Last Day in Chennai—At the Government Museum—and Back in Bombay

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Chennai

Last Day in Chennai—At the Government Museum

Namaste from Chennai!

I had arrived finally at the last day of my travels in Tamil Nadu. It was sad to know that it had come to an end as all good things must. I’d had a lousy night with several wake-ups and a sole mosquito bothering me before I finally fell asleep rather early in the morning. I awoke at 6.00 am when I heard Blossom pottering around. I joined her for a cup of coffee as I continued to get my things organized. 

Blossom’s maid was expected to clean the house; so we ate our breakfast together—muesli with yoghurt and milk and the last of my decaf coffee. When the maid left, we called for an Uber as I had told Blossom that I wanted to visit the VTI (Victoria Technical Institute) from where she had once gifted me really lovely cut-out embroidered place mats. I wanted to see what else they had on offer.

Sadly, the place was closed as today is Pongal.  Although Blossom had called yesterday and someone had confirmed that it would be open today, she was obviously misinformed. Still, we simply called for another Uber and went off to see the Government Museum as I did not have my flight until 4.30 pm. This left us the entire morning to do something worthwhile.

Visiting the Government Museum:

I had never been to the Government Museum in Chennai before—so it was worth finding out if it was open today—it was! For just Rs. 15 each, we were able to enter and enjoy the highlights that are spread out over about 8 buildings.

The Museum was commissioned in the 1850s by the then Surgeon-General of Fort St. George, Balfour, who went on to encourage the collection and acquisition of items that would be of public interest as well as serve scholarly pursuits. The main building, now the Museum Theater is made of red bricks and is circular in shape. It has white Greek style ornamentation and reminded me very much of the Royal Albert Hall in London. Blossom sat out for most of my visit, finding comfortable benches on which she could find relief from her painful knees. 

Here are the highlights of what I saw during my visit:

1. British portraits in oil of the erstwhile Governor-Generals of India or of the Governors of Fort St. George done by leading portrait artists of their era such as Thomas Lawrence and Hickey. Among them were Lord William Bentinck (who was active in Hindu Reformism) Lord Cornwallis (who infamously took Tipu Sultan’s sons as hostages), Lord Connemara (he of the marital woes), etc. They were brilliantly executed and are in quite a good condition—all in the same life-size frames. Quite remarkable. 
2. Paintings by Raja Ravi Varma, a Keralite king, who turned to painting and paved the way for the number of Indian artists who would dominate the twentieth century landscape of art. His Shakuntala, and Old Miser were the few that were actually done in oils as there were quite a few prints. In addition, there were some works by other well-known contemporary Indian artists.
3. Chola Bronzes: These were truly exceptional. They are the best bronze collection in India and some of them are gigantic.  Using the lost wax (cire -perdu) method that originated in South India, these massive works have been created in bronze alloys that are heavy and truly difficult to manipulate. Many versions of Shiva as Nataraja (doing the Cosmic dance) dating from the 9th century to the 19th were on view. There were also any number of other Hindu and Buddhist deities in varying sizes (Ganesh, Uma, Parvati, etc.) and for the first time, I saw two sculptures of Ardhanareswara (half-man, half-woman) deity which was a true revelation to me. 
4. Amravati Sculpture: This is a collection of sculpture that has been obtained from a Buddhist stupa in Amravati.Many different parts of this Buddhist shrine are on display in tiers together with clay models which give us an idea of how they might have looked in situ.  

It was interesting to note that almost all the sculpture I saw everywhere was actually plastered or mortared to the base on which it sits. This will make it impossible to ever move them—leave alone steal them or send them out on loan to other galleries or museums. Eventually, we saw all we wanted to see and decided to get some lunch before we returned home.

