College of Fort St George’s river gate

In connection with The Hindu’s Lit Fest 2016, a heritage walk will be held tomorrow in aid of the Madras Literary Society. One of the oldest public libraries in India, the Madras Literary Society dates to 1817, when it began as an adjunct to the Asiatic Society. It became closely associated with the College of Fort St George that functioned on College Road between 1812 and 1854. The latter was set up chiefly to teach local languages to the Englishmen who joined East India Company service. The vast campus (presently occupied by the Directorate Of Public Instruction) was therefore where the first studies of Indian languages – Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindustani, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam were taken up. This was where the first Dravidian proofs, that the south Indian languages were classical in their own right, independent of Sanskrit, were first presented. The campus remains a memorial to FW Ellis who first translated the Tirukkural to English. The MLS, which is the sole survivor of what was once the College, now houses more than 83,000 books and is badly in need of funds to digitise them. The walk aims to raise awareness about this cause and the proceeds will be donated to the MLS. Curated and conceptualised by historian Sriram V, the walk, on Jan 16, will start at 6.00 am and end at 8.00 am. Charges : Rs 750 per head. This can be paid online at

https://www.payumoney.com/store/product/8fad87457afad38100fef9def0a61d48

You can also transfer the amount to our bank account, the details of which are given below:

Account Name: Past Forward
Account Type: Current
Bank Name: The Federal Bank Ltd
A/c No. 12820200104237
Branch: Royapettah
IFSC CODE: FDRL0001282

If you are doing a transfer, please send us an email to walks@chennaipastforward.com giving us the details as to which walk has been paid for and how many in each.