An idyllic residential area with superior infrastructure is how C.R. Balaji, a civic activist and long-time resident of Mandaveli, sums up the area in which he was born and brought up.
“Primarily residential, the area was filled with independent, two-storied houses with small gardens. Infrastructure was one of the strong points of the area,” recalled the 53-year old.
“Many parts of Mandaveli remained unaffected during the 2015 floods in Chennai, thanks to a superior stormwater drainage system, built decades ago,” Mr. Balaji said. He said around 1950, the City Improvement Trust neatly carved out plots and sold them to prospective buyers, at around ₹20,000 a ground. “Those plots are now worth crores,” he said.
Sports was something that brought the area together. Mr. Balaji said there were always children playing cricket on the roads and come Saturday or Sunday, residents of the area would make a beeline for the Alphonsa Ground nearby to play football, cricket or basketball.
“The P.S. Higher Secondary School Ground near our area used to host cricket league matches that were extremely popular. Most of us who grew up in Mandaveli would go there to see the matches or play cricket,” he added.
The ever-bustling Mandaveli bus terminus, even back then, was one of the landmarks of the area. “The presence of the terminus has been useful for us residents. I remember my grandfather used to take a bus to the beach to go for a walk regularly,” he said.
Hotel Prakash, opposite the terminus that was closed down a few years ago, was a popular haunt for the residents and visitors to the area, through the years, Mr. Balaji said.
The other landmark, he said, was the Mandaveli Post Office building, which was inaugurated in 1907, and was demolished a few years ago.
While several streets in Mandaveli at present, are lined with trees, Mr. Balaji said this was not always the case. “Conscious initiatives by residents were undertaken after the 1970s to plant saplings and make the area greener,” he said.