Motorcycle diaries - 16 Sep 2009
I often took sight-seeing bus rides around the city. On one such trip, I chanced upon Kirubananda Variyar discoursing with characteristic humour
At our hangout near Queen Mary’s College, a 1000cc V-twin Vincent HRD Black Shadow (the world’s fastest production motorcycle in that period) was parked. We wondered whose it was — then our friend Rajkumar Menon (whom we called Cutlet) came out of hiding. We used to tease him about his bikes, which were invariably the slowest.A bridge with a view - 9 Sep 2009
In September 1941, while organising a programme at Kalakshetra, the Dutch commercial artist and photographer, Conrad Woldring died of electric shock at the Theosophical Society theatre. I particularly liked him, as he used to keep a good stock of sapotas.Raintree county - 2 Sep 2009
Once a year during summer, the procession of decorated Tirupathi umbrellas would be taken around Madras; Mambalam like other suburbs had this privilege. We would hear the nadaswarams as they were taken on G.N. Chetty Road and would dash across from our house to pay obeisance and offer vethalai-paaku.Train of thought - 26 Aug 2009
When an Anglo-Indian official questioned a ticket collector caught taking a bribe, the latter lost the ability to frame sentences. This is all he managed to say: “Please be kind to me, sir! I am a child of many fathers!”When Bharati’s songs filled the air - 19 Aug 2009
When I was studying in St. Anne’s school, I had a fall on the staircase. The next morning, I was limping, barely able to walk. A man saw me on the road and asked me what was wrong. When he saw the swelling on my leg, he asked me where I lived and said he’d come that evening to see me. He came exactly at 6 p.m. and bandaged my leg. He turned out to be Dr. Balakrishnan, who later became Sivaji Ganesan’s doctor!Sands of time - 12 Aug 2009
Once, while travelling on Beach Road with my wife Santha, we noticed the Chief Minister’s convoy behind us; and just as M. Karunanidhi’s car passed by, he rolled down the window, and cheerily waved out. Back then, the convoys were simple and inconspicuous, had minimal security and didn’t block traffic anywhere.Vignettes of a village - 5 Aug 2009
Tamil magazines used to write funny pieces about Tamil radio dramas. One magazine explained how the ‘invisible actors’ that spoke the dialogues were the opposite of what their characters suggested. It said that the wrestler with rippling muscles was actually someone who was waif-thin; and a young princess of unspeakable beauty was in reality a 50-year-old lady battling obesity.A song for the past - 29 Jul 2009
The Adambakkam lake became a cricket ground during summer when it dried up
Once, while recording for a Sivaji-Jayalalithaa starrer, Kavignar couldn’t come up with suitable lyrics for a tune I had composed. When Sivaji came to know about it, he called me and dictated a few lovely lines. He requested me to pass it on to Kavignar as my own. Later, when the song became a hit, Sivaji revealed at a function that those lines were actually Ammu’s (Jayalalithaa).A tale of two cities - 22 Jul 2009
In the past, many ghost stories were in circulation. There were people who believed Mount Road was a haunted place. A tree located where G.N. Chetty Road now meets Mount Road was said to be sheltering a spirit.When studios dotted Vadapalani - 15 Jul 2009
On April 9, 1958, a gentleman called Vasu Menon resigned from AVM to start his own company, and that seat was vacant. I was in school, and had come in during my holidays. I sat in that seat and started asking questions about vouchers. People started panicking. Next day, at breakfast, my father told me I shouldn’t do that. He then took me along with him in MSX 856, a black Ambassador, and asked studio executive Rangasamy to introduce me to everyone, and said that I would work as a production executive. I was 18 then, and now, I am 51 years old at AVM.Where have all the birds gone? - 8 Jul 2009
Madhavaram jheel - the burial ground that came up in its vicinity was the final nail in the coffin.From Saidapet to Madras! - 1 Jul 2009
The Madras Flying Club used to organise aerial sight-seeing trips of the city at Rs. 5 per head.When life revolved around art... - 24 Jun 2009
I was once performing at the Parthasarathy Swami Sabha in Triplicane. My first son Siddhartha, about three years old then, was in the audience. I was performing the popular ‘Krishna nee begane baro’ padam in which the dancer portrays how Yashoda pleads with Krishna to come to her, when I suddenly saw my son running on to the stage. He said, ‘Amma, I know you were calling me.’ The audience was amused while I couldn’t hold my embarrassment.The magic of Mylapore - 17 Jun 2009
