 When I became a resident of Thiagaraya Nagar in the year 1948, there was an acute
shortage of articles right from firewood to water. There were separate ration cards for
firewood and coffee seeds. If this was the case, you can conclude about the state of rice
and sugar. I was living in 9, Ranganathan Street, and water had to be fetched from the
next street. To take a bath, I used to go further to a relative's house in Damodara Reddy
Street. It was said that jackals haunted the place. Why even demons were there! You can
watch the corpses burning in Kannammapettai burial ground from Damodara Reddy Street
itself. You can even inhale the smell emanating from the burning corpses. In a span of
five years, I became a resident of Damodara Reddy Street.
The Siva Vishnu temple used to resemble a village temple and buses
9, 10, 11, 11A, 12 and 13 used to stop just opposite to it on the roadside,
thus forming
the Thiagaraya Nagar bus terminus. For only places, which were inaccessible by train, were
covered by buses. The train journey cost less and was much faster. While entering
Ranganathan Street, if we happened to hear the train sound, we could rush and get into the
train. The street was free of any hindrance. The ticket counter was near the staircase.
But today it takes nearly 10 minutes to walk along Ranganathan Street. To get the train
ticket it takes 10-30 minutes, then another ten minutes to reach the staircase in an
obscure corner, for which you have to cross nearly 10 shops and a wayside temple.
 In the place where the bus terminus is situated today, there was a
big pond. People used to say that there were tortoises in it. I have seen a lot of
buffaloes in that pond. When the pond was dry, public meetings were held. I have listened
to people like Rajaji, Annadurai, Chengalvarayan, M P Sivagananam, Mithuramalinga Thevar,
Chinna Annadurai speak from there. Some time in 1960, Swami Chinmayananda spoke for 21
days continuously in the dry pond, the present days bus terminus. After hearing his
speeches, some people admired his English and some others ridiculed the language.
The silk saree shop called 'Nalli' was in existence even
then. There were three jewellery shops - T B Jewellery, 'Ramanathan and Ramachandra Iyer'.
If one wanted to buy vegetables, he could reach the vegetable market by the path behind
Pondy Bazaar or cross the railway track and go to West Mambalam.
Let us scan Chennai again…
Ashokamitran
(Translated by Sujatha Pradeep)
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