Saturday, January 12, 2019
Old Madras
At Old Madras: A Tryst with British Colonialism, Lunching at Amethyst and Swinging at the Anglo-Indian Reunion’s Grand Ball
Namaste from Chennai!
You must excuse me if my blog posts are behind schedule—-the days (and nights) are proving much too much hectic for my delicate constitute to handle! Frenzied days, crammed with activity and sleep-deprived nights are making it near-impossible to wake up on time to blog.
Today was one of those activity-crammed days when I awoke with no time to sit at my keyboard. My cousin Blossom’s daughter Menaka who lives in Bangalore was due to arrive early in the morning to spend a long weekend with me while I am in Chennai. The plan of action was that we would have breakfast at home together and then leave for a walking tour of Fort St. George where the British set up their first colonial outpost in the Indian colony.
But Fate has a way of intruding on the best-laid plans of mice and men...So Menaka’s train from Bangalore was inordinately delayed and instead of arriving at 5. 30 am, she only made an appearance at 9.00! By this time, I’d eaten breakfast of...guess what? Why, of course! It was muesli (mixed with a handful of oats) and coffee!!! Quite lovely.
By the time Menaka walked in, it was too late for her to join us as she needed a shower. Blossom and I decided to go ahead and have her join us at a later stage during the morning. We called for an Uber and off we went to arrive about a half hour later at Fort St. George.
An Exploration on Foot of Fort St. George:
I have had lovely memories of Fort St. George for four decades—which were based on the last time I had visited. I remembered a vast, quiet and very well-maintained space that consisted of white colonial buildings sprinkled around a church—St. Mary’s Church, the oldest British (Anglican) Church in India, circa 1630s.
Reality was quite different—almost disappointing. It has degenerated into a cluster of buildings that have been appropriated by the Tamil Nadu State Department to house the Secretariat and the General Assembly. The corridors reek of bureaucracy and babuism. The vast open spaces of my memory have been converted into car parks and scooter parks (as everyone in India owns a vehicle today). There were piles of construction debris everywhere I turned (why is it that Indians who have such a penchant for construction do not know what to do or where to put the debris that such renovation involves?).
Anyway, other than these administrative glitches, it can still be a very interesting visit. So a word about the British presence in what was then called Madras (now Chennai)—although this part of the city is still referred to as “Old Madras”: The British East India Company was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1600–she died a few years later. The Company’s first ship on Indian soil arrived on the West Coast of India in Surat in 1603 where, by 1612, they set up a ‘factory’ (an office) to keep administrative records of their trading to the East and back to England. A few years later—by the early 1630s—they arrived on the south east coast at Madras where they set up a second factory around which they built a fortification. They christened it Fort St. George for their favorite (patron) saint. By 1632, they created a place of Anglican worship which they named St. Mary’s Church (mainly to regularize their marriages with local Indian women and carry out baptisms of their Eurasian—later called Anglo-Indian—children). As time went by, a few stately administrative buildings added to the solidity of the location right by the seafront. The settlement remained in use till the exit of the British from India in 1947 after which the buildings were converted for use by the indigenous Indian government. This location has seen some of the most significant early events of Indo-British history such as the victories of the British over the nawabs of Arcot, the summoning of Robert Clive to Fort St. William (in Calcutta) to mastermind the Battle of Plassey, etc.
Exploring the Fort Museum:
We began our exploration of the Fort past the dry moat (which has always been dry) and a few iron-clad cannons that pronounced it a fortification. Cannons were poised out to sea suggesting that they were ready to be fired in case of enemy invasion.
The first significant building in now called the Fort Museum. It is large, spacious, superbly maintained (not a speck of dust in sight) and very well curated. The most significant bits of it for me were:
- The larger-then-life Plaster of Paris sculpture of Lord Cornwallis who lost the Battle of Yorktown Heights in the US during the Revolutionary War and in disgrace went East to try to redeem his name. His moment of come uppance came when he defeated the Lion of Mysore, Tipu Sultan, son of the legendary Haider Ali, whose two sons were then taken hostage by Cornwallis in a massive humiliation for the Nawab. The Nawab was imprisoned in Seringapatnam prison in Mysore (which I have seen on a previous visit). Here, Cornwallis’ great victory, which was a decisive win for the British in South India, is depicted on the sculpted plinth of his statue for all to see. Apparently, this statue was previously placed in public spaces but strong objection from the Indian public moved it repeatedly until it now stands at the foot of the stairwell that leads upstairs into the Museum. Entry fee to the Museum was Rs. 25.
- The Numismatics collection (the Coin Collection) where I saw my first ever gold Pagodas and Mohurs. I have read about them for ages but had never actually seen them. These were British coins, minted and used by the East India Company during the early years of colonial rule. They are significant to me (and I was excited to see real ones) because for years I have read (and known) that the British gave a single gold coin (either Pagodas—named because they actually feature the conical sphere building called a pagoda or a mohur) to employees of the British East India Company as an incentive to get them to marry the Indian women with whom they were consorting so that their illegitimate children wouldn't be running all around the Fort precincts (without knowledge of who their fathers were!).
