Coimbatore :
As houses and empty plots give way to shops and office complexes, the rich history behind the name of Arokiasamy Road seems to getting buried deeper by the day. Extending from Thadagam Road in the west till Sri Shanmugam Road, Arockiasamy Road is practically filled with landmarks either side.
It’s a favourite with young people in R S Puram because the burial ground is used as a playground by cricket and football lovers. The corporation’s Ammini Amma Girls High School, government Tamil Isai Kalloori, R S Puram Ladies Club and Purandara Dasar Hall, which is a favourite for functions, ot this street.
Historians say the road was named in the 1940s or 1950s as a minor tribute to a great man. “We have information that runs into pages about the man who played a significant role in making Coimbatore the city it is today,” said historian Perur K Jayaraman.
M Arokiasamy, born in 1857, began his career as a sub-registrar with the government. His grandfather had served as a minister in the erstwhile Thanjavur kingdom. Arokiasamy studied law and became a prominent advocate in the city and a member of the Coimbatore Bar Council. He began his career as a lawyer with British company Boison and Mills. “During his tenure as a lawyer he bought a lot of property all over the city and did a lot of social service,” says Jayaraman.
He became a municipal councillor in 1888, vice-chairman of the council between 1896 and 1899 and Coimbatore municipal chairman in 1913 and remained in the post till 1916. In 1912, he was awarded the Rao Bahadur title coronation medal by the British government. “Not many people know that a lot of prominent buildings and institutions owe their legacy to this gentleman,” says Jayaraman.
Arokiasamy was the secretary of the construction committee of Victoria Town Hall, out of which the corporation functions today. He was responsible for building the coronation memorial at Chidambaram Park. “He was the one who built the Indian Christian Students Hostel in 1925,” he says. He was also instrumental in setting up many Christian education institutions like CSI Boys High School, St Francis Convent and London Boys Mission School.
source: http://www,timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / TNN / July 21st, 2014