coimbatore if mg road in bangalore draws the uber chic and the generation z crowd in huge numbers in coimbatore its the diwan bahadur road aka db road that hogs all the limelight touted as the busiest commercial centre in the manchester of the south db road looks like a onestop shop for almost all your shopping and moviegoing ambitions located in r s puram which in itself is a neatlyplanned area in coimbatore the crisscrossing maze that mark db road have also given way to bigshot commercial centres and posh residential areas generally coimbatore is not considered a well planned city but this road and rspuram are brilliant exceptionssays c r elangovan a noted city historian many residents perceive this area to be the centrepoint around which the city has evolved but the truth is different both rs puram and ram nagar are extensions of a town that was concentrated around the present town hall area say historians this stretch was also home to one of the famous theatres light house which was most recently called the kennedy theatre with the opening up of the economy and competition from malls kennedy theatre and many others of its ilk bid adieu even today the area in which the theatre once stood is known as kennedy theatre bus stop it was in the theatre premise that k damodarasamy naidu made a humble career beginning when he opened a canteen to cater to moviegoers what followed was a chain of restaurants throughout the city not many kovaiites know that corporation kalairangam near d b road was originally meant to be a movie theatre but the plan was shelved and it serves as an auditorium points out elangovan perhaps the city that was once known for its vast number of theatres has lost one shining armour in that list db road surprises you with its deep historical significance the corporation run special school for hearing impaired located near this avenue is dubbed as a firstof itskind initiative by a local body in tamil nadu shastri maidan another famous landmark located towards the southern end of db road was once a graveyard old timers say that it was converted into a playground as this area accelerated to become a commercial hub d b road was earlier known as rathna sabapathy puram street in fact both the diwan bahadur road and rathna sabapathy puram got their name from the then coimbatore municipality chairman diwan bahadur c s rathna sabapathy mudaliar he is hailed as the father of modern coimbatore interestingly it is not just a road and the area that got its name after him the deity rathna vinayagar in the temple on db road is also said to have got its name from rathna sabapathy so much for the saying whats in a name a lot it seems