Though the beach is an uninterrupted stretch of sand from the Harbour to Adyar and beyond, the name Marina is associated with the 3 ½ km distance between the mouth of the Cooum river and the Lighthouse. The idea of building a promenade alongside this stretch of the beach was that of Monstuart Elphinstone Grant-Duff, Governor of Madras from 1881 to 1886. Completed in 1884, he gave it its Italian name – the Marina.
The road that runs parallel to the Marina has been in existence from the mid-nineteenth century. Known earlier as South Beach Road, it was renamed Kamaraj Salai, commemorating a much-loved Chief Minister of the State. On the opposite side of the Marina came up several landmark buildings and institutions – The Madras University, Senate House, Presidency College, Chepauk Palace, the PWD Buildings, the University Examination Hall, the Ice House, Lady Willingdon Institute, Queen Mary’s College, the office of the Director-General of Police and the All India Radio. This row can be termed the cradle of the Indo-Saracenic form of architecture for it was here that beginning with Chepauk Palace (1750s), that style was conceived and perfected with Senate House (1860s).
The Marina became a place for relaxation, especially in the evenings. The affluent took the air in their carriages and later cars. In the old days a band was invariably in attendance on certain days of the week. With the setting up of the Corporation Radio in 1930, loudspeakers were installed on the beach for people to congregate and listen to the programmes.
The beach also became the venue for public meetings, especially during the Freedom Struggle. Remembering this, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi sculpted by DP Roy Chowdhury, then Principal of the Government College of Arts and Crafts, was erected here in the 1950s. Another of his works on the Marina is the Triumph of Labour, inspired by the landing of American troops at Iwo Jima. In 1968 the second World Tamil Conference was held in Madras. To commemorate this, the statues of several Tamil poets, writers, literary characters and scholars were put up along the Marina. Several statues also dot the pavement opposite and one of these is of Swami Vivekananda. He stayed for a week at the Ice House – the building in which, ice, a precious commodity in hot Madras, was imported from America, stored and sold, from the 1750s till 1860! It was while walking on the Marina that Vivekananda received an inner call urging him to travel to the Parliament of Religions at Chicago. Two Chief Ministers of the State, CN Annadurai and MG Ramachandran are remembered with grand memorials on the beach. K Kamaraj, is also commemorated here by way of a statue, as is Annie Besant the Irish woman who became an Indian patriot.
In the 1960s and ‘70s, the Marina spelt romance. This was one place where couples could steal off to and whisper sweet-nothings behind the boats that dotted the sand. Several Tamil films picturised this mood and the Marina was therefore much in demand for film-shoots as well. It has also been home to sports, physical fitness and the scouts’ movement. Several youngsters congregate here to play cricket and the Presidency Cricket Ground, maintained in all its pristine beauty is an inspiration. You can also see people briskly walking on the promenade. Bathing here however is a strict no-no for a deadly undercurrent is known to carry away all but the strongest swimmers. But standing in ankle-deep water and getting splashed by the waves is a great way to cool off
Even today, despite other entertainments, the Marina remains the one place where the common man can go with family or alone, feast on inexpensive eats such as shredded coconuts, diced green mangoes, boiled or fried grams and be one with nature. Perhaps it is by way of thanksgiving for this gift of nature that people descend here in thousands the day after the Tamil festival of Pongal. Kaanum Pongal as it is called, is uniquely celebrated in Chennai by way of a visit to the beach.
Successive Governments have spent a lot of money in beautifying the Marina. The latest effort has seen the addition of walkways, seating areas, gazebos and gardens. This unique lung has been threatened with development for over a century. Railway lines, public buildings and roadways have been planned along the beach, only to be scuttled following active public protests. But a bigger threat has been the litter that is found all along the beach and which eventually makes it to the sea. Governments have invested heavily in cleaning machinery but much depends on the people themselves. For it is only by protecting the Marina that we can retain it as a beautiful and therapeutic spot.
