A lady, in monochrome, stares out from the cover of a book. “She is one of the most striking Chettiar women I have ever seen. And I have no idea who she is,” says S. Muthiah. The book in question is A Chettiar Album , put together by the city chronicler and M. Meyyappan Jr.
With over 200 photographs, the album looks to record the history of Chettiars through pictures. “Rummaging through antique shops in Karaikudi — I was looking for decor for The Bangla — became an addiction, and then photographs became the focus. In hindsight, the time and effort spent on the project is worthwhile,” says Meyyappan, speaking at the launch of the book on Sunday evening at the MRC Hall.
Muthiah considers the book a study in changing fashions: “There are seven chapters, starting with Girls and Women, Boys and Men, Pictures from Glass, Families Together, Welcomes and Celebrations, The Chettiars Overseas and From Bullock Cart to Flying High. In the first chapter, you can see the evolution of women’s style: from no blouses to long sleeve, followed by three-fourth sleeves, and then the famous puff sleeves.”
“Around 60 per cent of the photos came from the antique shops, so we don’t know who they are. That’s why a lot of the photos have not been captioned; especially the ones portraying family events,” he says.
Meyyappan credits the processing team, which played a large role in making the photos, many of which were damaged or faded, clear and print-worthy. What they thought was a pair of well-dressed young girls turned out to be child brides; their thalis were very clear after the processing was done. The book has been designed by Malavika Mehra. “I would also like to acknowledge the photos from various collections and from the homes and offices of several individuals,” he says. Launching the book, M.M. Murugappan, vice chairman of the Murugappa Corporate Board, says that the book chronicles the story of adaptability while capturing unique moments. Rm. Valli Muthiah, on receiving the first copy, says that a great sense of belonging envelopes her on seeing the album. Regional secretary of Lalit Kala Akademi, Rm. Palaniappan, also present at the launch, felt that a section on Tamil influence would add a new dimension to future compilations. He hopes that a second edition of the book will be out in a couple of years, and invites Chettiar families to share their heritage and to preserve it for posterity.
A Chettiar Album is available at Manjal (Tel: 2461 4313) and Sabrina (Tel: 2493 4912) in Chennai and The Bangala (Tel: 04565-220221/250221) in Karaikudi.
