Category: Madras Week 2011

It rained cats and dogs on the night of the 27th as well and so I was quite sure when I got up at 4.00 am that Mint Street would be at its galeej and galabai best. I was not far wrong. We assembled outside the High Court at 6.15 am and were off by…

It rained cats and dogs throughout the night of 26th and for a good part of early 27th as well. But having seen many Madras Week tours through in the midst of rain (the Justice Party tour of 2009 being the most memorable) I was not much bothered. And so we assembled at the Gymkhana…

I dropped writing this somewhere in the middle of the Mad Rush week, largely to keep sanity intact. But I must say I enjoyed the insanity while it lasted. On the 23rd I was at Vruksha, a Montessori school, giving a group of small kids the story of Chennai. The ppt with pictures helped tremendously…

I knew vaguely of the Royal Madras Yacht Club (RMYC) thanks to Venky Nayak, a friend of mine who once hosted a dinner at the club’s annexe which stands at an impossibly beautiful location – lands end, where the Cooum flows into the Bay of Bengal, just off the Napier Bridge and behind Flagstaff House.…

Yesterday (22/8/11) was a more relaxed day even though it was Madras Day. In the morning there was a Duchess Club programme where an Art Show comprising recent works with Madras as a theme. Some of them were wonderful. The show will be at Hotel Savera till tomorrow after which it will shift to the…

This humble serial is being offered as a humble dedication to my friend N Rajaram Brahma who having worked hard on Chennai’s Heritage had to go off abroad abandoning his beloved city. It is hoped that one day this migratory bird will return and we will celebrate Madras Week together along with other ‘saha’bodies such…

21st Aug Sun – Justice Prabha Sridevan – Life of V Krishnaswami Aiyar, a death centenary tribute – Chamiers, Chamiers Road 22nd Aug Mon -YG Mahendra and AR Srinivasan – Tamizh Theatre in Madras – Taj Club House, Club House Road, off Mount Road 23rd Aug Tue – R Mohan – Horse racing in Madras…

Thanks to Sushila Natraj, my colleague on Chennai Heritage, I was able to train a group of five ladies in conducting heritage walks around the Beach and the Park Town areas. It has given me great satisfaction to pass my knowledge along. They have been taking school children on their tours and that means a…

Heritage Tours conducted by Madras Musings to commemorate Madras Week 2011 20th August 2011 – Saturday – 6.45 am – The Wallajah Trail – a tour by van and foot for two hours in Triplicane and surrounding areas, to look at vestiges of the glory of the Nawabs of Arcot. The tour will be conducted…