Madras Day celebrations have grown beyond imagination, but is this enough caring for a city we love?

 

Well, the Madras Day celebration catalysts or coordinators have come a long way since 2004 when it all began. I still remember driving around the city with Vincent D’Souza, tying the odd bits together when calls would come every few minutes asking us what Madras Day was all about, whether it was a competition, whether it was a sort of drama, and what people were expected to do. Madras Day was actually Vincent’s ‘brainchild’. We then roped in S. Muthiah, city storyteller, and we let him lead from the front. 

Gmail had just started then. There were no smartphones. We did what best we could with feature phones, keeping in mind that outgoing calls were charged by the minute; incoming calls were just made free. The best way to spread information was by word of mouth and having leaflets and programme sheets distributed to individuals, schools, colleges, bookshops and other stores. The one thing that backed all this up was the press conference we would usually have a couple of weeks before Madras Day. At the press meet, we would request reporters to carry information about programmes during Madras Week and try and attend as many as they could and do some reporting. By then, we had built a core group that now included Susheela Ravindranath, V. Sriram and Mohan Raman. And there were others like Sujatha Shankar of INTACH who pitched in. Thanks to our concerted effort and the enthusiasm shown by citizens, Madras Day had become Madras Week, Madras Fortnight and, in some years, Madras Month, with about 120-odd programmes being held. 

If all that hard work produced results, it is heartwarming to see things changing quite dramatically the past few years, thanks mainly to social media, especially Instagram. A significant development has been the entry of the younger generation to the heritage field – passionate, research-minded, committed and keen to play a part. And there are various organisations made up of youngsters that are playing a role in promoting awareness and raising interest about heritage and the need for conservation – Madras Inherited, Nam Veedu Nam Ooru Nam Kadhai, Madras Photo Bloggers, to name a few that come immediately to mind. Researchers and authors like Chithra Madhavan, S. Anvar, Pradeep Chakravarthy, Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan, Meenakshi Devaraj, Uma Vangal, Karthik Bhatt, Nivedita Louis and Thirupurasundari Sevvel are now sought-after speakers during this time – so refreshing. Today, many news outlets, including newspapers, radio and television channels, no longer need any prompting. They run curtain-raisers, announce the birthday, and cover several of the programmes. Something truly remarkable, come to think of it. An example of how a simple citizens’ movement has caught on. 

It’s about people and love for the city

One of the special things you feel while doing your bit for Madras Day is the warmth you receive from people and their willingness to cooperate to make the celebrations a success. Some are keen to offer space, be it a gallery or home or terrace, to contribute and do something. There is no commercial aspect here, no mention of money. Those who conduct programmes for children willingly spend for travel and purchase of necessary material. Nobody has asked me all these years: What is the benefit we get? So, in a sense, celebrating Madras Day is different. It is the love for a city that brings people together. You get an opportunity to meet interesting people and learn new interesting things about the city. 

I recall some schools organising programmes. Asan Memorial, for instance, had the event chalked out in the school calendar. PS Senior Secondary School has played host to quiz contests. This is wonderful because you instill the idea of love for your city and caring for heritage in the minds of schoolchildren so that when they grow up, they realise the value of protecting and conserving heritage better. I remember a three-day exhibition of Madras memorabilia, put together by the Chennai Heritage Lovers Forum headed by the indefatigable D.H. Rao at the Padma Seshadri School in KK Nagar being a huge draw, with students from many neighbouring schools coming to have a look.

 

Ordinary people are the stars

During the earlier years, the problem was in getting people, individuals and those heading schools, colleges or institutions, to conduct events on their own. We, the catalysts, were always there to guide and coordinate but sometimes wondered why the spontaneity was missing. Frankly, heritage does not rank high in a person’s list of priorities. Madras that is Chennai is perhaps the only city in India to celebrate its birthday. On August 22, in 2004, at the magnificent Rajaji Hall, we had all chorused ‘Happy birthday, Madras’. Madras Day is August 22, the day the deed was signed transferring a plot of land one mile square (where the Fort now is) to the English East India Company by the local nawab. 

The ‘stars’ of the show are really the people we may not have heard of. Take the example of Ananda Kumar who exhibited his paintings at the CP Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation one year. Kumar had graduated that year from the city’s Government College of Fine Arts and was the first degree holder in Fine Arts from his village Koralpakkam in Thiruvannamalai District. Many streamed by to view his exhibits. Artist P. Krishnamurthy’s sketches displayed at one of the galleries during Madras Week were based on his memories of the Madras of his youth as well as on impressions he has gathered over the years from his research for historic films. An alumnus of the College of Arts and Crafts, Chennai (1960-66), Krishnamurthy was a contemporary of veterans like Adimoolam, Bhaskaran and Vasudev.

