The Hindu 25.08.2009
Chennai city turns a year older
Staff Reporter
| Fortnight of festivities, learning and sharing mark the Madras Week celebrations |
— Photo: M. Karunakaran 
Children learn about the charka at the ‘Gandhi in Tamilnadu’ exhibition at Roja Muthiah Research Library, Taramani.
Chennai: From a small three-square mile given to the East India Company, where Fort St. George now stands, started an odyssey on August 22, 1639. Today, the journey is still on with Chennai growing, as a melting pot of cultures, a bustling centre for trade and commerce and many more developments to come.
Chennai turned a year older on Saturday, something which the organisers of the Madras Week celebrations made sure one participated in or at least talk about. A celebration that started with only a day has become a fortnight of festivities, learning and sharing. Even the organisers agree that the number of people and organisations lending support has increased greatly over the years.
If a canvas of literary and cultural events has already kept Chennaiites busy the last week, then D-Day had to be even more special. From book launches, talks, discussions and release of a special cover on the city, it looked like every important pocket in the city had a function to mark the day.
Stamps are an authentic source of information on the heritage of the city and their potential has to be tapped. This was highlighted at an event conducted by the postal department. “The possibility of bringing out stamps on the heritage structures such as Ripon Building has to be explored by the Chennai Corporation,” said T.S. Ramanujam, Post Master-General, Chennai.
He said: “We could proactively get in touch with the government departments on chronicling the heritage of the city by designing more stamps.”
Mr. Ramanujam said the department would organise small presentations on the heritage of the city. Chennai Corporation has been focussing on restoration of heritage structures in the city, said its Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni. An exhibition of old maps, photographs, books and coins on Madras was inaugurated by the Madras Heritage Lovers. Founder of Madras Heritage Lovers D. Hemachandra Rao said, “The exhibition is a window to the city’s past.” The special cover on the theme ‘bridges of prosperity’ depicts graceful arch bridges of Madras. The design includes St. George’s Bridge and the cancellation shows Law’s Bridge of Chintadripet. Eight selected bridges across the Cooum, Adyar and the Buckingham Canal are part of the design on the reverse side of the cover.
Cultural organisations also joined in to pay tribute to the city. Personalities from politics, literature, cinema, music, social service and civil service, who contributed to the development of Madras, gathered to talk about their contribution to the city and vice-versa.
Musician K.J. Yesudas said he borrowed Rs.16 from a taxi driver to get a ticket to Madras. Yesteryear actress Sheela recalled her association since the time she was brought to the city by S.S. Rajendran and the effort she made to learn the language. “I came to Tamil Nadu to become an actor and I owe it to the State for what I am today,” she said. If Madras was better known as the film city, a talk on its journey must be part of its celebrations. As part of the celebrations on Saturday, Mohan Raman gave a glimpse of ‘Madras as seen in the films’ of 1938-78.
Gandhi and Tamils in South Africa, his public meetings, places where he stayed, interactions with Tamil leaders, are part of an exhibition ‘Gandhi in Tamil Nadu,’ organised as part of Madras Week at Roja Muthiah Research Library, Taramani.