Lunch at Palmshore Restaurant:

For our last meal, we chose a very modest place right opposite the main entrance of the Museum where we decided to eat a very light meal of what looked like lamb quesadillas and what was called special falooda but turned out to be  delicious sundae of ice-cream with fresh and dried fruit. We were also given two gulab jamuns by the management in a gesture of goodwill! Considering that it was our last meal together, we truly enjoyed every last bit of it and felt that we had lucked out big time for having found it.

A little while later, we were back in an Uber and heading home to Blossom’s. I had only enough time to do last-minute packing before I was calling an Uber again to get to the airport. By 2.15pm, I was saying goodbye and thanks to Blossom and getting out of the house and just a half hour later, I was at the airport. Check in went smoothly as did security but when I arrived at the gate, I discovered that my flight was delayed by half an hour.  Bummer!

Return Home to Bombay:

Eventually, my flight left just 20 minutes behind schedule. However, we arrived in Bombay half an hour later than scheduled. I took a rickshaw directly home where I reached at 8.45pm given awful traffic. I just left my case and backpack there and went directly to see Dad and Russel (who were both doing fine), had dinner with them and went back home to get myself ready for bed. I will deal with unpacking and getting ready for my next trip tomorrow morning—because, if you can quite wrap your mind around it (I can barely do so), I am off on a trip again next week—this time to Goa for a conference and the official launch  of my new book on Goa.

     Until tomorrow...                    

           

     

A Visit to Dakshinachitra and Re-visiting the Pallava Settlement of Mahabalipuram

Monday, January 14, 2019

Chennai, Dakshinachitra and Mahabalipuram

Namaste from Chennai!

I absolutely had no idea what to expect when Blossom told me that she would take me to Dakshinachitra. At any rate, we did not spend time getting breakfast at home today but instead, since we had called an Uber for our marvelous day trip, we decided to eat at a local South Indian restaurant.  I was up at 6.30 am, but found no motivation to blog. Instead I caught up with Twitter and email on my phone before I got dressed for another daylong outing.

Breakfast in Vasant Bhavan:

It was the day before Pongal and it is clear that all the Tamilians are in holiday mode. About twenty minutes after setting out from home at 9.30 am, we arrived at Vasant Bhavan where we made ourselves comfortable to order a sada dosa (for me), idlis and dosas for Blossom and Pongal rice for Menaka (as she really loves it). My plain lassi was really superb but also really filling and I felt as if I could not eat another morsel until lunch time.

Well fueled with our breakfast, we proceeded with a very chatty Uber driver to the first stop on our agenda: A visit to Dakshinachitra

Visiting Dakshinachitra:

Dakshin means South and Chitra means Picture. Taken together, the phrase might be translated as A Portrait of the South—and here they mean South India. So when we stopped at Dakshinachitra and bought tickets for Rs. 130 each for Menaka and myself as Blossom who has been several times and could not face all the walking involved, and decided to sit it out. 

It turned out to be the kind of place boasting vast acreage that has been beautifully landscaped and conceived to take visitors through four South Indian states—Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. These four states comprise the Dravidian cultural base of India and have much in common in terms of cultural mores. We started off by watching a film that introduced us to the space and the concept behind it. The idea was to present visitors with a sense of life as it is lived in various parts of these states through the actual homes that people occupy in these areas. There are lush native plantings that provide shade, dry moats with pretty bridges, raised bunds and the like. The curators of this space actually went scouting into the rural areas of these states to find authentic, genuine homesteads that have either fallen into disuse or ruin or are facing neglect for lack of funds to maintain them. They have transported these homes, lock stock and barrel, to this venue, spiffed them up for exhibition and provided extensive curatorial notes so that visitors know at what they are looking. In addition to notes, there are short videos playing in many rooms. As you go from one home to the other, you get a chance to find out about the unique cultural ways of the people that inhabited these homes, their lifestyle, their socioeconomic backgrounds, their religious affiliation, etc. I found the entire visit thoroughly fascinating and very similar to what I have seen in Bygdor in Norway when I had actually walked through a reproduced Norweigan village and entered homes, community centers, stave churches, schools, etc. 