As my father was a freedom fighter, a search party was sent to our house on North Mada Street. My father was away and I was returning from school. Seeing the house full of police gave me a shock. As the policemen went about searching the house, my mother Gnanasundarambal kept her cool — the sub-inspector, in charge of the search party, happened to be her classmate!Kovil, kutcheri and kaapi - 10 Jun 2009
The first time the great Madurai Mani Iyer performed at the Parthasarathy Sabha in Triplicane, the ultra-orthodox among the audience there were angry because they didn’t like his unusual style of singing!There was no road like Mount Road - 3 Jun 2009
As house surgeons at CMC, Vellore, we saw the road to Madras as the road to freedom. Six of us, in three bikes, would arrive early on a Sunday to watch English films. While we were in awe of the city, the local boys who came to the theatre envied us for the bikes we had.When league matches drew crowds - 27 May 2009
It was mandatory to have a member of the staff in our cricket team at Madras Christian College. That member happened to be Gemini Ganesan. He was a tutor and used to keep wickets for us!Behind the scenes of Tamil cinema - 20 May 2009
Of vintage cars, gas-lit lamps and peacocks - 13 May 2009
Behind our house on Balfour Road, there used to be a huge mansion with an enormous garden. The wall was just about six feet high and we’d clamber on it every day to sit and watch the peacocks in the garden. Can you imagine?Giving shape to the past - 6 May 2009
It was mid-term at the Madras School of Arts when my father M.S. Nagappa wanted to join the institution as a student. The watchman would not let him in. My father hung around and drew a picture of the watchman, when he was sound asleep. When the principal Hadaway was leaving in his car, my father threw the sheet in. The Britisher was impressed with the sketch and appointed my father as his assistant.Beachside story - 29 Apr 2009
When the new Adyar bridge was being built, many old trees were cut. I was very upset. Once, I got down from the car and requested them to not fell a tree. No one paid heed. I waited and brought home a piece of that tree trunk. It now stands in my garden as a reminder of a Madras lush with greenery.Of shady avenues and street poets - 22 Apr 2009
When I heard that film shooting was going on at Soundarya Nursery in Teynampet, I rushed there on my cycle. Sirukalathur Sama was playing Krishna. The production manager had forgotten to bring the flute. The director looked at the air pump in my cycle (in those days, a foot-long air pump was attached to the cycle) and decided to use it. He took a long shot of Sama playing on my air pump!When the story was the hero - 15 Apr 2009
My mother and I had got into a tram. There were two seats in the men’s section. And in those days, we were told to respect men and asked not to sit in places marked for them. The men asked us to sit. But we refused politely. These trams start with a jerk and so, soon, we fell into the same seats much to the amusement of the passengers.Once upon a Marina - 8 Apr 2009
Sixty years ago, the Buckingham Canal was a clean stream. My whole family — nearly 15-20 people, including cousins — used to take picnic trips by boat from Gandhinagar to Mahabalipuram and back on the Canal. It wasn’t a scenic waterway as such, but the water was clean, and it was fun to row.When the living was easy - 1 Apr 2009
As there were no constructions in between, it was easy to walk over to the graveyard from Loyola College. As I was given to pooh-poohing the idea of the spirit outliving the body, my friends wanted to test my conviction. In the dead of night, when I was sound asleep, my hostel mates carried my cot to the graveyard. Hidden behind tombstones, they were waiting for me to open my eyes and yell in fear. Their prank did not work as I slept till the early morning sun made it difficult to continue to do so.Building brick by brick - 25 Mar 2009
In our early days of practice, we sat at a drawing board and drew our plans. Today it’s all on computers. Of course it is fast, to do the same thing manually would take you hours. But it means that yet another skill – the skill of the draftsman – is slowly being lost.Of garden bungalows and bonhomie - 18 Mar 2009
My father was the first Indian to join the Madras Cricket Club in 1930. The Madras Club, on the other hand, was segregated right till the early 1960s.Of live orchestras and a legendary eatery - 11 Mar 2009
By the time I started using the MCC, to play cricket, there were a few Indians. But the atmosphere was very different then. About 60 to 70 per cent of the members were British. They would come by 5 p.m. every day to have a drink or to play cricket.
