My Early Days at Tambaram

Dr.B.Mangalaraj Arthur, Retd., Professor, Dept.of.Physics, M.C.C., Tambaram.

On the 7th of December 1941, Japan declared war on USA and Britain. I was then studying in the Madras Christian College High School in the sixth form. Our School was situated opposite to the High Court. The war had come near our shores and we were trained what to do in the event of an air raid. The school was closed in February itself and our Head Master Mr. Kuruvilla Jacob made arrangements for us to write the SSLC examination at Madras Christian College, St. Thomas Hall. This was my first contact with the College.

Since the Japanese were preoccupied elsewhere, India was spared, and the Schools and the Colleges reopened as usual in June 1942. But Madras Christian College High School was divided into three branches; one functioned at George Town (in the old place), the other at Chetpet (its present location) and the third branch at Selaiyur Hall. My Father Mr. E. C. Bhagyam was put in charge of the Selaiyur branch. My association with Selaiyur Hall started then. The School occupied all the class rooms in the Hall and some of the teachers stayed in the Hall.

I joined the College as a non-resident in 1942 and I was allotted to the Selaiyur Hall. Rev. R.S. McNichol was the warden of Selaiyur Hall. Most of the non-residents came from the city and a few from Chengalpet. There was a College Express which arrived at Tambaram at 9.30 A.M. This double unit train would stop at every station up to Saidapet and run non-stop from Saidapet to Tambaram. It served the students of Loyola, Pachaiyappas and the Engineering College, the only Colleges that existed then. The Principal Dr. Boyd attended morning prayers in each hall by turn, covering all the halls in one week. The classes and the College administration ran like a well-oiled machine. During the class hours no student was found loitering outside the main building.

I joined the College in 1942 which witnessed the stormy days of the WWII and the ‘Quit India’ movement. The political unrest and the uprising by the students disrupted the normal academic schedule in other institutes. Dr. Boyd handled the situation with tact and sympathy and identified himself with the nationalistic aspirations of the students. He allowed full freedom to the students to display their political patriotic fervor, but with restraint. Dr. Boyd’s masterly handling of the situation earned the rich tribute from no less a person than Rajaji. Dr. Boyd admitted even students from other institutions who were expelled for participation in the national movement.

During the academic year, we had weekly tests on the last hour on Wednesdays and those who failed had to write the re-tests on Saturday mornings. The academic pattern was different those days. The two year intermediate program was followed by two year B.A, B.Sc courses or three year (Hons) courses. A two year P.G. program was also offered to the students who completed B.A, B.Sc degrees. The prestigious ‘Honors’ courses were specially meant for meritorious students. R. Venkateswaran who stood first in the first I.A.S examination came from this stream of the college. Eminent scientists like Dr. Raja Ramanna and Dr. E.C.G. Sudarshan, and eminent administrators like Mr. T.N. Seshan, Mr. M.M. Rajendran, and Mr. K. Ragunath, to name a few, were B.Sc. (Physics Hons.) students.

The College was then mainly residential and only about 200 of the 800 students made the daily trip to Tambaram. A dedicated community of resident teachers guided and moulded the character of the student body. Every student was carefully monitored and counselled by a personal tutor whenever necessary. Even Gemini Ganesan, who went on to become a famous actor, was a residential tutor. We had three messes at Selaiyur (Vegetarian, NV special, NV ordinary) and the average mess charges came to about Rs.30/- per month. There was also a European mess meant for overseas students. The vegetable puffs of St.Thomas’ Hall Nambiar mess were very famous.

When I entered the Tambaram campus, it was only four years old. The College looked fresh, bright and glittering and the roof was bright red. The greenery just started and Dr. Boyd was very much concerned about the upkeep of the green lawns. No student dared to trespass the green lawns fearing the eagle eyes of Dr. Boyd who jealously guarded the precious lawns.

In the late forties, touring talkies came to Tambaram. It was set up where Vidya theatre exists now, which was then an open ground. It was greatly patronized by our students. After seeing the film once, it was possible to refresh one’s memory by standing outside the tent on succeeding days as there was nothing to block the sound waves. The tents were old, there were many openings and when the wind obliged, we could see the screen with short breaks. This was my first lesson in digital communication! The College then was happily free from red tape and bureaucratic regulations. Usually, outstanding old students were chosen for faculty appointments. My Professor Dr. M.A. Thangaraj asked me one day to meet him at his residence and warmly greeted me by saying “Congratulations! You are now my colleague”. That was the appointment order I received, which was valid till I retired in 1985.

Even though my association with M.C.C as a student, as a faculty member, as a warden and as a bursar for a short period, has lasted for more than six decades, what remains fresh in my memory still is the happy memory of those impressionable days in the early history of the campus. As we grow older, we remember the very early days much better than the recent past. So I stop here leaving the later history to the present generation. I was fortunate to be a student when MCC started its life at the new Tambaram campus with hope, faith and commitment. And I was fortunate to witness the selfless service of the Scottish missionaries who laid the foundations with zeal, vision and dedication. I am reminded of the line of a poet:

“Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive; but to be young was the very heaven”