Tamil Nadu

Master chronicler of Madras no more: S Muthiah passes away at 89

The writer, who was famous for his columns in The Hindu had chronicled the rich heritage of Chennai city for decades.

Written by : Manasa Rao

Renowned city-based chronicler and writer-journalist S Muthiah passed away in Chennai on Saturday. He was 89. The news was announced by his friend and historian Sriram V on Twitter. “Farewell S Muthiah - The Chronicler who kept Madras history and heritage alive for decades. My guru, guide, philosopher and friend,” he wrote.

Muthiah was born in 1930 in the erstwhile Madras Presidency, in what is today the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. He attended school in Colombo, Sri Lanka and went abroad to pursue higher education. Launching his career as a journalist after a Master’s degree in the United States, he worked with The Times of Ceylon newspaper in Colombo for 17 years. He rose to be second-in-command of the newspaper but could not make it to the top since the country required media chiefs to be Sri Lankan nationals and Muthiah’s application for citizenship was rejected. 

Uniting with his parents in Chennai after his newspaper stint, Muthiah took up a job as a cartographer with the newly-launched TT Maps by the TT Krishnamachari Group to publish a tourist guide of the city. His seminal book on the city's rich history and heritage was published in 1981, titled Madras Discovered. The book, which is the go-to on Chennai for history enthusiasts has undergone several re-prints and was subsequently named, Madras Rediscovered.

He was best known for his popular column in The Hindu, called Madras Miscellany, which arrived with the newspaper every Monday morning.

Despite religiously archiving the city, its culture, and people for over five decades, Muthiah did not wish to be identified as a historian. Speaking to Bishwanath Ghosh of The Hindu, he had said, "I am a chronicler, I am not a historian."

The column, which launched in 1999, chronicled snippets about the city and included everything from why a particular bylane was so named to the uneasy relationship that British colonisers had with their subjects in Madras. It included a section called 'When the postman knocked' which answered questions from curious readers.

He was awarded the the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2002 for his accomplishments.

Upon his retirement in 1991, Muthiah launched his own fortnightly newspaper called Madras Musings in English with the tagline, "We care for Madras that is Chennai." The tabloid format paper, which also exists online, was sponsored by Chennai Heritage, a non-profit set-up by Muthiah and other heritage conservationists.

Condolences have been pouring in for Muthiah, with him being dearly remembered by people as a great historian and heritage buff. 

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