Roof of Subramaniya Bharathi Memorial in Ettaiyapuram collapses

Bharathi Memorial's first floor roof collapses, prompting government assessment and renovation plans for the historic poet's ancestral home.

The roof of the first floor of Bharathi Memorial, the ancestral home of poet Subramaniya Bharathi, on Perumal Kovil Street in Ettaiyapuram of Thoothukudi district, collapsed on Tuesday (March 25,2025) evening.

Since the mishap occurred after working hours, no one was injured, though some of the furniture was damaged. As the collapsed roof fell on the roof of the ground floor, the lime mortar roof of the ground floor and the reinforcement timber too were damaged.

On information from the curator Mahadevi, revenue officials, including Ettaiyapuram Tahsildar Subha, visited the spot to assess the damage and find out the cause of the mishap. Subsequently, the TANGEDCO snapped the power supply.

Local residents claimed the maintenance of Bharathi Memorial was far from satisfactory, and that the incident could have been easily averted if the rainwater stagnating on the roof of the first floor of the house had been drained properly by de-clogging the rainwater pipes at regular intervals.

The revenue officials said the government had allotted funds in the 2025-2026 Budget for renovating 17 memorials across Tamil Nadu, including Bharathi Memorial.

The Tamil Nadu government purchased the ancestral home of poet Subramaniya Bharathi in 1973 when M. Karunanidhi was Chief Minister and converted it into a memorial. The government has appointed a curator at the memorial, where a part-time library is also now functioning. The public can visit the memorial between 9.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day.