From a tiny fishing hamlet to a bustling metropolis with major automobile units, a thriving IT industry and pride of place as the cultural capital of the South, its been a long and eventful journey for Chennai, the erstwhile Madras, which turns 370 tomorrow.
It was on this day in 1639 that British Administrator Francis Day got permission from the wards of Chennapa Naicker, a chieftain ruling the fishing hamlet near Madras Harbour to construct Madraspatam, as it was referred then by the British.The deal was struck by Francis Day,his 'dubash' Beri Thimmappa and their superior Andrew Cogan, with local Nayak rulers.
As befits the historic occasion,a grand week-long birthday bash has been drawn up to mark 'Madras day' celebrations -- a wide canvas of cultural and literary activities.
Heritage walks, school exchange programmes, talks and contests, poetry and Carnatic music and quiz, food festivals and rallies, photo exhibitions and bike tours will give the true blue Chennaites glimpses of the city they never knew and of some things they do.
Though many city historians have brought out books on the history of this 'grand dame' of the South, there has been no unanimity on how the city came to be known as Madras. The city which became prominent carrying the name of Madras, was renamed Chennai in 1996.
Today Chennai, with over 60 lakh population, has emerged as one of the four major metropolises in India and stands tall with impressive strides in education, health care, IT, history, tourism, automobile industries and movies.
The city has also emerged as the second largest film production centre of the country behind Mumbai, with over 45 studios. Of late, Chennai has also emerged as the 'medical capital' of India, with a large number of corporate hospitals coming up.
The city can also boost of being the second largest IT hub in the country, next to Bangalore. Ashok Leyland, Hyundai and Ford have set up manufacturing units in and around Chennai. So also have Nissan and German luxury marque BMW.
Present day Chennai does have its problems like drinking water shortage and waterlogging even during brief spells of rains, besides unscheduled power cuts. City dwellers, who are increasingly vocal about issues, must be fervently hoping that the birthday celebrations will at least see an end to their woes.