The Avadi Story

Last week, I went to the Sir Ramaswami Mudaliar School in Ambattur to judge an elocution competition. The topic was (what else?) ‘If Chennai’s old buildings and streets could speak.’ Driving back, I reflected on how, if the neighbouring area of Avadi could speak, it would scream from the rooftops that its name is not an acronym for Armoured Vehicles and Ammunition Depot of India. If only that grand title could even be remotely true! Some progress has since been made, and Wikipedia now acknowledges that this is not true. But that has not silenced WhatsApp University.

The Origins of Avadi’s Name

In matters such as these, my go-to resource is always MacLean’s *Manual of the Administration of Madras Presidency*, 1885. There, he very clearly states that ‘Avady’ is a railway station nine miles to the northwest of Sydapett. He also helpfully adds, though this may be untrue, that the name evolved from Aa Kudi – the village of cattle. He further suggests that it represents the ancient Augoody Naud, by which he means an area classification going back to Chola times. I have, however, not come across such a reference anywhere else. What is clear, however, is that the name Avadi has been in existence at least since the 19th century, long before armoured vehicles and ammunition depots on a national scale were even dreamt of.

Dr Achanta Lakshmipathy’s Discovery of Avadi

We now come to another source – Dr Achanta Lakshmipathy, the renowned eye surgeon who, early in the 20th century, increasingly turned to Ayurveda and became its practitioner. In his reminiscences, he writes of Avadi in 1919. With his patient list growing, Dr Lakshmipathy faced the problem of arranging accommodation for them in Madras. He initially hired six houses in Harris Road (now Adithanar Salai), where he lived, and later expanded to a few acres in Guindy. But when the Racecourse began expanding, he had to move. Invited to treat a patient at Avadi, he spent a night there. Early the next morning, he went for a walk and was enchanted by what he saw. “I saw a beautiful lotus tank which was known as Antharadi Kolam. Due to the green paddy fields in the area it was a very pleasant sight in the month of December. Yagna was performed at this site in the olden days. There were huge peepul and neem trees. The actual name of the tank was Anantha Narayana DeekshituluKoneru. It seemed he had performed a yagna here in ancient times. There was forest all around.” It is impossible to believe that this was Avadi in 1919. What follows is even better – land cost Rs 100 an acre, and so he purchased four.

Arogya Ashrama and Hakim Nagar

He soon needed more land and learnt that around 112 acres were owned by Nawab Humayun Jah Bahadur. These were later acquired by the businessman and philanthropist C. Abdul Hakim. The land was initially leased at a concessional rate and later acquired. In gratitude, the area was named Hakim Nagar. By the 1930s, Dr Lakshmipathy owned 300 acres in Avadi, where he ran his health farm, Arogya Ashrama. The foundation stone was laid by Dr Jacob Aron Chowry Muthu, the TB specialist who founded the Tambaram Sanatorium. The Ashrama enjoyed great success through the 1930s.

War, Compensation and a Lasting Legacy

With the coming of the Second World War, the Government needed space for refugees and army regiments. It decided to take over Arogya Ashrama and paid compensation to Dr Lakshmipathy. Keeping with the spirit of the times, and that of his family – his wife was Rukmini, the freedom fighter – he decided to hold on to the money until a good cause arose. That opportunity came when his son-in-law, Dr B. Ramamurthi, became India’s first neurologist.

Under his management, the money went towards establishing a neurological block at the General Hospital and, later, another at the Voluntary Health Services, Taramani. Both buildings commemorate Dr Lakshmipathy by name. He passed away in 1962. Rukmini is remembered through Rukmini Lakshmipathy Salai, earlier known as Marshall’s Road.

How Avadi Became a Defence Hub

What of Avadi? With the war over and Independence achieved, the land came in useful for the Avadi Congress session of 1955. The area was temporarily renamed Satyamurti Nagar. By the early 1960s, defence establishments began coming up one by one – the Heavy Vehicles Factory, Engine Factory, Ordnance Clothing Factory and the Combat Vehicles and Research Establishment.

By the 1970s, this was indeed a defence area, bringing with it the apocryphal history of the place name.

What Remains of the Old Avadi?

Avadi today is a far cry from the place Dr Lakshmipathy describes. There is, however, an area called Tamarai Kulam, though of the lotus pond I saw no sign. Of Hakim Nagar, too, there is no sign. Perhaps it was swallowed up by the defence establishments.

This article appeared in The Hindu-https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/exploring-avadis-transformation-from-pastoral-retreat-to-defense-hub/article71605476.ece/amp/

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