tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311607732024-03-13T16:03:24.146+05:30The Madras DayVincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.comBlogger226125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-40128831126846776752018-08-08T21:10:00.004+05:302018-08-08T21:10:47.809+05:30Historian-writer S. Muthiah takes a back seat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">The man who kept tossing the idea of Madras Day two decades ago - historian and writer S. Muthiah is now taking a back seat - his health needs his attention though this veteran can't hide his enthusiasm to sink into this season's events.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though Muthiah has been resting he keeps sharing leads and tickling people into action.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">His Monday column in <i>The Hindu's MetroPlus</i> section have not been appearing for some three weeks now.</span></div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-56977476127283172512018-08-08T21:06:00.001+05:302018-08-08T21:06:16.580+05:30Welcome to the 2018 edition!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Welcome to the 2018 edition of Madras Day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What began as Madras Day (August 22) and expanded to Madras Week is now Madras Month!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In a way, that is an organic progression. For, many people and groups who now want to host an event that focuses on this city often choose weekends or holidays and since there are just a few of them, the whole of August now offers many events.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What has not happened?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, there are no signs of bigger ideas which can be translated into the real - like a weeklong show of exhibitions, films and interactive events at a few places across the city. Or a travelling show.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And if this has to happen we need corporates and pro-active community groups to back such ideas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The city has many open spaces - outdoor and indoor - for such events. And the city is now big. So it certainly calls for multi-fold, multi-location events that can touch many neighborhoods.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What has happened though is that many more groups are keen to host events they can manage - clubs, urban affairs bodies and campuses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A volunteer-driven celebration of this nature does not easily set triggers in communities. One has to coax, encourage, talk to and discuss with potential hosts to get an event going.</span></div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-71117563528311848732017-08-07T22:10:00.002+05:302017-08-07T22:10:38.924+05:30Talk and lunch at NInan's at the Y, George Towne<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Abraham Ninan; Madras' most popular caterer of the 60s, 70s and 80s. From Pandit Nehru to Madras Medical College's topnotch professors, from the Anglo India families of St Thomas Mount and Perambur, to advocates of the Madras High Court……all of them enjoyed and remembered his food.</div>
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A bit of English, a bit of Kerala and a bit of Madras. Thats what he made his food taste.</div>
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Ninan began his life with the Spencer's, managing its hugely popular catering on the railways.</div>
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He then ran a big canteen at Madras Medical College.</div>
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He took over an Iranian restaurant in the YMCA in George Towne and over time, made it a very popular food joint.</div>
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English breakfast had the way it should be had - with knives and forks and napkins. The menu for lunch was a big spread of chicken roast, mutton biryani and caramel custard ( it sells fast at Rs.40 a cup!)</div>
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Today, his son Alexander Ninan runs the restaurant which is now in its 61st year. And to celebrate a rare restaurant that has run and run and still serves good food, there is going to be a talk and a buffet on a weekend.</div>
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Ninan will shares his experiences and then serve the brand of food his place is known for.</div>
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Just a different kind of event to mark Madras Day 2017.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-62063823304264766132017-08-07T22:08:00.004+05:302017-08-07T22:08:36.282+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Tasakku Tasakku is a song from the hit Tamil film ' Vikram Vedham' that is running full at city theaters, starring Madhavan and Sethupathi.</div>
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It is a song at a wild party of the goons of a gang supposedly based in north Chennai.</div>
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The song is also a big hit and if you listen to it closely, the lyrics have a lot to express of life in that zone of the city.</div>
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Songs on Chennai in movies?</div>
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What makes film makers produce them? How do writers get to write the lyrics so apt to a city or neighbourhood? How apt is the music?</div>
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These make for a study that goes beyond just music and lyrics.</div>
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They tell us the story of this city.</div>
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And can make for a great theme for an illustrated talk / lecture.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-29929125494882428682017-08-07T22:08:00.002+05:302017-08-07T22:08:15.584+05:30A new T-shirt for Chennai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The contest to get people to design for a Chennai T-shirt does not seem to enthuse too many people. One wonders why the students at places like NIFT, Arts College and Stella Maris' Arts Dept. do not seem excited about an occasion like this one.</div>
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Since the entries we received were few, we went to a professional graphic designer for help and in a few days we seem to have a design that was 'ins[pired' by a India design posted on social media.</div>
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The Tee is being produced in Tiruppur and should be out by August 14; for sale.</div>
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Limited stocks of M, L and XL sizes.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-78159160337286423222017-07-24T17:03:00.004+05:302017-07-24T17:03:25.364+05:30The men and women who make the Metro<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is an idea that popped up one Sunday. A newspaper report on Chennai's Metro rail triggered it.</div>
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The Metro is now at the core of the city's transport.</div>
