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 When one happens to pass through Jaani Jan Khan Road in Royapettah, there is a feeling of moving about in a Persian street. The reason for this is that if one listens keenly, one is sure to hear some Urdu words. But it is not easy even for a Hindi speaking person to converse here. There are Urdu speaking Muslims in Tamil Nadu, but the Royapettah dialect has its own distinct cadence. Processions through this area and Pycrofts Road mark festivals like Ramzan and Muharram. A number of Muslims, including small boys, will beat their shoulders and backs to a unique rhythm during the procession, and by the time they reach Thousand Lights Mosque they would surely be bleeding and injured. This might appear to be startling for one section of people but for another it is an open prayer which can move the heart.
 Just opposite the Thousand Lights Mosque, in Peters Road, is the New College. About 50 years ago when this was indeed a brand new college the intermediate classes were being conducted here. Subjects like Psychology and Geography were also being taught. Two years of intermediate studies would be followed by two years of graduation. When the evening college scheme was introduced, classes were being conducted in this college right from six to nine in the evenings. Students who skipped classes were not permitted to write their examinations.
But the present day is characterized by a number of changes. Dozens of middle aged sincere students used to be commonly seen in the New College campus those days. Royapettah is yet another area for which the boundaries cannot be demarcated easily. One part of the road will be Chennai 14, while the other will either be Chennai 6 or 86. Similarly in another road one section will be Chennai 5, while the other side will be Chennai 14.
Let us scan Chennai again…
Ashokamitran
(Translated by Sujatha Pradeep)
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The local Persian Street
