Vanakkam Madras, Happy 377th birthday to you
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Dear friends, I take immense pleasure and pride in greeting my pettai, Madras (aka) Chennai, on its 377th birthday. Yes, today is "Madras Day" and there have been celebrations in a gala manner all over the city over the last week. It was on 22nd August 1639 that a sliver of land, where now stands Fort St George, was handed over by the local Nayak rulers to the East India Company’s Francis Day, his dubash (translator) Beri Thimmappa, and their superior, Andrew Cogan. ...
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From this small three square miles given to the East India Company grew the city of Madras, where millions of people live now. As years passed by out of the fort grew settlements and the villages around it were brought together with the old and new towns linked up and hence birth of a city. Of course, I'm not going into the much older Portuguese and Dutch history of Chennai.
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A small recap of the resilient city of facts than hype:
>Madras is believed to be originated from Madrasapattinam, a fishing village located north of Fort St. George, the administrative HQ of GoTN.
>Chennai is also known as the “Gateway to South India”.
>Fondly called the "Detroit of India" because of its automobile industry which produces more than 40% of the auto parts and motor vehicles in India.
>The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CBMT) at Koyambedu is a leading bus terminal in Asia.
>The Cancer Institute established in 1920 has been in the forefront in battling the dreaded death.
>The Anna Centenary Library is the largest library in Asia.
>The Vandalur Zoo set up in 1855 is the first public zoo in India and also the largest one in the country.
>Chennai is the second leading exporter of information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing (BPO) services in India.
>Chennai has the lowest pollution among major cities in spite of having the highest two-wheeler population in India.
>Chennai has consistently ranked first in India in healthcare facilities and is also the healthcare capital of the country.
>Chennai has consistently been a big name with respect to high-class educational facilities in India.
>The only city to have had the most Chief Ministers from the film industry (MGR, Jayalalitha, VN Janaki, Annadurai, & Karunanidhi). Chennai is the best place for cinema post-production work in the country. Kollywood needs no introduction.
>Marina Beach is the second longest beach in the world after Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro and is really the pride of the city, which offers the cheapest, yet best entertainment to the residents.
>Chennai’s Mount Road or Anna Salai’s original name is GST Road (Grand South Trunk Road).
>Chennai has long been known for its aroma-laden "filter kaapi" and still retains the charm of people favoring it over the fashionable cousin Cappuccino, which has become the craze of late. Try it once and you won't ever visit CCD! Of course, none needs to delve more its famous cuisine, be it veg or non-veg.
>Chennai Music Festival, held in December/January, draws voluminous crowds and reputable names in the music industry across the globe.
>Last but not the least, Chennai has proven to be one of the most peaceful and safest cities with all communities living happily. There is absolutely no discrimination on the basis of religion or caste. Amar, Akbar, Antony coexist and help out each other here. The once-existed outsider feeling of a North Indian in Chennai is long gone and the city has been found so welcoming by those North Indians who have made Chennai their home.
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Chennaities, let's renew our pledge one more time to keep our city clean and welcoming. I request IRI-ians to share their Madras/Chennai experiences here.