Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

An island of calm

When it was built, the BMS house was a novelty. Decades later, it continues to retain its old-world charm amidst a concrete jungle

PHOTOS: K. ANANTHAN

MEMORIES OF ANOTHER ERA The spotless façade of BMS House.

This elegant structure stands amidst the hustle and bustle of Mettupalayam road, peacefully coexisting with its `concrete' modern neighbours.

Leafy trees shield it from the main road, as if protecting it from possible destruction; a fate many of its counterparts faced. Welcome to BMS House.

Not many know about the existence of this house, built in 1936 by Muniappa Gowder of the Boraih Muniappa Service (BMS), a person who had a passion to create something outstanding.

Muniappa Gowder, born in 1899, moved to Coimbatore from Erode to establish the transport business. Soon, he saw his B.M.S bus service growing multifold; in its peak it had a 70-strong fleet of buses running in the old Madras and Mysore states. As the business grew, Muniappa Gowder helped many schools and donated to social causes.

All these decades later, the house he built is still functional and has been maintained immaculately.

It is essential that the effort of the owners be appreciated for resisting the urge to demolish. What makes it all the more special is that it is the only such living structure of that period on that road.

Colonial influence

The building has a strong colonial influence with native elements, similar to the style of that period. The features that make the house stand out even at first glance are the stucco work in parts of the building, the wooden eves board and the cast-iron railings on the first floor.

The house has all the ingredients of grandeur like round columns on the ground and first floor, stucco-worked arches and arched colour-glass windows.

A tribute

The colonial arches with lattice work.

The family has taken care to preserve the house without tampering with its original look. The late Muniappa Gowder's grandson, Balasubramanian, considers it a tribute to his grandfather.

Walking around the halls and rooms of BMS house (as it is popularly known), you traverse to another age.

Charming interiors

Cowdung-smeared floors sport intricate kolams and walking up the dressed granite steps between the twin round columns into the house is an experience by itself. Ravi Varma prints, finely dressed with rich silk and intricately decorated, dot the house.

All the doors and windows are made of fine teak wood and the floor is cemented.

The main hall is worth mention as it is large and pillar-less. In those days, this was novel as such large rooms could not be built without pillars.

Muniappa Gowder had it built with the help of iron girders.

Once inside, the summer heat is a thing of the past. All the windows and doors have lintels made of fine-dressed granite, maintained with a coat of varnish.

Balasubramanian remembers being told that each of the stones cost quarter an anna to make.

He recalls a time when he used to play in the empty road in front of the house.

Other constructions came up much later.

The land was bought in 1935 from Siddha Naidu — information that is found in the well-preserved original documents.

The large house has a big shed next to it and together they stand in about half an acre of land.

The family and their kith and kin have conducted more than 50 weddings in the house.

What Gen-next does?

The pioneering Muniappa Gowder

The Kannada-speaking BMS family does not know when their forefathers moved to this region.

Asked about the immaculate maintenance, the family just smiles modestly and says it is looking at Venkatesh, who is to inherit the house, to preserve it.

Let's hope the BMS house continues to decorate the cityscape for posterity.

(E-mail responses to cbemetro@thehindu.co.in with `heritage' in the subject line.)

SHANKAR VANAVARAYAR

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail