In the passing of S. Muthiah, the city of Chennai has lost an invaluable link with Madras and its heritage. His weekly columns in this daily were not only informative but also provided several leads to readers to carry out further research and documentation. Thus the story of Madras got bigger with each passing column. I am especially grateful to him for having helped in the writing of the book, Life and Legacy of Madras Christian College (1837-1978). Residents of Chennai, especially the readers of this daily, should explore ways of perpetuating the contributions of S. Muthiah.
Joshua Kalapati,
Chennai
A friend from Chennai just telephoned to share the news of the passing of the heritage expert, whose writings have been eagerly followed by thousands of readers. Living in a remote village in Arunachal Pradesh, where the paper itself reaches a week later, I have often had to spend hours poring over old copies of The Hindu when I come to Chennai every six months, hunting for items I may have missed reading. S. Muthiah’s stimulating stories were one feature. Perhaps The Hindu could bring out a collection, so that those who have missed these gems would get a chance to re-read them. These articles will remain as some of the finest examples of documentation of history.
S. Mundayoor,
Tezu, Arunachal Pradesh