In 1914, a group of lawyers headed by KS Arthanareeswara Aiyer approached the then collector of Coimbatore with a request to grant them land to build their homes. A part of a vast expanse of agricultural land was allocated and originally sub-divided into plots of 25 cents for the lawyers and 12 cents for their clerks. Space was earmarked for sanitary purposes and roads.
In 1928, a further 85 cents belonging to Dewan Bahadur Sri Muthu Ramaswamy Kalingarayar was acquired to build a temple, which came to be known as the Kodandaramaswamy Temple or simply the Ramar Temple. A compound wall was built a few years later and soon the locality came to be known as Ramnagar. The temple slowly grew with a grocery shop, madapallis (kitchens where the prasadam is prepared) and a discourse hall where many eminent personalities have addressed gatherings.
A house built in 1937
It is interesting how the streets in Ramnagar are named after freedom fighters:Ansari Street, Senguptha Street , Sarojini Naidu Street , Nehru Street , Lajapathrai Street , Sathyamurthy Street... Prominent freedom fighters like N Subramania Iyer and C Balaji Rao lived here.
While much of the area has been run over by commercial establishments, one still glimpses pockets of old-world charm with some beautiful old houses. On Sathyamurthy Street, right next to Tharakaram Silk House stands chocolatier Arun Viswanathan’s old home that was built in 1937. It is one of the oldest standing houses in Ramnagar. Originally constructed by a British factory inspector, it was bought by Arun’s grandfather in 1957. Arun’s father, 60-year-old SV Kottiswaran, a retired dean from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, welcomes me into his living room that smells wonderfully of aged timber. Indian Patent Stone lines the floor adorned with red oxide in places. Exposed wooden beams run across the ceiling. The doors are original teak wood. Arun remembers going to school from this house. “I can’t imagine giving up this house for anything. Even though it’s high on maintenance, I would never sell it,” he says.
A neem tree that’s over half a century old
I take a stroll along the streets and start talking to 57-year-old Ravi, an auto driver who has been driving here for over 30 years. “There are many people from UP, Orissa and other north Indian states now. The locals sold off their homes and have moved away.” Another driver, 48-year-old Balasubramaniam joins the conversation, “We help manage traffic when it becomes chaotic in these narrow streets and the policemen often turn to us for information. We even make sure people reach their homes safely at night.”
Other older residents of Ramnagar tell me about the Asoka Betel Nut business that started here in 1930, by MK Krishnachetty and was carried on by his successors MK Kuppuraj Chettiar, MK Anantha Kumar and MK Chandrakanth. You can never take the smell of Asoka Betel out of Ramnagar, they say.
Architect TS Ramani Sankar is deeply saddened by how much Ramnagar has changed. “I don’t like how this residential area has become all about the businesses now. I can still remember playing cricket and football on the streets as a child and miss the openness and freedom of the now vehicle-laden streets.” In front of his office, Sankar and Associates, on Senguptha Street stands an enormous neem tree which he thinks may have been planted before Independence. The tree has remained untouched through all the office renovations and now has a huge Swiss Cheese plant wrapped around its trunk. Among the oldest living residents of Ramnagar, are perhaps Jana mami, the founder of Tharakaram Silk House and KN VRamani, a leading senior corporate lawyer who has been practising for over six decades.
Keeping watch over their area
Pranav V Shankar, a recent law graduate and Ramnagar resident. remembers running to the Ayyappan Pooja Sangam to see the elephants, processions and chendamelam during the Kaarthigai season. The marriage halls in the area turned into fireworks shops during Diwali and the compound walls of all the houses were laden with lamps. He is also sad that things are not as they used to be. CCTVs, the frequent presence of cops, chain snatching incidents and sandalwood thefts have become frequent. He adds that the green area has now turned into a concrete jungle. But he says he still loves to drop in at Delhiwala Sweet Shop on Sastri Road for their chaat.
The narrow streets of Ramnagar have narrowed further thanks to vehicles being parked on either side. Still, a certain calm still prevails. Perhaps the canopy of trees are responsible.
