VIZAG matters - Sohan Hatangadi's Blog

Our Town Hall in VIZAG, India was built in 1904 and has witnessed the high points of Vizag's social, cultural and literary events. During India's freedom movement our town hall has played a central role in hosting important meetings. Today it lies in dilapidated condition. Thankfully our Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has taken the first baby steps in preventing further deterioration by cancelling the lease of the  premises to a person who was renting it for weddings. It had become a filthy and stinking hell hole. Now it is not dirty inside but it is in a rundown condition. Our corporation has good intentions to revive it but as in several cases intent and implementation is miles apart. Despite many assurances from our Corporation, the town hall continues to be a neglected monument of Vizag's illustrious past. No one knows why it is not being done. No will? No management skills? No money? We have money to blow up on transient events on the beac...

Vizag’s hidden history Sohan Hatangadi Times of India Vizag Edition  21 February 2016 People fascinated by Indian history are familiar with historical facts of several old towns and cities such as Varanasi, Hyderabad, Chennai or Mumbai. While most old Indian cities and towns have interesting past our own Vizag has a secret history that has escaped some of us residing here all our lives. We pass by structures surrounded by buildings as we rush about our work scarcely throwing a glance at those forgotten spots that have played a significant part in Vizag’s past. Tourist brochures convey a simplistic view of Vizag’s history describing it as a “sleepy fishing village” that over time transformed into today’s bustling city. Somehow we visualise a bunch of fisher folk sleeping all day. In fact Vizag has been an important town for many centuries and has witnessed the ebb and tide of rulers, armies, cultures and outstanding men of vision - who slept very little. What’s ...

These are signage references for Vizag Old Town heritage walk signages

Click here The Old New Years, Times of India Yep, it is New Year time again. Our beautiful planet has traveled 947 million kilometers around the sun since the same time last year. Some of us have had amazing years and some are looking forward to forget 2015 and get on with 2016. Some of us have seen a few New Year eves and some have seen plenty. Whatever may be the case each of us has a special place for this part of the year. As we transit from “ho-ho-ho” to “Happy New Year” we experience a sort of déjà vu, that strange feeling that we have been through all this before. While New Year Eve has been now commercialized beyond recognition it was not always this way. Come let us travel to the “old new years”. The way it was The popular culture of Vizag was quite different in the 60’s and 70’s. Several companies, organisations and institutions from other parts of India and abroad set up shop in our town and Vizag developed a vibrant cosmopolitan culture. Much of it was driven b...