Namma Chennai paiiyan Karthi, gets nostalgic looking at these gorgeous illustrations of old-school Madras by artist A.P. Shreethar and fond childhood memories soon start coming to his mind. In a chat with us, the Madras actor picks out memories from some of his favourite spots...
Spencer Plaza
SPENCERS BUILDING AT MOUNT ROAD
I was probably in the first standard, when my dad used to take us there in his Fiat car. It used to be a red coloured building and it was the only big shopping mall here! Every Friday, we used to visit the place and there was a reason to it — there used to be a roadside ice-cream shop in front of Spencers and each day, the shop offered a different flavor. Fridays used to be mango flavor, which we were most fond of!
THE MARINA BEACH
Appa had the regular habit of walking by the beach every morning. I used to accompany him on many days — and one could see popular faces like Kalaignar Karunanidhi, Muthuraman uncle and Jai Shankar uncle out on walks too — Chennai was a small community then.
The beachside Buhari Hotel was very famous then for their speciality item — Peach Melba ice cream. We used to walk up to Seeranai Arangam to see the ‘idi thaangi’ (one which withstands and thrusts thunder and lightning onto the ground). I also love the beautiful Madras University and IG office building nearby.
CENTRAL STATION
The most preferred mode of transport for us was the train! We used to go to our native place as a family via the railway, and I used to wake up very early, sit near the window and enjoy looking at the backyards of houses. Another fun incident that comes to my mind was the trip to Goa in an unreserved compartment!
Madras Harbour
MYLAPORE
Since I studied at St Bede’s School and had my tuition classes there, as well as went to school by bicycle, I knew every nook and corner of Mylapore! We knew where special items like badam milk and keera vadai were available and we never missed it.
SANTHOME CHURCH
The church is situated in the next compound of my school! I used to go there every morning, pray and then go to school. We used to keep our bags outside the church before going inside. One day, it got very late and in a hurry without taking the bag, I rushed to class. I promptly got caught my teacher, so I told him I’d visited the church.
He asked me, ‘There is a chapel inside the school, so why do you want to go to the church next door?’ To which I replied, “Adhu power sir. We have a Venkatachalapathy temple in the city, but is it equivalent to visiting the Tirumala Temple?’ Those were such cherished moments!
MUSEUM theatre
Whenever we got time, we went to the Museum Theatre to watch plays. It has got a fantastic sound system.
RIPON BUILDING
Though, I’ve never been there, I love the architectural beauty of the building.
MADRAS HARBOUR
I visited harbour for the first time when I did Aayirathil Oruvan. Since I played a daily labourer (coolie), I did lot of research on how they do it practically.
JETTY NEAR NAPIER BRIDGE
After the Napier Bridge, there used to be a jetty (a stretch of coast) and from college, we usually went till the end on bikes and rode back. You can see the entire beach view from there, which is fabulous. It was situated on the naval road and it is unfortunately closed now.