Hence, some of the homesteads that stick out in my memory are a Syrian Christian home in Kerala where the video that played inside took us into the real-life maternal home of the Indian Malayali novelist Arundhati Roy (Malayali on her mother Mary’s side and Bengali on the side of her father—hence the surname Roy).The Mamachi  and the Chacko of her novel The God of Small Things were both interviewed on camera—the former played the piano, the latter sang Edelweiss with a group of women (one of whom is his second wife). Needless to say, Roy’s uncomplimentary portrayal of this family and the way they treated her mother after she separated (and later divorced) her father seems to have caused a permanent estrangement between herself and her family members. But on camera they spoke about their desire to preserve a grand homestead and a lifestyle that is swiftly passing away as the youngsters choose to live urban lives far from the idyllic surroundings of Kottayam where the Syrian Christians are concentrated.

  In the Tamil Nadu section, I was fascinated by the Chettinad household that portrayed the wonderful tamini or inner balcony surrounding a central open space (that is often filled with water and turned into a living pool with fish and water lilies because it is open to the sky). Around the pond, in cloister fashion, rooms housing the family members radiated. The ornamentation inside was done in genuine dark Burma teak. I loved the houses themselves as well as the family photographs that adorned the walls telling us about the ways of life of this wealthy merchant community and their traditions.

In Karnataka, they took us into the home of the Muslim Maplas of the Chikmaglur area near Mangalore. This home was filled with Islamic motifs and artifacts and pointed out to the fishing and agricultural ways of life of these people. As we moved from one section to the other, we were also treated to information and demonstration of their native crafts such as weaving, basket making, application of henna on the palms, rice pounding, etc. In the Weaver’s Huts, we saw how Ikat fabric was made in Andhra Pradesh, how papier-mâché masks were produced in Tamil Nadu, etc. 

Everything was deeply absorbing and I honestly wished I was less tired for the non-stop activity of the past few days and the lack of sleep has taken its toll on me and I felt really fatigued. Still, after two hours on our feet, we decided to join Blossom outside—but not before popping into the gift shop to see if there was anything to catch our eyes. Blossom bought some fabric pouches for check books. And then we were off. 

Dakshinachitra had been a true revelation and I loved every minute in the place.        

Re-visiting Mahabalipuram:

The next port of call for us was the marvelous sea-shore venue of Mahabalipuram that I had last visited about forty years ago on a family trip with my parents and brothers. I had only very vague memories of the trip although Blossom had far better and more vivid ones. She remembered (as did I) that we had purchased a gigantic water melon (as it was frightfully hot) which we christened Krishna’s Butterball after one of the natural formations we would be seeing. As it was so heavy, no one wanted to carry it and it was repeatedly passed from one set of hands to the other as we took turns to bear the burden. She also remembered that my brother Roger, then about 18 years old, was eating an ice-cream on the ramp leading up to the lighthouse when a monkey attacked him for it and he threw it far away to avoid being mauled. I had only a vague memory of this occurrence. It is wonderful how family memories of trips once taken come back when we re-visit the same venues.

As Blossom and Menaka know this venue well, they would be worthy guides. However, they too were returning to this spot after almost 20 years and they too expected to see many changes. And indeed, changes there were—particularly after the tsunami caused damage. UNESCO has now taken over the maintenance of the most important monument—the Shore Temple. This has caused the land around it to be reclaimed and a large and sturdy wall to be built to prevent water erosion. Hence, the glorious beach of Mahabalipuram on which waves were clashing vigorously to leave foamy lace on the shore, is now far away from the entrance to the temple. Blossom remembers coming to the Temple on full-moon nights with groups of friends and sitting on the steps as water lapped around their toes! Well, that is never going to happen again! 

The place was simply mobbed as this is the holiday weekend in the state and people have come out in droves to admire and appreciate their ancient heritage. Still, we managed to see the highlights of the area to which we arrived in our car as they are vast and well-spread out.

