Posted by BeyondET

Chennai - 372 years young - NEW Pictures of OLD Chennai

The streets in 1961 in and around Kothawal Chavadi, the city's wholesale vegetable and food produce market founded in 1803 in Black Town, now George Town, were always scenes of congestion created by handcart men, headload carriers and lorry drivers all competing for space during the day. It was only when the market moved to the western suburb of Koyambedu in 1996 that this congestion eased a little.

A view of the flyover coming up over Gemini Circle, in July 1972. The landmark construction has stood the test of time in traffic planning.

The ornamental Doric column in the High Court campus was the support for Madras’ second lighthouse, built in 1841. After the High Court was built in 1892, this lighthouse moved to its tallest tower in 1894 (on extreme left) till a new lighthouse was built in the late 1970s on the Marina. The pillar lighthouse, seen here in 1962, still stands tall east of the High Court buildings but bereft of its light.

Dr. A.V. Rajagopal’s house and clinic replaced Raghunatha Rao’s Krishna Vilas on West Mada Street (R.K. Mutt Road now) where national leaders met in December 1884 to discuss the formation of a national movement to seek freedom from the British. The discussions here and at Ranga Vilas in Egmore led to the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885. That first discussion was marked with a plaque that long remained in Dr. Rajagopal’s clinic, but, sadly, vanished when the building was pulled down in the 1970s.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then president of the Indian National Congress, on his arrival in Madras, in October 1936, is given a warm reception at Central Station. S. Satyamurti is seen on Nehru’s left, helping him to stand up. C. Rajagopalachari is seen just below Satyamurti and to his left, in dark glasses.

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru with K. Srinivasan, to his right, G. Kasturi (extreme left) and S. Rangarajan, when he visited The Hindu’s office.

Lord Louis Mountbatten addressing a rally of Boy Scouts and Girls Guides at the Corporation Stadium, Madras. Seated to his left is Lady Mountbatten.

A 1939 view of some of the buildings of the Tambaram Tuberculosis Sanatorium complex south of Madras.

C. Rajagopalachari, Premier of Madras, presents his first Budget in the Assembly in September 1937. Note the uniforms of the staff seventy years ago.

A panaromic view of Marina Beach on an evening.

Mahatma Gandhi visits the Kodambakkam Harijan Industrial School in March 1937.

Crowds outside The Hindu’s office in 1949 follow the scores of a cricket test match. In the background in the middle of the road, is a tram, a popular means of transport in the city since 1895. Trams were withdrawn in 1953 and the rails removed in 1957-58, ending once and for all hopes of trams running again in Madras.

This automatic, electrically-operated traffic signal at a junction in Egmore, photographed in September, 1953, is probably the first automatic traffic signal in south India.

The caption accompanying this archival photograph, describes "a traffic jam” on the Mount Road-Blacker’s Road crossing.

The caption accompanying this archival photograph, describes "a traffic jam” on the Mount Road-Blacker’s Road crossing.

Members of the Madras City Police Dog Squad with their wards in 1954. Madras had one of the first dog squads in the country.

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, K. Kamraj, the president of the Indian National Congress and C.N. Annadurai, Chief Minister of Madras, enjoy a lighter moment with pressmen at the Madras Harbour prior to the Prime Minister's departure for the Andamans by INS Mysore on February 3, 1968.

The Maharaja and Maharani of Travancore with the Governor of Madras, Lord Erskine, and Lady Erskine at Travancore House, in Adyar, on March 4, 1937, where the Maharaja hosted a party for the Governor. The Dewan of Travancore, Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyer, is seen standing second from left.

A massive crowd surging towards Rajaji Hall to pay its last respects to departed Congress leader K. Kamaraj on October 3, 1975.

Hundreds of workers manually clear the river bed of the Cooum near Willingdon Bridge in 1971, during one of the many phases of the Cooum Improvement Scheme.

Horse-drawn jutkas were still part of the public transport scene in Madras in 1979, especially opposite Central Station.

One of the Herons from the fleet of aircraft owned by The Hindu from 1963 to deliver copies of the paper to various destinations in Karnataka and the districts of Coimbatore, Madurai, Ramnad, Tirunelveli, Tiruchi and Thanjavur. Readers in these places got copies of their paper at about the same time as readers in Madras due to this pioneering scheme.

DMK chief K. Karunanidhi's second son, M.K. Alagiri (second from left), and his wife Kanthi (extreme right) after their marriage was solemnised on December 12, 1972 at Periyar Thidal. The function was presided over by Education Minister V.R. Nedunchezhian and Dravida Kazhagam leader E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker, seen third from right with Union Defence Minister Jagjivan Ram who called at Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's residence to bless the couple.

A bird’s eye view of Park Town’s pride – from left to right - Sydenham’s Road, Ripon Building – headquarters of the Corporation of Madras built in 1913, Victoria Public Hall built in 1887 and Moore Market built in 1887. Behind these majestic buildings sprawls a lake with the South India Athletic Association’s ground beyond, boasting of the Moore Pavilion, seen at the top right of the picture.

Spencer’s majestic building was still there – in the background – in 1976, watching over an increasing flow of public transport, but minimal private transport on Mount Road.

On January 12, 1967, M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) was shot in the neck by fellow actor M.R. Radha. The bullet, permanently lodged in his neck, affected his voice. That did not stop him from conducting his campaign for the Madras Legislative Assembly in 1967 from his hospital bed. He won twice the number of votes polled by his Congress rival and the largest number of votes polled by any candidate for the Assembly. Here, M.G.R., wearing a neck cast, is seen in his hospital bed signing his nomination papers for the St. Thomas Mount constituency.

Future Chief Minister Jayalalithaa seen standing near the body of MGR as it lay in state at the Rajaji Hall in Madras on December 24, 1987.

A.G. Ram Singh, a Madras cricketing legend, seen after he was felicitated at the MCC grounds, Chepauk, in October 1956.

The first convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, was held on July 11, 1964. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, President of India, delivered the Convocation Address. To his right is the Governor of Madras, the Maharajah of Mysore, and to his left is Dr. A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar, Vice Chancellor of the University of Madras. On the extreme right is Raja Muthiah Chettiar of Annamalai University.

Nothing has changed when students decide to celebrate. They still not only fully occupy a bus but those who cannot squeeze in find a seat on the roof of the vehicle, as they did in October 1973.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Road, formerly Esplanade Road in 1961, with the open Esplanade having been where the High Court buildings (on left) came up. It was a pleasure indeed to drive a car then, especially the stylish Morris Minor (in the foreground), on the wide, empty roads flanked by majestic buildings still standing today.