Landmark homes in Madurai going to seed

There are four historic landmarks in Madurai which can be a ‘book,’ a ‘house’ and a quotation from all their ancestors, depending on how you look at them.

The building on West Masi Street where Mahatma Gandhi adopted 'Khadi' as his attire. Photo: R. Ashok

Every book is a quotation; and every house is a quotation out of all forests, and mines and stone quarries; and every man is a quotation from all his ancestors – Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are four historic landmarks in Madurai which can be a ‘book,’ a ‘house’ and a quotation from all their ancestors, depending on how you look at them. While these homes are now etched in history, at least two of them were witness to history being made. They find a significant place in the history of Indian freedom movement and also Madurai’s culture.

A black signboard at the Khadi showroom stares at the bustling West Masi Street where traders and customers go about their business mechanically. A silhouette of Mahatma Gandhi is all that separates an old, green building from the rest on the street. The house which once belonged to a Gujarati businessman is where the father of the nation resolved to become a ‘half-naked fakir,’ casting away his traditional attire, on September 22, 1921.

A portion of the building houses a ‘Khadi Kraft’ showroom while the top floor has pictures of the Mahatma. The room where Gandhi adopted the common man’s dress has a bust of the leader and some pictures. The building is, however, in dire need of maintenance, with cobwebs and dust all over the place and plaster peeling off the walls.

“Not many know that this was the place where Gandhi made the historic decision. Only a few tourists visit this place. Some local people come on holidays with their children to show them the place,” a man in charge of the building said.

Faded into history

The residences of two other persons from Madurai, who were closely associated with the freedom struggle, have almost faded into history.

While the residence of A. Vaidyanatha Iyer, who led Dalits into Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, on West Perumal Maistry Street houses a popular non-vegetarian restaurant, the house of N.M.R. Subbaraman at Chokkikulam, where the Mahatma stayed during one of his visits, looks insignificant now. Madurai Kamaraj University’s Department of Gandhian Studies and Ramalinga Philosophy had been functioning in the house of Subbaraman till it was shifted to Palkalai Nagar eight months back.

“Subbaraman passed away in 1983 and there are no possessions of his in the house which was constructed in 1948. The owner is planning to renovate and preserve the structure once the lease ends,” reveals a caretaker. People living on the premises of the sprawling 10,000 square feet premises say no visitor comes to see the building and no one knows about its historical significance.

The narrow West Hanumantharayar Street near the Meenakshi temple was home to the country’s most mellifluous voice, M.S. Subbulakshmi. “Many youngsters nowadays haven’t heard of her. While those lived in Madurai for quite a while are familiar with the place, the only other people who come here are non-resident Indians and music aficionados,” says S. Srinivasan, a tailor, who occupies a part of the building where ‘MS’ lived till she was six years old. While her relatives occupy the top portion of the building, two tailoring shops and an electronics shop occupy the rest of the building.

Speaking about these lesser known places, B.G. Mustafa, former president of Madurai Travel Club, says, “Popular tourist spots are frequented by tourists and locals. But gems like these do not feature in many tourist brochures or information guides. The Tamil Nadu government and the Department of Tourism must create an awareness of such places that lend a lot of importance to the city.”

T. Ravichandran, who teaches at Gandhigram Rural Institute, says these places could be revived with public and institutional efforts. “Many famous personalities, including Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, have visited Madurai. There is a good potential to transform these places into major tourist attractions,” he said.

While organisations such as Dhan Foundation, Travel Club and Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) have been organising heritage walks and lectures on people who have contributed to the city’s development, there remains the need to enthuse more of the local community into preserving such structures. “Structures such as these residences which are older than 50 years can be recognised as heritage structures. We have planned to make bookmarks and brochures of such lesser known places,” said K. P. Bharati, Tourism Programme Leader, Dhan Foundation.