Kamarajar’s Memorial Home Being Ruined.
A.J. Balakrishnan, Director of the film ‘Kamaraj’, Expresses Anguish.
Appeal for the Chief Minister’s Intervention.
Twenty-nine years ago, in 1997, Mr. Vairavan—an aide to the great leader Kamarajar—took me to the Kamarajar Memorial Home in T. Nagar. The complex featured red-earth flooring, doors and windows that spoke of simplicity, the very electric lights that illuminated his reading, the ceiling fans that cooled him, and the vintage electric switches his hands had touched.
One’s heart would yearn, half-expecting to find him in one of the rooms…
Today, none of that remains. Students entering the house now would mistake it for the opulent mansion of a Zamindar (feudal landlord).
Under the guise of renovation, all its authentic characteristics have been obliterated; the home of a Chief Minister who subsisted on ration rice now resembles the White House.
In Dallas County, they have preserved—without altering its original character—the sixth-floor room used by the assassin who killed U.S. President Kennedy.
They even meticulously restore vintage cars worth five lakh rupees without compromising their original state.
The home of an invaluable national leader has completely lost its identity. It might as well be demolished; his image will endure in the minds of the people regardless of such ostentation.
When we filmed the movie Kamaraj at the house, we strictly forbade the crew from even spitting or rinsing their mouths within the premises.
On Kamarajar’s birthday in 1997, only about 15 to 20 people visited. There wasn’t even drinking water available at the memorial. From 1998 onwards, we began providing drinking water and Sakkarai Pongal (sweet rice pudding) to visitors. In recent times, there is hardly any space even to step into the premises of his house on his birthday. I mention this only to highlight my connection to the house, not out of any sense of self-aggrandizement.
A leader’s integrity is reflected in the simplicity of their living quarters and the objects they used; these serve as historical testaments.
I urge the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the Honorable Joseph Vijay, to intervene in this matter and restore the dignity of the ‘Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Memorial House.’
I request that the damaged electrical fittings be repaired, the dangling decorative lights removed, and the artificial lawns taken away, so that the natural character of this sacred site is restored.
When ‘Makkal Thilagam’ was the Chief Minister, he purchased this house from its owner, Mr. Govindaraju, and converted it into a memorial; no structural alterations were made to the house.
I request that you undertake the renovation and restoration work with the assistance of experts specializing in the preservation of memorials, ensuring that the site stands as a lasting tribute to his legacy for as long as Tamil Nadu exists.
You, too, will earn the distinction of having contributed to the enduring legacy of ‘Perunthalaivar.’
