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Madras Founding Day
S. MUTHIAH
IT'S A day that should have been long celebrated, but when even the founders of Madras that is Chennai did not mark the day, why should their successors? Nevertheless, there are a few who have caught up with Madras in recent years and, having found it of significance in the development of modern India, wanted to create a greater awareness about the contribution of the city. And it is in this context that Vincent D'Souza of the Mylapore Times and convener of `Namma Mylapore', which wants to get at least the four Madha streets back to the area's heritage, has teamed up with a few others to draw up plans to commemorate for a week from August 22 the founding of Madras.
There is some confusion about the date of the founding of Madras. The "firman granted by Demela Vintagedro Nague... for the trading and fortifying of Medraspatam" is dated the "22nd July 1639". But Francis Day of Armagon (Dugarayapatnam) who, through his dubash Beri Thimmappa, negotiated the grant, writes from Armagon on 27th July 1639 that he "set sayle... on a voyage to the Nague" on July 23rd and arrived "in those parts" on July 27th! An arrival in Madraspatam on July 27th makes a letter from Armagon on the same day as difficult to fathom as the dating of the firman. As Col. Henry Davison Love, whose record of Madras history up to 1800 is the definitive work, says, "July appears to be an error for August. Day did not reach Madraspatam from Armagon until the 27th July." In this context, August 22nd appears to be a more reasonable date to celebrate Madras Founding Day. It must, however, be noted that Andrew Cogan, Day's boss, Day and the rest of the party from Armagon arrived in Madraspatam on February 20, 1640 to put down new roots and began building the new settlement from March 1st.
August 22 scores
With so many options, August 22nd is as good as any of the others to mark the founding of Madras and I hope it gets sufficient recognition to become an annual day of commemoration. For this first Founding Day, D'Souza plans a low-key, day-long celebration but hopes that other organisations in the city will use the week of August 22nd to hold events on their own. D'Souza himself is planning quizzes and painting competitions for children, a photographic competition organised by the Madras Photographic Society, a couple of heritage walks and a public meeting. The Madras Book Club is hoping to schedule a talk on books about Madras and an exhibition of the books. The Association of British Scholars which, independent of the celebration, had planned an inter-college quiz at Stella Maris on the 28th, now plans to focus a section of the quiz on Madras. D'Souza and his team hope theatre groups - offering readings from works on Madras - some of the art galleries, as well as the Philatelic and Coin Societies will make their contribution to the week-long commemoration. "We started late this year, but next year we hope to have a better arranged programme," says D'Souza whose Mylapore Festival has been going from success to success every year. I hope Madras Founding Day will prove as successful - and get official blessing too. I also hope that the commemoration will lead to Andrew Cogan, Francis Day and Beri Thimmappa being remembered in the city - at least in road names in the vicinity of the Fort.
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