This close
All i would like to say is that …if everyone gets together… we can make sure its completely eradicated.
India has only suffered 1 case of wild polio since January. We are truly “this close” to ending polio forever.
Visit thisclose.net to add your pledge.
Heritage Walk – 31st July 2011
The 31st of July - a Cloudy Sunday Morning
The ‘Heritage Ride’ – These two words were the only words that came out of Mopsy’s mouth for a whole week prior to Sunday. I was almost sure I wouldn’t forget about it as a result! When Sunday morning arrived, I was all ready, though somewhere at the
back of my mind, I kept thinking, “Whats there to know about Madras?” Especially the Marina beach strip. I mean its just a straight road with buildings on one side and statues on the other side! Then at 5 am, the phone rang and I said “Yea Mops don’t worry we will be there!!” It was a lovely Sunday morning with the rain drizzling down outside my window and It was really hard to get out of bed.
Fast forward to 2 hrs later…
8:30 am
I have to say, this was an amazing Sunday and I would have had to slap myself if I had not gone on the ride, where Sriram Uncle (our guide for the morning) was telling us the history of all the buildings and how everything was built; who the architects were, the stories behind each building and the people involved in shaping the city we know today as Chennai. We started at the Light House and ended at Napiers bridge, a small stretch packed with history – most of which I wasn’t aware off.
To start, I didnt even know that there was a palace behind Madras University – the Chepauk Palace! Was really sad to see the dilapidated state it was in and how it has been maintained. Still, I was learning so much! Plus the architecture, as it looked to us from the outside was amazing. It was all Indo-Saracenic architecture! The architect being Robert Chisholm, who also designed the Madras University, Senate House, the Revenue board building, the Victoria Public Hall and the Post and Telegraph building just to name a few!
That was not all. We were also told that Queen Mary’s college was actually a hotel at some point and that it was called the Kappa House. Then about the Inspector General’s Quarters and how the Police got a hold of the area and developed it and the story of the AIR - All India Radio - dint know that Madras was the first city to get Radios!
I can go on and on about those 2 hours. They were awesome and perfect! What’s more is that were working hard to make this available to all you Reaxion Cyclists. Prepare to have your view of our city changed forever. Check back soon and visit our Heritage Ride page onCRXSports.com.
