Mr S Muthiah, with whom I worked very closely for over 20 years, passed away on Saturday, April 20, 2019. Over this week and the next, there is going to be a lot of writing on him by me. To many of you all of this may be repetitive but I request that you all bear with me. Writing on him is to me a therapeutic exercise and brings a sense of closure. It is also a small guru dakshina to him, a man who taught and gave me much, but took next to nothing in return.
Madras Loses its Chronicler
In the passing of S Muthiah on 20thApril, the city has lost its best-known chronicler. In the past several decades he made it his mission to bring to light the past of Madras (yes, to him it was always so) and document the achievements of men and women of the city. It was a matter of never-failing pride for him to list the number of firsts that the city could lay claim to in various aspects of life. Today, these are commonplace facts circulated on social media but had it not been for him, they would have been forgotten. Madras that is Chennai, as he referred to it in more recent times, was according to him sadly wanting in its respect for its past. At his prodding, it did improve to an extent.
Born on April 13, 1930 to VVrNM Subbiah Chettiar and Chittal Acchi at Pallathur, Muthiah had his education in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) and the United States of America. Returning to Colombo with a master’s degree in International Relations, he took to journalism, joining the Times of Ceylon, which he served for 17 years. In 1968, he moved to India, making Madras his home and working at TT Maps.
Passionate about the history of the city and appalled at the indifference with which it was treated, he wrote his first book, Madras Discovered, in 1981. Prepared essentially for tourist guides, it became a bestseller and as Madras Rediscovered, grew in size and information, going into several editions, the most recent of which came out late last year. Muthiah also documented the histories of numerous corporate houses and personalities of the city.
In 1991, Muthiah, along with Lokavani-Hallmark Press began Madras Musings, a fortnightly dedicated to the history, culture and heritage of the city. By 1996, the magazine, though popular, was financially unviable. This was when N Sankar of the Sanmar Group stepped in, and together with several other corporate houses of the city, ensured that the periodical continued without break. In 2016, Madras Musings, now owned by Chennai Heritage, a not-for-profit company, celebrated its silver jubilee.
In 1999, Muthiah began Madras Miscellany, his weekly column for The Hindu. Appearing each Monday, it had many readers hooked; its stories on the city being their staple read that morning. Numerous letters would come each week and these were duly published under the caption When the Postman knocked. It would be no exaggeration to state that Madras Miscellanywas closest to Muthiah’s heart and he delighted in the popularity it achieved. Miscellany completed ten years in 2009 and what was written till then was compiled into a book. Even then it established a record of sorts, being more or less the longest running column in the paper. At the time of his passing, Madras Miscellanyhad appeared 970 times.
Muthiah, along with others began the Madras Day celebrations in August 2004. This, over a period of time became Madras Week, and then Madras Fortnight and is now more or less Madras Month. Over 100 different organisations participate in this spontaneous celebration of the city. Another of his creations was the Madras Book Club, where booklovers meet each fortnight to discuss some work or the other.
It was a very fulfilling life, engaged as he was in what he loved most. He encouraged numerous people to write and played a key role in making the city a thriving cultural space. His last year saw him bravely battle an illness, which ultimately took him away. His wife having predeceased him, Muthiah is survived by two daughters, sons in law, grandchildren and an extended family of writers, heritage activists and cultural enthusiasts.
This obituary appeared in The Hindu dated April 21, 2019 and can be read here
Reciprocate your sentiments on the legend and feel safe that he passed on the baton to you, a worthy successor! History writing without prejudice is truly an art and glad that you are a beacon 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Thanks
Ashok
On Wed, 24 Apr 2019 at 10:05, Madras Heritage and Carnatic Music wrote:
> sriramv posted: “Mr S Muthiah, with whom I worked very closely for over 20 > years, passed away on Saturday, April 20, 2019. Over this week and the > next, there is going to be a lot of writing on him by me. To many of you > all of this may be repetitive but I request that you ” >
I completely endorse Mr. Ashoks’s words. You are a worthy successor. We will only be too happy to read more and more about Shri Muthiah , the great Chronicler.
May his soul rest in peace.
I completely endorse Mr. Ashoks’s words. You are a worthy successor. We will only be too happy to read more and more about Shri Muthiah , the great Chronicler.
May his soul rest in peace.
I searched each Monday in The Hindu for the stories MrMuthiah would write. I keep many & lent some of them to others. They gave so much useful knowledge besides entertainment. Ever since he stopped writing, I stopped reading the rest of the newspaper. I hoped that he would resume writing. I searched in Monday issues hoping to again see his stories. I was shocked to read of his death. He would kindly reply to my rare requests by email, despite being busy. I was pleased to meet him years ago in a meeting with publishers. He was a friendly & helpful person. With utmost grief I pray to God to keep his soul in peace.
With the passing away of the Chronicler of Madras, Mr. S. Muthiah, there is a sense of loss, as if the city has lost a part of it, the part that acted as a bridge to its illustrious past, with many an interesting tale and unknown anecdote, connecting people, places and things, where everything and everybody seemed connected to Madras. Now, it will be for the likes of Mr. V. Sriram to carry forward this glorious tradition, which has many followers, who will always remember Mr. S. Muthiah, his chronicles and above all, for Madras that is now Chennai.
Great man! Thanks Sriram for the fitting tribute.
When I heard the sad news, I passed the information on to my friend here in Seattle, Mr. Fred Kaplan, who worked for the Us State Department and was in the Chennai consulate during 2006-2009. This is what he wrote back.
“Hi Durai — I am very sad to hear about this. S Muthiah was a great man with a great love: Madras. I cherish the memory of the many times I chatted with him between 2006 and 2009. He was always smiling, enthusiastic and unfailingly humble despite the tremendous knowledge that he shared with such skill and flair. When you viewed his beloved city through his eyes, you couldn’t help but love it too. Fred”
Thanks to Fred, I read Mr. Muthiah s book, Madras Revisited. He was indeed a pioneering chronicler.
Durai Raghavan
Seattle, USA
Goodbye chief.
You helped so many of us discover and rediscover Madras. To read you was a pleasure, to know you was a privilege, and to hear you was a liberal education.