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Tamarind City: Where Modern India Began
‘While in other big cities tradition stays mothballed in trunks, taken out only during festivals and weddings, tradition here is worn round the year.’
This is just one of the author’s many keen observations of Chennai. With mordant wit, this biography of a city spares neither half of its split-personality: from moody, magical Madras to bursting-at-the-seams, tech-savvy Chennai. And, a minute into the book, the reader knows they are inseparable-and Bishwanath Ghosh refuses to take sides.
And yet, he tells us, while Chennai is usually known as conservative and orthodox, almost every modern institution in India-from the army to the judiciary, from medicine to engineering-traces its roots to Madras’s Fort St George, which was built when Delhi had only just become the capital of the Mughal Empire, and Calcutta and Bombay weren’t even born. Today, the city once again figures prominently on the global map as ‘India’s Detroit’, a manufacturing giant, and a hub of medical tourism. There have been sweeping changes since pre-Independent India, but even as Chennai embraces change, its people hold its age-old customs and traditions close to their heart. ‘This is what makes Chennai unique,’ says Ghosh, ‘the marriage of tradition and technology’.
Bishwanath Ghosh wears a reporter’s cap and explores the city he has made his home, delving into its past, roaming its historic sites and neighbourhoods, and meeting a wide variety of people-from a top vocalist to a top sexologist, from a yoga teacher to a hip transsexual, from a yesteryear film star to his own eighty-five-year-old neighbour, from the ghosts of Clive, Wellesley, Hastings and Yale to those of Periyar and MGR, two people who redefined the political skyline of Tamil Nadu.
What emerges is an evocative portrait of this unique city, drawn without reservation-sometimes with humour, sometimes with irony-but always with love.
This is just one of the author’s many keen observations of Chennai. With mordant wit, this biography of a city spares neither half of its split-personality: from moody, magical Madras to bursting-at-the-seams, tech-savvy Chennai. And, a minute into the book, the reader knows they are inseparable-and Bishwanath Ghosh refuses to take sides.
And yet, he tells us, while Chennai is usually known as conservative and orthodox, almost every modern institution in India-from the army to the judiciary, from medicine to engineering-traces its roots to Madras’s Fort St George, which was built when Delhi had only just become the capital of the Mughal Empire, and Calcutta and Bombay weren’t even born. Today, the city once again figures prominently on the global map as ‘India’s Detroit’, a manufacturing giant, and a hub of medical tourism. There have been sweeping changes since pre-Independent India, but even as Chennai embraces change, its people hold its age-old customs and traditions close to their heart. ‘This is what makes Chennai unique,’ says Ghosh, ‘the marriage of tradition and technology’.
Bishwanath Ghosh wears a reporter’s cap and explores the city he has made his home, delving into its past, roaming its historic sites and neighbourhoods, and meeting a wide variety of people-from a top vocalist to a top sexologist, from a yoga teacher to a hip transsexual, from a yesteryear film star to his own eighty-five-year-old neighbour, from the ghosts of Clive, Wellesley, Hastings and Yale to those of Periyar and MGR, two people who redefined the political skyline of Tamil Nadu.
What emerges is an evocative portrait of this unique city, drawn without reservation-sometimes with humour, sometimes with irony-but always with love.
344 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2012
59 people are currently reading
541 people want to read
About the author
Bishwanath Ghosh
8 books104 followersBishwanath Ghosh is a writer, journalist and poet, born on 26 December 1970 in Kanpur. After spending much of his working life in Chennai, he is now settled in Calcutta, where he presently serves as an associate editor with The Hindu newspaper. His books include:
1. Jiyo Banaras (जियो बनारस), a collection of Hindi poems on Banaras, published January 2022;
2. Aimless in Banaras: Wanderings in India’s Holiest City (2019);
3. Gazing at Neighbours: Travels Along the Line That Partitioned India (2017);
4. Longing, Belonging: An Outsider at Home in Calcutta (2014);
5. Tamarind City: Where Modern India Began (2012), which is a portrait of Madras, now known as Chennai.
6. Chai, Chai: Travels in Places Where You Stop but Never Get Off (2009), which The Telegraph (Calcutta) called "a delightful travelogue with a difference".
He also contributed two stories to Urban Shots, a collection of short stories published in 2010.
1. Jiyo Banaras (जियो बनारस), a collection of Hindi poems on Banaras, published January 2022;
2. Aimless in Banaras: Wanderings in India’s Holiest City (2019);
3. Gazing at Neighbours: Travels Along the Line That Partitioned India (2017);
4. Longing, Belonging: An Outsider at Home in Calcutta (2014);
5. Tamarind City: Where Modern India Began (2012), which is a portrait of Madras, now known as Chennai.
6. Chai, Chai: Travels in Places Where You Stop but Never Get Off (2009), which The Telegraph (Calcutta) called "a delightful travelogue with a difference".
He also contributed two stories to Urban Shots, a collection of short stories published in 2010.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
December 17, 2019
To capture the soul of any city is hard. It is an interesting collection of stories which will keep you engaged. The author basically give glimpses of the city through various Chennaite. I enjoyed the book in parts. I was looking for more detail information on historical places and food habits, kaapi(coffee) culture of Chennai . There are few typo errors too. Being a Tamilian, part of me always longed for this city. This book was not up to the mark. Maybe i was expecting too much from this book. Overall it was an okayish read for me
Author has even recommended "Madras Rediscovered" by S. Muthiah. This book is updated on regular basis. So go for the latest edition.
Author has even recommended "Madras Rediscovered" by S. Muthiah. This book is updated on regular basis. So go for the latest edition.
January 1, 2016
It's like visiting a city and viewing it through the eyes and memories of random locals whom you happen to meet. The stories are thus quite varied, because of the potpourri of people telling them, and so provide us a wonderful kaleidoscope of colours and glimpses into the heart of what makes the city.
It's the story of Iyers and Iyengars, Vadagalais and the Thengalais, the Triplicane Parthasarathy temple and the Mylapore Kapaleeswara temple, kolams, the French and other nationals who have made Chennai home, transsexuals, yoga teachers, India's second railway station, Kamala Selvaraj, Chennapatnam, the poignant stories of old-age homes and American emigration, Saroja Devi, Gemini Ganesan, Chandamama and S.Muthiah, the Margazhi festival and sabhas and the heartland of Carnatic music, filter coffee, the kadalai vendor boys at the Marina, going to the movies, aeronautical engineers reciting shlokas and talking ragas, and the Madras to Chennai story of cosmopolitanisation.
While there isn't really much connection between the vignettes, or a central theme for the book, the writing is fluid and does provide a beautiful multi-layered portrait of the ethos of the kolaveri that is Madras.
July 17, 2012
A mostly trite account of an uninteresting man's Chennai experiences, abounding with dreadful writing, pointless drinking episodes, a few typos and cliches that probably hold some appeal to an outsider and none to an insider. The only part where I could not believe my eyes was Bishwanath's luck in meeting Sylvie, formerly a girlfriend of a genius jazzman, the late Don Cherry. And that too at Hotel Karpagam, Mylapore. Avoid, for the most part!
June 12, 2020
I have been living in Chennai all my life. I like the city, but am not in love with it for various reasons. Bishwanath Ghosh has done a good job describing the history of Madras. After reading his book chai chai, which was a travelogue showcasing India, Tamarind city was different from my expectations.
Besides it's evolution to the modern day Madras from the colonial era, Chennai has much more to it. The pages describing casteism was a drag. Its true that the Brahmin and Dalit communities play an important role in shaping the state's history. But please move on.
What is Chennai without its filter coffee or idlis or masala dosas. It boasts of many famous eateries each with its own signature dish, like Rathna cafe's Sambhar mentioned by the author. I would have been happier if some of them had found a place in this book.
Many landmarks like the Spencer plaza (which was the first mall in the city) were ignored. It had the previlige of being the only mall in the city for years together. Without saying, it used to be a famous hang out spot for the city's youngsters during a period.
The stretch of East Coast Road or ECR connecting Chennai with pondicherry, running parellel to the bay of Bengal is one of the beautiful roads. This is where you should be headed if you want to enjoy a long drive with your beloved.
What is Chennai without its kollywood. Rajini and Kamal are worshipped like gods here.The Tamil cinema has evolved over time. The bygone era can be recalled with some of the milestone films tamil cinema has produced. Watching first day first show of a Rajini movie will help understand the city's mood better.
