Annanagar Aaravadhu Theru !

Annanagar Aaravadhu Theru !

( Annanagar 6^th Main road )

Annanagar Muthal Theru , a Tamil movie of 1987, starred by Sathyaraj and Ambika , may be known to Tamil film viewers . But Annanagar Aaravadhu Theru may not be familiar to all except for the people who lived long years there and loved that place .

Last week I had been to Dr.Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre in Annanagar 2^nd Avenue for regular check up. Normally after taking blood and urine samples in fasting stage , I have to wait for 1 ½ hour for the next sample after food .

 So to pass the time I came out  and visited nearest temple of  Lord Iyappa Swamy at the junction of Annanagar 6^th Main Road and 2^nd Avenue. 

That day  is special  for Hindus and in particular for Malayalees  as it was Onam festival day.  So after darshan   of the deity and spending brief time in the temple by chanting Hare Krishna , I moved out to visit the nearby famous Annanagar tower after long years.

Many residents of Annanagar  must be familiar of the tower and the tower park. But for me that land mark is known since 1969. When I was doing Pre-University Course ( PUC ) , the entire Annanagar area, there was a big Indian International Trade Fair , with lot of foreign country’s pavilions  went for more than a month. The Tower was constructed in the fairgrounds as a landmark building and named after Dr.M.Visvesvarayya , who was  a notable Indian engineer, scholar, statesman and the Diwan of Mysore during 1912 to 1918. He was a recipient of the Indian Republic's highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1955. He was knighted as a Commander of the British Indian Empire by King George V for his myriad contributions to the public good. Every year, 15 September is celebrated as Engineer's Day in India in his memory.

Of course after the Exhibition, Tamil Nadu Housing Board  made a large scale layout of the entire plot and a township  has come with few buildings in the starting. Roundtana  is a junction and the arch entrance of the trade fair  with a mascot is still intact.

Coming to Annanagar Aaravadhu Theru, I have some affinity to that street since my sister and brother-in-law moved to an individual newly constructed  house  belongs to  Ranipet Thatha within few years after marriage. So myself , my brother Gopi and  a close friend of ours ,Suresh, an Architect student at that time used to frequent that house , as Suresh  contributed for the  facelift and many changes to the house from the basement level.

From that day the house in V Block has seen generations of Ranipet Thatha , Sri.N.R.M.Swamy. Sekar mama family lived there for years and  Mohan mama family and Sampath mama family continue to live there. The elders and kids born and brought up there cannot forget the tower park .

But to my surprise , today , the tower park gives a great look with clean and tidy  and the  landscape architecture  is marvelous .

I walked through the neatly paved path ways with concrete blocks, in the short break . There are many locations separately  in the park for elders , kids , a small pond , an amphi theater , roller coast surface , badminton court , ponds and  a  long fountain front  leading to the main entrance from the tower.  

The back entrance in the 6^th Main road is beautifully designed with stainless steel revolving gates and steps . There is a walker’s association it seems. I was amazed to look at the tower park and wish to share few photos for the distance readers who once enjoyed their childhood days in that park. I remember , once I carried my nephew when he was 3 years old from the base to the top of the tower to excite him with the panoramic view of the new town , Annanagar !

Though Annanagar is now filled with concrete buildings , still there are avenues in some areas  giving oxygen to us. Shanti colony of present day is totally  different from the colony of 1970s’.

I was a native of Mylapore and spent half of my life there with kin and kin. But time has changed my domicile to Mogappair , a  friendly neighborhood of Annanagar. The stretch of 2^nd Avenue and Shanthi Colony has become  “Shopping Street “.

 I too love Annanagar and the  fond remembrance  of my time in 6th Main Road house, when I was doing my part time M.Sc  in Pachaiyappa’s college and my company was Poyyamozhi ( Arivu Akka’s brother ), who was also doing his PUC  as a day scholar and Sampath mama , an officer in IOB , Mount Road. I could recall my old neighbor families adjacent to our V block Akka’s place . Sekar , chitra , Manikkam and Maragatham of Chettiar family and  next to their house ,another kid Meena and Gopi’s family. All of them were  too young and very fond of me . I miss the the families for many years. Wish to visit once to renew my friendship to the grown up kids !

We celebrate Chennai’s 373^rd birthday , but we can celebrate the birthday of Annanagar also , probably 40 and odd  years old! Enjoy living in Madras , now called as Chennai.