Santhome beach - once a paradise of Mylapore

Santhome beach adjacent to Santhome basilica

was once a pride of Mylapore with the

residents thronging the beach in the 1970s and

1980s to listen to the Vivetha Bharathi of All

India Radio that broadcast the choicest Tamil

movie songs from a loud speaker.

Several VIPs preferred to sit on the sands of

Santhome beach as it’s easy to access the

beach from the road and it was a lover’s

paradise too.

The ubiquitous popular thanga manga pattani

sundal boys would often incur the wrath of the

lovers or the other way they buy from him so

that they do not get disturbed. Little that they

knew that the boy would send co boys who

make a bee line making the life of lovers

miserable

Many office goers would straight go the beach

from office before heading home to unwind

themselves or to read a book

It was also the first choice of married couples

who lacked privacy at single room apartments

or tiled houses.

Now everything has become a history. The

beach is lost due to death of radios and

encroachments.

Open defecation still plagues the beach which

has now come under the control of fishermen.

People from low-income settlements like

Dummingkuppam, Mullima Nagar and

Nambikkai Nagar off Loop Road are using the

beach to relieve themselves for over five

decades.

Will the Mylapore MLA and the Councilor

retrieve the beach and hand it over back to the

residents?