Traditional Chennai is better understood with the margazhi music festival, the kolu display during navaratri festival among others. The city itself turns colourful during these times with dolls on display, beautiful kolams, carnatic music rendition by little children, varieties of sundal and what not. Many things unique to the city has not been entirely captured in this book.
On the whole this book was a mediocre read. The author's description of the British Madras is eloborate. But I feel he has not done justice to the present day Madras. In a nutshell, the madarasi feel is inadequately captured.
Besides it's evolution to the modern day Madras from the colonial era, Chennai has much more to it. The pages describing casteism was a drag. Its true that the Brahmin and Dalit communities play an important role in shaping the state's history. But please move on.
What is Chennai without its filter coffee or idlis or masala dosas. It boasts of many famous eateries each with its own signature dish, like Rathna cafe's Sambhar mentioned by the author. I would have been happier if some of them had found a place in this book.
Many landmarks like the Spencer plaza (which was the first mall in the city) were ignored. It had the previlige of being the only mall in the city for years together. Without saying, it used to be a famous hang out spot for the city's youngsters during a period.
The stretch of East Coast Road or ECR connecting Chennai with pondicherry, running parellel to the bay of Bengal is one of the beautiful roads. This is where you should be headed if you want to enjoy a long drive with your beloved.
What is Chennai without its kollywood. Rajini and Kamal are worshipped like gods here.The Tamil cinema has evolved over time. The bygone era can be recalled with some of the milestone films tamil cinema has produced. Watching first day first show of a Rajini movie will help understand the city's mood better.
Traditional Chennai is better understood with the margazhi music festival, the kolu display during navaratri festival among others. The city itself turns colourful during these times with dolls on display, beautiful kolams, carnatic music rendition by little children, varieties of sundal and what not. Many things unique to the city has not been entirely captured in this book.
On the whole this book was a mediocre read. The author's description of the British Madras is eloborate. But I feel he has not done justice to the present day Madras. In a nutshell, the madarasi feel is inadequately captured.
June 16, 2012
When the likes of S.Muthiah and Narasaiah exists, it requires a lot of guts to embark on the mission of chronicling Madras. But Bishwanath succeeds in his breezy, almost-bloggish style of writing about Chennai and its people. It has a simple narrative style and interacts with lot of popular people but whose personal side I wasn't aware of (Muthiah). Inclusion of Narayana Reddy, Saroja Devi was a surprise. Sometimes the awe at brahminical things (Carnatic music, kolam, tradition with transformation, blah blah) is irritating but if you get past that, its fun. I definitely recommend this book.
October 7, 2012
Tamarind City by Bishwanath Ghosh has a subtitle: where modern India began. As you start reading the book, you realise that it is true that modern India did start at Madraspatnam’s Fort St. George. Elihu Yale (after whom the American Yale university is named) was the governor of the fort between 1687-92. Robert Clive started out as a clerk at the fort in 1774 and even attempted suicide in one of the rooms. Arthur Wellesly, William Bentinck and Warren Hastings all walked through the fort on to their later journeys to Calcutta. The part history part travelogue, Tamarind City seeks to balance the canon of how India is known and represented. Bishwanath has chosen an excellent subject for his study.
Bishwanath starts with the familiar technique of making the city an old woman character. Then he loses her, the woman, the persona who could have given us these stories. She is never mentioned again. Bishwanath also tells us that his Tamil is rusty so what we get is really an outsider’s perspective on Madras/Chennai.
For a person from North India, the southern states are really a world unto themselves and the only way one can come closer to them, if not in sensibility, is through language. But Bishwanath builds his book on something else: affection. His affection for his adopted city.
Curiosity is normally one of our best reasons to travel and so through the book we do travel to modern Chennai from where we are time and again telescoped into the past through the age-old temples Kalikambal that Shivaji visited, Kapaleeswara, Parthasarthy, and the oldest surviving railway station Royapuram and similar vignettes. Slowly the travelogue shifts to being a summary of the differences between the Iyers and Iyengars, the story of Periyar and DMK and AIDMK, yoga and all that which Chennai is famous for, including the details of the lives of people who made Tamil cinema a phenomena.
In the later sections of Tamarind City, Bishwanath goes for some of the personalities who are now shaping the city. We meet a sex doctor, Sankar the illustrator of the famous Chandamama, a girl who starts from a kiosk on Marina beach and becomes an entrepreneur and many more such people.
Bishwanath uses his outsider status to draw a canvas on which he can plot an overview of all these stories. That itself is an achievement because though Mumbai occurs so frequently in Indian fiction in English, as Delhi does in our political stories, Kolkata and Benaras in nostalgia, we hardly have anything about Madras in popular literature except S. Muthiah’s Madras Rediscovered and a few other texts. Beyond that, it is up to readers to judge if affection can bridge the gaps in sensibility.
The book appealed to me for its newness of subject, and taught me a lot about the city about which I knew little. Yet, I feel Biswanath should have gone into greater depth on the various facets of Chennai. I hope he plans more books detailing the sides to the city and learns Tamil along the way.
Bishwanath starts with the familiar technique of making the city an old woman character. Then he loses her, the woman, the persona who could have given us these stories. She is never mentioned again. Bishwanath also tells us that his Tamil is rusty so what we get is really an outsider’s perspective on Madras/Chennai.
For a person from North India, the southern states are really a world unto themselves and the only way one can come closer to them, if not in sensibility, is through language. But Bishwanath builds his book on something else: affection. His affection for his adopted city.
Curiosity is normally one of our best reasons to travel and so through the book we do travel to modern Chennai from where we are time and again telescoped into the past through the age-old temples Kalikambal that Shivaji visited, Kapaleeswara, Parthasarthy, and the oldest surviving railway station Royapuram and similar vignettes. Slowly the travelogue shifts to being a summary of the differences between the Iyers and Iyengars, the story of Periyar and DMK and AIDMK, yoga and all that which Chennai is famous for, including the details of the lives of people who made Tamil cinema a phenomena.
In the later sections of Tamarind City, Bishwanath goes for some of the personalities who are now shaping the city. We meet a sex doctor, Sankar the illustrator of the famous Chandamama, a girl who starts from a kiosk on Marina beach and becomes an entrepreneur and many more such people.
Bishwanath uses his outsider status to draw a canvas on which he can plot an overview of all these stories. That itself is an achievement because though Mumbai occurs so frequently in Indian fiction in English, as Delhi does in our political stories, Kolkata and Benaras in nostalgia, we hardly have anything about Madras in popular literature except S. Muthiah’s Madras Rediscovered and a few other texts. Beyond that, it is up to readers to judge if affection can bridge the gaps in sensibility.
The book appealed to me for its newness of subject, and taught me a lot about the city about which I knew little. Yet, I feel Biswanath should have gone into greater depth on the various facets of Chennai. I hope he plans more books detailing the sides to the city and learns Tamil along the way.
December 9, 2022
The book starts in a promising way with the author exploring a place and then describing the events that took place there or the famous people that passed through that place or had their begining there.. towards the 25% point, the books starts going deep into biography territory and loses the feel of a book about a place and becomes rather a collection of portraits of people who inhabited the place at different times. This could be a good way to exploring a city; afterall, one of the best ways to experience a city is by the lives of the people from the city.
However, the author being a North Indian Upper Caste, was unable to shake off his UC lens. Tamil Brahmins make up about 5-7% of the total population of Chennai, but the author has devoted more than 75% of the contents of this book to them. He takes his sweet time in the book painting TamBrahms as victims of the indifference of the Dravidian masters of new Chennai, while also talking about how there are too many old Brahmins in Chennai with palatial homes that are empty because most of their family is settled in USA. If that's what Dravidian indifference does to one, then I too would love to be treated that way and be forced to settle in the US with a cushy tech job!
Besides trivializing their abhorrent casteism and their parochial ways as cutesy rituals, the author spends way too much time on their idiosyncrasies than required. One might tend to believe that Chennai was a city consisting entirely of Tamil and other variety of Brahmins from South India if they only read this book about the city and knew nothing else. The author might want to rename the book TamBrahm City instead of Tamarind City, except then it wouldn't be about Chennai but just Triplicane and Mylapore.
