Freedom markers of Chennai’s Mount Road
Much of the history of the freedom struggle in our city is centred on areas such as George Town, the Marina, Thiruvallikeni, and Mylapore, though Mount Road has several freedom markers
On Independence Day, a walk was undertaken to commemorate the freedom markers of Mount Road in Chennai. The route began at The Hindu, a newspaper that advocated for freedom. The participants received a freshly printed copy of The Hindu's August 15, 1947, edition. Next, they visited The Mail, whose offices were next door and which supported British interests.
Chellaram's showroom, where Mahatma Gandhi had asked Congress volunteers to picket shops selling foreign goods, was also part of the walk. Blackers Road marked the site of the Gaiety Palace, where the film Thyaga Bhoomi was screened in 1938. The walk continued to the VGP building, once the offices of Swadesamitran, and the DBS Building where Saraswathi Stores once stood.
The ban on Bharathi's songs was lifted in 1947 with the help of Avinashalingam Chettiar, a minister at the time. Meanwhile, a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi outside Higginbothams was a symbol of the struggle to establish copyright. An empty pedestal at Spencer junction stood where the statue of Col. James Neill once was, a symbol of British victory in 1857.
The Greater Chennai Corporation should consider blue plaques to commemorate these landmarks, as many unknown heroes and heroines were involved in the struggle for independence.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