Here is a brief introduction to the carved monuments of Mahabalipuram: They were created in the 8th century (between 700-735 AD), during the reign of the Pallava dynasty, a powerful group of kings among whom Narasimhadeva I and II were the most celebrated and the most enthusiastic builders. They were a sea-faring people who built a busy working port at Mahabalipuram through which they traded with Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) as well as other parts of India and Mesopotamia. They were staunch Hindus and they built temples in honor of Shiva. Motifs associated with Shaivite worship are seen on all the monuments as are stories associated with Krishna. Most of these monuments are intact and are now protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. 

Here are the highlights of our visit:

1. The Shore Temple. This is reportedly the second most photographed monument in India (after the Taj Mahal). It’s conical lines created by the towers or the gopurams are truly stunning to behold. Although wind erosion over the centuries has caused the carved granite details to have blurred quite awfully, you can still appreciate the glory of the architecture that is unique to this part of India. We were not able to enter the bigger temple (as it is being refurbished) but we could climb up the steps that led to a tiny shrine in the smaller ones where we saw Shiva and his consort Parvati carved in granite in a little niche. Because the niche is protected, the carvings are far better preserved than those on the exterior of the temple. Surrounding the temple are a series of Indian bulls called Nandis. We encircled the temple and took in the grandeur of its design.  We stopped for lunch at this point as we were hungry and found a meal at a place called Rose Garden (which I did remember from our visit there, four decades ago). It is the oldest eatery in the area. The prawn biryani and the fried prawns we had there in very traditional style (on a banana leaf with a woman ladling our rice and curd with curry from out of a steel bucket) were both delicious. We had cold Thums Up with our meal and honestly, it could not have been more simple or more delicious. 
2. Next stop: The Five Rathas: Rathas are chariots and we saw five of them in varied sizes—each of which was also a shrine.Dedicated once again to Shiva they portrayed him and his consort Parvati in superb carvings on the walls. There were steps that allowed us to enter a few of them, but one of them is in an unfinished state. The five Rathas are said to be dedicated the five Pandava brothers from the Sanskrit Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. Holding the entire group of chariot-temples together are two sculpted animals—an elephant (that going by its ears seemed to be an African elephant) and a lion (done in stylized form). Hundreds of people crowded these monuments and with everyone wanting to get a selfie with the Rathas in the background, it was quite a difficult task to actually enjoy these spaces. But, I suppose, it was heartening to see so many Indians partaking so exuberantly of their heritage and I loved noticing really ordinary, even poor, people get their fill. Entry to all the monuments is just Rs. 40 which makes it very affordable for even the most modestly endowed Indian families.
3. The Hill-Caves: There are two hill-caves which are simply rock-cut cave temples. One of them presents a really superb vignette of Krishna holding up the mountain Govardan to prevent it from falling in the terrible storm conjured up by the wrath of Indra. The scene is depicted in the midst of a large herd of cows (as Krishna was known to love cows, was a shepherd himself and loved consorting with the gopis (cowherds) and the gopikas (cow girls). The bas-relief (low sculpture) of a cow is so splendid and so realistic and about life-size that it makes for a stunning portrayal. Again, because this large relief is inside, it is protected from the elements and retains its original glory. The second cave is incomplete and shows pillars holding up the roof but has no carving within.
4. Arjuna’s Penance: This is one of the highlights of a visit o Mahabalipuram. On two huge boulders separated by a central ‘spine’ of rock, a story referring to Arjuna in the Mahabharata has been depicted. I absolutely adored the almost life-sized elephant carved in bas-relief with its mate following it.  Taking shelter under the elephant is its calf and surrounding it are other members of the herd—superbly depicted with such an eye to detail and such a mastery of the elephants’ stance. There are also a number of Nagas or snake-gods depicted plus several lions and Arjuna himself doing penance by starvation. This is a massive vignette, the likes of which have not been seen anywhere else in India. 
5. Krishna’s Butterball: This is simply a natural formation of a humongous rock that sits balanced ingeniously on a slope. It is completely defying gravity and makes of itself a natural wonder. Children were climbing the slope to get up there and then sliding down again (it was a very short slope) and then once up there were sitting in the shade cast by the mighty rock.     

