Understanding the character of the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) campus on College Road, Nungambakkam is a lot like reading an absorbing novel – one never knows what they will be greeted with.
It may be the old Cooum archway, the ‘asymmetrically-symmetrical’ contours of what could have been the college of Fort St. George, echoing voices of parakeets, or a student crouched over a sleepy cat, talking to it.
Columns of books inside the MLS library | Photo Credit: Shreya Banerjee
On World Heritage Day (April 18), the Madras Literary Society (MLS) in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation and Nam Veedu Nam Oor Nam Kadhai organised a heritage walk at the DPI campus to talk about decade-old buildings that still live among us. Each building here was in the Indo Saracenic mould and nestled under long, unselfish shades cast by trees more than 150-years-old. Time fell in sheets on the steps of the MLS library. They lead to an ornate vintage table with legs resembling that of a tiger’s claw. Wrought iron beams hung heavy from ceilings.
Conducting the walk was Thirupurasundari Sevvel, secretary of MLS and an architect. Our first stop was the care building or the American block. Thirupurasundari said that the care building was an extension of the college of Fort St George.
College Road takes its name after the college of Fort St. George and not Women’s Christian College which stand on the same road, she clarified. What makes it unique is the techniques of construction like Madras terrace, pan tiles, design and patterns like jallis and floral motifs. “The building is made of 17 different materials, she adds.
Fort St George, Nungambakkam | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam
What was taught in the college? Did women read with men?
To this question, Thirupurasundari narrates that the college was primarily constructed to teach “Indian-ness”. The British wanted to create a reservoir of information for the deputies who would then be able to rule India better. “From anthropology and geology to the bone density of the average Indian– everything was taught but only to British pupils. Indians were admitted much later and women were not a part of the campus for a long time,” says Thirupurasundari.
College of Fort St George | Photo Credit: TA Hafeez
We walk away from the college towards the towering presence of a bright red fort. “Why did the British consider building a fort on a college ground?” she asks. “In those days, the village of Nungambakkam was punctuated with water bodies. Since the British had had several unsuccessful waterway wars, they chose to fortify,” says Thirupurasundari.
The brick used in the facade are three fourth the size of the bricks we use now, which probably came to the campus via Cooum in boats.
An interesting feature of the fort is that the structure was built in such a way that only the army in surveillance could get an aerial view of the entire compound. Anyone standing around the fort would not be able to get a whiff of what was happing inside its walls.
In complete contrast however, the fort is now a favourite celebratory spot for student athletes who like to showcase their triumphs at the fort by displaying their trophies and medals.
Further away from the fort is the Cooum Archway. Thirupurasundari finds a place underneath the quivering branches of a 100-year-old Indian cork tree facing the structure which is referred to as a ‘ceremonial archway’ by S. Muthiah in his book Madras Discovered. “The towering archway has an Anglican face sculpted on its facade. Behind the face is a 10 feet by 15 feet war scene,” she says .
As we take small steps and long strides into the past, Thirupurasundari shares that, over the years, the DPI campus has been a link to some people’s roots. One visitor had saved for six years, to be able to spend two days in Madras and trace his ancestry.
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