- Ceramics and Porcelain with the coat of arms of the British East India Company.
- The Silver Coin that was minted to commemorate the Accession of Queen Victoria to Empress of India in 1877.
- An embroidered flag (with embroidery whose colors have faded) with the names of all the victorious campaigns of the Company—Arcot, Pondicherry, Multan, Plassey, etc.
- Clay Model of the Fort and its buildings. This gives a very clear idea of the number of buildings that comprised the British settlement, the scale of the space and the beautiful Neo-Classical architectural elements that were employed to give it stature and grandeur.
This is a small museum and it is clear that the best and most valuable aspects of Indo-British history have been taken by the British to enrich their own museums in the UK. But the few things that I have pointed out above make a visit worthwhile. After seeing the Museum, I was able to imagine what the Fort would have looked like when it was filled with soldiers in their blue uniforms loitering all over and trying to appear as if they were indispensable (in peace times).
The Church of St. Mary:
Our next stop, which involved a short walk, was to the Church of St. Mary which is also historical for various reasons. It was in this church that Robert Clive, known as the Father of the British Empire in India, was married. It is the church in which Elihu Yale (who made a fortune in locks, the profits of which he plowed into founding a University in New Haven, Connecticut!) has a portrait (it was taken out for cleaning, so I did not see it). It is the church that has seen visits of modern-day royalty such as Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and their son, Prince Charles, who have signed the Visitor Book that is proudly displayed in glass cases at the back of the church.
Like all such colonial Anglican churches (The Cathedral of St. Thomas in Bombay, is one such example), it is filled with mortuary sculpture that dates from as far back as the 1700s. The earlier gravestones (those dating from the late 1600s) are outside the church in the front yard. It is also very well maintained and is still a working church, used every week for Sunday services—now a part of the Church of South India. I had a lovely little leaflet that Blossom gave me which allowed me to take a self-guided tour of the church that pointed out the carvings of Burmese teak on the altar, the pulpit, the choir stalls, the pews, the overhanging gallery at the back, etc. Some of the funerary monuments were pointed out as being more special than the others, but suffice it to say that there commemorated men who had fallen in various wars, died of cholera or malaria or snake bite or from falling off their elephants or being mauled to death by tigers during shikaar. If one had the time to spend here, the reading of the mortuary marble slabs with their accompany urns, angels, Celtic crosses, etc. would make a really wonderful pastime.
Exploring Clive’s Building and Clive’s Corner:
I suppose it is to be expected that the finest building on the fort campus would be the one that was occupied by Robert Clive. It became his home and the place from which he would mastermind his military campaigns as well as entertain and amuse guests in the vast Banqueting Hall which is on the first floor and which is now entirely occupied by state department offices. We took pictures of the exterior (all very well-maintained, freshly painted and thoroughly cleaned) and attempted to get inside. However, we were told that entry was prohibited into the offices.
We could, however, get into a room at the far corner of the building that is referred to as Clive’s Corner. An attendant arrived with a key to open it up for us so that we could peruse it at leisure. This is a museum dedicated exclusively to celebrating the glory of Robert Clive in India and it delineates in detail his life from childhood in Drayton, Stropshire, where he was born and spent his childhood, to his arrival in India, his various victories including his highest achievement at the Battle of Plassey near Calcutta that converted the East India Company from a trading unit into a colonial power (in 1757) to the time of his tragic death by suicide (which was news to me) following an inquiry into his misdoings in India which led him to have a nervous breakdown and depression that caused him to end his own life. Wow! At the end of that small museum visit, I was more enlightened than I have been in all the days I have spent on these travels!
We were encouraged to take pictures of a lot of the text that was on the walls as the attendant needed to get back to his duties! The visit to Clive’s Corner is certainly worthwhile and as it is not always open, it is necessary to ask for the attendant to open it up.
Off for Lunch to Amethyst:
By the time we finished our jaunt around Fort St. George, it was lunch time. We had made plans to meet Christie, a friend of mine whom I usually see in London as he has been the long-term partner of my friend Rosemary (whom I know as Roz) with whom I have often stayed in her home in Battersea. However, Christie’s business (he is the president of the British Business Group) often brings him to Chennai where he has a home and where his business headquarters lie. Having just spent Christmas with Roz and their family members in London, he was back in Chennai for the next few weeks—where I was fortunate to meet him.
As Roz spends a lot of time in Chennai with Christie, she knows of nice places to eat and it was she who recommended that we visit Amethyst which she described as a very cute place for a meal. When I established email contact with Christie, he suggested we meet at Amethyst for lunch. Menaka would meet us here and as Blossom and I made our way to the place by Uber, we were excited to get there and to meet Christie.