By the time we finished seeing these highlights, we were well and truly exhausted but Blossom told us that friends had informed her about a Museum of Sea Shells that was certainly worth visiting. As she had never been there and neither had Menaka or myself, and since it is unlikely that we will came back to this place for a long time, we decided to make the detour to see it.  It was only a ten minute drive away but because we got caught in a traffic ruckus, it took us much longer. 

Aghast at the Museum of Sea Shells:

The Museum of Sea Shells cost us Rs. 100 each to enter but a more worthwhile amount had not been spent. It was simply breath taking. Representing 40 year of collecting of a single man, Raja Mohamed of Tamil Nadu, it comprises a collection of 23,000 species of shells that have been acquired from all over the world. There are really gigantic ones and a whole handful of the world’s smallest shells that are no larger than mustard seeds. Not only is the collection comprehensive, but it has been so brilliantly curated as to completely take one’s breath away. Grouped according to the species of shells (conches, cowries, oyster shells, nautilus, etc). in different cases but also according to size and color and shape. The overall effect is distinctively pleasing even as we marveled at the manner in which he acquired his collection. Each shell was also categorized expertly with information provided about its popular name, its Latin species name, its habitat and the part of the world in which he found it.  We also received information about the people who collaborated with him in putting the collection together—other shell experts in other parts of the world. Apparently, he sold family property and land in order to be able to construct this Museum for the enjoyment of the public. The complex now also includes a Pearl Museum, a Sea World (a small aquarium) and Maya Bazaar, a small shop in which one can purchase articles made of shells and pearl jewelry. Indeed, it was a brilliant visit and we were very pleased that we made the time to cover it even though we were all ready to drop.

Return Home to a Light Dinner:

Once again, we decided to get home for a light dinner comprising leftover baguette, butter and cheese. We made a stop at a store called Singapore Store as Menaka wished to purchase something and I was looking for date ladoos —but they had run out of stock.

     Back home, we sat down immediately to have the leftovers of our previous day’s dinner with some more pastries for dessert. We took some pictures around the flat as Menaka was leaving for Bangalore on the night train and we wanted to remember our lovely time together. We said goodbye to her at 9.45 as she took an Uber to get the 11.15 pm train. I also did my packing and kept my case ready as I hate to leave anything like this for the last-minute.

One hot shower later, I was in bed and ready to drop off right away.

Until tomorrow...

Sunday Mass at the Cathedral of San Thome in Chennai and Persian Lunch at Shiraz by Tryst.

Sunday, January 13, 2019

Chennai

Sunday Mass at the Cathedral of San Thome in Chennai and Persian Lunch at Shiraz by Tryst. 

Namaste from Chennai!

Like all my days here in Tamil Nadu, this one was busy too and filled with the kind of activity that was on my Must-Do List. I am waking at 6.00 am, regardless of the fact that I am traveling and away from home. I tend to spend at least a half hour checkingTwitter and catching up with email correspondence before I get out of bed to take my pill, wash and get a coffee. Blossom is also an early riser—she is up by 5.00 am daily but lazes in bed till 6.00–so I do have company for an early coffee as Menaka gets her beauty sleep.

We had breakfast at home today (once all three of us were up)—muesli with yogurt and a bit of milk and my decaf coffee that I carry with me everywhere I go. When everyone had eaten, we got dressed for church, called an Uber and left for the 11.30 am Mass in Central Madras (about a twenty minute ride away).

