Once the heart of Indian Home Rule movement, Chennai’s Gokhale Hall awaits restoration Premium

Gokhale Hall, a forgotten landmark in Chennai, awaits restoration to revive its glorious past as a hub of cultural activities.

Whoever said that a glorious past doesn’t necessarily ensure a secure present could not have been more accurate in the case of Gokhale Hall.

Situated on the busy Armenian Street in George Town of Chennai, the century-old decrepit building has faded from common memory despite still standing tall in full public view. What was once a landmark for political and cultural activities and a hub for the youth has now embraced a wretched silence, burdened as it is by wear and tear over time.

Wall trees have taken over the façade turning the building into a living ruin. People using the road pass by without even offering a glance at the once glorious centre of socio-political and cultural activities in Chennai.

“I heard that many chief ministers have come here. I feel sad looking at the building,” said Narayanan, who works as the watchman at an adjacent building. “The government should take it up and restore it. Look, the iron grillwork is still intact,” he said pointing towards the upper floors.

This building’s past is as glorious as its present is desolate.

It all began in 1914 when Young Men’s Indian Association (YMIA), a trust to promote cultural, social, and political activities of Indian youth, began operating out of this building, which was built using resources of Dr. Annie Besant. The following year, the domed central hall was named after Gopal Krishna Gokhale, a moderate political leader who was the president of the Indian National Congress in 1905 and is widely considered to be the mentor of Mahatma Gandhi.

Since its inception, the Hall has played host to many eminent leaders of the freedom movement like Jawaharlal Nehru, S. Satyamurti, Morarji Desai, and K. Kamaraj, besides being the venue for Annie Besant’s ‘Wake Up India’ series of lectures. When Dr. Besant started the Home Rule Movement in 1916 on the lines of the Irish Home Rule Movement, the Gokhale Hall became a hub of political activities related to the movement.