Madras Day: The iconic Ripon Building, commissioned in 1913, houses the Chennai Corporation.
Madras, now Chennai, turns 379 today. Madras Day celebrates the city - its history, its past and its present. The day commemorates the founding of the city of Madras, which was founded on August 22, 1639. This land, initially called Chennapattinam, Madraspatanam, soon became Madras and then Chennai.
The idea to mark Madras Day celebrations was started by Chennai Heritage Foundation in 2004. What started off as a citizen initiative has today grown into a week-long affair. The celebration consists of events such as heritage and food walks, public talks, exhibitions, poetry reading sessions, public performances, and special programs on local radio.
This year, the festivities began from August 19 and will continue till August 26.
On Madras Day, Twitter users rejoiced, shared nostalgic tweets, songs and a list of their favourite places from the vibrant city.
Joining them was cricketer Suresh Raina who tweeted that he shares special bond with the people of Madras.
"Happy #MadrasDay! It's a city full of love, talent and vibrance! Glad to have spent many good memories and share a special bond with the people of #Madras!" the cricketer tweeted.
BJP lawmaker Udit Raj tweeted, "Happy #MadrasDay2018. One of the few places in the world where anyone from any religion , caste and civilization can live together in harmony," the cricketer tweeted.
Today, Chennai is famous for education, healthcare, IT, history, tourism, auto industries, movies among other things. Despite the city's many shades, the nostalgia of 'Madras' continues to bring the people together.