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It is being reported every day.</div>
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Thousands of people work on it.</div>
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'Who are these people?</div>
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So a social message went out - could we have visual profiles of say 25 or 30 workers at different spots on the Metro line - on Poonamallee High Road, on Mount Road or in Anna Nagar.</div>
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Get city photographers to click these pictures and ask Metro bosses to grant space on one of its rail station's campus to exhibit them.</div>
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This will be one way of saying thank you to unknown people who also make our city.</div>
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If you wish to join this group, seek the links on the Madras Day FB page.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-10305207920282741522017-07-24T17:02:00.003+05:302017-07-24T17:02:40.883+05:30Wanted; school hall in North Madras for weekend schools mela<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We are looking for a school space where we can host a Madras Mela on a weekend - for schools in the north Chennai neighbourhood.</div>
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Hardly any event takes place in Perambur or Royapuram during Madras Day season and that is a shame.</div>
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It calls for a lot of effort to seek out and firm up people or communities who can host simple events.</div>
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A talk, a walk or even a quiz.</div>
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Maybe a nice photo show.</div>
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A group is making the effort this year to organize a weekend eerie soy contests for the schools in the Perambur-Ayanavaram-Madhavaram area.</div>
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Poster-making, model making, quiz, collection of home-based heritage . . .</div>
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If you have some influence with a school with a hall that can house 100 students for two days, do use that reach to get the group involved.</div>
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Madras Day is all about getting together, from the heart!</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-12108747075380723092017-07-15T17:17:00.002+05:302017-07-15T17:17:45.518+05:30Do you have photos of Mambalam in the 1970s<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The famed writer Ashokamitran has written a delightful essay on West Mambalam, his home for many years. </div>
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This is a neighbourhood that leads a low profile life and yet holds within its roads and colonies, many social stories that make this city.</div>
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Resident Padmapriya Bhaskaran, who studies less known temples of Tamil Nadu is now trying to uncover the lie and times of West Mambalam.</div>
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She intends to curate a Walk of this area during Madras Day 2017 season.</div>
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Padmapriya is keen to also collect photos shot of this area in the 1950s/60s/70s; if she gets two dozen visuals of the schools and stores, temples and social events held here then, she can also put up a photo exhibition.</div>
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Studying our neighborhoods can be fascinating journey. The stories hold local histories.</div>
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You too can start a study of your area. Be it Velachery or Madipakkam, Perambur or Mint Road.</div>
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Start today.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-13809090309206708532017-06-28T13:48:00.002+05:302017-06-28T13:48:16.521+05:30A call to plan and lead Walks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Heritage Walks are probably the largest number of events during Madras Day season. And they are hugely attended.</div>
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But our intention is to bring out more and more people to curate and lead more new Walks in parts of the city we have not explored.</div>
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Maybe Perambur and Pallavaram, Nanmangalam and Mannady, for example!</div>
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People who know these areas well and can share their local knowledge with a group are invited to plan a Walk and offer it to people in August.</div>
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Ping us with your own idea. It can be even a small one - lets say, around a less known but wow temple in George Town.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-44486035059767238862017-06-28T13:47:00.002+05:302017-06-28T13:47:38.002+05:30This contest for school students gets them to research<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is one contest which has a long history in the Madras Day world.</div>
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And it is for city schools.</div>
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The PP presentation contest encourages student teams to research and study a given theme of the city and present it at a public space.</div>
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The idea here was to get young people to know better a part of the city they may not have explored well.</div>
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And so over the years, teams have worked on churches and temples, old colonies and public spaces. And some of them have come up with some amazing notes and pictures.</div>
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This year, on the suggestion of a well-wisher who never fails to attend the contest, the theme is 'Markets of the City'. The focus will be on informal markets that have a character of their own.</div>
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There are many of them - from automobiles to dry fish to stationery and all the needs for Muslims religious/social functions.</div>
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Teams will gather in August at the Sastri Hall in Luz to make their presentations. The invitations for this contest will go out in early July.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-45042096041368751532017-06-21T20:28:00.006+05:302017-06-21T20:28:56.502+05:30The D H Rao Walks. B. Canal. Bridges.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Philatelist and historian D. Hemchandra Rao has been an integral part of Madras Day for many years.</div>
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He made it a point to release a Special Postal Cover themed on the city every August 22.</div>
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This costs a bit and the less than warm support from the P & T Dept., even from its seniors does not make life easy for Rao.</div>
