Mangling Chennai’s street names and distorting history

regulars Madras Musings they are having a field day discussing the government’s recent name change announcements. Is it necessary? Ask many people. Some argue that this is all an illusion, with no change at the fundamental level when it comes to attitudes towards caste. I subscribe to this theory and believe that even the abolition of caste suffixes in the 1980s only served to erase history. In my opinion, B. Narasimham is not the same person as BN Reddy.

But it was Ramesh C. Kumar who submitted an award-winning response. What is the purpose of renaming streets, he asked, when even existing street names cannot be printed properly on signboards by the Chennai Corporation? He cites Rajachar Street in T. Nagar as an example. The company’s signs say it is spelled three different ways – Rajachar, Rajachari and worst of all, Raja Sir.

The signboard of Rajachar Street in T. Nagar has been placed at the intersection with Ramarao Street by Chennai Corporation | Photo Credit: Special Editing

All three signs were painted at the same time and this is despite the fact that the earlier painted wall signs still survive, they are all correct.

After giggling at this email (what else can we do?), I approached Karthik Bhatt, who quickly found out who the person behind the street name was. His name was SNV Rajachar and he was from Coimbatore.

SNV Rajachar | Photo Credit: Special Editing

Born in 1869, he studied at the Madras Christian College and joined the civil service as a clerk in the Nellore collection and from there he rose rapidly through the ranks and became the Presiding Magistrate of Madras in 1917, a post he held until 1920. He also served as Chief Presidency Magistrate for a time. Awarded Rao Sahib in 1921 and Rao Bahadur in 1922, he became Dewan of Venkatagiri estate and later served as Collector, South Kanara and Additional District Magistrate Thanjavur. He was Dewan of Bobbili in 1925. He retired in 1929 and died in 1935.

Karthik then added that I am not that sharp of a guy because how can I forget that there was a photo of the man in the car. Illustrated Souvenir of the Indian Officers Corps, 1925? So I went after that tome and soon laid waste to Rajachar.

The signboard of Rajachar Street in T. Nagar has been placed at the intersection with Raghavia Road by Chennai Corporation | Photo Credit: Special Editing

If we are to go by the latest decision of the government, this road will soon become either Raja Sir (no caste here, just colonial title) or plain Raja Street. If the former is chosen, it will commemorate either Raja Sir Savalai Ramaswami Mudaliar or Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar. Apparently, music director Ilaiyaraaja is not far away and hence can well be cited as the reason for the adoption of the second version. Tragedy is when the real person commemorated is forgotten.

Why is it commemorated in T. Nagar? That massive housing colony and today’s urban nightmare, if you remember, was developed in the 1920s. Many of the leaders of the Justice Party were commemorated there by road names, and at that time, in a move that would be unthinkable today because to be worthy of such an honour, one has to be remembered either in politics or in films, many civil servants were also commemorated, almost all of them alive. This included the Presidential Judges. For example, Lodi Khan Street in T. Nagar commemorates P. Muhiuddin Khan Lodi, who was the third Presiding Judge between 1917 and 1920, when Rajachar was the fourth. He is now Lodi Khan and if he came back he wouldn’t recognize his name.

It would be better if the Corporation fixes the existing street names instead of changing them, as Ramesh suggested.

(Sriram V. is an author and historian)