Tamil writer Sivasankari talks about her memories of Mount Road
The Hindu
Writer sivasankari reminisces on Mount Road and her childhood and teenage
Sivasankari has just returned from Canada after receiving a lifetime achievement award for her contribution to literature and speaks about the city’s ever-evolving thoroughfare over coffee and her famous masala dosai.
“I was employed with the First National CitiBank (now CitiBank) between 1968 to 1971 as the public relations officer, and a new branch was opened on Mount Road. In those days, it was a fancy building with see through cabins and modern and fancy lighting systems, carpets and indoor plants. The lights were left on through the night and this would dazzle when you see it from outside even from a distance by passersby. This building was the talk of the town those days and needless to say that I was so proud of working out of this building,” she chuckles.
As a school student, Sivasankari was active in the National Cadet Corps and never missed parade practice conducted at the Island Grounds on Saturdays. “I remember my brother telling me a story about the Monroe Statue installed on the way to the Island Grounds. The stately Monroe statue was sculpted beautifully but the talented sculptor totally missed the stirrups... Whenever I see this stature, I realize or remember that everything has a flaw.”
An ardent movie buff, Sivasankari has never missed any Tamil, Hindi or English films and movie watching was a family affair. For English films they would go to The Elphinstone Theatre or the Sapphire Theatre. “Whenever we visit Elphinstone, we would visit the soda fountain, located at the entrance to the gate. It sold the best ice creams. I loved the Peach Melba. Would you believe it if I said that ice cream was served in a huge container with a big ladle and it cost just Rs 1.25 (onnekal ruba),” she asks.
In 1963, the Sapphire Theatre complex introduced the 70 mm screen for the first time in the city, and Sivasankari says that she saw this film a couple of times just for the grandeur of the film. “
Mount Road was also a shopping destination for the younger women of her family. While the elders preferred to shop at Nalli Silks and Radha Silk Emporium, the youngsters preferred India Silk House or Chellarams on Mount Road. “These two shops were well-known for fancy silks saris such as chiffons, nylon, printed silks, crepe and other fancy materials.”
In 1963, Sivasankari got married, and seven years later she moved to Villupuram, as her husband Chandrasekar had to take up his family business and run the factory over there. But she drove down to Madras every month, or sometimes even fortnightly. “One of the most iconic places on the stretch of Mount Road those days was the Spencers complex. During my monthly visits to Madras, I would go to Spencers mainly to get sausages, bacon, cheese, sauces, and eggs for my husband, who had lived in England, and preferred these for breakfast,” she says, fondly remembering her late husband.
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