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Rao is currently researching on the Buckingham Canal; he has been at it for some years now and travels often to parts of the Canal for field trips.</div>
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During his recent trip between Ongole and Sulurpeta, he volunteered to design two Walks for August.</div>
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One on the B Canal, as it is called by engineers in AP. Starting the walk from Basin Bridge, where the Canal was formally started on its northbound course and exploring it all the way to Central Station zone.</div>
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The quays, the boat yards, the locks, the godowns and all that made the Basin a buzzing centre for the boats from south and north.</div>
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The second Walk will be on old bridges, built during the time of the British. Starting with Laws Bridge in Chintadripet, the walk will tae people down to the May Day park side and on to Napier's Bridge, near the Marina.</div>
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Rao's intends to make people walk down to the less seen sides of these bridges to appreciate their structures.</div>
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So look out for these two Walks; planned for top of August.</div>
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And be prepared to get dirty. These aren't easy ones.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-28007499661158714952017-06-21T20:27:00.001+05:302017-06-21T20:27:48.966+05:30Welcome to 2017! Ideas on the roll!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Welcome to the 2017 edition of Madras Day. Madras Week if that tag sounds good. And some would say, Madras Month since for some years now the events are spread across 30 or more days!</div>
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Last year, the official count showed 152 events. With Talks and Walks adding to a good 50 plus.</div>
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And all these events were curated and hosted across the city and voluntarily.</div>
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Which is what the spirit of Madras Day has been and will be, hopefully.</div>
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Events ideate round the year. Some ideas hibernate, some pop up suddenly and some have a life of their own.</div>
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Many groups and communities who have been hosting events for some years now have got their hats on early and share the plans as early as May and June.</div>
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One of the events which gets into discussion mode early is the Madras Quiz. Host Murugappa Group is always keen to discuss ways in which this popular event can be improved.</div>
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This year, leveraging the social media is the focus and so, a few weeks before the mid-August event there should be some great buzz on FB and Twitter.</div>
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Quizmaster Sumanth C. Raman may well present a teaser quiz from a few landmark spots on First Line Beach!</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-16683218092129729812016-08-31T21:04:00.001+05:302016-08-31T21:04:06.075+05:30Free-loaders at talks!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The sarcastic jibe that marked open section of the Madras Day series of events was that a bunch of people headed to the Madras Musings' series of Talks only for the 'tiffin' or snacks that the hosts provided.</div>
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This group would clean up the snacks even before most guests arrived and made the best of a spread at the big hotels who were hosts.</div>
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This left a bad impression on the hosts as well as some guests.</div>
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There were occasions when the 'food raiders' would take two or three pieces of the snacks. Some stayed back for the talks, some slipped away.</div>
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The dirty side of the series; and it keeps happening year on year. </div>
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A shame indeed.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-46457232507324301802016-08-31T21:03:00.002+05:302016-08-31T21:03:37.634+05:30Events overlap; spread them out?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Events are aplenty now and they overlap. But little can be done to draw a calendar because the events are planned by volunteers according to the time and space they can mark/spare for Madras Day.</div>
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Some suggest that it is time the event are spread across August.</div>
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Perhaps, audio recording all talks and posting them online would help 'broadcast' the talks since many of them are on interesting themes.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-62244446035382605632016-08-31T21:03:00.000+05:302016-08-31T21:03:06.752+05:30Vysarpadi Fest among the few events in north Chennai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There were small efforts that popped up across the city this year. Like the talk on 'Sterling Road Histories' hosted by two women who have lived long years in that area.</div>
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They even got a senior Railway family who live in a colonial bungalow on the Railways sprawling property on this road in Nungambakkam.</div>
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These bungalows are bound to go some day soon; unless there is a quiet campaign that reaches the union railway minister, to save them and restore them and give them a new life.</div>
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The big effort was in the north Madras area of Vysarpadi where a few people joined hands with volunteers and social workers and linked up with other city groups to highlight the good things of life here.</div>
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The community had thought of this event to showcase the plus points of Vysarpadi which is often in the news for gore, crime, scandals and gangs.</div>
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The events may have been small and simple but they launched what could be an annual Vysarpadi Celebration.</div>
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Sadly though, this year too there were very few events in north Chennai.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-20884242993779579212016-08-31T21:01:00.001+05:302016-08-31T21:13:35.822+05:30Docu-film on Anglo-Indians in Chennai Today<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Madras Day is triggering the making of song videos and documentary films.</div>
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One film which was screened at the fag end of the Madras Week was on the Anglo-Indians in the city today.</div>
