New Delhi: Every year on August 22, Madras Day is celebrated. It commemorates the occasion when the Madras city (currently known as Chennai) was founded in Tamil Nadu. It is widely regarded that on August 22, 1639, the East India Company bought the village of Madraspatnam or Chennapatnam from the local Nayak rulers. In this article, we will learn more about this day.
Madras Day: Why is celebrated on August 22?
It is said that Madras or Chennai, one of the most important cities in India in terms of infrastructural development was founded on August 22, 1639. It was on that that the East India Compay bought a village and later constructed the Fort. St. George there. The members of the Company, Francis Day and Andrew Cogan bought it from the local Nayak rulers.
Who came up with the idea of Madras Day?
The concept of Madras Day was the brainchild of three people: Vincent D’Souza, the editor of a local newspaper named Mylapore Times, Sashi Nair, director and editor of the Press Institute of India, and S. Muthiah, a renowned historian while the three were engaged in a conversation in 2004.
How is the Madras Day celebrated?
The idea of Madras Day was conceived to focus on the past and present of the city. While it was a small celebration in 2004, the scale got bigger when Madras Day was celebrated for a week in 2005. Three years later, in 2008, 60 events were conducted for the occasion. In 2007, the Chief Postmaster-General of Tamil Nadu issued a commemorative postal cover as a part of the Madras Day celebrations.
In 2014, during the 375th anniversary of the foundation of the city, Madras Day was celebrated with over a hundred events from August 10 to September 14, 2014. Despite the non-participation of the departments of the Tamil Nadu government, the events that year were a roaring success, getting nationwide coverage for the first time. Even a song titled ‘The Madras Song’ was composed to commemorate the occasion.
Over the years, the celebrations of the Madras Day have only gotten bigger as the day highlights the history and present of the city. Events are held all over the city including heritage walks, exhibitions, public talks, poetry reading sessions, public performances, and food festivals. Also, documentary films are shown and quiz competitions are held in the schools. There are many lectures explaining the city’s heritage and history and there is also a platform where retired citizens can post about their lives. They can do so on the ‘Stories about Madras ‘ section on the website of the Madras Day.
It is said that Madras or Chennai, one of the most important cities in India in terms of infrastructural development was founded on August 22, 1639. On that day, the East India Company bought the village of Madraspatnam or Chennapatnam. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
