Sunday, August 22, 2021

Madras Day!

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





No comments:

Post a Comment