For my show at Gandhi Mandapam, arranged by the Governor’s PA, I went to the venue and found no one. I was livid and called the PA. He checked his diary, and gently reminded me that I had come a whole month early. Should I not have learnt a lesson? I repeated this for a concert in Bangalore, heading there a month in advance.When you loved your neighbours… - 4 Mar 2009
The Second World War was going on. Whenever sirens were sounded, Air Raid Police recruits would warn people to run into their houses. And as a youngster, I wanted to be an Air Raid warden. But who would take a seven-year-old fellow? I pestered the Captain, Mr. Desikachari. He gave me a cap and a whistle. One day, when the siren was sounded, I ran around the street whistling, asking people to get into their houses. One man brushed me off saying: ’Poda, chinna paiyyan, what do you know?’ I got angry, and hit him with the whistle. He chased me all the way to Mr. Desikachari’s office.All the city is a stage - 25 Feb 2009
I was always very fond of tennis. So my grandmother had a grand tennis court was put up behind our house. For about 10 days, I took classes. But, someone told my grandmother: “Aiyyo, she’s playing tennis? She could get tennis elbow!” My grandmother got so scared. Anything that could interfere with my dance had to be stopped at any cost, so she immediately closed down the tennis court which had taken 40 days to set up! And that was the end of my tennis classes.When Madras was an overgrown village - 18 Feb 2009
Watching drivers of single-horse phaetons vie with one another to get passengers leaving the Egmore station, the way auto drivers do now.When theatre lived on the fringe - 11 Feb 2009
Being in splits watching S. Ve. Sekhar and his team in action. It was a great play, but it was also the cause of great embarrassment for me. In a bout of laughter, I fell forward and spat chewed betel leaves on the person sitting in front.In the quest for freedom - 4 Feb 2009
We were given the task of protecting the VIP area of the Avadi camp in 1955, and were told not to allow anybody inside unless they showed a pass. A small-made man came and when we asked him for his pass, he said he’d forgotten it. We said, ‘Sorry, you can’t go in’. Then somebody else noticed and came rushing over to apologise to the man. They told us, “Aiyyo, you know who he is?” It was Lal Bahadur Shastri! But, you know, he was so gracious. He said, “They were doing their duty and I appreciate that. It was my fault; I shouldn’t have forgotten my pass.” That’s the kind of man he was.When culture was the mainstay - 28 Jan 2009
We waited from August 1970 to February 1972 to get a telephone connection. Finally, I got desperate. My husband was travelling overseas constantly. I was pregnant. So, I went to the Madras Telephone exchange and cried. I told them my husband was abroad and I needed the phone. And that’s how we finally got an emergency phone connection. It came six weeks before the baby.When directors wore the pants - 21 Jan 2009
In the night, if I spotted a policeman, I would get off and walk along my bicycle. For, my cycle didn’t have a dynamo; it was costly. One day, the policeman laughed at me. Out of habit, I had got off the cycle during daytime.When art wasn’t about mart - 14 Jan 2009
There was a corporation band that played next to the Triumph of Labour statue, on the Marina beach. They would play old English songs, the way they still do in London, with drums, saxophones and bugles. It gave shape to the evenings.The rub of the green - 7 Jan 2009
Train of thought - 31 Dec 2008
`It was a rich man's game' - 24 Dec 2008
…how one Madras player landed up at Tiruchi for a tournament that was being held at Trichur. His ears failed him.
Reader's thoughts
Informative (5 Nov 2009)
Rewind to the past (29 Oct 2009)
Talent sidelined? (22 Oct 2009)
Tranquil ambience (2 Sep 2009)
A clarification (29 Jul, 7 Aug 2009)
What a Madras it was! (27 Jul 2009)
Tamil with Nannan (1 Jul 2009)
Unforgettable face (24 Apr 2009)
Turning the clock back (4 Mar 2009)
About Gokhale Hall (25 Feb 2009)
Flying like a maharaja (18 Feb 2009)
Nostalgic trip (4 Feb 2009)
Note:
I do know that there has been a 'Madras Miscellany' column by S Muthiah since 2 July 2001.
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