Doing their mite for Madras

The Hindu writes about Three Men attempting make make "stop complaining and do something"

Three men, who call themselves catalysts in changing the face of Chennai, say it is time to stop criticising the lack of basic amenities and start making the city lovable.

"It could be just cleaning a statue in your area and taking pictures near it," said Vincent D Souza, the editor of Mylapore Times, who initiated the revival of Mylapore.

Beginning Sunday, Chennai's residents will for a week contribute in little ways to make the city a more beautiful place. The three -- historian S. Muthiah, D Souza, and Sashi Nair, a journalist -- have been urging public relations agencies, children, corporate houses, artists and Chennai Corporation to participate in Madras Day, the first of its kind to be held in Chennai.

According to records, two Englishmen and an Indian arrived at a beach close to the present Fort St. George sometime in July-August, 1639. The British bought a small piece of land across the sands and soon Madras was born. The city is home to one of the oldest medical and engineering colleges and Corporation, but "we may live here but we continue to refer to some other place as home," said Mr. Muthiah. "There are no monuments for Francis Day, the British trader, Beri Thimmanna, his translator and Andrew Cogan (Day's superior) who are the city's founding fathers", he said.

The venue for the August 22 Madras Day celebrations is Rajaji Hall. The day will begin with a heritage walk around the fort. There will be a photo exhibition on life in Madras and of models and charts by students of various schools on the landmarks of the city. A quiz on Madras in Tamil and English will be held.

In the evening, Corporation officials will participate and give away prizes. On the same day, artists will compete to bring to life buildings along Beach road. Children can participate in `Map Your Neighbourhood' workshop. From Monday, talks will be held by the Madras Book Club, the Madras Naturalists' Society and at Amethyst on cinema, history, heritage and flora and fauna of the city. INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) clubs, set up in 14 schools, will also exhibit photos of the city's landmarks. This is not a one-time effort, the three Madrasis promise. They say they have pitched in with their collective experience with funds coming from Larsen and Toubro's ECC division and Sundaram Finance. Those interested in participating in the event may contact Vincent D Souza, Ph: 24671122; Mobile: 98410 49155; Sashi Nair: 24715492; Mobile: 94441 08182.