May Day: Labor designated as a national holiday
Labor’s aftereffects linger in our limbs, reminding us of things like deeply cracked heels from walking, fading beedis fingerprints, or poisonous sewer fumes filling our lungs. There is never a doubt about working; employment is inextricably related to day-to-day life. Working-class neighborhoods are places of resistance and have historically been the scene of rights movements, much like the veins of cities. Madras, the center of trade, has markers that trace the history of revolutionary movements that influenced modern labor practices.
Every May 1, protesters across the globe hoist loud banners and red flags in an effort to draw attention to the movement that centered around eight-hour workdays and to demand improved working conditions. In 1923, M Singaravelu Chettiar organized the first May Day celebration in India, which took place at Napier’s Park. AR Venkatachalapathy notes this in the preface to D Veeraraghavan’s book, “The Making of the Madras Working Class.”
These days, those looking for peace and quiet, students, discreet couples, or tired tourists looking for shade may find comfort in this modest park. Every green seat is crowded on these hot weekends, with people prioritizing their leisure and spare time. This park has long been a fervent supporter of leisure and this fundamental right to relaxation. Beyond the clocktower, a living icon serving as a reminder of the city’s unions is a statue bearing the word “May” and crowned with patterns of gears and a rifle. The Tamil text on the monument reads, “Workers of the World, unite,” and it seems to be bursting from the pages of The Communist Manifesto by Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx. An opposing viewpoint presents a quotation from Pavendar Bharathidasan, which reads, “Promote public ownership across the globe! Assure the holy tenant with your own life!
It has been more than a century since the inaugural celebration, and union members and flag-waving crowds can still be seen in this park. The park watchman, Manoharan, has been here for eight ceremonies and adds, “It’s like a festival, with a stage and people assembling.” For laborers like as me, it is a festivity.
The existence of labor movements
In 1869, under the British rule, the Madras municipality suggested turning Chintadripet into a park. Historian V Sriram adds that since this piece of ground was close to a drainage system, tendrils of flora and blossoming foliage emerged, creating a lovely landscape in their wake. Mostly used by British officers, this 14-acre area was dubbed Napier’s Park after the then-governor, Lord Napier. Workers would sometimes gather in this park, which is across from the winding MRTS station, for meetings or just to relax during the simmering strikes that occurred in the subsequent decades.
The city of firsts is Chennai. The Buckingham and Carnatic Mill workers formed India’s first union here, in addition to the country’s inaugural May Day celebration. In Madras, the working class has a powerful underlying current. Historian Venkatesh Ramakrishnan notes that the devadasis of Thiruvotriyur temple went on strike in the 1600s, the first strike in Indian history, and that Perambur accounted for around 95% of the Madras labor movement.
“Vada Chennai has an impression of having rowdy people and being a backward place in terms of culture and education but it was a society of intelligent and powerful working-class citizens,” says G Selva, CPI(M), district secretary for Chennai. North Chennai was home to the majority of unions, whether they were for palm tree laborers, hand-pulled rickshaws, or tramways.
Many locals were employed by the automaker Simpson & Co., the newspaper The Hindu, Spencer’s, and other local businesses on Mount Road and Chintadripet. A trade union soon followed suit. According to Venkatesh, “it was a significant engineering company that produced the first Asian plane and the first Indian car and bus.”
Unlike North Chennai, which is a political bastion, this neighborhood has seen its fair share of demonstrations and political tides shifting. “DMK leaders had been arrested during the anti-Hindi agitation in 1965,” the report said. When some fifty thousand Madras students made the decision to march from Napier’s Park to St George Fort, Chief Minister Bhaktavatsalam declined to appear. Venkatesh claims that once it grew violent and led to a police killing, the Congress never took back control of Tamil Nadu.
A history of workers who have battled tooth and nail, hammer and sickle via violent rallies and strikes for fundamental rights, benefits, holidays, and leave is shown by the city’s factories, seashore, open spaces, and monuments. “The park serves as a demonstration of the need to protest or take legal action if one’s rights are threatened. a sign that says, “You only need to work eight hours.” Selva emphasizes, “May Day Park and other locations mirror identities to indicate that eight hours of leisure are significant. It is a representation of your rights.
altered terrain
Although the park was renamed May Day Park in the 1990s by the late chief minister M Karunanidhi, residents still referred to it as Simpsons Park or May One Park. Tamil Prabha, a writer and filmmaker, used to spend countless days playing field sports and floodlight cricket with other young people. Although the term May Day Park doesn’t have a deep or natural meaning for us, it is a representation of Chintadripet.
In the 2010s, the park served as a second home to Tamil Prabha. It has seen all of my heartbreaks and loneliness. With so many trees and parrots, the park seemed like a friend. However, all of a sudden, someone said one day that this property was being purchased for the metro and equipment for unloading (in 2013). After that, we were without a park for ten years, and many young people smoked and drank in the absence of a place like this. The only other ground we had was Rajaji Hall. Later on, this auditorium was commandeered and transformed into the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital. His book Pettai has allusions to space lost and cricket matches.
The 53-year-old Chokalingam tea stand is conveniently located near the park. This stand, which has been in Chokalingam’s family for four generations, serves workers steaming hot tea. When I was a child, May Day Park was always associated with many types of birds and butterflies.Due of the variety of plant types, they would swarm to this location. All India Radio will begin to play in the park around 3 p.m. Until 8 p.m., there would be either news or Carnatic music, according to Chokalingam. Since “development” and the metro train have ruined the area’s natural charm, he now won’t go back.
Dr. TD Babu of the Nizhal NGO notes, “Almost 80% of the May Day Park has been taken away for the CMRL Project.” Like the locals, the trees have histories and memories connected to Chintadripet. An indication that this terrain was once a marsh or waterbody is the lone neer kadamu tree, or barringtonia acutangula, branching over the heavens. According to Dr. Babu, “this freshwater mangrove tree grows near waterways and bodies,” and the fact that weavers, whose occupation need waterbodies, came here further supports this theory.
Among the vegetative species that made up the thick, lush park were the putranjiva tree, which was believed to help infertility, and the vaka tree, whose bark was an important element in burn ointments. “Although these trees are no longer there, the new mangrove tree serves as the only reminder of the park’s native species. Although it has managed to avoid being taken over by developers, neglect, the concretization of its base, and the planting of other trees nearby pose a danger to the tree’s survival. These historic trees, which reveal the region’s history and topography, must be preserved. The government has to step up and protect these species because they are living monuments of Chennai, according to Babu.
Karl Marx once again comes into focus on May Day: “The proletariat has nothing to lose but their chains.” They need to conquer the planet. Working guys everywhere, unite!
