Some warm words for Madras Day

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. 

And hopes it impacts on the city's major issues and projects.

Doss was one of the bosses at CMDA and tried to accomplish  few things.

Now retired and recovering from a painful spinal problem, he keeps a tab on the city from his bed.

It encourages us when senior people appreciate the process called Madras Day.

Postal Cover on 1st Light House; D H Rao's creation

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.

Often, Rao has to debate with the Postal Dept. and raise monies to do this.

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.

Rao also released a set of My Stamps on the city's four light houses - great stuff for collectors.

You must get hold of a cover or a stamp. The cover costs Rs.70.

Contact Rao at 98408 70172

Plenty of Walks

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.

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.

The city's weather - it has been at 37 degrees this late August - discourages even early morn Walks.

The positive side about the seasonal Walks is that many young people of the city sign up to explore parts of the city.

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.

What is the basis of celebrating Madras Day?

Is there basis for celebrating Madras Day and that too on August 22?

This is a query that has been asked often.

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.

Rangarajan has also launched a petition on change.org and lcoa media are feeding on it.

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.

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.

Celebrate the city in whatever form, whichever dates; thats what its catalysts say.

Yes, its kicker line when the Day was launched was - Celebrating the Founding of the City. 1639.

The event had to kick off on some date; be it July, August or September.

Instead, many people seem to nitpick here.

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.

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.

Time to present academic study, research; study on city NGOs is an effort

Is there room for presenting papers during the Madras Week?
Yes there is and there seems to be space for doing so.

While quizzes and walks and shows may add to the color of this celebration, this event must also encourage writers / scholars /journalists/academics to study and present papers on subjects on this city.

How are Tamil films understanding the metro and depicting it in their films?
Migrant labour and its place in the city's growing infrastructure world.
Fading Anglo Indian school education.
Impact of IT industry on suburban Chennai.

These are just wild themes that just pop up.

Surely, there are more serious ones that merit study.
This evening, a centre which provides education in the social work sector talked about assigning to students of its course at Loyola College studies on 10 city based NGOs who have been around for over 50 years.

Imagine the material that can come up and be shared online on this subject. It can also encourage expansion of this study.

So if you are an academic or a scholar or head of an institution, encourage presentation of papers on city centric themes. If done well, there is also an audience for such efforts.