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Made by Harry Maclure who edits 'Anglos in the Wind' magazine and Customs officer Richard O'Connor, the 55-minutes long film looks at the AIs in different areas of the city - the past and the present.</div>
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Though it was a hurried assignment and could do with better filming and audio quality it is still a valuable document of the city's community.</div>
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It was screened at the Press Institute, Taramani. And this film will make a good addition to the small collection of films on Chennai/Madras.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-63987907348055816142016-08-24T22:18:00.004+05:302016-08-24T22:18:53.150+05:30Controversies sink into cheap jibes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Controversies have enveloped the Madras Day process from the time the idea was floated.</div>
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Are you pro-British?</div>
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Are you saying the area we call Madras/Chennai did not exist before 1639?</div>
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Are you celebrating white men who took Indian blood and suck us to this day?</div>
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Why not Chennai 2000 Plus?</div>
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The last mentioned is an idea circulated by a senior journalist who seems to run a Trust - Chennai 2000 Plus.</div>
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Debates are always welcome.</div>
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As long as they are civil and don't cross unwritten borders.</div>
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Sadly, many who blow hot and cold have not even celebrated the city in some way.</div>
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Now, there are people who are hitting below the belt. Mails are being sent to newspapers and people casting aspersions on the 'catalysts', calling the name of Jesus and Good Friday in arguments and flooding the mail boxes.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-24009251269715184012016-08-24T22:17:00.002+05:302016-08-24T22:17:17.901+05:30Artists. Writers. Poets. Artists . . .<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Madras Day triggers many processes.</div>
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Take the example of Chennai Weekend Artists.</div>
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Since many of its members use their Sunday mornings, heading to city spots to sketch and draw and water color, all their best works made for a great collection though some works may be tad amateur.</div>
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So when the CWA curated a show of their works at Lalit Kala Akademi and had a good crowd at they launch and the daily events are well crafted, this showed how a concept like Madras Day can throw up very positive developments.</div>
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Can we make a collection of city pictures and photos and lead these to books and collections?</div>
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Can we have more city writing that can go into a collection that a publisher can put out?</div>
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Can we have illustrated books for kids or short stories in Tamil?</div>
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We can. We need creative souls who passionately drive such thoughts.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-54310656955362689532016-08-24T22:16:00.002+05:302016-08-24T22:16:42.856+05:30How did Butt Road get the name?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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How did Butt Road in St Thomas Mount get that name?</div>
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It must have got the name because of the presence of a archery/shooting range in the area in the colonial times when the British had its cantonment in the Mount region after the Fort began to suffocate.</div>
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We got to know this small history of Madras/Chennai from a students' team of Army Public School, Nandambakkam.</div>
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It was taking part in the annual Power Point Project Presentation Contest that asks schools to study a heritage theme and present it in public.</div>
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Army Public School chose Butt Road that is close to its school campus. And for its project, it won the first prize at the 2016 contest. (photo above)</div>
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13 schools undertook the study of Streetscapes, for that was the theme.</div>
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Some of them had done some great field work.</div>
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Now, the hosts plan to build on this research and perhaps launch a project that looks at Chennai's StreetScapes.</div>
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Students will be an integral part of it.</div>
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Anyone else who may want too share their expertise here? Tech tools we can use, web site plan, video shoots. Mail us at - themadrasday@gmail.com</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-31624146620343793752016-08-23T22:43:00.000+05:302016-08-24T22:20:53.536+05:30Chennai authors get showcased!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Odyssey store's Ashwin has done a great service for city based writers. Showcased their books that are still in pr9int at his Gandhi Nagar store.</div>
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And one can already observe the 'oohs' and aahs that the authors have been uttering at this promotion.</div>
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At a prominent space in the store, the tables occupy some 30 odd books. Ashwin also offers a cloth bag that features the covers of these books to shoppers who buy two Chennai authors' books!</div>
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And on some evenings, young writers have been chatting about their work.</div>
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Meanwhile, at least three local theme books are being released. Writer Meera Raghavendra Rao sends us an invite to her ' Madhawas in Madras' book release.</div>
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And at Odyssey, I seemed to have sighted the cover of a book based on a Mylapore life experience!<br />
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<i>Photo featured here is of a Madras Day event for kids that Odyssey hosted.</i></div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-31606843780520413272016-08-23T22:40:00.003+05:302016-08-23T22:40:43.999+05:30Buharis' mutton samosas and Mount Road stories<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A Mount Road 'like'r mentioned about Buharis and its mutton samosas on the sidelines of a recent Madras Day event. That is when I got to know that the famed samosas were being sold at all Buharis outlets ( there are lots of them now and mostly doing well) sold the samosas.</div>
