Dog Days

 Madras - Chennai - celebrated its 369th birthday on 22nd August 2008. A week of celebration goes on in the city.  Francis Day came ashore near the present day Fort St George, a barren empty stretch of hot sandy beach, on 22nd August 1637. He probably landed in the afternoon when the sea breezes had set in. We are fortunate he did not come in May - he may not have survived the heat and there would have no birthday celebrations. 

Day obtained the land grant from the local Nayak in 1639 and the construction of the factory and settlement started in 1640.There are no detailed written records of how Day managed all this. His first summer in the sandy stretch must have been a revelation to even the hardened Day. People who came to the east from Europe were a tough lot. Day had been conditioned to a tough life by his schooling in Eton. Jumping naked in winter into the freezing Thames was a regular activity for the Eton boys. Imperial hauteur and hubris must have prevented him from bathing naked in the beach or in the river Cooum. He did not want the natives to see him without his uniform or give the impression that the heat was getting him down. He was tough and he lasted and was the agent of Madras for two terms after Cogan. A pity that he did not leave his memoirs of summer days in Madras. 



Landing in Madras

For those of you who do not know about Madras and its glorious summer a few words will be in order. It is hot and humid in Madras all the year round. The rains in October - November some times accompanied by cyclones brings down the heat. A feature of Madras is the sea breeze in the afternoon which gives some comfort. But come the months of May-June, Madras turns into a hot steaming cauldron with the already hot temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius. The sea breezes take a holiday. There are places in India hotter than Madras but every one who has felt it will confirm that there is nothing to beat it. 

Francis Day and Andrew Cogan were the first Brits to battle and survive the Madras summer. How they did it we do not know. During the next three centuries the British adopted various means of beating the heat, and not only surviving, but also thriving. First they named the hot days “dog days”. Why this name, we do not know. Most likely during the summer they panted like dogs after a brisk run. This name for the Madras summer was used till the end of World War 2 and the British departure from India. 

If the British had followed the native  methods of dealing with the Madras summer they would have been far more comfortable. Their sense of imperial destiny made them shun this method. The natives went semi naked, and avoided the hottest part of the day. They wore cotton calicos. This was not on for the British. They had to be dressed in their red woollen serge dress whenever they went out and whatever the time of day. Some of them did adopt the Nabob’s dress and even had native mistresses but this was frowned on and soon went out of fashion.

The natives used a hand fan made palm leaf to fan themselves in the hot humid summer. The British redesigned this device on a big scale and made it into a punka operated by natives.

Bathing in the sea or river was a very effective way of cooling down but was not on. They got over this by having indoor ponds or swimming pools away from the native eyes. In big clubs these became very popular and were filled in summer with pink ladies and gents. Most swimming pools were closed to natives even in early part of 20th century! 

Drinking a lot fluid is a time honoured remedy for beating the hot days. The local water was not very safe and so the Brits adopted the European custom of taking fluids mixed with wine or gin. The water tasted better and they thought safer but they did not realize the long term effects. Anyway, it did not matter, as life spans were short. The kick and taste were worth it. Madras became one of the biggest importers of Madera wine.

With the Carnatic Wars won and Tippo Sultan safely off the scene, trade and commerce improved and Madras became richer. It was difficult to drink in the ‘dog days’ and the Madras traders hit on the idea of towing big blocks of ice from Boston. The Tudor Ice Company was formed and ice was successfully towed to Madras and stored in the basement of a building on the Marina called Ice House. This building still stands. The ice made the drinks very enjoyable - only, they encouraged excessive drinking.



Ice house

Madeira wine and gin withstood the long sea voyage to India, but the beers had to wait for the inventiveness of the English brewers. In the late 18th century London Porter and India Pale ale were brewed to withstand the long sea voyage. Increasing the alcohol content and hops did the trick. Whisky was also imported but not so popular till the soda water was locally made. A very wide variety drinks were now available to beat the dog days.



Punka boy, Gin & Madeira drinks, Sahibs relaxing with dogs on a dog day.  

The making of soda water locally was mastered. It was assumed to be safer, the carbon dioxide making it slightly acidic. The greatest discovery of the British in India (probably in Madras) was Tonic water. Taken with Gin it became a life saver to beat the dog days and a prophylactic for malaria. 

The following extract from Q tonic explains how tonic water took over British India and still continues to rule the world.

