As the sun rises over the endless Marina beach, we find a city full of emotions-Madras, celebrating its 376 years of existence with almost the same fragrance everywhere.
Madras Day is celebrated on 22 August every year, commemorating the foundation of Fort. According to S.Muthiah, Shashi Nair, and Vincent D’Souza: ” The prime motive of celebrating Madras Day is to focus on the city, its past, and present.”
It seems strange that out of a fort- a city was born. Every year people there celebrate seven days of Madras through culture, arts, traditions, archives, heritage walks, and history. People say: “There is something for everyone in Madras.”
The people and the team who arranges the celebratory events for Madras Day motivate communities, groups, companies, and campuses in the city to host events to honor and celebrate their city. The celebrations consist of food festivals, quizzes, exhibitions, public speeches, and talks.
The discussions usually focus on the heritage and history of the city. Heritage walks, school exchange programs, talks and contests, poetry and music and quiz, food fests and rallies, photo exhibitions, and bike tours. these are the few programs held across the city on this day. “Participation in these events is purely voluntary. Anyone who loves the city is free to join.”
Chennai has got many places which people wish to visit frequently. These places are the heart and soul of the city on Madras day and are also the city’s famous tourist attractions.
1. Marina Beach and Fort St. George :
The first place which comes to the mind of a non-Tamil guy when they hear about Chennai is the Marina beach. The beach might be populated and sometimes over-populated, but you can never miss it when visiting the city. We can experience the real “Beach fun” here. Fort St. George was the first English Fort in India.
2. Kapileshwara Temple
The Kapileshwara temple in Mylapore, Chennai, with a “seven-tiered Gopuram,” is known for magnificent sculptures depicting Puranic incidents.
3. Besant Nagar Beach:
A place where the sunrise is seen in a different light- also famously known as the “Photographers spot.” Where evenings are worth spending, watching natural beauty.
These are just a few wonders of Chennai. As we enter the city, we can find many other things that we might not be fond of, like the Traffic on Chennai roads. You can smell the fragrance of Mylapore Coffee even when you are 2 km away.
In 1996 the name was changed from Madras to Chennai. However, people still love to be called Madrasis because Chennai is a name given to them but the name Madras holds a more profound sense of meaning and attachment to the people. People say, “Chennai is a city, but Madras is an emotion.”
People love this place and its name too. A place where Movie tickets are cheaper than popcorn, Where the Auto meter is useless as ‘ueue’ in ‘queue,’ Where festivals come more often than weekends, Where people hate both summers and winters, Where migrants are almost equal to locals in number:
Madras- The Spirit of Chennai :
