“If you lose your heritage, you can never rebuild it,” says N.L. Rajah firmly. An advocate with the Madras High Court, Rajah is associated with INTACH and is a member of the Madras High Court Heritage Committee. For the last two years, Rajah has been leading many groups on a tour of the heritage campus, narrating its history, architecture and lesser-known stories about it.
The ‘heritage walk’ programme was started in December 2013, after the 150 year celebration of the Madras High Court, he says, adding, “There has never been a walk without me.” Owing to the recent floods, a walk was not conducted in December. But he promises to resume the programme this month.
“In the last two years, we have conducted at least 20 walks, sometimes two walks a month,” he says.
“If Rashtrapati Bhavan is the pride of New Delhi and Victoria Memorial, of Calcutta, then the Madras High Court is the city’s pride. It has many stories lying hidden within its walls,” he says. Leading the walk is easy for Rajah. After all, he has authored a book on the High Court — The Madras High Court: A 150-year Journey from Crown Court to People’s Court .
“In 2009, I started research on the subject as I wanted to unravel the history behind this brick-and-mortar structure,” he says.
The walk is an attempt to enhance the reputation of the institution. “I wanted lawyers to attend the walk, but I have been getting more of the general public, including many students of architecture and history,” he says. Rajah says the response to the walk is encouraging and that keeps him going. “The Chief Justice of the Madras High Court has mentioned about the heritage walk in this year’s annual report,” he says.
Rajah hopes that more individuals come forward to lead such initiatives to preserve the heritage of the institution. The heritage walk is held on the second Sunday of every month. For details, call 9841013617 or email nlrajah.advocate@gmail.com.
