Mylapore Karpagambal Mess - Obituary

Whether Goddess Karpagambal is a landmark for Mylapore or not doesn’t really matter, but for the starving tastebuds and empty stomach Mylai Karpagambal mess (MKM) is the landmark. Everyone in Mylapore, outside of Mylapore and even NRIs who come to Chennai during the music festival knows Mylapore Karpagambal Mess. The place is not spic and span and even AC dining hall was a recent addition. It is not well laid out and not as pricey as Saravana Bhavan or Vasantha Bhavan, their adai/avail. Kasi halwa, carrot halwa, rava dosai, filter coffee is lip smacking and famous. Music and MKM goes together like sruthi and layam. There is something in MKM that is not there in Saravana Bhavan or Vasantha Bhavan.

I was at Dakshinamurthy Auditorium at PS high school and when TM Krishna started finished the Bairavi alapanai, I decided I wanted to celebrate the grand Bairavi chewing on MKM adai avail and may be top it up with Kasi halwa. This momentary thought took me to MKM and I missed the violinist delineation of Bairavi. I silenced the salivating tongue and growling stomach and mentally got back again to the auditorium, in time for Shyama Sastri’s swarajathi.

It was little over 9PM and I hurriedly walked out of the auditorium and forayed into RK Mutt road. MKM drove my legs to take long steps and I wanted to hit the mess before the crowd got there. The market on North Mada Street was still busy and vendors were trying to sell their stuff and empty their stock. I made quick left turn at the end of the street and my eyes were looking for back illuminated bold green board and my nose was busy trying sample the air. I thought I had missed the mess and I went up and down the street couple of times. My brain was trying to identify the nearest landmark to MKM and then trace the path again. To my dismay and surprise the name board was not there, and heap of fresh rubble welcome me. My tongue submerged in saliva suddenly truned dry. I was there a month ago for lunch with my colleagues and we enjoyed a full square meal and today it seemed like a hide and seek game. I could not believe this.

I thought this was some renovation work, and when I went closer I saw the roof torn down and the restaurant that marked the tastebuds of Mylapore was reduced to a heap of rubble. I picked up a small stone from the heap and walked home thinking….how can Mylapore exist? I wanted burst into Gopalakrishna Barathi’s song Yeppovaruvaro yendhan kali theera……
Which Emden did this to Mylapore? There is no music without layam and there is no Mylapore without MKM.