CHENNAI: Occupying a vantage position on the beach, it stands almost like a silent sentinel, stark and solemn, witness to the noisy chatter of groups of friends or the sweet nothings whispered by lovers. Some know about it, others nothing at all. But everybody agrees that the Karl Schmidt memorial at the Elliot’s beach in Besant Nagar has been a permanent fixture for as long as they can remember.The monument has a sad little history attached to it. It was built in the memory of Karl Schmidt, a Dutch sailor who lost his life while trying to rescue some people from drowning. A plaque put up at the memorial speaks of the gallantry of Karl Schmidt who lost his life on December 30, 1930 while trying to save the lives of others. Kani Murugan, who has been a lifeguard at the Elliot’s beach for the past 13 years, gives a different spin to the tale. According to his father, the man in whose honour the memorial has been built, was an American who died of a shark attack. He adds that the American lies buried beneath the memorial. That’s history for you. Be that as it may, the memorial, though cutting an arresting figure, is in a sad state of neglect. People have scribbled all over the monument, as if ensuring a place for themselves in history too. Youngsters constantly hang out here, monopolising the place as it were. It is a meeting place for Hugo and Brownie, two adorable Labrador Retrievers, whose owners meet here in the evenings. But, it is most appalling to watch the public calmly use this little historical site as a urinal. Question the youngsters about the structure and they say that it is popularly known as Gori. No one, however, can offer a reasonable explanation as to why it is called so. Some have been seeing it forever but just don’t know what it is. “It’s an arch of some kind,” adds a visitor who is keen on taking a picture here. Tholkappian Sankar, a movie buff, knows about the memorial though not its history. Songs and scenes from movies like Idhaya Thamarai, Mouna Ragam and Baana Kathadi have been shot here, he says. Journalist and historian Vincent D’ Souza, one of the persons responsible for the Madras Day celebrations, which takes place every year on August 22, feels that the Karl Schmidt memorial, though a fantastic milestone, is sadly neglected. The beach, he says, becomes a no-man’s land with the Corporation and the PWD passing the buck regarding its maintenance. “The community must come forward. All the yoga practitioners, frisbee players and walkers, who enjoy the serenity of the beach, should lend a helping hand towards its maintenance. Probably, organise to have it painted,” he says. But if one observes closely, there is a plaque crediting the Corporation of Madras for having renovated the memorial in 1984. Adds Kani Murugan, “When the Corporation was busy removing all unwanted structures on the beach, they let this one be, probably because the kin of the dead sailor have been paying for its upkeep and maintenance”. One hopes that the powers that be help restore the historical landmark that the Karl Schmidt memorial has become today. After all, a good deed needs to be appreciated ever so often.
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