It's sad that the author was so fixated because he has clearly missed the forest for one crooked tree! There are so many communities in Chennai that have found no mention in this book. The author only makes passing references to Periyar and reduces his movement into mere political squabbles. Nor does the author mention anything about the myriad marginalized caste people who have made chennai their home or their assertions; or even about the Muslim and Christian communities of Chennai. Nothing is mentioned even of regular Tamil Hindus who number more than half of Chennai! Even the persons who have been interviewed for the book are mostly Brahmins. It's baffling how out of touch with most of Chennai this author was!
It's a shame that the author has used the picture of a regular chennai-ite on his cover.. with the product of his labour behind him; but has chosen to focus on the idle musings Brahmins in the form of Iyengars vs Iyers and Parthasarathy vs Kapaleeshwar rivalries. I know too much about Triplicane and Mylapore.. more than I ever wanted to.. and it's sad that a book about this vibrant city has only so much to offer.
However, the author being a North Indian Upper Caste, was unable to shake off his UC lens. Tamil Brahmins make up about 5-7% of the total population of Chennai, but the author has devoted more than 75% of the contents of this book to them. He takes his sweet time in the book painting TamBrahms as victims of the indifference of the Dravidian masters of new Chennai, while also talking about how there are too many old Brahmins in Chennai with palatial homes that are empty because most of their family is settled in USA. If that's what Dravidian indifference does to one, then I too would love to be treated that way and be forced to settle in the US with a cushy tech job!
Besides trivializing their abhorrent casteism and their parochial ways as cutesy rituals, the author spends way too much time on their idiosyncrasies than required. One might tend to believe that Chennai was a city consisting entirely of Tamil and other variety of Brahmins from South India if they only read this book about the city and knew nothing else. The author might want to rename the book TamBrahm City instead of Tamarind City, except then it wouldn't be about Chennai but just Triplicane and Mylapore.
It's sad that the author was so fixated because he has clearly missed the forest for one crooked tree! There are so many communities in Chennai that have found no mention in this book. The author only makes passing references to Periyar and reduces his movement into mere political squabbles. Nor does the author mention anything about the myriad marginalized caste people who have made chennai their home or their assertions; or even about the Muslim and Christian communities of Chennai. Nothing is mentioned even of regular Tamil Hindus who number more than half of Chennai! Even the persons who have been interviewed for the book are mostly Brahmins. It's baffling how out of touch with most of Chennai this author was!
It's a shame that the author has used the picture of a regular chennai-ite on his cover.. with the product of his labour behind him; but has chosen to focus on the idle musings Brahmins in the form of Iyengars vs Iyers and Parthasarathy vs Kapaleeshwar rivalries. I know too much about Triplicane and Mylapore.. more than I ever wanted to.. and it's sad that a book about this vibrant city has only so much to offer.
August 30, 2012
Last week we celebrated Madras Day, the day on which Fort St George was born, and I picked up this book for some topical reading.
I'm not from Madras. I hail from the French colonial town of Pondicherry, 3 hours south of Madras, but as work brought me here and I grew up to love history, I wanted to know something about the city I now live in.
I loved this book, every bit of it. Its amazingly well written and researched, and brings the author's love of the city and its people out in a dazzling narrative. I don't think he could have written it badly even if he tried to, though - the people and the places whose stories he narrates are beautiful subjects. And the newspaperman's eye for facts and small details add credibility to a sometimes emotionally charged book.
I found out so much about the city I live in, how it used to be and how its people used to live. This is important in a time when young people of my generation are losing out on the history, culture and tradition that weaves all of us Indians together.
There are so many places in the book that I haven't seen yet and will soon be off exploring. I will most probably carry it with me too.
For all of us Madrasis, native & adopted, this is a must-read. This great city deserves books like these.
PS - For the bibliophile in me, the author recommends legendary historian S. Muthiah's 'Madras Rediscovered'. I have read parts of it a long time ago, I'll be buying it again as soon as the 7th edition comes out in December this year.
I'm not from Madras. I hail from the French colonial town of Pondicherry, 3 hours south of Madras, but as work brought me here and I grew up to love history, I wanted to know something about the city I now live in.
I loved this book, every bit of it. Its amazingly well written and researched, and brings the author's love of the city and its people out in a dazzling narrative. I don't think he could have written it badly even if he tried to, though - the people and the places whose stories he narrates are beautiful subjects. And the newspaperman's eye for facts and small details add credibility to a sometimes emotionally charged book.
I found out so much about the city I live in, how it used to be and how its people used to live. This is important in a time when young people of my generation are losing out on the history, culture and tradition that weaves all of us Indians together.
There are so many places in the book that I haven't seen yet and will soon be off exploring. I will most probably carry it with me too.
For all of us Madrasis, native & adopted, this is a must-read. This great city deserves books like these.
PS - For the bibliophile in me, the author recommends legendary historian S. Muthiah's 'Madras Rediscovered'. I have read parts of it a long time ago, I'll be buying it again as soon as the 7th edition comes out in December this year.
February 3, 2018
A good memoir of Chennai. The author uncovers one by one the peculiarities of Chennai and chennai-ites starting with it's history as Madraspatnam or Chennaipatnam. He then goes into the origins of Dravidism and then the dilution of it by Cult figures from the Tamil Film industry. He delves on the different aspects of old neighborhoods of Chennai (which were once independent villages that have since been absorbed into the conurbation called Chennai).
The chapter on sex and city was very well written, especially the conversation with the transgender Susie. The author has a done a fantastic job handling the topic well with sensitivity and maturity. One of the unexpected surprises of the book. The next few chapters tackle the superstars of the Tamil Film industry and the publishing business especially the legendary children's magazine Chandamama. Also covered are Chennai's obsession with Carnatic music and Chennai as a destination for medical tourism.
Overall a well written book. The author's love for the city shines through.
The chapter on sex and city was very well written, especially the conversation with the transgender Susie. The author has a done a fantastic job handling the topic well with sensitivity and maturity. One of the unexpected surprises of the book. The next few chapters tackle the superstars of the Tamil Film industry and the publishing business especially the legendary children's magazine Chandamama. Also covered are Chennai's obsession with Carnatic music and Chennai as a destination for medical tourism.
Overall a well written book. The author's love for the city shines through.
August 7, 2014
A thorough, thoroughly enjoyable book on Chennai. From the very start, the descriptions ring true. One can read the chapters at random even though there is a linear sequence. The light gossipy style makes it easy to approach the historical details.
A wonderful book to carry on a journey-I happen to have read it on my balcony to the pitter patter of the monsoon.
I look forwards to reading his other books.
A wonderful book to carry on a journey-I happen to have read it on my balcony to the pitter patter of the monsoon.
I look forwards to reading his other books.
January 4, 2020
This was a very well-written book on Chennai - lucid, unpretentious and comprehensive. Have never visited the city and so was really curious.
Each of the dozen or so chapters has a theme. Starting with the history of the city without making it boring, we learn about various facets of life in Chennai - the politics, the films, the society, religion, sexual attitudes, music, industry etc And while the author does comment a bit, it blended in nicely with the conversations and the themes of the chapter.
I almost didnt pick up this book. Firstly it seemed like a wannabe “Maximum City” (By Suketu Mehta on Mumbai). Secondly, I picked up the author’s more popular “Chai Chai” and gave it up. Thankfully, the desire to read about the city and this being the only book on offer made me pick it up.
Continuing with “Longing Belonging”, the author’s book on Kolkata, which too is a city I havent visited and intrigued by. I hope it is as good!
Each of the dozen or so chapters has a theme. Starting with the history of the city without making it boring, we learn about various facets of life in Chennai - the politics, the films, the society, religion, sexual attitudes, music, industry etc And while the author does comment a bit, it blended in nicely with the conversations and the themes of the chapter.
I almost didnt pick up this book. Firstly it seemed like a wannabe “Maximum City” (By Suketu Mehta on Mumbai). Secondly, I picked up the author’s more popular “Chai Chai” and gave it up. Thankfully, the desire to read about the city and this being the only book on offer made me pick it up.
Continuing with “Longing Belonging”, the author’s book on Kolkata, which too is a city I havent visited and intrigued by. I hope it is as good!
