Chennai: In 1913, a group of British engineers on a daily basis had brainstorming discussions at the then Madras Railway headquarters on how to construct the railway line connecting Madras beach and Tambaram. They would gasp at the seven sprawling water tanks between Chetpet and Tambaram and wonder how to complete the ongoing railway track construction works on the stretch, reveals Southern Railway Chennai division public relation officer Om Prakash, an avid blogger on Chennai and railway issues.
The railway official, who had also been cataloguing the development of Chennai railway division and the historic Nilgiri mountain railway, shared details related to railway maps etched out during 1920s and 30s, when the first electric train started running between Chennai beach and Tambaram.
When you go through the railway maps and the letters exchanged between the erstwhile railway companies, the then Madras was such a beautiful city blessed with sprawling lakes and ponds. Mylapore tank spread from Mylapore to Nungambakkam.
In the past, areas like Kodambakkam, Saidapet, Mambalam and Tambaram, which are now a concrete jungle supporting suburban railway stations, had a beautiful biodiversity mixed with water bodies and paddy fields.
Showing a few railway related pictures painted by Southern Railway artist M.A. Sankaralingam, the spokesperson also admits that history had taken a beating owing to development of Chennai.
“I have been painting the railway engines and old prototypes for years and Southern Railway with Madras, as its headquarters is a delight for an artist like me”, says Sankarlingam, who has sketched a black and white picture resembling Madras Central in 1906.
When you talk about the steam engines or the Nilgiri mountain railway they just remind about the Madras and its legacy, adds Sankaralingam thanking former railway administrators for their creative thoughts and artistic vision.
“I will be the last artist of Southern Railway and I know that the artist post will be surrendered after my retirement in a couple of years,” Sankaralingam says.