At the appointed hour (1.30 pm), Christie arrived (as did Menaka). I found myself in a green oasis surrounded by a goldfish pond, lush green plantings, outdoor tables and chairs, pottery of all sorts punctuating the landscaping with a lot of it offered for sale. Menaka was keen to sit outside, but when Christie arrived—after we had met and greeted and made introductions—he suggested we adjourn into the air-conditioned interior. The decor was simply gorgeous—it had a colonial island feel about it. The walls, painted white, were decorated with plant motifs, the furniture was of the garden variety, the tableware and linen were in soft neutral colors. Large armoires holding antiques filled the space which was very classy and very soothing.
The menu was equally enticing and it took us a while to make any decisions. Finally, I had sugarcane juice with ginger and mint for a drink with a Croque Monsieur (which I was excited to find on the menu) for lunch. The item appeared not as an open sandwich (which is often the way it is served in Paris) but as a double decker of bread sandwiched with ham, dipped in bechamel sauce and grilled—simply awesome! Served with salad and a few fries, it made a very handsome lunch indeed. Everyone opted for the same dish except for Christie who had an omelette with toast (breakfast for lunch). For dessert, we selected a Chocolate Truffle party and a walnut honey pie (which we all shared). And a yummier meal would be hard to find. We enjoyed every second of our time together as we caught up with Christie (who shared many fascinating family stories with us) and made plans to meet later in the evening at the ITC Grand Chola Hotel for the Grand Ball—part of the Anglo-Indian Reunion activities.
Before he left, Christie suggested that we wander around the top floor of the restaurant which has been converted into high-end boutiques. There were one-of-a-kind Indian designer clothing in silk, cotton and linen, lovely jewelry, books in one corner, footwear, and all sorts of accessories for considerable price tags, all splendidly displayed. I enjoyed browsing through it all but was not motivated to buy anything.
Downstairs, after we’d said goodbye to Christie and thanked him for the meal, Blossom and Menaka had coffee while I chatted briefly with Dad on the phone to make sure all was well in Bombay. Sitting by the goldfish pond was such a charming way to while away the last bits of a beautiful afternoon. On the way out, we could not resist picking up a few pastries from the bakery to have for dessert at home—perhaps tomorrow.
We called for an Uber that then took us home (I have never used more Ubers in my life than I have done on this trip!) where we were all ready for a good long nap to sleep off our superb meal as well as to prepare ourselves for a late night during which we would be dancing nonstop.
Off to the Anglo-Indian Reunion Dinner-Dance:
Needless to say, none of us had expected to end up at the Anglo-Indian Dinner-Dance or the Grand Ball at a five-star hotel. But after being persuaded to attend by the many new friends we had made over the past few days, we decided to go for it. Tickets were available for Rs. 2,500 each at the venue and having met Alan, a very personal guy from Melbourne who twisted our arms to join his table, we decided hey, why the heck not? When Christie agreed to join us there, it became a firm plan.
Blossom lent me a shiny jade green shirt and the crystal jewelry she had gifted me did the trick. She and Menaka also wore their dressiest clothing and off we went by Uber to the Grand Chola Hotel to arrive there at 8.30 pm. Many of the guests had arrived already and the place was teaming with Anglo-Indians—the ladies in ball gowns and the men in jackets and ties.
We had a good time, overall, considering that we had no real partners and had not bargained to attend at all. Two drinks were included with our tickets as was dinner. They had no gin and no wine (!) among the included drinks. To access these, there was a cash bar outside! Menaka and I settled for vodkas with OJ—not my favorite tipple, but, in the circumstance, it would do.
They had a live band, a fairly good emcee and in no time at all the place was rocking as AIs filled the floor and refused to sit out a single number. Dinner was nothing to write home about. There were four types of salad of which I really enjoyed the roasted pineapple with its spicy kick, the pear and walnut salad and the potato chaat. For mains, the buffet offered chicken biryani and lamb biryani, paneer Achaar, Tamilian fish curry, nawabi vegetables in a cream sauce (the only really tasty item on offer) and chicken Bhuna. Desserts were on a table outside: I only had the warm chocolate pudding that I used as a base for chocolate ice-cream with chocolate sauce and nuts to make a chocolate sundae. Nothing had any taste—which was really disappointing. I ended up only having one drink as meeting people, getting on the floor and dancing with Alan (who was easily the best jiver I have ever seen) took up most of my concentration! Alan had promised dances to so many women that he was truly spread thin through the night! Chatting with Christie was also fun! Sadly, he had to leave early so that Menaka and I were often on the floor ourselves and joined by other sundry single guys looking for partners! Indeed, if I have to put it humorously, we were ripe for the picking! I have not laughed so much in a very long time.
Suffice it to say, we had fun—both dancing ourselves and watching other inept dancers who had no idea what they were doing on the floor but absolutely insisted on staying glued to it! Much laughter all night long made it a particularly fun evening for the three of us.
We eventually left the venue only after 1.00 am taking a Uber and by the time we got home, it was 2. 00am. Without any ado, we tumbled into bed promising ourselves that we would wake up at leisure and only go for the 11.30 am Thanksgiving Mass at San Thome Cathedral tomorrow morning.
Until tomorrow...
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