August 14, 2012
When Blogadda had put up this book for review I was sincerely wishing that I receive one. It is about my own city Madras. "Madras Nalla Madras". The author, Bishwanath Gosh, though a North Indian, has moved to Chennai and made its home for almost a decade now. The way he has potrayed Madras and its people is a big eye opener to even a native Chennaiite like me. Though my father's ancestral home still remains in Northern Madras (Royapuram) and my mother's home was in Triplicane, I had never taken a deeper look into these heritage parts of the city where the seeds to the modern India was laid (We had moved to South Madras when I was just 3 years old). I still remember my father pointing out the first ever railway station (Royapuram), the first ever commercial complex (Parrys-Broadway), the first ever court (Madras high court - but it was the first court to be set up during the British India period, which was later converted to the high court).
The author has done a lot of research and has meticulously given the history of Madras, which was very interesting because these are facts I can see right in front of my eyes (if I travel to these places, that is). My eyes had never picked up some of the intricate details provided by the author, except for the very explicit ones. I was so enthused that I wanted to go to Broadway right away and look at those sites for myself. I had asked my husband to take me to the heritage tour organised during the Madras week this year and he too has agreed for it as this is becoming more and more interesting. Thanks to the author.
The details about Mylapore and Triplicane, the two village during pre-independence times had caught me in awe and I have planned to visit the Bharathiyar house and ramanujam house along with the very famous temple, Parthasarathy temple. The author has also written about the clash between sub-cults of vaishnavites (Then-kalai and Vada-kalai), which he says exists even today, though very subtly. Then there is always the clash between Shaivaites and Vaishnavities, which has prevented them from living in mixed groups largely. Thus Mylapore is the land of Iyers (Shaivaites) and Triplicane is the land of Iyengars (Vaishnavities).
The author touches the growth of politics. How one major reformer, EV Ramaswamy aka Periyar, has made such a difference in the lives of the natives in Tamil Nadu, called the Dravidian. How the Party, Dravida Kazhagam, came into being and how the party got split when Periyar got married the second time. He makes similarities and differences between Periyar and Mahatma Gandhi, who were contemporaries. Though I had known about the Justice party, I did not know the popular T.Nagar was named after the leaders of that party. It was real eye opener getting to know so many intricate details about Tamil Nadu Politics.
He has touched all kinds of subjects and the one very orthodox subjects, even considered taboo here, is sex. He goes on to describe the attire of the people to how the famous sexologist doctor, Dr.Reddy, was without a single patient for the first 6 years of his profession, as people thought it was not necessary. When the lives of the transgender people were touched, I really felt bad. Something bad about the society and me too. Not that I have any hatred, but I had never really thought about how they lived and would think why they would never work, but beg, when they are all so hale and healthy. The author describes their emotional and social struggle through the voice of a lady who is transgender. They are driven away from home, constantly picked by their school mates and never given recognistion, if at all they had a career. It is hard to imagine their lives without any emotional or financial support. So they are always left only with three professions largely, prostitution, begging and entertainment. No where else do they have a place. But this has changed my view of them. Next time I will gladly hand over a Rs.100 without as much thinking.
He has touched all kinds subjects, film, actors, doctors, famous people (Cultural Historian V.Sriram, Madras man Muthiah, Sylvie who wants to settle in Mylapore and shuttles ever 6 months between India and France, and many more), the yester year publications, the palmist in marina, anything, you name it you can find it in the book. The every famous Chandamama and how it came into being, how it changed management yet its cartoonist Sankar has been retained at the age of 85.
The author says his birthday which was known as the boxing day, till the age of 34, will now be known as the Tsunami day. The author thanks his late night drinks which had prevented him from staying with his resolution of sitting on the sands of Marina and coming in terms with his life. Though he went to witness the scene he only discovered the gruesome part from the TV. About 3 lakh people were killed all over the world and Tamil nadu got the worst hit. A day which is still being mourned in Tamil Nadu.
Though I have given a very exhaustive review of some of the topics, I still haven't given about some which the author has described in about 300 pages. It was a real pleasure reading the book and feeling very proud of my city, Madras. I have already made up mind to visit the places that the author has made an effort to analyse and educate us about. I had given this book to my parents to read a couple of chapters, and they had enjoyed it very much and have started reading it, relishing the city in each page.
Whether a Chennaiite or a Madrasi (as often known) or not please don't miss this book. It like getting to know your estranged mother better. Its also about understanding the less known metropolitan of India. This is my second Tranquebar book, first being Hot Chai across India. I would like to pick up Chai Chai: Travels in places where you stop but never get off, by this author, Bishwanath Gosh. He is currently working with 'The Hindu' as the Deputy Editor. Read about his interview with Blogadda here. A definite buy, you wont be disappointed.
The author has done a lot of research and has meticulously given the history of Madras, which was very interesting because these are facts I can see right in front of my eyes (if I travel to these places, that is). My eyes had never picked up some of the intricate details provided by the author, except for the very explicit ones. I was so enthused that I wanted to go to Broadway right away and look at those sites for myself. I had asked my husband to take me to the heritage tour organised during the Madras week this year and he too has agreed for it as this is becoming more and more interesting. Thanks to the author.
The details about Mylapore and Triplicane, the two village during pre-independence times had caught me in awe and I have planned to visit the Bharathiyar house and ramanujam house along with the very famous temple, Parthasarathy temple. The author has also written about the clash between sub-cults of vaishnavites (Then-kalai and Vada-kalai), which he says exists even today, though very subtly. Then there is always the clash between Shaivaites and Vaishnavities, which has prevented them from living in mixed groups largely. Thus Mylapore is the land of Iyers (Shaivaites) and Triplicane is the land of Iyengars (Vaishnavities).
The author touches the growth of politics. How one major reformer, EV Ramaswamy aka Periyar, has made such a difference in the lives of the natives in Tamil Nadu, called the Dravidian. How the Party, Dravida Kazhagam, came into being and how the party got split when Periyar got married the second time. He makes similarities and differences between Periyar and Mahatma Gandhi, who were contemporaries. Though I had known about the Justice party, I did not know the popular T.Nagar was named after the leaders of that party. It was real eye opener getting to know so many intricate details about Tamil Nadu Politics.
He has touched all kinds of subjects and the one very orthodox subjects, even considered taboo here, is sex. He goes on to describe the attire of the people to how the famous sexologist doctor, Dr.Reddy, was without a single patient for the first 6 years of his profession, as people thought it was not necessary. When the lives of the transgender people were touched, I really felt bad. Something bad about the society and me too. Not that I have any hatred, but I had never really thought about how they lived and would think why they would never work, but beg, when they are all so hale and healthy. The author describes their emotional and social struggle through the voice of a lady who is transgender. They are driven away from home, constantly picked by their school mates and never given recognistion, if at all they had a career. It is hard to imagine their lives without any emotional or financial support. So they are always left only with three professions largely, prostitution, begging and entertainment. No where else do they have a place. But this has changed my view of them. Next time I will gladly hand over a Rs.100 without as much thinking.
He has touched all kinds subjects, film, actors, doctors, famous people (Cultural Historian V.Sriram, Madras man Muthiah, Sylvie who wants to settle in Mylapore and shuttles ever 6 months between India and France, and many more), the yester year publications, the palmist in marina, anything, you name it you can find it in the book. The every famous Chandamama and how it came into being, how it changed management yet its cartoonist Sankar has been retained at the age of 85.
The author says his birthday which was known as the boxing day, till the age of 34, will now be known as the Tsunami day. The author thanks his late night drinks which had prevented him from staying with his resolution of sitting on the sands of Marina and coming in terms with his life. Though he went to witness the scene he only discovered the gruesome part from the TV. About 3 lakh people were killed all over the world and Tamil nadu got the worst hit. A day which is still being mourned in Tamil Nadu.
Though I have given a very exhaustive review of some of the topics, I still haven't given about some which the author has described in about 300 pages. It was a real pleasure reading the book and feeling very proud of my city, Madras. I have already made up mind to visit the places that the author has made an effort to analyse and educate us about. I had given this book to my parents to read a couple of chapters, and they had enjoyed it very much and have started reading it, relishing the city in each page.
Whether a Chennaiite or a Madrasi (as often known) or not please don't miss this book. It like getting to know your estranged mother better. Its also about understanding the less known metropolitan of India. This is my second Tranquebar book, first being Hot Chai across India. I would like to pick up Chai Chai: Travels in places where you stop but never get off, by this author, Bishwanath Gosh. He is currently working with 'The Hindu' as the Deputy Editor. Read about his interview with Blogadda here. A definite buy, you wont be disappointed.