This write-up appeared here – http://www.xsreal.com/blog
Comments
18 responses to “A brief history of the Marina”
[…] In my weekly column in The Hindu, I returned this week to one of my favourites – V Krishnaswami Aiyer. This concerned the controversy that surrounded the installing of his statue outside Senate House. He became the first Indian to have a statue for himself on the Marina. […]
[…] Prager. In 1920, Sister set up a school for the children of the fisherfolk who lived near the beach. The Kuppam School as it was called began in Ice House. It was renamed the Lady Willingdon High […]
[…] He was the man who saw to the laying of the promenade along the beach, and which he first named The Marina. He interested himself in the Museum and added to its collection. His wife, to whom The Hindu was […]
[…] was mentioned in this column (April 3, 2012), his was the first statue to be put up on the Marina, inside the Senate House Park. Next week, on September 23, the statue, all cleaned and spruced up, […]
[…] This is perhaps the most aesthetic memorial in a city which otherwise puts up rather drab statues devoid of any artistic merit. It is also perhaps the only monument commemorating an actor’s debut. Sivaji has two other memorials – a full wall in the Shanthi Theatre complex that lists all the films he acted in with a host of other details, and a statue on the Marina. […]
[…] question of time before someone or the other began eyeing the largest open lung of the city – the Marina beach. In what can only be termed as a misguided attempt to provide recreation facilities, the Government […]
[…] with no harmony in design anywhere. If at all there is still a sole survivor, it could be the Kamaraj Salai (South Beach Road), which still retains much of its grandeur. There too, we have seen threats to […]
[…] you know the Marina Beach? The Man from Madras Musings alludes to the sandy strip by the sea that draws the populace in its […]
Hello. My family is involved in a project to document the life and history of Nemali Pattabhi Rama Rao (Diwan of Cochin from 1902-1907) who later became a close associate of T.Nambarumal Chetty. Would it be possible to get in touch with any of the descendants of Shri Chetty to seek information on Shri Rama Rao? Would be really grateful for any leads on this.
Regards,
Anuradha Venkatesh
[…] match, boxwallahs drowning business stresses in alcohol, freedom fighters staging meetings on the beach, pompous civil servants (call me “Third Member and don’t refer to me by name” says a […]
[…] kilometre cycle lane was to connect Fort St. George to Foreshore Estate, the route going along the Marina. Cycles for these users were to be available on hire at various places en route. The scheme was to […]
[…] would you classify the beach road aka Kamaraj Salai? Well kept is what we would consider it. A broad walkway on one side that affords a wonderful view […]
[…] MMM and said that while he enjoyed the presentation, he did not agree with MMM’s story on how the Marina Beach got its name. MMM in his defence said he had picked up the details from the Chief’s well-known […]
[…] Buildings – 5.00 to 5.15 pm Rattan Bazaar – 5.30 to 5.45 pm Marina – 6.00 to 6.30 pm Luz – 6.45 to 7.15 pm T Nagar – 7.35 to 8.05 […]
[…] Chennai is my favourite city to land in an airplane over. The runway at its Meenambakkam Airport is oriented such that planes often have to land after manoeuvring themselves over the Bay of Bengal, approaching the city over the Marina beach. As a result, especially at night, it becomes evident how Chennai ‘originates’ from its port, growing from there like a seed into a tumultuous urban jungle. The port has a pair of pincer-like structures jutting into the bay, into whose folds massive container ships – anchored offshore in the dozens – wait to arrive, conduct business and depart. The Marina, a 3.5 km long stretch of beach that abuts the port to one side, is not that brightly lit and is difficult to make out as such. However, you know you’re looking at the Marina because of the Kamarajar Promenade: 4 km long, wide, from Santhome Cathedral to the University of Madras. Being very well lit with white LED lamps, it appears like an eidolon keeping the placidity of the beach, and the pelagic deep beyond, apart from the chaos of the city. V. Sriram, Chennai historian, writes on his blog: […]
[…] Chennai is my favourite city to land in an airplane over. The runway at its Meenambakkam Airport is oriented such that planes often have to land after manoeuvring themselves over the Bay of Bengal, approaching the city over the Marina beach. As a result, especially at night, it becomes evident how Chennai ‘originates’ from its port, growing from there like a seed into a tumultuous urban jungle. The port has a pair of pincer-like structures jutting into the bay, into whose folds massive container ships – anchored offshore in the dozens – wait to arrive, conduct business and depart. The Marina, a 3.5 km long stretch of beach that abuts the port to one side, is not that brightly lit and is difficult to make out as such. However, you know you’re looking at the Marina because of the Kamarajar Promenade: 4 km long, wide, from Santhome Cathedral to the University of Madras. Being very well lit with white LED lamps, it appears like an eidolon keeping the placidity of the beach, and the pelagic deep beyond, apart from the chaos of the city. V. Sriram, Chennai historian, writes on his blog: […]
[…] and extended from Fort St. George all the way to Royapuram and beyond. Diametrically opposite ran South Beach Road, now Kamaraj Salai, and this connected the Fort to San Thomé. In comparison to the latter, which […]
Good one sir
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