Happy birthday Madras!
Today is the city of Madras’s (now called
Chennai) 382nd birthday. This day commemorates the acquisition of a strip
of land along the Coromandel coast, from the waning Vijayanagara empire, on 22
August 1639 by the British East India Company to set-up a factory and warehouse
for their trading activities. Though the sale deed indicated Chennai, the acquired
land area was formerly known as ‘Mādarasanpattanam’, reference to which goes all the
way back to 1367. So, you see, the city (or geographical area) is actually
older than the official 382 years. Not to mention, some of the architecture and
temples of the city date back to as early as 7th century!
One of the largest cities of the world - 36th
largest by population area - the cultural and de facto gateway to Southern
India, Chennai remains one of the most visited cities of the country. The city is
known as the ‘Health capital’ of India as it captures majority share of medical
tourism, both international and domestic; an indicator of not just world-class
healthcare facilities but also excellent health research organisations that the
city boasts of.
One of the safest metropolitan cities of India,
Chennai was rated best city in India in 2014 by India Today. BBC named Chennai ‘the
hottest’ city in 2015 for long term living as well as visiting. This is true
literally and otherwise; the biggest gripe of visitors and expatriates is that
the city is much too hot! But we people who are in love with Chennai don’t care
about the heat in the least!
The people of Chennai are also some of the
biggest foodies you will find, and the city does them proud by providing sheer
variety that other places can only dream of. So much so, the National
Geographic featured Chennai in their list of ‘Top 10 Food Cities’ in 2015! Where
else would you find old, traditional places like Karpagambal mess where you can
eat all you want, delicious traditional food in the heart of Mylapore? Or
another old landmark place, the Ratna Café famous for Idly, Vada with delicious
sambar generously served in a saucepan, with endless refills!!! I have often
wondered how much sambar the cooks at the café make on a daily basis…mindboggling!
So many more such gems, but how can we cover them even in a dedicated volume,
much less here? As for modern and international cuisines, you will find
everything from Italian to Mexican, street food to seven star restaurants, and
never be in a position where you cannot have something your heart desires - even
way past mid-night! The endless varieties of biriyanis would be a post in
itself, so I will not do the injustice of going into that here!
Chennai is home to many museums, art galleries
and other cultural institutions, that help residents and tourists connect with
the rich cultural heritage of the city and state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is
celebrated as a major hub for music, arts, culture, and movies in the country.
The Madras Music or Kutcheri (music & dance concerts) Season, beginning late
November to mid-January each year, is a celebrated destination event that every
performing arts lover across the country looks forward to. People travel from
all over the world to perform or participate as an audience in the many
concerts that the city has to offer. This season spins-out an entire economy as
people shop for concert-specific clothes & jewellery; food catering
services are booked several months in advance, as are the many sabhas, temples,
auditoriums and halls in preparation for the hundreds of concerts organized throughout
the city! Professional event planners (unlike community-based volunteer
services of old) and many other associated service providers make a killing
during this time which also happens to be a season for weddings.. This of
course is not the only time the city celebrates its culture and arts, but one
of the most prominent.
Did you know that banking systems were
established in Chennai as early as 1683, a century earlier than the
establishment of other commercial banks across the country? The city boasts of existence
of branches of many international banks. The permanent back office of the World
bank – the largest other than the Washington D.C office, is in Chennai as well!
The State of Tamil Nadu is on the whole extremely
well connected by road, air, and rail within and across the country. This, very
obviously, extends to the capital city of Chennai too and we residents could
not be prouder of our excellent roads and transport options. We might
occasionally complain, but one visit to any other metro or state shuts us right
up and moves us into the grateful zone immediately 😉
Chennai is home to some of the best educational
institutions in the country and the world. Government and private schools,
colleges and universities operate here, and English is the medium for most
higher education. The city is blessed with an abundance of public libraries, including
the largest library in Asia and some of the largest in the country. All
libraries are open for free public use.
One of the earliest and most industrialized
cities of India, Chennai goes back to the 16th century with its
foray into textiles manufacturing and has steadily grown to now become the
automobile capital of the country in addition to other manufacturing sectors.
Chennai hosts most of the international automobile companies as well as
domestic manufacturing plants.
Does this article sound like I am boasting? Of
course, I am 😊 This article is nowhere close to
doing any justice to my beautiful city but is just a small dedication from me
on this special day when we take an extra minute to remember Chennai’s or
Madras’s greatness. Madras (as some of us still like to remember) is not a city
but an emotion for most of us!
I leave you with some landmark pictures.
Stone carvings at Mahabalipuram
Central Railway station
University of Madras
Chennai High Court
The Karl Schmidt memorial at Eliots beach
Shore temple at Mahabalipuram at sunrise
Famous statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Chennai
Napier bridge
Ripon building - Corporation of Chennai