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But one had to get there by 4 p.m.</div>
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I was driving past one in Adyar and it was 3.45 p.m.. So we stopped by and picked by a pack - costs Rs.65.</div>
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I recall the times in the 70s when we gobbled them up at Buharis on Mount Road - they were sold at 10 paise a piece, crunchy ones and filled to the edges with mutton. They are still tasty.</div>
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I had thought of hosting a Mount Road Walk this 2016 season. When I do it I start at The Hindu office gates and end at Buharis or LIC. But the nasty climate ( it is 37degrees now) has discouraged me from announcing this Walk.</div>
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I lived close to Mount Road in the 60s and 70s and have collected loads of stories - of people, shops, places, the road itself.</div>
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Lots of seniors have their own Mount Road stories. I shared one note on the Madras Day FB page - written by Dr Beatrix D' Souza, former MLA and MP and San Thome resident, and posted on her social media page</div>
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Perhaps, there is an illustrated book on this road that must be written. What do you think?</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-68358898955955265602016-08-23T22:36:00.002+05:302016-08-24T22:21:21.357+05:30Some warm words for Madras Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Former chief urban planner A. Doss calls us. To say how happy he is to see Madras Day flower and go places. He says he likes the fact that so many people are involved. </div>
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And hopes it impacts on the city's major issues and projects.</div>
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Doss was one of the bosses at CMDA and tried to accomplish few things.</div>
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Now retired and recovering from a painful spinal problem, he keeps a tab on the city from his bed.</div>
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It encourages us when senior people appreciate the process called Madras Day.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-2637090832094769662016-08-22T21:44:00.000+05:302016-08-22T21:44:06.831+05:30Postal Cover on 1st Light House; D H Rao's creation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One man who has single-mindedly celebrates the city is civil engineer and philatelist D. Hemchandra Rao. He does all he can to design and produce a Special Postal Cover every Madras Day; keen to mark this day for posterity.</div>
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Often, Rao has to debate with the Postal Dept. and raise monies to do this.</div>
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This year, his cover is themed on the first light house in Madras - atop a merchant exchange inside the Fort. 220 years old this year.</div>
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Rao also released a set of My Stamps on the city's four light houses - great stuff for collectors.</div>
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You must get hold of a cover or a stamp. The cover costs Rs.70.</div>
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Contact Rao at 98408 70172</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-38528938301756675832016-08-22T21:41:00.003+05:302016-08-22T21:41:59.828+05:30Plenty of Walks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This year, there are close to 15/18 Walks in 10 days. Which indicates that many more people are willing to research and curate walks at least at this time of the year.</div>
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The city though does not have volunteers who offer Walks through the year, so tourists do not get to see always, the less known or other side of the city.</div>
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The city's weather - it has been at 37 degrees this late August - discourages even early morn Walks.</div>
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The positive side about the seasonal Walks is that many young people of the city sign up to explore parts of the city.</div>
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And educational too - a young bunch of architects have curated their themed walks that explore Mylapore, which predates the city and is struggling to retain its old houses.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160773.post-78667128233444548092016-08-22T21:40:00.000+05:302016-08-22T21:40:06.407+05:30What is the basis of celebrating Madras Day?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Is there basis for celebrating Madras Day and that too on August 22?</div>
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This is a query that has been asked often.</div>
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This year, a onetime senior journalist who now runs the Chennai 2000+ Trust says this celebration is a hoax and that people of this city must celebrate its heritage that runs for over 2000 years and that the date must be different - perhaps the day on which Madras was renamed Chennai.</div>
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Rangarajan has also launched a petition on change.org and lcoa media are feeding on it.</div>
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Rangarajan makes the point that the city zone's history is far far older. True. The catalysts of Madras Day have not challenged that at all. It is true.</div>
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What is being celebrated is Madras that is Chennai as a metro city. Our belief is that the metro formation started soon after the East India Company dug itself in in this area by setting up the fort-factory and sensed the formation of empire later.</div>
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Celebrate the city in whatever form, whichever dates; thats what its catalysts say.</div>
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Yes, its kicker line when the Day was launched was - Celebrating the Founding of the City. 1639.</div>
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The event had to kick off on some date; be it July, August or September.</div>
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Instead, many people seem to nitpick here.</div>
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People like Rangarajan say - celebrate its 2000 plus heritage. Sure. Many events of Madras Day, now Madras Week/Month host many events that look at local histories, archaeological findings and expeditions, even pre-historic man's life around this area.</div>
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Narratives will take their own form in a purely voluntary process here; but that over 150 events for 2016 Madras Week shows how a city's community is keen to celebrate its places, people, history, life, pockmarks and all.</div>
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Vincent D' Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860540121667927242noreply@blogger.com0