Have you always wanted to visit New York but never could? Wanted to admire NY's historic landmarks and awe at its magnificence? Well, here is your chance! Thanks to the U.S. Consulate General, Chennai and The C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation, you can now see New York City in your very own Chennai.

The Landmark of New York - an illustrated record of the city's Historic Buildings, a photo exhibition was inaugurated today at C.P. Art Center. The exhibition was thrown open by Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, His Highness the Prince of Arcot in the presence of Mr. David T. Hopper, the Consul General of the U.S. Consulate General and Dr. Nanditha Krishna, the Hon. Director of the C.P.R. Aiyar Foundation.

According to Mr. David Hopper, this exhibition interweaves several themes- the message of historic preservation, the timing of the exhibit, New York, and the participation of the Prince of Arcot.

"The timing of this exhibit holds high meaning as Americans everywhere will be celebrating the Fourth of July, America's Independence Day two days from now. Secondly, New York is inextricably linked to America's founding and to its subsequent history. NY became the first capital of independent US and it was also the place where our first President was inaugurated. And finally, the Prince of Arcot! 18 years after the American independence, the first American Consular Agent was appointed in Madras and he served as the Secretary to the Nawab of Arcot. So all of us, in fact, owe our positions to the House of Arcot."

The Prince of Arcot filled the dais with his presence and his humour and passion. "History is history, it is something that cannot be erased and cannot be changed. We should ensure that we don't take advantage of history. The younger generations should not only know about the present and the future, but should also be aware of the past. The organisers of this photo exhibit should have taken us to New York rather than bringing NY to us!"

This year marks the 43rd anniversary of the passage of the New York City Landmarks Law. And the exhibition documents some of the most significant and unusual of the properties and has been organised by the Historic Preservation Center in NY in conjunction with the publication of the book 'The Landmarks of New York' by noted author and curator, Barbaralee Daimonstein- Spielvogel.

The exhibit has 80 black and white framed photographs with descriptive explanatory text about each landmark's cultural, historical, and architectural significance. It is open to the public on all days from July 3rd to July 13th from 10am to 7pm. So be sure not to miss it! It's worth seeing!

By
Rashmi Kumar