‘Tonic water was first enjoyed in 1825 when ingenious (or hard drinking, depending on how you look at it) British officers in the Indian Army improved their bitter anti-malaria medicine—Peruvian quinine extract—by mixing it with soda water, sugar, and gin. Instead of drinking the medicine with their troops at dawn, the officers figured out how to enjoy it at cocktail hour. The original gin and tonic was born, and it soon became the quintessential drink of the British Empire.’ 

Gin and tonic, probably first made in Madras, was to become an all time great drink all over the world to beat the summer heat and the dog days. Made by an expert barman with a good tonic water and English Gin, it is a classic drink of all times.

A Madras company -Spencers- till recently made a wide variety of flavoured carbonated drinks. Soon ice was made in Madras and so was gin. The South India Ice Factory near the Egmore station was in existence till about thirty years ago. Preservation of meat was made possible. Ice blocks were used to cool the sahib’s rooms and train compartments.

Well settled, after routing Tipoo in the south and the Mahrattas in the north, towards the last quarter of the 19th century the Brits set up clubs in Madras for their social and sports activities. These were havens for the unfortunate Brits who had to swelter during the dog days. The mad ones played even played cricket in plus 100 degree heat and 100 percent humidity!



A Club in Madras to beat the dog days

All these were temporary palliatives for few hours. The Brits solved the problem for the top echelons by shifting the headquarters of their Indian operation to Calcutta. Those left behind to hold the fort in Madras had to survive the dog days as best as they could. 

The Madras Brits were a innovative lot and exploration and curiosity were second nature to them. John Sullivan discovered the Ooty hills near Coinbatore. This was a little England with undulating downs and a cool misty summer climate reminiscent of English spring. No time was lost to build a road and mountain railway to transport the sahibs. The local government also closed shop during the dog days in Madras and shifted to Ooty. Soon the maharajas moved in and proper society was formed where the Imperial lords held sway during the dog days in the plains. Riding, racing, hunting foxes in the day and dancing and drinking in the evenings, they enjoyed the bracing climate.

The opening of Darjeeling near Calcutta and Simla near Delhi followed in the north. The British Raj was saved till the discovery of air conditioning in the 20th century. The really inventive period of the Brits attempts to survive the dog days in Madras were before the twentieth century. This was when they had to battle the problem by using local methods. In the present century with all the help of modern technology we tend to underrate the achievements of the earlier period.

Though the ways of beating the dog days were primarily used by the Brits, it had a long lasting effect on the locals and has affected them socially. In many ways the locals have taken them to new heights. The dubashes of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries still had the ability to withstand the dog days. The brown sahibs of the 20th century and their present day descendents are unable to stand the dog days without air conditioning. Of course they are a minority of the population.

The long stretch of beach from Fort St George to San Thome was once of pride of Madras .It is still a lovely though truncated stretch. It is lovely place to bathe and enjoy an afternoon on the beach with the cool sea breezes blowing in the evenings. It is one of the few stretches of beaches in a city which has not been commandeered by the government or the super rich and is open to all and sundry. The Brits did not want to expose themselves to the natives and avoided the smelly fishermen. When the Black Town came up next to the Fort with its narrow crowded streets, the residents found it intolerable. Coming to the beach in the evenings to cool down and enjoy the breeze became a habit. This habit is kept up by the present day Madrasis who are unfortunate enough not to have air conditioners. Nowadays with power cuts being the order of the day, even the affluent with air conditioners turn up and the beach is a mass of people. We should thank the early Brits for their avoidance of the beach. 

South India has a maritime history but strangely, except for the fishermen and a handful of others the sea is empty of swimmers. Even swimming pools till recently were not patronized by Indians. Seeing Indian ladies swimming on the beach is rare. They are taking to it in private swimming pools. The first large outdoor swimming pool was built by the Americans during the second world war opposite the Presidency College and used to be chock full of Gis and Tommies. Present day Madras has numerous swimming pools in clubs and hotels. Bikinis are seen once in a way.

Once upon a time visits to the hill stations by the locals were rare as the weather was considered too cold. The exceptions were of course the maharajas, dubashes and other hangers on. One wondered how the hill stations like Ooty and Kodaikanal would survive after the departure of the British. After the 1950s, the idea of cooling down in hill stations in the summer caught on with the general public. Nowadays they are invaded by huge crowds in the summer and there is virtual chaos. The maharaja’s palaces have been converted into guest houses or hotels, the hill sides have been denuded for building more hotels and in summer Ooty streets and lanes are as crowded as Madras bazaars! Landslides are common in the monsoon season and the Ghat road is so crowded that the vehicles just crawl up. The saving grace is the Nilgiris mountain railway which is preserved as a heritage railway and operates every day.



