Release of Special Cover in Commemoration of
Centenary Year of Southern Railway Headquarters Heritage Building
As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, commemorating the 75th year of Indian Independence, a Special Postal Cover was released marking the launch of the centenary celebrations of the Headquarters Building of Southern Railway situated next to Dr MGR Chennai Central Railway Station. The Building which was inaugurated by Her Excellency Lady Willingdon on 11th December 1922 will be completing a century of its existence this year.
Shri B.Selvakumar, Chief Post Master General, Tamil Nadu Circle, released the Special Postal Cover and Shri B.G.Mallya, Addl General Manager holding charge as General Manager, Southern Railway, received the special cover. The Postal Covers are available for sale at Philatelic Bureau, Anna Salai Head Post Office, Chennai 600002.
In his address, the Chief Post Master General recalled that the origin of Railways as well as the Department of Posts and Telegraphs had similar beginnings during the erstwhile Colonial regime and that they were departmental siblings due to the close proximity of the work done. He complimented the Indian Railways for preserving the Heritage structures including the Heritage Buildings. Postal Covers released on these Heritage Buildings/Structures increased the philatelic value, he added.
Presiding over the function, Shri B .G.Mallya, recalled the glorious days of the postal department where an ordinary post card always delivered the communication without fail anywhere in the country. He said that the Railway Mail Service of the Postal Department played an important role in uniting both the departments and highlighted the important and intense activity of mail sorting done inside the RMS coach while the train was on the move. He said that during his younger days he had always admired the Southern Railway Headquarters building and was happy to be associated now with the Centenary Celebration of the Heritage Building.
Shri A.Narayanan, Chief Personnel Officer, Admin, Southern Railway, welcomed the gathering and Shri S.Palani, Senior Personnel Officer, Reservation Policy, gave the vote of thanks.
Southern Railway is proud to bring out this special cover in commemoration of the launch of Centenary Celebration of the iconic Southern Railway Headquarters building and the ongoing Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations in Southern Railway.
A brief history of Southern Railway Headquarters building
A massive Heritage Structure in present day Chennai, the Southern Railway Headquarters building situated next to Dr MGR Chennai Central was designed by N.Grayson, an architect of the erstwhile Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway. The Foundation of the palatial headquarters building was laid on 8 February 1915 by Lord Pentland, the then Governor of Madras. Based on the Dravidian style of classic architecture the foundation of the Indo - Saracenic type structure consists of a reinforced concrete raft from 5 to 8 feet below the ground level set upon a stratum of pure sand, nearly 20 feet deep.
It took nearly 7½ months to lay the foundation structure consisting of 500 tons of steel bars embedded on 10,000 tons of granite concrete. Built of stock brick with Porbundar stone, the central towers rise to a height of 125 feet 6 inches above the roadway. H.H.Wadia & Bros, pioneers in quarrying Porbundar stones were instrumental in bringing Porbundar stones from Gujarat. The stones were transported for 8 years via sea to Kerala and then by Rail to Madras. H.H.Wadia & Bros camped in Madras from 1913 to 1922 along with their team of skilled masons from Porbundar under the leadership of master mason Pitambar Hira.
The corner towers of this majestic edifice house water tanks with a total capacity of about 35,000 gallons. After nine nine long years of intensive labour and a massive investment of Rs.30,76,400 the building was opened on 11th December 1922 by Her Excellency The Lady Willingdon, the wife of the then Governor of Madras.
At present, 18 departments of Southern Railway are functioning in the three-storey Southern Railway Headquarters Heritage building.
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