Streets of Chennai and the one connecting Spencer Mall with Express Avenue [EA] Mall

Despite a continuing demand slump in the automotive industry, Sundaram Finance Ltd., reported a 15 per cent growth in net profit at Rs. 410 crore for the year ended March 31, 2013, up from Rs. 355 crore in the preceding year. The net profit figures, however, assume greater significance in light of the company voluntarily adopting stricter asset classification and provisioning norms.

 “We believe that since the new norms have been in the public domain for a while, it was better to swallow the bitter pill sooner rather than later. Despite this, our gross and net NPA stand at 1.04 per cent and 0.45 per cent, respectively, as on March 31, 2013,” said  Shri. T. T Srinivasaraghavan, Managing Director, while addressing reporters here. The Managing Director said the company saw highest ever net accretion of Rs.216 crore to deposits during the year under review. Since then, total deposits had crossed the Rs.1,500-crore mark, he added.The board, on Wednesday, recommended a final dividend of Rs. 4.50 per share. The company had already paid an interim of Rs. 4.50 per share.

There are streets in Triplicane, Chennai… ~  you have South Mada Street, Thulasinga Perumal Street, Car Street all related to the Temple… then there is Alangatha Pillai Street, Venkatrangam Pillai Street, Arumuga [Achari / Chetty] Street and the like; there is also Pycrofts Road [Bharathiyar Salai]; Bells Road [Babu Jagjivan Salai] and the like………..  Around our Office area, we have Whites Road, Woods Road, Binny Road, General Patters Road, Smith road, Patullos Road and more…  sad to note that mindless clerical errors sometimes distort the names of prominent roads in the city…

Going back into the annals of history, the East India Company was established in 1600 as a joint-stock association of English merchants trading to the 'Indies'. This 'new' East India Company was transformed during the second half of the eighteenth century from a mainly commercial body with scattered Asian trading interests into a major territorial power in India with its headquarters at Calcutta.  It paved way for the Colonial rule is not the subject matter of this post…. Most major cities retain some connection with its erstwhile rulers…. Here is something extracted from the National archives of UK. [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=059-iorlag_3-2_1&cid=-1#-1]

PATULLO, Archibald Erskine 1786-1824  Related information: L/AG/23/10/2 No. 23

Contents:

Madras Army, b 12 Feb 1786, d 23 Sep 1824

wife Isabella b 1798, d 21 Jan 1874

Henry b 8 Oct 1821

James b 10 Jan 1823

Ann b 28 Dec 1824, m 6 Jan 1846

~ and something more from ‘A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry; Or, Commoners of ...’ – by John Burke

Archibald Erskine Pattullo : Born: February 12, 1786 Carnbee

Father: John Pattullo b: 1748

Mother: Janet Halket Pattullo chr: 1755

Married 1: Isabella Brodie b: 1799 mar: 1820 India

Life: Captain Madras Cavalry

Died: 1824 Madras

If you are wondering what this is all about, the road that connects Whites Road with Mount Road [running just opposite to the famous Spencer Mall] and having another famous mall ‘Express Avenue’ Mall ……….is the “Patullo’s Road’.  The road is named after Archibald Erskine Patullo, a captain in the Madras Cavalry who died in 1824 when commanding the Body Guard. Shortly before he died, he lived in a house called Hick's Bungalow, which also become part of the Madras Club premises.

Our Office is close by and have some connection too..   “21 Patullos Road, Chennai” is the address of Sundaram Finance Ltd…..

A couple of years back the then Mayor Mr M Subramaniam mulled a proposal to name 52 Chennai roads after Tamil scholars.  At that time, it was told that roads and streets named after foreigners would be taken up by the Corporation during its council meet and a resolution would be sent to State Govt for renaming.   before sending it to the State government for final approval. It was a move to shake the colonial attachment ~ change  British names with the names of Tamil scholars and union leaders.  The road identified included : New Farrence Road, Stephensons Road, Cooks Road, General Collins Road, Frazer Road, Flowers Road, Millers Road,  Pantheon Road, Whannells Road, Montieth Road, Anderson Road, Moore's Road, Haddows Road, Greams Road, Binny Road, Patullos Road, Whites Road, Woods Road, West Cott Road, Murrays Gate Road,  …………………..

The move never came through…. Here are two names boards ~ the first one opposite to Spencer [the entrance presently of the one way] and the other one opposite to EA Mall… you can read for yourself the ‘names in Tamil’ and for sure at least one of them is a mistake…..and the English name also has changed from what it was intended to be !!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

29^th May 2013.

Source : The Hindu & Historian V Sriram.