Historian S Muthiah passes away at 89

CHENNAI : S Muthiah, one of the most eminent historians responsible for continuously documenting the city’s rich history and heritage since early 1980s, passed away on Saturday due to old age. He was 89.  He is survived by his two daughters and their families. His remains will be kept at the hospital till Monday, after which last rites will take place at the Mylapore burial ground. The countless number of articles, columns and books he had written about every aspect of Chennai will live on, as he had wished, to tell the city’s story to the coming generations.  

Popularly known as the ‘Master chronicler of Madras’, Muthiah, a month prior to his demise released the final third volume of Chennai’s first gazetteer. Titled as Madras Chennai- A 400-year Record of the First City of Modern India, Muthiah’s pet project spoke in depth about the city’s archaeology, geology, history, culture, heritage, food and cinema.

“On an international level, no one has done as much as Muthiah to document about a city’s history. Chennai has been his life-long passion. He never ceased to document an interesting aspect about the city even after several decades,” said S Suresh, Tamil Nadu State convenor of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), who worked along with Muthiah on the gazetteer.

The historian is fondly remembered by fellow historians and friends as a hard-working person who never wasted even a moment when it came to documenting the city’s story. “Whoever approached him would leave with a renewed vigour and passion for writing. He constantly encouraged students and youngsters to write at least 500 words everyday about anything they wanted to preserve as a memory. By combining his love for the city and his passion for journalism and writing, he preserved Chennai’s spirit in multiple documents,” said Sriram V, his friend and a well-known historian.  

Muthiah who was born in 1930 in Ramanathapuram district attended school in Sri Lanka and later pursued higher education abroad. Beginning his career as a journalist, he worked with The Times of Ceylon in Colombo for 17 years. Later, he joined the TT Krishnamachari Group as a cartographer. He made his first mark through his book titled Madras Discovered in 1981. This still remains as the most sought after book by people who wish to gain knowledge about the city’s rich history.The US Consulate-General in Chennai condoled the death of Muthiah.

Chennai’s 1st gazetteer
Muthiah, a month ago, had released the final third volume of Chennai’s first gazetteer. Titled as Madras Chennai - A 400-year Record of the First City of Modern India, Muthiah’s pet project spoke in depth about the city’s archaeology, geology, history, culture, heritage, food and cinema, telling the city’s complete history in depth