Come one, come all to celebrate Madras Day-2013 that's become Madras Week-2013 and promises to become Madras Month-2013. And the more the merrier. That was the message of the Coordinators of Madras Week when they recently announced that Madras Week this year would be celebrated from August 18th to August 25th, bracketing Madras Day, August 22nd. And they said they were happy to add that the celebrations were likely to start, judging from the programmes they had heard about, from early in August and run into the first week of September.

First off the mark has been INTACH's Chennai chapter, the Rotary Club of Madras South and the British Council. INTACH is focussing on schools with three competitions featuring short plays, AV presentations and essays. It is also organising an open photographic contest. And it has a DVD presentation on the history of Madras and a look at its heritage which it hopes to show in schools, colleges and other institutions like corporates and clubs who would like to see it. This presentation will be only a phone call away: contact INTACH's organisers and they'll arrive at your premises to screen the programme if you provide screening facilities, says INTACH's Co-Convener, Sujatha Shankar.

Rotary Club, Madras South, is planning programmes right through August and Programme Organiser S.R. Madhu will be glad to help any other Rotary Club or any other organisation looking for speakers on Madras. And the British Council is organising a whole-day seminar on the Nawab Wallajah-Governor George Pigot-Rajah of Tanjore connection besides other programmes. Chennai Heritage is planning eight talks on different aspects of Madras. Mylapore Times has several competitions and quizzes planned, as has Namma Arcot Road. All three and Nizhal and others have walks planned – and walks in different parts of the city throughout the week will be a particular feature of this year's celebrations. If you would like to organise a heritage walk in your area, contact us for advice, say the Coordinators.

Programmes like these and any others which innovative planners can think up to celebrate Madras are what the Coordinators of the celebrations hope will happen between August 18th and August 25th – and they'd be glad if they happen well into September as well!

Participation is purely a voluntary effort by those wanting to organise programmes during the Week. The role of the informal group of Coordinators is only to encourage such participation, try to organise publicity for the events, offer advice and, where possible, arrange venues. Their press conference was a first call for individuals/groups/institutions, who wish voluntarily to celebrate the founding of this city, to join in.

This year, the hotels of the city will, once again, be enthusiastic participants. Some will be venues for talks while others will host art and photographic exhibitions besides organising food festivals with Madras cuisine as their theme. Art galleries have also taken to this event in a big way in the past.

The Murugappa Group's Madras Quiz for schools in Greater Madras is now an annual event and will be the highlight of a Madras quizzing season that's a feature of the Week.

Perhaps indicative of the success of Madras Week as a means of creating awareness about the City and its heritage is the number of institutions that have come forward each year to celebrate the city. Several IT companies organised programmes last year and are planning to do more this year. So have several Clubs. The celebrations have also spread to the suburbs such as Tiruvanmiyur, Nanganallur and Tambaram. Private apartment blocks and various societies are planning their own events. The Coordinators look forward to more participants this year, particularly from North and West Madras, besides the growing number from South and Central Madras.

For the small band of volunteers who catalysed this celebration and now help coordinate the programmes, the response from corporates, educational institutions and citizens of the city has given enormous satisfaction by the way it has grown over the last ten years.

For any assistance or information please contact:
    editor@madrasmusings.com
    themadrasday@gmail.com
    PRISM PR, Satyan Bhatt (9840085411).

Website: www.themadrasday.in

To list your programme on this site, e-mail: themadrasday@gmail.com

For INTACH competitions:
    Padma Swaminathan: padmaathreya@yahoo.com
    Malvika Harishlakshman: malavika.harishlakshman@ gmail.com

For showings of the INTACH DVD:
    youngintachchennai@gmail.com
    and
    intachchennai@gmail.com
    Telephone: 24991696

Walks:
    Sushila Nataraj (for walks, if you have a group at least 10 persons) email:
    sushi_1952@yahoo.co.in

Talks:
    S.R.Madhu, (for talks) email: editor1941@gmail.com