CHENNAI: When you hear Chennai, images that comes to one’s mind are beaches, forts, temples, the scorching hot weather, filter Kaapi, cinema and above all- Madras - the city’s original name.
As Madras turns 380 on August 22, City Express brings you a variety of events happening over the coming week across the city as part of the Madras Day celebration.
Marina scrolls
What else other than Marina to start with?
The iconic beach of the city is a three-kilometre stretch between Napier Bridge and LightHouse. It is not only a go-to spot for the Chennaites for piping hot ‘corn’ but no foreigner visiting the city misses the beach as well. Regarded as the second longest beach in the world, several movies in the city have been shot in Marina.
From top politicians to prodigies - everybody still lives in Marina. From memorials of late Chief Ministers Karunanidhi, M G Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa to statues of Tamil prodigies - Thiruvalluvar, Avvaiyar, Kannagi and Subramania Bharati - everything is on Marina. Also, the lighthouse in Marina is a ‘star’ to every wandering fishermen.
Urban Design Collective on August 17 has organized a walk-tour through the Marina Beach starting from Napier Bridge and ending with the visit to Light House.
George Town Chronicles
The Chennai which grew southwards has its history in north Madras. A popular locality there is the George Town, which was once called Black Town. The locality is known for its British buildings and one such is the Fort St. George in George. Known for its Moats, Barracks, Churches, Tombstones, Ramparts, Barracks and Cellars - the fortress is one the history lovers can’t miss. It currently houses the Tamil Nadu assembly.
Journalist Vincent D’Souza on August 18 will be taking people into the mighty fortress at 7 am. The reporting point is the main entrance of the fortress.
Nature walk in Kelambakkam backwaters
If you are a fan of nature and bird watching, Kelambakkam backwaters, located in the East Coast of the city is the right place to go to. It is a home for migratory birds ranging from Pelicans, Storks, Ibis, Kingfishers and Egrets to name a few. The backwaters also has saltpans and is the ideal for to pursue nature or bird photography.
Madras Naturalists’ Society on August 18 is organising a nature walk in the backwaters. Reporting time 6:30 am at Bridge in OMR-ECR link road.
Breakfast with Parsis
For the foodies out there, this one’s for you. A visit to the Parsi dwellings in Royapuram led by the community members who will be explaining the community’s history and heritage. It will be followed by the breakfast with the community members.
The event will take place on August 25 at 8 am and Interested people could register at rajith.bala@gmail.com before August 21.
A walk through Agraharams
Triplicane or Tiruvallikeni is one of the oldest villages in Madras and it still has the traditional Agraharams -- Brahmin neighbourhood centred around temples. Apart from the famous Parthasarathy temple, Triplicane also has Chepauk Stadium and Amir Mahal, where the Nawab of Arcot lives.
The walk organized by ‘Nam Veedu, Nam Oor and Naam Kadhai’ starts at 4 pm on August 31. Starting point: Pezhalwar street.
Tribute to Crazy Mohan
From Vasool Raja MBBBS to Apoorva Sagodharargal, Crazy Mohan’s scripts have etched a special place in the hearts of people. As a multi-faceted Tamil dramatist, Mohan’s death was a huge loss to Tamil Cinema. As a tribute to the legendary scriptwriter on the Madras week, Actor Maadhu Balaji will be on a conversation with Bharadwaj Rangan on August 21 as part of the Chennai Heritage and Madras Musings lecture series.
Venue: Hanu Reddy Residence, Poes Garden. Time: 6:30 pm.
For more details, visit www.themadrasday.in.