December 9, 2017
Many years ago, I found myself in Chennai on a sweltering summer morning. I was there to train some engineers on a product that we were supposed to deploy on an extensive development taking place in Chennai. Sweating like bricks, running fashionably late I reached the daunting sprawling office campus. Seeing my state, the very calm and gentle IT guy that I was coordinating with said: “Madam, time for lunch let’s go and have lunch and then we can start.” Feeling embarrassed for showing my frustration I agreed and was lead to this massive canteen.
Everyone it seems took a lunch break at the same time, and once I had a chance to catch my breath and soak in the surroundings, I was surprised to see that everyone around me including the CEO was eating with their fingers. Seeing my astonishment, someone uttered “Madam, this is Chennai if we don’t eat with our fingers we don’t feel we have eaten.” I immediately joined in and ended up eating a soul-satisfying meal of Rice, Sambhar, Rasam, Yogurt, Pickle, Poppadum and a vegetable sabzi in the campus of one of the biggest Engineering firms in the world. The meal not just rejuvenated me but also brought back the confidence that had started to shake a few hours ago. This was my memory of Chennai, which I had visited a few years ago.
So, when I stumbled upon “Tamarind City: Where Modern India Began” a book on Chennai written by Bishwanath Ghosh, a Bengali I was intrigued. The book is an engrossing narrative of the authors stay in Chennai and his quest to know more about Madras as it was previously known. Chennai is a city of many contrasts, each as fascinating as the other.
I loved the chapter on Fort George which was the first bastion of the British empire. Distinguished characters like William Bentinck, Arthur Wellesley, and Warren Hastings all started their journey right in Madras. The infamous Robert Clive (who defeated Siraj -ud-daulah in the famous battle of Plassey) began his career as a clerk almost committed suicide in one of its rooms. Imagine if he had died, how would that have shaped the destiny of India and Great Britain? Did you also know that Elihu Yale (after whom the American Yale University is named) was the governor of the fort between 1687-92?
From historical facts, Ghosh takes us down to the rich cultural tradition of Chennai, that is still guarded and protected by many. Renowned for its love of Temples & Carnatic music, crazy obsessive Tamil cinema fans who worship their stars like gods and the rivalries between the Iyers and Iyengars, Vadagalais and the Thengalais, Chennai has a lot to offer to those who are ready to plunge into its many depths.
It is also interesting to know that the very popular children’s book “Chandamama” was started and thrived in Chennai. There is a chapter on a famous sexologist and the medical tourism spearheaded by Apollo Hospitals.
The book was an eye opener for an ill-informed North Indian like me who associates Chennai only with Idly Sambhar and the smell of the beautiful Jasmine flowers that the gorgeous Tamil women adorn their hair with. While I am sure there is much more to Chennai, I am glad to discover at least some of it with the author.
Everyone it seems took a lunch break at the same time, and once I had a chance to catch my breath and soak in the surroundings, I was surprised to see that everyone around me including the CEO was eating with their fingers. Seeing my astonishment, someone uttered “Madam, this is Chennai if we don’t eat with our fingers we don’t feel we have eaten.” I immediately joined in and ended up eating a soul-satisfying meal of Rice, Sambhar, Rasam, Yogurt, Pickle, Poppadum and a vegetable sabzi in the campus of one of the biggest Engineering firms in the world. The meal not just rejuvenated me but also brought back the confidence that had started to shake a few hours ago. This was my memory of Chennai, which I had visited a few years ago.
So, when I stumbled upon “Tamarind City: Where Modern India Began” a book on Chennai written by Bishwanath Ghosh, a Bengali I was intrigued. The book is an engrossing narrative of the authors stay in Chennai and his quest to know more about Madras as it was previously known. Chennai is a city of many contrasts, each as fascinating as the other.
I loved the chapter on Fort George which was the first bastion of the British empire. Distinguished characters like William Bentinck, Arthur Wellesley, and Warren Hastings all started their journey right in Madras. The infamous Robert Clive (who defeated Siraj -ud-daulah in the famous battle of Plassey) began his career as a clerk almost committed suicide in one of its rooms. Imagine if he had died, how would that have shaped the destiny of India and Great Britain? Did you also know that Elihu Yale (after whom the American Yale University is named) was the governor of the fort between 1687-92?
From historical facts, Ghosh takes us down to the rich cultural tradition of Chennai, that is still guarded and protected by many. Renowned for its love of Temples & Carnatic music, crazy obsessive Tamil cinema fans who worship their stars like gods and the rivalries between the Iyers and Iyengars, Vadagalais and the Thengalais, Chennai has a lot to offer to those who are ready to plunge into its many depths.
It is also interesting to know that the very popular children’s book “Chandamama” was started and thrived in Chennai. There is a chapter on a famous sexologist and the medical tourism spearheaded by Apollo Hospitals.
The book was an eye opener for an ill-informed North Indian like me who associates Chennai only with Idly Sambhar and the smell of the beautiful Jasmine flowers that the gorgeous Tamil women adorn their hair with. While I am sure there is much more to Chennai, I am glad to discover at least some of it with the author.
February 1, 2016
Had been wanting to read this book since almost 2 yrs, when I saw it in my cousin's table. Finally when I wanted to get back to reading and needed an easy read along with a book that would mean something, I chose Tamarind City.
To see Madras of another time and era, is really amazing. More so, when you can do so in the confines of your couch. Personally, I live in a Chennai that is totally different from what the author himself is writing of which makes the journey even more so interesting.
The book is an easy read and takes just two after work sessions to complete. (3 if you get distracted by FB :P ) It makes you want to go and visit the Fort and see George Town, or worse still stop an old Tam Brahm uncle and start conversations so that you may too discover Madras and hear a story that only few know. Go ahead and read it if you want a easy peasy glimpse of history and have a weekend to do so!
To see Madras of another time and era, is really amazing. More so, when you can do so in the confines of your couch. Personally, I live in a Chennai that is totally different from what the author himself is writing of which makes the journey even more so interesting.
The book is an easy read and takes just two after work sessions to complete. (3 if you get distracted by FB :P ) It makes you want to go and visit the Fort and see George Town, or worse still stop an old Tam Brahm uncle and start conversations so that you may too discover Madras and hear a story that only few know. Go ahead and read it if you want a easy peasy glimpse of history and have a weekend to do so!
October 9, 2014
This is not only the best non-fiction books I have read till date but also the one I finished reading quickly! I might be biased because of my love for my hometown chennai. One needn't have to be from Chennai to enjoy the book - that's the best thing!
This book is like the perfect home made cup of hot filter coffee one can enjoy in the cool evenings of Margazhi (december-Jan month) listening to a soul-melting carnatic recital!!
This book is like the perfect home made cup of hot filter coffee one can enjoy in the cool evenings of Margazhi (december-Jan month) listening to a soul-melting carnatic recital!!
September 29, 2019
My experience with this book goes here -
A Time Well Spent in Chennai -----
I came to know about this book a few years before. It became part of my wishlist, aka as the long guilt road that I so painfully built with at least 500 books. When I started this group, I had discussions with my friends, and I understand that it is not easy for everyone to buy a book every month. My search narrowed to look for Kindle Unlimited books and the public library books. Though it was in my wishlist, I wouldn’t have selected this book had it not been part of the Kindle Unlimited.
I read the Tamil translation of S.Muthiah’s Chennai Rediscovered (சென்னை மறுகண்டுபிடிப்பு - https://www.nhm.in/shop/9788184932348...). It is almost like a detective story unearthing the known places and finding a story behind each one of them. I know this book won’t do the same thing. I read some articles of Bishwant Ghosh, and the journalistic writing style is a mouth-watering one for reading essays. I also liked the way the book is titled. I grew up in the northern part of Tamilnadu where Tamarind Tree is a ubiquitous part of both rural and urban life. Tamarind City convinced me that Bishwant understood one of the essential threads of Chennai life. We know the Chennai eye hospital is world’s second such hospital and many such grand beginnings, and yet we continue to perceive Chennai as one of the conservative sleepy city of Modern, thriving India. So I like the way the book title extended “Where Modern India Began.”
