CHENNAI: It could have been termed time travel or a ‘heritage walk’ down the history-laden lanes of George Town as V Sriram, the city’s historian and Heritage Conservationist introduced George Town to a group of twenty-something researchers at the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) on Friday.His tales laced with his trademark humour and his intricate sense of history, he kept the young IFMR researchers entertained and informed as he took them along the dusty lanes of George Town, the first settlement of the city that grew up around Fort St George.Starting with Fort St George and its iconic landmarks this master storyteller not only made dead men and women walk and talk, but also brought to life inanimate objects like tombstones, streets and buildings as he wove his story around them.He talked about Elihu Yale, one time Governor of Fort St George, and his carton of goods given as charity, which helped to found Yale University. Sriram said, “Little did Elihu Yale know that one day he would be honoured as the founder of a university when he sent his carton of carpets, rugs and blankets to be sold, proceeds from the sale of which went towards setting up Yale University.”He traced the rise and fall of the powerful Dubashus (twin language speakers, agents who spoke both English and the local language – Telugu) and the trade history of the East India Company .Sriram said, “In those days before spinning mills the English came to Madras looking not for diamonds but for six-yard, nine-yard and 14-yard cotton weave. They paid for the cotton in gold. The Dubashus, who traded cotton weave in exchange for gold, became very powerful. At one time they literally ran the trade in Madras.”Some of the streets we find in the area of George Town today were named after these Dubashus — Linghi Chetty Street, Thambu Chetty Street, Govindappa Naicken Street, Nainiappa Naicken Street, Krishnappa Naicken Agraharam Street, Muthiyala Pettai Street, Angappa Naicken Street, Peddu Naicken Pettai Street.The erstwhile First Line beach, running alongside NSB Bose Road, was named the Marina. “In the evening the entire George town came to the Marina to enjoy the breeze. Even today, if you look at the map, all the streets run towards the beach,” said Sriram. “George Town at that time was a cesspool of garbage and sewage. Surprisingly we owe the drainage system we have in George Town to Florence Nightingale. It was she who raised this topic in parliament, and was largely responsible for bringing in the drainage system that exists today,” his disclosure had a ‘wow’ effect on the audience.Walltax Road (now VOC Salai) got its name from the proposal to collect tax from the people to build the wall for their protection. Though the tax was not collected the name stuck, observed Sriram. He later dwelt on the development of business houses and the coming together of Parry, Binny and Arbuthnot, resulting in the founding of the Madras Chamber of Commerce, and how these business houses transformed NSC Bose Road and VOC Salai into a business district.He briefly touched upon the Armenian heritage of the city, the churches, the growth of the banks, sabhas, theatres, bazaars, native philanthropists like Pachaiappa, not omitting the courtesans of the city and the famed Vadakalu Street, then the city’s red light area.Sriram ended with a message. “To protect the heritage of George Town it should be declared a special district within the city, and special rules drawn up to deal with its development.”
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