As Madras Week enters its 18th edition, the celebration seems to have come of age. There is a certain spontaneity with which events are being held at various places in the city which fulfils in great measure the vision of the founders who hit upon such an idea years ago. At a recent press conference held to announce the launch of Madras Week 2024, the catalysts as they call themselves expressed satisfaction at the way in which the celebration of the city is acquiring continuity and character. This augurs well, for Madras Week was always envisioned as a people’s movement.
When it was launched, the concept of Madras Day was hardly understood. While it was initially spoken of as a commemoration of the founding of the city, that has since been tapered down and these days it is merely a celebration of the metropolis and the ethos that it stands for. As is well known, there is considerable confusion surrounding the exact date when the British moved in. And has been proven, there was a village of Madarasanpattinam going back to Vijayanagar times though the origins of Chennapattanam seem to be shrouded in mystery. It would therefore not be correct to claim August 22 as the founding day of Madras.
But then, concepts such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day have no basis either and yet they are celebrated and so why not Madras Day? That seems to be the spirit in which the city has understood this to be and so people are now coming forth with their individual ideas on how to celebrate it. From the Government, to corporate bodies, to educational institutions, to hotels to apartment complexes, there are Madras Week events. And none of them is forced upon anyone.
The Government has in recent years become a champion of Madras Day. The Hon’ble Chief Minister, who took to greeting people on this date from the time he was Mayor, has certainly played a significant role.The Greater Chennai Corporation has in the past few years been a celebrant too and this year seems to have stepped up its role. The Worshipful Mayor inaugurated a photo exhibition on the city, in collaboration with The Hindu. That venerable newspaper has been active in Madras Day events as well and this year too has a supplement on the city. Other media houses too have joined in. A surprise entry has been the Metropolitan Transport Corporation which has been promoting a photo contest.
Heritage buildings are gradually opening up to Madras Day. There have been reports of one or two being active participants, but this could do with a lot more. But then what is of interest is the way corporate houses and electronic channels are coming up with ideas to be a part of the show. Hotels too – one has a wall of Madras photos, another has menus coordinated to this theme and a third has books on display.
A group that deserves kudos for consistently celebrating Madras Day/Week even in the face of much negativism in earlier years is that of educational institutions. The variety of programmes is just amazing and spreading out from there we have a lot of youngsters showcasing their talent on social media too. It is this which is most heartening for it shows that Madras Day/Week/Month has come to stay. After all, nobody asked them to celebrate and yet they come forward year after year to express their thanks to the city. When the youth participate in something, its future is assured. And so may Madras that is Chennai and its celebrations flourish.