Yet another Madras Day is upon us. What began rather inconspicuously on August 22, 2004 has, over the last two decades expanded into a celebration lasting more than a month. One of the constant criticisms the celebrations have faced since their inception has been that they are largely driven by a colonial hangover and it is nothing more than an occasion to celebrate an unceremonious past. Until recently, successive governments have maintained a studied indifference to the occasion (it is only in the last few years that the Greater Chennai Corporation has evinced an active interest in the celebrations. And to give him credit, the CM has been a celebrant, even while in Opposition). While even a cursory glance at the variety and nature of events celebrated today would suggest that the event now is anything but an exercise in paying tribute to the colonial powers, it is interesting to note that similar criticisms were faced by the Madras Tercentenary Celebrations Committee in 1939.
The idea of celebrating the tercentenary of the founding of the city, rather interestingly owed its existence to a government servant (albeit in his individual capacity), Prof CJ Varkey, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education, Government of Madras. Prof Varkey hailed from Mangalore, where he taught history at the St Aloysius College. In November 1938, along with Prof CS Srinivasachari, he addressed a meeting under the auspices of the Pachaiyappas College History and Economics Association on the ‘Tercentenary of Madras’. Talking about the need to “take a review of the various causes and stages that led to foreign domination in the seventeenth century and also the advance made by us towards our cherished goal of Purna Swaraj in the present century,” he appealed to the students and teachers to research the history of the city of Madras during the period 1639-1939 and added that it could help resolve a burning issue of the day then, whether “the city belonged to the Andhras or the Tamilians”.
Soon, a Madras Tercentenary Celebrations Committee was formed to take the idea forward. It comprised distinguished academicians such as Dr (Prof) S Krishnaswamy Ayyangar, KA Nilakanta Sastry, PJ Thomas, Dr BS Baliga, Prof Rao Bahadur CS Srinivasachari of the Annamalai University, Mrs. TJ Cleetus (of the Queen Mary’s College), besides CJ Varkey himself. Dewan Bahadur SE Runganadhan was appointed its President, with Prof Qutbuddin of the Mahomedan College and Prof V Ramachandra Dikshitar as its secretaries. It was resolved to celebrate the occasion in August 1939.
Some of the events to mark the occasion included the bringing out of a commemoration volume on the history of the city, an exhibition of historical records, paintings, maps, etc., and a public meeting where tableaus dealing with some scenes connected with the foundation of the city would be presented. It was also proposed to hold a drama competition on events connected with the history of the city and award a gold medal to the winner.
Not surprisingly, the idea drew widespread criticism from the party in power in the province, the Congress. When the proposal was brought to the notice of Sarojini Naidu by a correspondent of The Indian Express, she proclaimed the idea “silly in the extreme”. Dr Pattabhi Sitaramayya described it as a “glorification of the East India Company Limited at first and of the British Empire Limited now”, adding that the Andhra Provincial Congress Committee would not be party to any such celebration in the city of Madras or elsewhere. He questioned the propriety of Prof CJ Varkey’s involvement in the matter, given the office he held and called for the Congress Ministry to denounce his participation.
That the matter garnered public attention is evident from the fact that the noted thinktank, The Lakshmipuram Young Men’s Association, Royapettah held a protest meeting in December 1938, where the likes of CN Muthuranga Mudaliar, President of the Madras Congress Committee, Shafee Mohammad and TS Chockalingam (Editor of Dinamani) spoke against the proposed celebrations.
The two primary Indian newspapers of the city took opposing stands as regards the celebrations. While The Indian Express condemned it, calling it a “tomfoolery of a celebration”, The Hindu extended its support to the event, announcing the preparation of a special publication.
The opposition notwithstanding, the Tercentenary Celebrations Committee did proceed with the task on hand with great enthusiasm. On August 4, 1939, the celebrations began with the inauguration of an exhibition by the Governor of Madras, Lord Erskine. The exhibits comprised portraits and signatures of former governors of Madras, Army and Carnatic records, plans of Old Madras and Fort St George and copper coins of the East India Company. The Hindu published two special pages in its issue dated August 4, along with a photo feature.
The occasion also saw the release of three publications. The first was by the Tercentenary Celebrations Committee itself, titled The Madras Tercentenary Commemoration Volume. Edited by CS Srinivasachari, the book was a compilation of essays on various aspects of the city and remains one of the much-sought references for researchers and writers. The second was a handbook on the popular history of the city. Titled The History of the City of Madras, it was written for the Tercentenary Celebrations Committee by CS Srinivasachari, and was published by P Varadachary and Co. The last, a copy of which can be found in the Tamil Digital Library website is a hitherto unknown work in Tamil, titled Chennai-kaanchi. This slim volume in the kaanchi form of Tamil literature was written by Vidwan R Krishnamurthy from Devakottai and traces all the important developments of the city since 1639.
The celebrations formally wound down in April 1940, with the release of a formal Madras Tercentenary Brochure. The Committee decided to hand over the net surplus from the celebrations, which amounted to Rs 200 to the Governor’s War Fund, for the purposes of Red Cross relief work.