When the plan to build Madurai’s World Tamil Sangam was first envisaged in 1982 by then Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran, Tamil scholars believed that the place would be a haven for Tamil literati.
Ideas, poetry and debates would flow in the amphitheatres, auditoriums and lawns.
Those who preferred silence would read books in quiet corners of the library.
35 years
It has been 35 years and only the first phase of the structure is complete. The World Tamil Sangam was built atop Tallakulam tank — a move that several experts in water conservation objected to as it would obstruct groundwater recharge.
It spreads over an area of 87,000 square feet. There is a large auditorium that is vacant for most months of the year.
There are plans for a mega library. A museum and an art gallery already exist on the premises. Only the administrative block of the Sangam is functional.
The majestic two-tiered structure is riddled with overgrown weeds. The vast lawn is shabbily maintained.
It is not unnatural to find bird and animal droppings here and there. One can also see occasional empty alcohol bottles and cigarette butts strewn around at the back of the building.
Construction is now in progress at three places — a car parking facility, a bridge of sorts over the tank and the rest of the auditorium. RM. Valliappan, one of the architects and the design supervision managers of the structure, said that a total of ₹100 crore was allocated for the project and only the first phase for which ₹12.5 crore was sanctioned was complete.
The interiors were yet to be completed. The furnishing, library and auditorium still needed work.
“A platform has been created but there are miles to go before it could be used,” he said. Popular Tamil writer and Sahitya Akademi awardee Su. Venkatesan too laments the underutilisation of the space.
“The area can be used to host interesting seminars, lectures and educational meetings. People studying for competitive exams need not go to parks. The purpose of the library was to have a facility like Chennai’s Anna Centenary Library. There is no vision here,” he said.
Hub for research
He added that the place could be a hub for research in Tamil studies too.
Everyone else but the administrative team at the World Tamil Sangam seem enthused about the possibility of an active cultural space. A top official there said that he would not comment on taking the initiative forward. He added that the second phase was on hold at the moment and would not begin in the near future.
