Cemetery

CHENNAI: Madras has been a city which has had the influence of different people and cultures. One such group of people who stayed and left a mark were the Jews and an 18th Century Jewish cemetery stands testimony to their past in Madras. Located off Lloyd’s road, the memorial is tucked amid the innumerable shops in the market area and hasn’t had a visitor for a year, reveals its care taker Kumari.nnAs we enter the cemetery which recently got a facelift, we notice that the walls have been painted blue; raised to avoid trespassers and the doors have been changed to sturdier ones as opposed to the rusted doors that the cemetery used to house. “with tall grass. “Maintaining the place is a task as the grass keeps growing. I pluck it out once a month,” she says and settles to chat with us.nnTalking about the renovation work, she says, “All of the work took place within three months and it has been great for the cemetery in terms of avoiding trespassers and dog menace. Most people who come from the other cemetery used this way as a short-cut to go in and out,”nnThe Jewish settlement in Madras was first established to export and import diamonds from Golconda to London in exchange of silver, coral and pearls from the fellow Jews. By the 18th Century the trade died out and the last Jew merchant departed in 1786. “The graves in the cemetery were located in the Northern end of Mint Street and then moved to not exist today. In 1983, the tombs in the cemetery were shifted to its current location and the last burial was that of Eileen ere also associated with trade of gems and pearls. “These tombs are very old and it takes a great deal to protect and preserve them. Sir has done a lot in preserving it,” says mentioning its previous Jew caretaker, who requests anonymity. “I have spwho is one of the last remaining Jews in the city.ngood