Some years ago, John Moses, someone who had never come to the forefront before, put up a stunning display of lamps at the Padma Seshadri School in KK Nagar, most of the lamps made of brass, glass and porcelain. Moses and Winston Henry, who helps put up aquariums and aviaries, narrated their passion for collecting anything old. Moses said his collection of old lamps, watches, pens and cycles was so large that there was hardly enough space at his home in Kilpauk to keep them. The passageways in Winston’s house are lined with large containers filled with old books. He had brought along the 1870 edition of Francis Buchanan’s Journey from Madras Through the Countries of Mysore, Canara and Malabar, published by Higginbotham and Company, Madras. Together, Moses and Winston made a difference to the exhibition at the school. They also took pains in describing the displays to all those who seemed interested to know and learn more.

Another example of ‘stars’ who shine during Madras Week is Venkatesh, a peon at the Padma Seshadri School. He has been an avid collector of coins and has always sought an outlet to exhibit them. Two years ago, he came up with a similar display. School duties have not blunted his enthusiasm to pursue his hobby. These are the people who make Madras Week what it is. They toil hard all day long, expect little publicity, prefer to keep a low profile, are happy with even the smallest word of appreciation, and treat every person with dignity.

 

Quite an experience

During the 2004 celebrations, several members of the Beri Thimmappa family had come to Rajaji Hall for the finale. One of them was K. Venkataswami Naidu, a grand old man who belonged to an ancient family of Naicks; he represented the eighth generation. His ancestor was none other than Beri Thimmappa who had built two temples, one of Vishnu and the other of Shiva, in Devaraja Mudali Street in George Town – the Chennakesavaperumal and Chennamalleswara temples. Thimmappa held a seat in the Council and a salute of five guns was fired whenever he paid a visit to the Agent or Governor of Madras on Pongal days. He was presented with six yards of superfine scarlet on that occasion. Venkataswami’s father K.T. Bashyam Naidu was known for his piety and generosity. Mother Srimathi Andalammal, who died when Venkataswami was young, belonged to the famous Bandla family. Uncle K. Narayanappah Naidu and Aunt Srimathi Narasammal looked after Venkataswami and his brothers. The uncle and his nephews built Appah & Company, which has a history of 60-plus years. In 1952, when Rajaji became the Chief Minister of Madras State, he included Venkataswami Naidu in his cabinet and gave him the portfolio of Hindu Religious Endowments. Were it not for Madras Day, I would have never got to meet and speak at length with the eighth-generation descendant of the Beri Thimappa family.

 

What about the Heritage Act?

A news report in The Hindu in April 2024 stated that the Madras High Court had succeeded in making the Tamil Nadu Government bring into force the Tamil Nadu Heritage Commission Act of 2012 (as amended in 2017), 12 years since it was enacted by the legislature, and had now directed the government to constitute the commission to preserve the heritage structures in the state. In January this year, the Madras High Court expressed displeasure over the Tamil Nadu Government not having constituted a heritage commission for protecting age-old buildings, and such premises not being covered under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958 and the Tamil Nadu Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1966, despite multiple court orders and fixation of timelines. Now, unless there is a heritage commission with the right kind of people with experience and expertise who can guide the administration in the preservation of built and natural heritage, the Heritage Act will not translate into anything meaningful. 

And then, there is the question about whether we as Chennai citizens are doing enough for the city we say we love. We all know we are not. The least each of us can do is to follow rules, keep our neighbourhood clean, stand in queue when there is one, observe traffic rules, honk less, give way to pedestrians, show that you care with just a smile or nod of the head, spend time with the elderly, help a blind person cross the road … I can go on and on. Only if we are able to do all this, or at least honestly try, will Madras Day celebrations really mean something, I feel. 

 

Pictures taken during some of the earlier years of Madras Day celebrations, from top: 

- In 2011, at the press conference ahead of Madras Day, signatures were collected from all those keen to save the city's heritage, to be sent to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister with a request that steps be taken to have a Heritage Act in place. Muthiah is flanked by Vincent and Sriram to his right and Mohan and myself to his left. 

- Vincent D'Souza, who was really instrumental in kick-starting Madras Day celebrations in 2004, is the second signatory, after S. Muthiah. 

- Some years ago, Vijaya Hall at Hotel Green Park in Vadapalani saw a scintillating performance of thudumbu attam, a folk drumming instrument, and a captivating storytelling session, complete with mime artists. The drummers set the stage for possibly one of the best storytelling sessions held in that part of the city. 

- Storyteller Jeeva Raghunath has everybody in splits as she engages with film producers, directors and technicians from the Madras film world – at Hotel Green Park. 

- A visitor at Jaigopal Garodia School in Anna Nagar looking closely at exhibits of old Madras. 

- John Moses with his display of lamps at the Padma Seshadri School in KK Nagar. 

- Venkatesh with his collection of coins at the school. 

- S. Govindaraju’s exhibition of some of his grand collection of the golden oldies.