It is a book where an outsider came, stayed here a long time, and wrote a long travelogue about Chennai. True to a travelogue, he picked and chose the topics that gave him comfort and substance to make it as a good read. At many places, I got reminded about Mark Tully’s book I read a few years before. It is exciting to see the likes of Muthiah and Sriram came as characters in a book about Chennai. Each chapter is full of many colorful lives like the film director who found the mansion for Bishwant, Triplicane middle-class woman who showed him the house where Ramanujan lived, the westerner who made madras, specifically Mylapore, a musical school, his childhood friend who accompanies him to Royapettah and North Madras.
The first chapter goes back to the very beginnings of East India Company setting up a fort and a port in Chennai. It is like a grandma’s story that makes you mouth-watering every single time despite being told umpteen number of times. Andrew Cohan and Francis Day became an indelible part of Chennai’s chroniclers and storytellers.
Apart from that first chapter, everything else is about the present day (almost throughout the 2000s) life of Chennai with a not-so-occasional trip down the memory lane. I have been to the NSC Bose Road and all the Mudali and Chetty streets on Black Town part of the Chennai since the 1990s. This place is like a gold mine for every historian of Chennai. You get a new story every single time. The story of the Beri Thimmappa who built the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple and the present generations of his 250+ members lineage is one such story. The other one is Chandamama’s (Ambulimama) story. I will try to have a quick peek at Kilpauk Appah gardens next time.
The small section about writer Gnani is an unexpected one. He had to shift his O Pakkangal from one magazine to another because of political pressure shows both his ideals and our bigot politicians. It is almost like a tribute to him.
The story about Ratna café is an interesting one. A north Indian who became a connoisseur of South Indian Sambar is an interesting one. He is getting the spices from North India as well because of adulterated spices we get in Chennai. I remembered a story about how even Jayalalitha, despite such an influential person of Tamilnadu, couldn’t get unadulterated spices. More than that, he procured machines from Italy, Switzerland, and Germany that makes you idli and Sambar on an industrial scale. These countries don’t make or eat idli or Sambar. I read a story that Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu shared recently. The Tamilnadu farmer uses a knife that was designed and made in Germany to slice open a coconut. We have a long way to go.
How could you leave politics and Cinema when you are writing about Chennai? You have them to satiate your Tamil senses. Annadurai, Karunanidhi, MGR, Sivaji, Gemini Ganesan, Rajnikanth, Saroja Devi, and few others play a part in this collection of stories. The one exception is the famous Nagi Reddy. He is praised, correctly so, for his contribution for Ambulimama. Ambulimama must be the great Tamil Children Magazine for its range of stories and drawings. The Vikramadityan and Vedalam picture (https://devdutt.com/wp-content/upload...) is etched in memory like no other from my childhood. The essay about the Chandamama and the artist Sankar is a rare gem.
There are many more stories on Chennai beach, December music season, Triplicane Vadakalai and Thenkalai Iyengars and their historical disputes, the terrible tsunami of 2004, Bharathiyar, Srinivasa Ramanujam, T Nagar, Royapettah railway station history, etc. He picked some of his days’ sensational news as well to make a story for Chennai. I would say they are forgettable stories.
When I completed reading this book, many things came to my mind. There are lovely stories by Bharathi Mani on his Delhi life. I almost fell in love with Delhi through his stories. I loved the stories of Mark Tully that covered various parts of India. I will remember some of the stories of Bishwant Ghosh as well. It is a time well spent in Chennai.
A Time Well Spent in Chennai -----
I came to know about this book a few years before. It became part of my wishlist, aka as the long guilt road that I so painfully built with at least 500 books. When I started this group, I had discussions with my friends, and I understand that it is not easy for everyone to buy a book every month. My search narrowed to look for Kindle Unlimited books and the public library books. Though it was in my wishlist, I wouldn’t have selected this book had it not been part of the Kindle Unlimited.
I read the Tamil translation of S.Muthiah’s Chennai Rediscovered (சென்னை மறுகண்டுபிடிப்பு - https://www.nhm.in/shop/9788184932348...). It is almost like a detective story unearthing the known places and finding a story behind each one of them. I know this book won’t do the same thing. I read some articles of Bishwant Ghosh, and the journalistic writing style is a mouth-watering one for reading essays. I also liked the way the book is titled. I grew up in the northern part of Tamilnadu where Tamarind Tree is a ubiquitous part of both rural and urban life. Tamarind City convinced me that Bishwant understood one of the essential threads of Chennai life. We know the Chennai eye hospital is world’s second such hospital and many such grand beginnings, and yet we continue to perceive Chennai as one of the conservative sleepy city of Modern, thriving India. So I like the way the book title extended “Where Modern India Began.”
It is a book where an outsider came, stayed here a long time, and wrote a long travelogue about Chennai. True to a travelogue, he picked and chose the topics that gave him comfort and substance to make it as a good read. At many places, I got reminded about Mark Tully’s book I read a few years before. It is exciting to see the likes of Muthiah and Sriram came as characters in a book about Chennai. Each chapter is full of many colorful lives like the film director who found the mansion for Bishwant, Triplicane middle-class woman who showed him the house where Ramanujan lived, the westerner who made madras, specifically Mylapore, a musical school, his childhood friend who accompanies him to Royapettah and North Madras.
The first chapter goes back to the very beginnings of East India Company setting up a fort and a port in Chennai. It is like a grandma’s story that makes you mouth-watering every single time despite being told umpteen number of times. Andrew Cohan and Francis Day became an indelible part of Chennai’s chroniclers and storytellers.
Apart from that first chapter, everything else is about the present day (almost throughout the 2000s) life of Chennai with a not-so-occasional trip down the memory lane. I have been to the NSC Bose Road and all the Mudali and Chetty streets on Black Town part of the Chennai since the 1990s. This place is like a gold mine for every historian of Chennai. You get a new story every single time. The story of the Beri Thimmappa who built the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple and the present generations of his 250+ members lineage is one such story. The other one is Chandamama’s (Ambulimama) story. I will try to have a quick peek at Kilpauk Appah gardens next time.
The small section about writer Gnani is an unexpected one. He had to shift his O Pakkangal from one magazine to another because of political pressure shows both his ideals and our bigot politicians. It is almost like a tribute to him.
The story about Ratna café is an interesting one. A north Indian who became a connoisseur of South Indian Sambar is an interesting one. He is getting the spices from North India as well because of adulterated spices we get in Chennai. I remembered a story about how even Jayalalitha, despite such an influential person of Tamilnadu, couldn’t get unadulterated spices. More than that, he procured machines from Italy, Switzerland, and Germany that makes you idli and Sambar on an industrial scale. These countries don’t make or eat idli or Sambar. I read a story that Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu shared recently. The Tamilnadu farmer uses a knife that was designed and made in Germany to slice open a coconut. We have a long way to go.
How could you leave politics and Cinema when you are writing about Chennai? You have them to satiate your Tamil senses. Annadurai, Karunanidhi, MGR, Sivaji, Gemini Ganesan, Rajnikanth, Saroja Devi, and few others play a part in this collection of stories. The one exception is the famous Nagi Reddy. He is praised, correctly so, for his contribution for Ambulimama. Ambulimama must be the great Tamil Children Magazine for its range of stories and drawings. The Vikramadityan and Vedalam picture (https://devdutt.com/wp-content/upload...) is etched in memory like no other from my childhood. The essay about the Chandamama and the artist Sankar is a rare gem.
There are many more stories on Chennai beach, December music season, Triplicane Vadakalai and Thenkalai Iyengars and their historical disputes, the terrible tsunami of 2004, Bharathiyar, Srinivasa Ramanujam, T Nagar, Royapettah railway station history, etc. He picked some of his days’ sensational news as well to make a story for Chennai. I would say they are forgettable stories.
When I completed reading this book, many things came to my mind. There are lovely stories by Bharathi Mani on his Delhi life. I almost fell in love with Delhi through his stories. I loved the stories of Mark Tully that covered various parts of India. I will remember some of the stories of Bishwant Ghosh as well. It is a time well spent in Chennai.
April 22, 2018
I enjoyed reading this book. I have lived in Chennai for a couple of months and visited it numerous times. So, there was a connect and curiosity about Madras/Chennai that this book scratched. The initial chapters put the historical context of the city in place. Then it gets into the current lives of several people and gets into themes like religion and music. It ends with a snapshot of the upcoming manufacturing industry (as in 2010). Its a personal book of experiences and stories which attempts a big picture as well. In the process, it doesn't delve deep enough into politics and movie-craziness which are a big part of life in Chennai/south India. While I had hoped for nuggets on these aspects, the overall book left me satiated.