Anglo-Indian Reunion Thanksgiving Mass at San Thome Cathedral:

I was very excited to attend Mass at the Cathedral of San Thome (St. Thomas) which takes its Portuguese name from the fact that they were in Madras long before the British got here. The San Thome referred to here is the Doubting Thomas of the Bible who arrived in India soon after the death of Christ and began the first series of conversions in South India that would bring a large number quickly to the Christian fold. He is reputed to be the saint who brought Christianity to the Syrian Christians—the denomination of Christianity that is based essentially in Kerala—they call themselves the Mar Thomites (after St. Thomas) as opposed to the Jacobites (another denomination). Saint Thomas is said to have died in the Madras region and his remains are in the crypt of this Cathedral—in fact, the Cathedral is constructed over his remains. 

     Forty years ago, I had been to this cathedral as a tourist and I do remember that we could see his tomb through the glass panel in the floor All that has changed as I would discover once Mass ended.

We were in the church by 11.15 as I was afraid we would not find room as it happened to be the Thanksgiving Mass that was offered by the Anglo-Indians who had gathered for the Reunion—it would end the week-long festivities and activities that were part of the event. But, I was mistaken. Although by 11.30 am, the church was full, there was not much of a rush to get seats in the front. The chief celebrant of the Mass was the Bishop of Wichita, Kansas, whose name I did not get. There were the two local priests attached to the church as well as my friend, a  scholar of Anglo-Indian Studies, Brent Otto of the University of California at Berkeley, who also happens to be a Jesuit priest—all concelebrating the Mass. It is a beautiful Cathedral—the stained glass window above the altar piece depicts the moment when Thomas is brought before Jesus to express his remorse at having doubted his return by uttering the words, “My Lord and My God!” The choir was just superb—possibly a group of musically-inclined young Anglo-Indians who got together to form a special choir with a bunch of talented musicians from the community. They jazzed up the entire Mass with their verve and gusto. The homily was also very good indeed and the Mass turned out to be a very worthwhile celebration of the Eucharist among a group of people who had spent the week renewing old friendships and making new ones.

The Crypt and Museum of St. Thomas:

When Mass ended, there was a bee-line for the back of the Cathedral where a separate one-storeyed building has been constructed that leads down to the crypt.  Having returned from Italy in the summer when I had visited the crypts of a few saints (St. Francis and St. Clare in Assisi and St. Catherine in Sienna), I had become quite familiar with the drill and I found that this space has been designed exactly on the lines of the Italian crypts that lead to the remains of the saints. We were asked to remove our footwear (which was stored in a cupboard) and to descend one flight of stairs. Once we got downstairs, we were greeted by a spectacular painting by my favorite artist of all time, Caravaggio, and his portrayal of Thomas at the moment when he encountered the Risen Christ. It is a very moving portrayal—done with just the right expression of ashamed consternation that only Caravaggio could achieve. I asked for a postcard but was told that they were out of stock. I ended up taking a photograph of it.  There was a glass showcase with life-size clay models of Jesus and Thomas also captured at the same moment.

We then went through a very narrow passage and arrived at a chapel where the altar consisted of another clay effigy of St. Thomas above the very spot where he has been interred. Little wonder that this space has become an important center of pilgrimage—although the Church of Our Lady of Velankanni, about 300 miles away, is far more popular with median Catholics and certainly with Anglo-Indians. In fact, my friend Brent Otto, SJ, made a fine presentation on this subject at the Conference. 

We did not spend too long here as Blossom was waiting outside for Menaka and myself who had headed into the church. Blossom is dealing with very painful knees and is in the process of going through preparation of knee replacement surgery. Hence, she sits out a lot of the time and leaves the sightseeing to us. At any rate, having lived in Madras for so long, she has seen so many of these sites several times over.

Menaka and I then made our way to the small Museum on the ground floor where there are a few relics of the saint, archeological finds from below the Cathedral’s foundations, Papal Bulls that declared the church a cathedral, etc. I did not spend too long here although a student of religious studies would probably find a great deal of interest and could well linger here a while.

