Mylapore will soon lose a major landmark.
Jammi Building on Royappetah High Road is going down. And in its place, a new building will come up.
Most of the shops and offices here have shut down and moved out and the block looks like a aged ghost hugging the edge of the flyover, which was reduced to half due to Chennai Metro work.
The Jammi brand name, 127-years-old now, became known for its Ayurvedic medicines, which were based on original texts and Ayurvedic formulations by its founder, late Dr. Jammi Venkataramanayya.
This tradition has been followed down the generations.
The big product was Jammi Liver Cure and it was good enough to make a name for this company.
In 1939 Jammi Venkatramanayya passed away. This Ayurveda practitioner came here from Andhra Pradesh, set a firm base and expanded the business.
In recent years, it has remained a low-profile operation and taken its own avatar with online sales and a wellness centre.
A notice on the gate of this building says BBCL, a Chennai builder, will develop the property.
Dr Narasimmhan V. Jammi is currently the director of Jammi Pharmaceuticals.
– Report. photo: Baskar Seshadri
(( )) DID YOU/ YOUR FAMILY PATRONISE JAMMI? Share your thoughts in Comments.
I used to take a bus home from work at Jammi building bus stand in the 70s. A landmark of Chennai. Sad to hear it is going down.
A landmark building beside YMIA and Jammi Bus stop and bus stand were an important junction for all Mylapore , Royapettah and even Triplicane residents to travel to different destinations.
Jammis livercure was a household name much before Himalayas tried to commercialise LIV 52. Only Jammis had the medicine for whopping cough for children . Memories are sweet but times have changed so must the property and its utilisation.
I am frequent visitor to jammi bldg since early 80s to buy coffee beans @ India coffee board office, city booking centre for un- reserved train tickets and mid 90s onwards to Raymond’s for tailoring till this date. Madhan Associates Architects office was functioning here. Madras will lose its one more land mark bldg. Hope new structure coming up also should bear Jammis name – TL Venkateswaran
During the COVID Pandemic, Jammi’s Swascolyn was very effective for prevention of Lung Infection and it acted as an effective immunity booster.It had a World Wide demand from [ NRIs ] I mean .Sad to hear that this Landmark building is being demolished and developed by a builder. But I wish they continue to sell their Ayurvedic medicines from a different outlet in future in Chennai.
My grandmother had great faith in Jammi liver cure medicines and had given it to all her children. My mother gave them to me and my siblings too as a preventive and when my daughter had digestion issues when she was 10 months old, she gave them to her also which cured her completely. Jammi liver cure medicines played a major role in our lives for 3 generations. Ever grateful to the Jammi family of doctors.
There used to be a typewriting & shorthand institute (i think with the name Kabali…..) opp to Jammi Buildings.
Gupta’s Ajantha compound used to have a small shop that served hot bread channa in evenings. The shop was closed & occupied later by Hindustan Trading Company who have now grown leaps & bounds operating from a large space in the adjacent IOA complex & managed by 3rd gen.
Opp MGR Pictures on “Lloyds Road”, inside Lloyds Lane was Pakshi Raja films (Late W P Sarathy) & the corner property was the residence of Dadha’s (Dadha Pharmaceuticals), whose drawing room was so huge that an elephant could walk in comfortably (it was here that Kamal Haassan’s movie Ram Lakshman was shot).
Opp Pakshi Raja films was the residence of Late Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer.
I studied in the Lloyds Road branch of SVM school. Used to watch Late Dr MGR who along with his close aides used to visit their newly acquired property (now the AIADMK H.Q.) in just two ambassador cars – not sure but that place used to be a Kalyana Mantap – confused with its name Yogalakshmi Kakyana Mantapam (may be Yogalakshmi was on Cathedral Road, opp Dr.Servapalli Radhakrishnan’s residence.
Jammi building a landmark of Mylapore will go down. We lived in mylai for three years. But the nostalgic memory of Jammi won’t be passed in clouds. My wish is the developer though build a new multi floor building complex should make the. front portion look alike the old Jammi building, so that the iconic landmark will endure for another century.
It’s so sad. I was born in rk salai. And have lived in this area half my life. It’s sad. But the building itself was dilapidated and though the courtyard was lovely it makes no business sense in these times. In 10 years I guess none of the old landmarks will exist.
I am Ramachandran from Bangalore and I am now 84 years old.I used to be given Jammis legyam for a lump that was found in my liver.
I was completely cured and I don’t have even any symptems of Liver problems. Thanks to JAMMI
dear sir.jammi venkataramanaiah a ayurvedi doctor started with Dr.seshagiri Rao liver cure medicines for humans built jammi buildings along with shopping stores there was also a hotel named alankar run by madurai man next to that young men’s indian association where a drama theatre sponsoring advocates of talents used script plays social histories to enlighten members with public no charges collected free for all also a members canteen inside to serve delicious dishes tiffin meals etc usually karnataka brahmins prepared opposite road ends with Kesari school bus stops after Luz is jammi then Ajanta hotel in those days Lloyd’s road mgr pictures on left now aiadmk h.o at Balaji Nagar famous ex-advocate general Shri.k.rajah Iyer co.stood for legal infact he himself a strong member chief for y.m.i.a even jammi buildings housed ‘rita’ ice cream co.opposite a sabha named children’s high school now boast as naradagana sabha.if seen the past jammi’s Livermore equals amrutanjan gripe mixture in those days even queen Elizabeth appreciated both for best cures to stomachache dioria and other consecutive diseases when she visited then madras along with Edinburgh prince.it is very sad to hear a traditional building implies in name credits now goes for widening population.
Being an Ex Mylaporean (had my schooling and College from mid 60s to the early 80s) in this hallowed land, Jammi buildings is a unequivocal part of our growing up. A couple of our classmates lived around the area but more importantly this is our go-to place while we want to buy train tickets urgently. Memories!