Art, history and culture join forces to declutter the streets around a famous temple in Chennai

When an event begins, it often gathers momentum on its own without any external pressure. The best time to outline an event is when it is spread out on the drawing board. Even better when it’s being quickly prepared for the stage. Loose ends remain open. And the organizers are so caught up in the last minute rush that they have forgotten to show their charisma and the headline-making sentences remain unsaid. It is in that raw moment that the true strength of what is being done is displayed; The genuine enthusiasm of those powering the activity is evident.

The Hindu Downtown Project Thiruvanmiyur Mada Street was inconveniently caught in the last hour before it was presented at an event (a two-day event) for all the stakeholders of the Mada roads around the Marundeswara Temple – residents, shopkeepers, temple goers, officials and even motorists. The project seeks to re-imagine the Mada streets around the temple: for now, only two of them, East Mada Street and North Mada Street. A detailed deck has been prepared on what these roads look like now and how they should look at all times.

A glimpse of the archival photo exhibition organized by Project Thiruvanmiyur Mada Street on 14th and 15th November. Photo Credit: Prince Frederick

The program and project that was launched exceeded the intended capacity, an effort clearly inspired by a passionate love for this place, which is often held hostage to neglect. A series of reckless acts, often coming together in a deadly cocktail of chaos.

Project Thiruvanmiyur Mada Street includes traditional sports. Photo: Prince Frederick | Photo Credit: Prince Frederick

Negligently parked vehicles. Cattle were allowed to roam carelessly on the roads. Garbage was thrown carelessly, ignoring the row of dustbins at the corner of East Mada Street and North Mada Street.

The project draws its driving force from the residents and lovers of this part of Thiruvanmiyur. The group consists of two architects and urban designers. Dhanya Rajagopal of The Thinking Cauldron lives in Legionowo, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland. Whenever she returns to Chennai, she comes back to her home in Thiruvanmiyur, the part of Thiruvanmiyur where she grew up. This personal reality inspires Dhanya to make the space pleasant for every stakeholder, by ensuring that vehicles are parked where they should be, and the roads are free of litter; And the movement of motorists and pedestrians is not hindered. Design Company:Lab’s other architect and urban planner Pavitra Sriram is also associated with the project in an individual capacity.

The November 14-15 event included a bill of fare – an archival photo exhibition, a history walk through the Marundheshwar temple, an exploration of traditional games that date back to the time when the temple was founded and a live sketching program – as much for the residents as it was for the residents. Live sketching was organized by Chennai Weekend Artists and the history walk around the temple was led by historian Pradeep Chakraborty and Vinita Siddhartha, founder of Krida Games.

Project Thiruvanmiyur Mada Street has ensured that four benches made of reclaimed wood will be installed, two on East Mada Street and two others on North Mada Street. , Photo Credit: Prince Frederick

And the archival photo exhibition was not born in a government archives department or a private archival facility, but was pieced together by residents digging out their old albums. View archival photos (including a photo of a Madras Flying Club aircraft making an unplanned, emergency landing on Thiruvanmiyur beach) at @projectthiruvanmiyurmadast on Instagram.

The organizers were giving out postcards with photographs of this part of Thiruvanmiyur to shopkeepers. These postcards can be purchased and the proceeds from their sale will be plowed back into the resources needed to support Project Thiruvanmiyur Maada Street. Four benches made of reclaimed wood, two for East Maada Street and the other two for North Maada Street will be placed there after the event.

Dhanya knows that this project is for the long term, as it requires negotiations and commitments from various stakeholders: on the official and government side, the HR&CE department and the Greater Chennai Corporation; On the social side, residents, shoppers and visitors.

This will require multiple conversations with different points of focus.