Old buildings

The tiled roofs and the quiet yard seems to indicate some stately house. But the arrow signs seem out of place in a house. They direct 2-wheelers and cars to their parking spots. And they also tell us this is not a residence, but a place where a lot of visitors come in. Not all of them would be willing visitors - this is the front yard of the CSI Kalyani Hospital on Radhakrishnan Salai. 

The Kalyani Hospital was built on land donated by Dewan Bahadur Narayanaiyar Subramaniyam, an advocated who converted to Christianity after his retirement. He bequeathed his lands on Radhakrishnan Salai to the Church of South India (CSI). He had but one request, that a hospital be built there, and named after his mother, Kalyani. And so on March 1, 1909, the Kalyani Hospital was opened by Lady White, with 24 beds.

Over the last 105 years, the hospital has grown to over 200 beds, but it continues to stay true to its mission of providing quality healthcare to the less affluent members of society. And in the process it has become one of the enduring landmarks on Radhakrishnan Salai!