Madras Day

Madras Day is a day of celebrations organised in the city of Chennai, the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated on 22 August every year. It commemorates the founding of the modern city by establishing Fort St George on a small piece of land aquired from the last King of Chandragiri in 1639 by the British East India Company. The celebrations include several events organised including citizens and students and lasts for a week.

Background

The modern history of the city dates back to 1639 when Francis Day of the British East India Company bought a small strip of land on the Coromandel Coast from the Vijayanagara King, Peda Venkata Raya in Chandragiri. The region was ruled by Damerla Venkatapathy, the Nayak of Vandavasi. [http://www.chennai.tn.nic.in/chndistprof.htm#hist Chennai district Profile] ] He granted the British permission to build a factory and warehouse for their trading enterprises. A year later, the British built Fort St George, which became the nucleus of the growing colonial city.

Birth of Madras Day

The idea to celebrate the birth of the city everyyear was born when journalists Shashi Nair and Vincent D'Souza met the city's historian and Editor of Madras Musings, S Muthiah at his residence for coffee. [http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14741627 First city of modern India] Sify news] It was based on the success of another event called Mylapore Festival which D'Souza had been organising every year in January. It was decided by the trio to start celebrating Madras Day from 2004. According to them, "primary motive of celebrating `Madras Day' was to focus on the city, its past and its present." [ [http://www.hinduonnet.com/2006/08/15/stories/2006081514150200.htm `Madras Day' bash ahead] The Hindu] The idea initialy started off with about five events in 2004, but with 2008, has over 60 different events associated with the day including heritage walks, photo walks, lectures, poetry and caption and quiz contests, food festivals and a Bullet tour lasting for a week.

ignificance of 22 August

It was on 22 August 1639 that a sliver of land, where now stands Fort St George, was handed over by the local Nayak rulers to the East India Company’s Francis Day, his dubash Beri Thimmappa, and their superior, Andrew Cogan. From this small three square miles given to the East India Company grew the city of Chennai where more than four and a half million people live now. As years passed by out of the fort grew settlements and the villages around it were brought together with the old and new townes linked up and hence birth of a city. [http://www.themadrasday.in/ Madras day website] ] [ [http://www.hindu.com/yw/2007/08/31/stories/2007083150020100.htm And the city grew] The Hindu]

Controversies regarding the date

There had been a controversy regarding the exact day that Chennai (then called Madras) was handed over to the British East India Company's Francis Day and Andrew Cogan between the dates 22 August and 22 July. The controversy arose since the agreement documents dates the records to 22 July 1639 rather than 22 August of that year. It is often stated that since Francis Day and Andrew Cogan did not arive to the coast which is now Chennai untill 27 July 1639. The evidence comes from writings of Henry Davison Love, whose monumental three-volume history of Madras from 1640-1800 is the Bible of all searchers after Madras’s early history, which states that "The Naik’s grant, erroneously styled a farman, which was probably drafted by Day, was delivered (to Andrew Cogan at Masulipatam on September 3, 1639… Three copies are extant … all of which are endorsed by Cogan. Only the last bears a date, 22nd July, 1639, where July is probably a slip for August, since Day did not reach Madras until 27th July". [ [http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/09/01/stories/2008090150840800.htm When was Founding Day?] ]

The Celebration

Originally,This celebration used to last for a day but now it extends for a week. Madras Day focuses on the city, its history, its past and its present and the core team motivates communities, groups, companies and campuses in the city to host events that celebrate the city. The celebration consists of events such as heritage walks (including a "tree walk" [ [http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/20/stories/2007082054550200.htm Celebrating the good old Madras] The Hindu] , public talks, exhibitions, poetry reading sessions, public performances, food festivals and special programs on local radio. It also includes contests such as, T-shirt designing, documentary film contest, multimedia presentation for schools and quiz in both Tamil and English. T-shirts to mark the event are also released. [ [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200708221532.htm Citizens celebrate 368th birthday of Chennai] The Hindu] The talks delivered to mark the week long celebrations usually involve lectures explaining the heritage and history of the city. [ [http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/06/stories/2005090615720200.htm Madras Day at the Masonic Lodge] The Hindu] There are also events for the retired citizens where they can post their life years ago on the "Stories about Madras section" on Madras day's website and their views on how Madras grew into the Chennai of today. [ [http://www.hindu.com/yw/2005/08/19/stories/2005081900440600.htm Let's celebrate Madras Day] The Hindu]

Indian postal department released a postal cover to commemorate Madras day on 22 August 2007. [ [http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/23/stories/2007082361111000.htm Special postal cover to mark Madras Day] The Hindu]

pecial radio broadcast

The special radio broadcast for Madras Day in the past included `Putham Puthu Kalai', a programme highlighting the important landmarks of Chennai, with writer Ashokamitran, Historian S. Muthiah, Vincent D'Souza and writer Randor Guy as participants. It also included `Madras Nalla Madras', a compilation of film songs on Chennai by Delhi Ganesh and comedian `Loose' Mohan providing a native touch with his Madras dialect. [ [http://www.hindu.com/2005/08/21/stories/2005082104930200.htm Madras Day programmes on AIR] The Hindu]

Exhibitions

When it started in 2004 only an handful of photographs were displayed in Rajaji Hall where the Madras Day celebrations was organised. Later in 2005 it had picked momentum where three men exhibited their collection of coins, books, maps and photographs at Clive Hall in Fort St. George. In 2006 a dozen participants, including the Archaeological Society of India and Southern Railway, have displayed their collection. The buildings that dotted Chennai's skyline in the last 300 years narrate the story of its builders. Fort St. George currently houses at least 50 to 60 heritage buildings by one estimate. Only photographs of buildings under the ASI are on display. The exhibition illustrated how business shaped Chennai's economic growth. The exhibition also traced the 200-year history of State Bank of India, besides offering a display of coins and currency notes issued over the centuries. As the city expanded, mass transport evolved. Rare, out-of-print books and maps, paintings of buildings that have since been razed down were also on display. [ [http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/23/stories/2006082305200200.htm Exhibition kicks off Madras Day fete] ]

T shirt

T shirt marking the celebrations are released which is a white T-shirt with traditional kolam printed on a mud colour background and bears the legend, "Namma Chennai." [ [http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/05/stories/2005090514340300.htm Around the City] The Hindu]

References

External links

* [http://www.themadrasday.in/ Madras Day Celebration: 2006]
* [http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/15/stories/2006081514150200.htm Article published in The Hindu ]