Kaj Schmidt Memorial

History

According to historians, Kaj Schmidt, who had gone to the beach, saw an English girl getting into the water who soon started struggling against the tide. In a successful attempt to save her life, he lost his own.{{cite news | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130629123946/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-12/chennai/37650540_1_english-girl-restoration-sea-water | url-status = dead | archive-date = 29 June 2013

The memorial

According to experts, the structure, which was built using bricks, lacks a stone foundation. The uneven base and the sea water have caused damage to the memorial over the years.

The memorial is the only heritage structure on Elliot's Beach. The memorial stone in the memorial reads, "To commemorate the gallantry of Kaj Schmidt who was drowned near this spot on December 30, 1930 while helping to save the lives of others."

At the initiative of an 87-year-old lady, in March 2013, the Corporation of Chennai announced that it would restore the memorial. In connection with the planned restoration of the memorial, the Chennai Corporation announced on 4 February 2014 that it plans to utilize Fiber Wrapping Technology to reinforce the structure.{{cite news | access-date = 15 May 2021}} The restoration was done by IIT Madras and REACH Foundation.

Until 2030, this memorial has to survive so as to get a heritage tag. As of 2018, there is an enclosure around the memorial, and the cracks in the structure have been mended. However, there is still a lot of graffiti on the white surface, and people regularly climb the structure to take selfies. There are no security guards to discourage such actions.

Cult classic Malayalam movie, Nadodikattu, which revolves around two impecunious young men, Ramdas (Mohanlal) and Vijayan (Sreenivasan) who not being able to find any job in Kerala, plan to immigrate to Dubai to make their fortunes, but get deceived by Gafoorkka and end up in this spot. Thus the spot has become an iconic place for Keralites.{{cite web | access-date = 29 November 2023 | access-date = 29 November 2023

References

References

1. [http://www.sanmargroup.com/matrix/oct-2013/The-story-behind-the-Kaj-Schmidt-Memorial.php ...the gallantry of a Dane, Kaj Erik Gjolstad Schmidt.]
2. "The Times Group".
3. Shruti Suresh. (27 December 2018). "He saved a girl, residents try to save his memory". [[The Times of India]].
4. WHITEHEAD, ANDREW. "4 Chennai: the Karl Schmidt Memorial".