Nilgiri mountain railway

Air conditioning was an American invention and came to Madras and India only in the thirties of the 20th century, and was confined to the very top and super rich till decades later. Nowadays it has changed the city architecture with closed high rises offices and sealed residences. The effect on the city has been disastrous. During the hot days the surrounding areas are heat traps. The high rises prevent sea breeze blowing inwards and cooling the city. Nature seems to have the last laugh with power generation failing. The common people land up in the beach. The rich land up on the club to use the old traditional coolers.

The Madrasis contribute to help the economy of their former masters by consuming large amounts of expensive Scotch whisky. The afternoon dog day cooler gin and tonic is back in vogue, helped by free import of English gin and availability of excellent tonic water made in India. Beaches spruced up, plenty of swimming pools, with super clubs to while away evenings, homes with air-conditioners (for those who can afford them) set to freezing temperatures, running when there is no power cut, and of course the sojourn in the hills or a trip abroad (if you can get away from work) are how the present day Madrasi survives the Dog Days. Things have not changed for the better- they have probably turned worse.

All the methods of beating the dog days worked out by the Brits and their present avatar of brown sahibs and IT millionaires are really only temporary palliatives. A sojourn to the hills or a trip abroad during the dog days is running away from the problem. When you come back you have to live with the remnants of the dog days and this can be unpleasant to one attuned to cooler climes. The gin and tonic or rum and coke can do long term harm besides giving an illusion of cooling you down while really warming you up. Air conditioning is not reliable with the power cuts being the order of the day besides heating up outside.

So if you really want to survive the dog days in Madras follow the classic methods of the original Madrasi. Stay indoors during the worst period. This way you avoid the traffic jams and the pollution. Drink plenty of water or better still   ‘Moru’ (diluted butter milk). If you can stand the taste the Kerala ‘chukku vellam’  (ginger water) cools down the body even more. Swim in the beach early in the morning or evening. If you are afraid of the sea swim in a swimming pool. Beach swimming is free but swimming pools can be expensive. In the evening enjoy the beach  and take deep breaths of ozonised air. If you have a terrace sleep there under a mosquito net. Always keep ’visaris’-(palm leaf hand fans) handy. Once you get through the dog days the subsequent months 35* Celsius will feel very pleasant. 



Relaxing on the Madras beach

PS

A few belated words of introduction and thanks.This was written in the balmy post dog days - August/September 2008. Ignoring my Madrasi patriotism and listening to the wise advice of my wife we spent the dog days in New York. The inspiration for this piece was the celebration of the 369th birthday of Madras on 22nd August 2008. Pictures have been collected from the internet Enjoy them but do not use them. I thank Kamini for her encouragement without which I would have given up in the middle.

Raja Ramakrishnan   

Comments

[SHyam]

Glad Kamini persisted! This was a really interesting read!

[Ambika]

Well, there was a certain mad "native" relation of yours who also played cricket in 100 degreesF!!

The "punka boy" picture was so apt.

I await your next piece..

[Kamini]

It was very enjoyable providing you with the encouragement. Great read, it has come out really well.
Kamini.

[Gowri]

Your solutions for tackling the Dog Days are so simple and practical - As you say, there's no running away from problems; we've to stay and tackle them!

[Sekar]

The term 'dog days' came about because Sirius (in the constellation Canis Major - the big dog) is high in the sky in May. I suppose we can now start calling September the 'snake days' given that they seem to be thick on the ground.

[Raja Ramakrishnan]

Thanks Sekar.Your explantion is acuurate but the one in my write up is practical and factual.
September as 'Snake days is good but the first snake turned up in Darpana in November

[Raja Ramakrishnan]

Thanks Sekar.Your explantion is acuurate but the one in my write up is practical and factual.
September as 'Snake days is good but the first snake turned up in Darpana in November

[danda]

hi thath awesome piece!! your writing has gotten phenomenal! "chukku vellam" sounds awful though, i'd much rather endure the heat! keep writing!

[Raja Ramakrishnan]

tHANKS ADITI.i AM ENCOURAGED.LOOK FOR SNAKES IN THE HOUSE
THATH

[mp fitzgerald]

I have been researching our family,and was interesested to read of the Monegar Choultry.my great ,great Grandfather was Superintendant in 1836...William Taylor..

Unfortunately, we know nothing else at all about him or his family before him.

I have enjoyed reading the stories of times past and present and the photographs also.I have been to India 5 times but not to Chennai and also not since 1987.

This column has certainly rekindled my interest .