Madras is 373 today ! Why not we celebrate it ?



Noth Mada Street - Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple, Old Mylapore



Madras is 373 today ! Why not we celebrate it ?

I was born in Madras and my entire family for generations  were  native of Madras . So I too wish to join in the Birthday celebrations of  Madras . Immediately  I started to write a blog and drafted a page . But my limitations are to South Madras only and that too most of our life time were spent in Mylapore , one of the oldest village of Chennapatnam. Saint Thiruvalluvar was born in Mylapore and a temple is there in the street named after him.

 I happened to read an article today  on Madras 373, in the oldest news paper of Madras , THE HINDU ,  and it inspired me very much to share the same to all the readers than my own writing. Mr.Bishwanath Gosh’s views matches mine too . The last touching  line of his article is true to me and I do agree that it is in my mind also so long and ashamed for that. I will change now.

“you will have to bridge the north-south divide, which exists mostly in our minds.”

So with the courtesy of THE HINDU , I reproduce the article for the readers of my blog.

“Madras’ birthday today. South Chennai is partying  - An article by Bishwanath Gosh in

“ THE HINDU “  dated 22 August 2012

Funny that a city known to the outside world as conservative and orthodox should be founded by a hardened drinker and womaniser — an enterprising and emotional employee of the East India Company called Francis Day.

For the benefit of those who remain unaware of the origins of this great city, it was on this day — August 22 — in 1639 that Francis Day signed the lease for the tiny strip of beach he had obtained from the local chieftain of the disintegrating Vijayanagara Empire to build a permanent trading post of the East Coast.

And why did he choose that particular spot, three miles north of the erstwhile Portuguese settlement of San Thome? Because, during his previous expeditions to scout for land to build the post, Day happened to visit San Thome where he found a local lover. He wanted to stay close to her, and therefore he chose the spot where Fort St. George stands today.

San Thome Church

 Fort St. George, whose construction began in early 1640 under the supervision of Day and his boss Andrew Cogan, marked the birth of the city of Madras.

Fort St.George

And since the agreement was signed on August 22, the year before, the day is now widely considered to be the birthday of Madras — that explains why the city, of late, celebrates Madras Week this time of the year.

So, today is Madras’ 373rd birthday. That makes it the oldest modern city in India. But look who is celebrating. It is the affluent south Madras that has been raising the toast to the city on its birthday each year whereas north Madras, where the city originated, remains largely indifferent to the occasion.



NSC Bose Road - Noth Madras





Vivekanand House ,Near Ice House - South Madras

The reason being north Madras has larger preoccupations — crime and congestion being just two of them. The area is almost always overlooked whenever large-scale developmental projects are announced by the government of the day, as a result of which it continues to live, in terms of infrastructure, in the era of Francis Day.

At the time, north Madras — or Black Town — was the poor cousin of White Town, located inside Fort St. George. Today, it is the poor cousin of south Chennai, where the rich and the famous live. In terms of travel time, the two Chennais may be just 20 minutes away from each other but they live 200 years apart

A very large population of south Chennai has never set foot in the north even though they’ve lived in the city all their lives; and when people from there eventually come to the north to attend heritage walks that are held during this time of the year, they walk gingerly, their mouths wide open and their cameras ready, as if they are tourists in a remote village.

To appreciate the present and dream of the future, you must understand the past; and Chennai’s past lies in the north, beyond Central station. Wall Tax Road, Elephant Gate, Seven Wells, Esplanade — these are just some of the names you come across in newspapers whenever a murder or robbery takes place in such neighbourhoods, but ever wondered about the story behind such names?

Once you set out to find the story, you’ll find yourself piecing together the rich history of the city you’ve been living in; but before you set out, you will have to bridge the north-south divide, which exists mostly in our minds. “