May 27, 2019
I think I'm gonna like Chennai very much when I move there next month.
Good book on the history, geography & most importantly, the people who have witnessed the transformation of the tiny settlement of Madraspatnam to the glitzy metropolis of Chennai.
Recommended reading if you're looking to fall in love with a city. 3 & a half to 4 stars.
Good book on the history, geography & most importantly, the people who have witnessed the transformation of the tiny settlement of Madraspatnam to the glitzy metropolis of Chennai.
Recommended reading if you're looking to fall in love with a city. 3 & a half to 4 stars.
September 28, 2021
Seeing a city through it's people. Good read.
February 16, 2014
This is a delightful and compassionate book about Madras from an author who can’t really speak Tamil and had lived in the city for barely ten years as he wrote the book. But he shows that he has gotten much deeper into the soul of Chennai than many others who were born and brought up there. The narrative is good without being exceptional, but what it lacks in style is made up by the content, which keeps one absorbed, especially if you are one like me, who grew up in the city.
As I read the early chapters of the book, I was rather ashamed that I knew so little about the history of the city where I spent the initial twenty years of my life. For example, I didn’t know that Aug 22, 1639 was the day Madras was founded. Nor did I know that the Tamilization of Madras as Chennai by the proud DMK in the 1990s, is actually a damp squib because Chennappa, after whom it is named, was a Telugu-speaking Naidu!
And, who would have thought that Madras played a crucial role in the creation of the Ivy League school of Yale in Connecticut? Apparently, one Elihu Yale was the governor of St.George Fort in Madras from 1687 to 1692. He returned to London in 1699, very rich from much illegal trading in diamonds while in Madras. His family had lived in Connecticut and when the cash-starved school there asked him for a donation, Elihu sent them nine bales of exquisite Indian textiles, 417 books and a portrait of King George I. The school kept the books, sold the rest for 562 pounds and gratefully renamed itself as Yale University!
The other thing I learnt from the book is that of many of India's modern institutions , like its army, its judiciary, its first Engineering and medical colleges and its Railways trace their roots to the St.George Fort of Madras!.
The author makes some sharp and funny observations on Chennai today. He attends a Swayamvaram (match-making fest) where a young man was looking for a girl with a ‘pleasing tendency’. Intrigued by the phrase, the author asks him what it actually means. The young man replies with a straight face, ‘Well, it means the girl should be nice to my mother!’.
While commenting on Periyar, the founder of the Dravidian movement, he makes the telling comment, ‘What unites Periyar and Gandhi today is their near irrelevance in the very societies they stirred’. Certainly, a perceptive Bengali author!
He makes even more perceptive, sensitive and humourous observations on the Iyer/Iyengar ‘divide’ in the suburbs of Triplicane and Mylapore, on Tamils being especially inclined to self-immolate themselves much more than others for a political cause or on the death of a political leader, on Chennai’s sexual conservatism and on the plight of elderly Brahmins in old age homes in this era of their children having settled abroad.
But the best chapters of the book are reserved for the end. The author’s interviews with the daughters of Gemini Ganesan, the King of Romance in Tamil films, show how much they adored their father irrespective of him being married to three women at the same time in the same city and leading a life amongst all of them in a way that was largely devoid of rancour and hostility between the three families. I found it poignant and touching to read about his daughter, Dr.Kamala Selvaraj, a much accomplished woman in her own right, saying only good things about her dad and reaching out to all her half-sisters and half-brother as a single extended family. There is much to learn from her remarks.
Another endearing chapter is about the author’s childhood addiction to the magazine ‘Chandamama’, which was published from Madras. The author was an adoring fan of Sankar, who was the artist who drew the image of Vikramaditya & the Vetala in all those monthly stories. After much effort, he tracks down the now 83-year old Sankar and gets to interview him - a childhood dream fulfilled! I can relate very well to such dreams because mine was about meeting our idols of Triplicane - the cricketers Kripal, Milkha and Satwendar Singh!
The book finally pays tribute to that enduring institution of Madras - the Sabhas, which promote Carnatic Music and make sure that it is not corporatized and remain accessible to everyone. I was particularly delighted to see much praise for the Parthasarathy Swami Sabha of Triplicane, in which my family also had membership.
This book would be much loved by Chennaites, for its embrace of the city and its people with warmth and affection. It will also be admired because it is written by a Bengali and we Chennaites like non-Tamils saying nice things about us! Chennai has always embraced and transformed non-Tamils into Tamils - you only have to look at MGR, Rajnikant, Kripal Singh and his brothers, Khushboo and many others. The author would be added to the list, I am sure..
As I read the early chapters of the book, I was rather ashamed that I knew so little about the history of the city where I spent the initial twenty years of my life. For example, I didn’t know that Aug 22, 1639 was the day Madras was founded. Nor did I know that the Tamilization of Madras as Chennai by the proud DMK in the 1990s, is actually a damp squib because Chennappa, after whom it is named, was a Telugu-speaking Naidu!
And, who would have thought that Madras played a crucial role in the creation of the Ivy League school of Yale in Connecticut? Apparently, one Elihu Yale was the governor of St.George Fort in Madras from 1687 to 1692. He returned to London in 1699, very rich from much illegal trading in diamonds while in Madras. His family had lived in Connecticut and when the cash-starved school there asked him for a donation, Elihu sent them nine bales of exquisite Indian textiles, 417 books and a portrait of King George I. The school kept the books, sold the rest for 562 pounds and gratefully renamed itself as Yale University!
The other thing I learnt from the book is that of many of India's modern institutions , like its army, its judiciary, its first Engineering and medical colleges and its Railways trace their roots to the St.George Fort of Madras!.
The author makes some sharp and funny observations on Chennai today. He attends a Swayamvaram (match-making fest) where a young man was looking for a girl with a ‘pleasing tendency’. Intrigued by the phrase, the author asks him what it actually means. The young man replies with a straight face, ‘Well, it means the girl should be nice to my mother!’.
While commenting on Periyar, the founder of the Dravidian movement, he makes the telling comment, ‘What unites Periyar and Gandhi today is their near irrelevance in the very societies they stirred’. Certainly, a perceptive Bengali author!
He makes even more perceptive, sensitive and humourous observations on the Iyer/Iyengar ‘divide’ in the suburbs of Triplicane and Mylapore, on Tamils being especially inclined to self-immolate themselves much more than others for a political cause or on the death of a political leader, on Chennai’s sexual conservatism and on the plight of elderly Brahmins in old age homes in this era of their children having settled abroad.
But the best chapters of the book are reserved for the end. The author’s interviews with the daughters of Gemini Ganesan, the King of Romance in Tamil films, show how much they adored their father irrespective of him being married to three women at the same time in the same city and leading a life amongst all of them in a way that was largely devoid of rancour and hostility between the three families. I found it poignant and touching to read about his daughter, Dr.Kamala Selvaraj, a much accomplished woman in her own right, saying only good things about her dad and reaching out to all her half-sisters and half-brother as a single extended family. There is much to learn from her remarks.
Another endearing chapter is about the author’s childhood addiction to the magazine ‘Chandamama’, which was published from Madras. The author was an adoring fan of Sankar, who was the artist who drew the image of Vikramaditya & the Vetala in all those monthly stories. After much effort, he tracks down the now 83-year old Sankar and gets to interview him - a childhood dream fulfilled! I can relate very well to such dreams because mine was about meeting our idols of Triplicane - the cricketers Kripal, Milkha and Satwendar Singh!
The book finally pays tribute to that enduring institution of Madras - the Sabhas, which promote Carnatic Music and make sure that it is not corporatized and remain accessible to everyone. I was particularly delighted to see much praise for the Parthasarathy Swami Sabha of Triplicane, in which my family also had membership.
This book would be much loved by Chennaites, for its embrace of the city and its people with warmth and affection. It will also be admired because it is written by a Bengali and we Chennaites like non-Tamils saying nice things about us! Chennai has always embraced and transformed non-Tamils into Tamils - you only have to look at MGR, Rajnikant, Kripal Singh and his brothers, Khushboo and many others. The author would be added to the list, I am sure..
