MADRAS THEN, CHENNAI NOW

BY PREMA KASTURI

This article is for those of you in Connecticut who were born and raised in Madras, now Chennai.

Chennai recently celebrated ‘Madras Week 2008’ as an eight-day festival to mark the city’s 369th birthday. The enthusiastic participation of the public made the anniversary truly memorable. There were nearly 70 public events spread throughout the city. There were seven exhibitions going on during the week…..exhibitions of photographs of Old Madras, autographs of the famous, lithographs, and events of the Independence movement and so on. A truly path-breaking exhibition was the one at the Rajaji Hall which featured the labors of love of collectors of coins, medals, stamps, artifacts and precious books and maps. A striking specimen was the presentation of facets of the Buckingham Canal in a series of photographs.

Non resident Indians and people of Indian origin visiting Chennai can partake of two kinds of kinds of events that have become increasingly popular in Chennai – talks on varied topics like Gandhi in Madras, the Parsis of Madras, the Chennai temples, Madrasi English, reminiscences of expatriate wives and well known murders in Madras!! – and heritage walks. A tree walk in Government Museum, The Fort St. George walk, the walk along the Marina, and heritage buildings tour along busy streets of Chennai were all a part of the Madras Week celebrations.

There were events for students such as a multimedia presentation. Historian Mr. S. Muthiah’s book on the history of Madras, its people and governance, another book on the historic residences of Chennai and yet another on the history of the Connemara Hotel were released.

‘Namma Madras, Nalla Madras,’ was the theme of a special carnival by the Inner Wheelers (IW District 323). Swishing Kanchi silk saris, women vied with each other to display mastery from drawing kolams to walking down the ramp in traditional attire and jewelry.

At the end of it all, one is amazed how in Madras/Chennai, life continues to be dynamic and different, and yet the traditional cultural roots are strong as ever. One can flavor modern trends of word theatre, enjoy a wide variety of music – traditional, Western and fusion, be comfortable in any style of dress, acquire mastery in Bharatanatyam, Kathak or Ballet, enjoy a variety of cuisines and still be fond of idli and dosa. Being a Chennaite, you know where you are and where you are going as you blend yesterday and today beautifully as ‘Madras Week’ did.

Dr. Prema Kasturi is a former professor and head, Department of History, Women’s Christian College, Chennai. She is a social activist, being the president of Joint Action Council for Women. A Committed heritage enthusiast, she is an active member of INTACH (Indian National Trust for Architectural and Cultural Heritage. She has several publications to her credit.