Chennai: Former Chennai mayor M. Subramanian, a marathon runner and a yoga practitioner, turns author. His first book Mayor Pathaviyalla Poruppu (Mayorship is not a post - but a responsibility) released at the annual Chennai book fair here on Monday talks about the growth of Chennai along with the challenges and difficulties for those administrating Chennai.
He also advises on how yoga and a general fitness is a must for all. “Exercise and yoga helped me to manage the hectic schedule of being a mayor,” the author says in his maiden work that chronicles the city’s civic administration with shades of TN politics in it.
“For any newly elected mayor, first three months will go with felicitations, next four months will go with luncheon meetings and local tours and there are also sudden international tours eating almost a year. The post of mayorship is not an easy task particularly, if you are looking for results,” reads the opening lines of the book.
The concept of mayor for some extent had always been a ceremonial post with the Chennai mayor wearing a peculiar gown with a 100 sovereign gold chain and a silver scepter.
Before 1996, Chennai had no mayor for 24 years and it was during the mayorship of M.K. Stalin, people started understanding what a mayor can deliver to his city, reads the book.
The book refers to Madharasapattinam as a tiny fishing village during the early 16th century and explains how Madras corporation was formed in 1687 with a 10 square kilometers radius as its boundary.
It also has a chapter on erstwhile Madras Presidency dating back to 1953 and refers about its sprawling boundaries spread over Kanjam in Orissa, Godawari plains in Andhra, south Canara (part of Karnataka) and the entire Malabar (Kerala).
Giving credentials for British architects, the book also noted the effort of Sir Josiah Child for establishing the Madras corporation. The book also speaks about the name change of Madras to Chennai and justified why DMK leader M. Karunanidhi in 1996 rechristened the city by passing a government order.
The book also boasts of schemes taken up during the author’s mayorship period. Ban on posters, wall painting, introduction of English medium and montessori syllabus for corporation schools, rehabilitation for beggars and construction of new bridges are some of the schemes highlighted in the book what also reads like a political blog for few pages bringing in the Dravidian history.
