Much of the last 373 years, since Francis Day and Andrew Cogan received their firman, has been forgotten. But there is much that is remembered. Passing on those memories from the earliest days of Madras to the citizens of today's Chennai is something that V. Sriram does with panache. And when it comes to the Madras Day heritage walks, he is in his element, weaving one story into another, conjuring up images of the early days of the city all the while.
The Madras Day celebrations are now eight years old. A tribute to this city's founding day, begun by Mr. S.Muthiah, Vincent D'Souza and Sashi Nair now covers many events, spread out across two weeks. While the celebrations get bigger and better with each passing year, there are still several folks who remain incurious - and incredulous about this city.
The best cure - one of these walks! If you've missed them this year, they'll be back in 2013!!