November 27, 2015
My first legitimate travel book, so it's going to take me a while to process this satisfactorily. But what I found interesting, is how non fiction, more than anything else, makes you so acutely aware about the passage of time. You can feel the references getting dated and see the present visibly transforming into history.
Reading this book made me realize that in my head, I have two Chennais. One, the city that was my summer vacation destination - the magical land of Landmark and Higginbothams that was the reprieve from my middle school monotony. Two, the city I spent the last four years in, where I successfully(sorta) learnt to 'adult'.
And Tamarind City made me excessively homesick for the first kind of Chennai, the one where I was a visitor more than a resident. Hopefully, this is the gateway book to tons of more amazing non fiction and such impromptu observations.
P.S: I've always lazily wondered what occupied that spot on Whites Road before Express Avenue came to be. It was great to finally get that cleared up. Also there's a chapter on Gemini Ganesan that is just begging to be made into a movie.
Reading this book made me realize that in my head, I have two Chennais. One, the city that was my summer vacation destination - the magical land of Landmark and Higginbothams that was the reprieve from my middle school monotony. Two, the city I spent the last four years in, where I successfully(sorta) learnt to 'adult'.
And Tamarind City made me excessively homesick for the first kind of Chennai, the one where I was a visitor more than a resident. Hopefully, this is the gateway book to tons of more amazing non fiction and such impromptu observations.
P.S: I've always lazily wondered what occupied that spot on Whites Road before Express Avenue came to be. It was great to finally get that cleared up. Also there's a chapter on Gemini Ganesan that is just begging to be made into a movie.
February 25, 2016
Don't get me wrong. I'm hardly the kind who would try to hold on to something that slipped away. But reading the early chapters of this book about the old history of Chennai, I can't help feel wrong about having forgotten so much. We as a generation, for some reason, have a problem realizing that we have a rich heritage that's crying to be acknowledged. And I find it pretty ironical that someone like Bishwanath Ghosh, being brought up far north, had to tell us homegrowns about what our city once was.
I really loved the chapter about the Dravidian movement, the story of Periyar and his diminishing relevance in today's Chennai. (I think he would be bleeding in his grave if he realized that the DMK Govt spent 420 crores towards renovating temples in Chennai)
What will really tug at my heart is this line from the chapter on the temples,
"Even today, if you were to remove all the cars and the cables and the motorbikes from its lanes, Triplicane would easily resemble an early twentieth century hamlet- the very air is so charmingly another age"
Don't know why, that line made me yearn for the city they called 'Madras'.
It made me yearn for what once was.
I really loved the chapter about the Dravidian movement, the story of Periyar and his diminishing relevance in today's Chennai. (I think he would be bleeding in his grave if he realized that the DMK Govt spent 420 crores towards renovating temples in Chennai)
What will really tug at my heart is this line from the chapter on the temples,
"Even today, if you were to remove all the cars and the cables and the motorbikes from its lanes, Triplicane would easily resemble an early twentieth century hamlet- the very air is so charmingly another age"
Don't know why, that line made me yearn for the city they called 'Madras'.
It made me yearn for what once was.
December 31, 2019
Bishwanath Ghosh, a journalist has lived in Chennai for over a decade. In the book 'Tamarind City', he writes about Chennai, covering everything from its history to culture to the current trends. There are so many things about the city that makes this book interesting- Marina beach, Triplicane and Mylapore (temples), T. Nagar (shopping area), Royapuram railway station (oldest railway station), real life conversations with inspiring people (S. Muthiah- author of Madras Rediscovered, Patricia Thomas- Sandeepha food chain owner, etc.), Carnatic music season during December, Siddha medicine, automobile manufacturing hub (aka Detroit of India), politics, cinema, Triplicane Ratna Cafe (hot idlis and tasty sambaar), unique history (Elihu Yale, was posted in Fort St. Goerge in Madras and Yale college in US was named in his honour later) and the list goes on and on. Every city has a story to tell, things that make it unique, lively and colourful. Here's a story about Chennai! The writing is engaging and simple. The modern yet traditional aspect of the city is beautifully described in the book.
January 6, 2013
A portrait of modern and historic Chennai written by a Bengali who chose to move in here. The author's passion for the city is evident in the book and the book is brilliant mostly, covering several aspects of the city in breezy chapters. The first few chapters on the North and South Chennai divide, the ones on Mylapore and Triplicane are all really well done. But the author chooses to digress midway to talk about personalities that he happens to meet in his life and moves away from the general theme about the city. Topics on changing liberal outlook, and the city's cinema connection seem to lose importance in the process. Written in a pleasing conversational way, this is a book for Chennai lovers and ideal gift material for others. Interesting Trivia, fresh anecdotes and nice one liners sprinkled through the book make this a nice quick read!
September 13, 2012
This is a quick read. I did not feel bored anywhere except “Gemini’s family description”. It brought back my childhood memories. I felt the same way as Ghosh, when I visited T.Nagar for the first time when I was 10 years old. Some of the history information is new to me. I would have been happy if he had written more about the industrial growth and the educational institutions and their role in the city’s growth. I liked the information about North Madras, Mylapore and Triplicane, reminded me of the Golu dolls purchased around the Kapali temple, RKMatt and the wonderful bus systems then. I still remember my journey on 5E from Mylai till Vadapalani and 18 from Nandambakkam to Parrys (It was moved to Saidapet later)
April 19, 2013
I would give this a 3.5 :) Great book for Madras Lovers!
"Kalluri Saalai" and "Kandukondain Kandukodain" are the Tamil songs, which sort of lured the author to the Tamarind City.
The author has portrayed Chennai as he sees it! The unassuming Chennai slowly opens up to him, and we get to know about the rich cultural heritage Chennai carries with, which is often overlooked. Loved the anecdotes and his simple style of writing. Sometimes it was more about the people and less about Chennai. Just did not appreciate delving too much into the whole Brahmin community, otherwise the book was fine.
"Kalluri Saalai" and "Kandukondain Kandukodain" are the Tamil songs, which sort of lured the author to the Tamarind City.
The author has portrayed Chennai as he sees it! The unassuming Chennai slowly opens up to him, and we get to know about the rich cultural heritage Chennai carries with, which is often overlooked. Loved the anecdotes and his simple style of writing. Sometimes it was more about the people and less about Chennai. Just did not appreciate delving too much into the whole Brahmin community, otherwise the book was fine.
August 11, 2012
Virtually travelled through Madras reading this book. With a fluid style of narration, Ghosh manages to cover most of the issues, topics and personalities one would usually associate with Madras - Clive, Wellesley, Yale, Annadurai, Karunanidhi and his bete noir, the Iyer-Iyengar rivalry, Carnatic music, Medical tourism, SEZ boom - name it and you more or less have it. What made the book more endearing to me was the fact that a supposedly conservative and traditional 'South' Indian city managed to win the heart of a Bengali bred in North India. Ghosh's understanding of the nuances of the city's culture and prejudices were more or less on target
July 22, 2015
I always wanted to read the other books by Biswanath Ghosh once I had read 'Chai Chai'. The author just falls short of replicating the inimitable style of 'Chai Chai'. Perhaps it's the topic; Chennai however, stately is a dour subject to deal with for an entire book unlike the fleeting images in 'Chai Chai'.
The book is a breezy read except for some of the interviews which drag on a bit. Painstaking research combined with his conversational tone make it both a work of erudition and entertainment at the same time.
Now I look forward to reading 'Longing Belonging' his outsider's look at Kolkata.
The book is a breezy read except for some of the interviews which drag on a bit. Painstaking research combined with his conversational tone make it both a work of erudition and entertainment at the same time.
Now I look forward to reading 'Longing Belonging' his outsider's look at Kolkata.
June 25, 2018
I couldn't help but rush through this book about the city I love. This doesn't mean I couldn't put it down for the book itself. The writing is lucid, but what starts of as a book on Chennai (for me, I doubt if the author claims it to be so) eventually eventually veers into people & the author's experiences. The language is simple and lucid, and the experiences themselves make for delightful narration. However, I expected more than just this, and that's just me.
May 6, 2020
The books brings to light so many refreshing and new ( at least for me) facets of a city I've made my home over the past few years. From the fort to temples to cinema to Marina, it touches on the various aspects of Chennai. I particularly loved the Chandamama and Shankar chapter. What didn't like was the author's attempt to portray the way caste system and politics evolved in Chennai. Little more research could have gone into those chapters and the comments on reservation.
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