A pillar that marks a neighbourhood

CHENNAI: When affordable housing projects were becoming reality, Madras of the early 1960s saw one-room tenements being razed to the ground and multi-storey apartment buildings giving way to neighbourhoods such as Nandanam and Mandaveli. The City Improvement Trust (CIT) was entrusted with the responsibility of erecting pillars which would commemorate the establishment of these areas. One such is the 15-ft

pillar

at

Mandaveli

5th Trust Cross Street, surrounded by houses, offices and a playground.

Referred to as just ‘The Pillar’ by residents, its significance and origin seems to elude them. "Devoid of any political symbolism, these pillars function as landmarks and also help mark crossings," said A Gopanna, a senior Tamil Nadu Congress member. He added that the official emblem of

Lion Capital of Ashoka

has been used on some pillars.

T N Ramanathan, former managing director of Tamil Nadu Housing Board, recalled, "The pillars were constructed in the 1960s to commemorate the humble beginnings of the CIT which was formed in 1947 to cater to the growing housing needs of Madras."

The trust, which is today known as Tamil Nadu Housing Board, helped neighbourhoods grow when people began migrating to urban areas in search of employment. These pillars are not just landmarks to shops and areas, but signify the birth and success of a few of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city.

Though the pillar has been cordoned off with grills, the inscription at its base is lost under the posters that have been plastered on it over the years.

But this concrete mini-tower painted yellow on top is so quintessential to the area that one of the nameless tea shops in the area has been christened ‘Pillar Tea Kadai’ on Google Maps, perhaps by a local who frequents it. A fact that amused historians who agreed this was news to them too.