Madras War Cemetery gardener gets honorary British Empire Medal

Perumal Venkatraman given the award for taking care of 2,000 plants at the cemetery

Thousands of people visit the Madras War Cemetery to pay their respect to their loved ones. Despite the searing heat and sudden floods and severe damages, one man and his small team goes to great lengths to maintain this cemetery.

For this service, Perumal Venkatraman, head gardener at the cemetery, has been awarded with an honorary British Empire Medal for his outstanding work. On Wednesday, British Deputy High Commissioner Oliver Ballhatchet presented the award to him.

Mr. Venkatraman began working at the cemetery when was 19 and has served as a gardener for nearly three decades. He has 10 more years of service left and the enthusiasm is growing. “There are nearly 2,000 plants. On several occasions, the floods have ravaged the plants and I had to start from scratch. But I did not mind that at all. These plants and this work have given me nothing but pure joy these last 30 years,” he says.

Paul Dryden, deputy head of mission, British Deputy High Commission, Chennai, said Mr. Venkatraman heads a small team but ensures that the cemetery is impeccable. “All graves are spotlessly cleaned and are beautifully kept despite the harshness of Chennai weather. This lies in the middle of modern India and is a perpetual memorial to those who fell in both World Wars as well as a place of reflection for those who visit,” he said.