106-year-old Brit-era plaque turns stepping stone for Trichy eatery

TRICHY: In utter disregard for history, a 106-year-old stone plaque installed to commemorate the coronation of British Emperor King George V is being used as a stepping stone by a roadside eatery on Thippiran Thotti Street in Trichy. A closer reading of the tablet reveals that it was installed along with a public tap to celebrate the event.

Public water taps, a luxury in the 1900s, were set up by influential people in the erstwhile Trichinopoly district of the Madras Presidency as an act of generosity. Two such water taps — one on Allimal Street near Big Bazaar Street and the other at Thippiran Thotti Street near East Boulevard Road — were gifted by K Govindasamy Naidu and Krishnaswamy Pillai on December 12, 1911.

‘Such relics must be protected by govt’

Senior citizens recall that old Trichy encompassing East Boulevard Road and Rockfort vicinity had some influential residents who supported the British. While the tap in Allimal Street is still working fine, the one in Thippiran Thotti street is damaged. “Such historical relics should be protected by the authorities. These monuments speak about the heritage of Trichy and perhaps must be two of the oldest public water taps in the state,” said H Ubaidullah, a city-based social worker. Official records state that a royal ceremony was held at the Coronation Park near Nirankari Sarovar in Delhi in the second week of December 1911in which George V and Mary of Teck were officially proclaimed emperor and empress of British India. It was to commemorate the event organised under the auspices of Delhi Durbar, that Naidu and Pillai gifted the public taps to the local people.

Though proclamation durbars (public reception) were held in 1877, 1903 and 1911, records say that the durbar held in 1911was significant as George V participated in it. Commemorating their significance, many influential people across the provinces of British India had taken up public service activities. When contacted, Trichy corporation officials said that efforts would be taken to restore the damaged public water tap on Thippiran Thotti street.