It was on August 22, 1639, that a sliver of land, where stands today, was transacted by the East India Company. The deal was struck by Francis Day, his 'dubash' Beri Thimmappa, and their superior, Andrew Cogan, with the local Nayak rulers.
That day is considered the founding day of Madras.
Out of the fort, grew settlements. Then the villages around it were brought together. And then, the old and new towns linked up. And then we have the city. Today, Chennai stands tall for a variety of reasons. Education, healthcare, IT, history, culture, tourism, auto industries, movies, etc. And yes, it also has its warts.
Madras Day celebrates the city. A city deserves to celebrate its birthday. And Madras that is Chennai certainly deserves it.
Madras Day was an idea that three people put together - the city's famed historian, S. Muthiah (from whom I got all this information), journalist Sashi Nair and publisher Vincent D' Souza. Today, they have been joined by three others - senior journalist and editor Sushila Ravindranath, entrepreneur and writer-historian V. Sriram and journalist and web site entrepreneur, Revathi R.
Madras Day focuses on the city, its history, its past and its present and the core team motivates communities, groups, companies and campuses in the city to host events that celebrate the city.
Heritage walks, school exchange programmes, talks and contests, poetry and music and quiz, food fests and rallies, photo exhibitions and bike tours . . . . these and more are the ways in which the city is celebrated.
In order to enlarge participation, the Madras Day has been expanded to create the Madras Week.
This year, MADRAS WEEK is being celebrated from August 16 to 23.
MADRAS DAY, as always, is August 22. Let’s join the celebrations.