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The postman knocked
* I am informed by the Honorary Secretary of the Madras Printers' and Lithographers' Association that I rather missed the point with that portrait of Guru Gobind Singh (Miscellany, February 27). It was in fact painted by His Excellency the Governor some years ago, the Secretary tells me and adds that the Governor watching his painting being reproduced was a photo-opportunity everyone missed.
* Dr. Patrick Russell (Miscellany, January 23), apart from being India's forest snakeman and plantman, was also apparently its first fishman! Reader D. B. James, a marine scientist, tells me that Russell had published in 1803 a book titled Descriptions and Figures of 200 fishes collected at Vizagapatam on the coast of Coromandel. Recognition for his pioneering work came when the "Common scorpion fish" was named Pterois Russeli after him. Russell appears to have been an extraordinary investigator of Nature's contribution to India. It's sad that he's not known at all outside scientific circles _ and not even there, to the younger generations.
* Reader V. Harinarayana informs me that two others who lived on or near T. P. Koil Street (Miscellany, January 30) were K. Parasaran, the first Attorney General from the South, who was born and lived there for about 40 years, and S. R. Ranganathan, that famed father of Indian Library Science who lived about 100 yards away. Others who lived in the area included Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, later the President of India in Sydoji Street and G. Subramanian Aiyer who founded The Hindu, B. Jagannath Das, later Chief Justice of Orissa, and Dr. C. Natesan on Big Street.
S. MUTHIAH
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