I did meet a few friends to whom I was able to say Goodbye (until we meet again)—Brent, Robyn Andrews of New Zealand, Cecil and Mary Wilson of the UK and Harry McLure, Editor of the Anglo-Indian periodical called Anglos In The Wind who promptly asked me to submit a report on the conference consisting of my impressions of my time in Chennai.  I told him that I would.

     With the Anglo-Indian Reunion coming to a very grateful end with a Thanksgiving Mass to the Lord for bringing us all together regardless of our areas of interest (renewal of friendship or scholarly discourse), I was sorry to be leaving the place. We had the exciting prospect of lunch stretching ahead of us; so I was quite happy to go forward with the day.

Fabulous Persian Lunch at Shiraz by Tryst:

Blossom had told us that she would treat us to lunch today and she chose a place that she knows well and where the food is unusual and excellent. It is a Persian restaurant called Shiraz by a company called Tryst that has other eateries in the city. Blossom says that they used to do an excellent Sunday buffet lunch which offered such a wide range of Persian dishes that there were at least four types of rice alone. Sadly, their move to newer premises where the kitchen is much smaller has made it necessary for them to scrap the buffet lunch. However, a la carte items were enticing enough.

We ended up having starters of ground lamb kebabs with mint chutney and a dip of eggplant and herbs served with toasted pita triangles. Both were superb. Washing them down were lemonades for us all. We decided to share two main dishes—chunks of lamb with dried lemon and potato sali  that was served with Orange Rice that is called Shireen Polo, fried onions and a small salad. This Shireen Polo has to be one of my favorite things to eat on this planet. I became familiar with it several years ago when my Persian colleague at NYU Shouleh invited me to her home for Navroze (the Iranian or Persian New Year) and served it. It is made special by the addition of candied orange peel which brings flavor and sweetness to the rice to which lentils and fried onions are also added. The second main we chose was chicken marinated in pomegranate juice and served in a gravy containing pomegranate seeds. This was served with Saffron Rice which was like a flavorful pullao. Here too there were fried onions and salad. You can be sure we had a fine meal and enjoyed every last morsel of it. Indeed we had made very good choices and had not over-ordered. We glanced at the desserts but not only were we really full but nothing really caught our fancy.

Deciding to get something sweet to eat later, we left the restaurant after thanking the wonderfully genial host who was very chatty as he explained the cuisine to us. Just next door was a bakery with wonderful bread and pastries. After our hearty rice-based lunch, we decided to have a very light dinner of good bread and cheese and deciding to make this my treat, I picked up a baguette and a wedge of Danish Blue cheese together with a slab of really amazing Amul butter with garlic and herbs. I asked the salesman to slice the baguette for us which he willingly did. It really is amazing to me what a long way India has come in terms of its foodie offerings. It is true that everything is indeed available here now and I am left with few food cravings.   

After lunch, we were all so replete, that all we could think of was a nice long nap.  In an Uber back home we went to arrive there a half hour later. And, of course, we all promptly hit the sack, awaking only for tea with biscuits. We spent the entire evening chatting away and catching up on so many things. Finally, at 9. 15 pm, we stirred again to get our dinner organized. We toasted the baguette rounds to make crisp crostini which we ate with garlic-herb butter and fabulous blue cheese. There were idlis that Menaka had brought home and each of us had one with sambhar and finally there were the pastries we had bought from Amethyst—but we could only manage one—the Carrot Cake! I sipped lovely hot lemony tea to get it all down. Not long after we decided to call it a night and went into our rooms to get a nice hot shower and a good night’s sleep.

Until tomorrow...

    

At Old Madras: A Tryst with British Colonialism, Lunching at Amethyst and Swinging at the Anglo-Indian Reunion’s Grand Ball

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:

1. 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.
2. 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!).
3. Ceramics and Porcelain with the coat of arms of the British East India Company.
4. The Silver Coin that was minted to commemorate the Accession of Queen Victoria to Empress of India in 1877. 
5. 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.
6. 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...