Having lots of Chennaites visit this site, I thought it is ideal to start this thread on the 377th Birthday of Chennai. I hail from Chennai too and feel so proud to call myself a Chennaite! I'm sure many of you do too. On this Birthday of Chennai, let's share here some interesting and fun facts about Chennai that we have known, heard and read. Especially with Chennai's 377th Birthday talked about so much in Social Media, I am sure we will come across lots of interesting facts that we could share here with our Community's Chennai friends! Let me go first in sharing what I read... Chennai, then Madras was founded on 22nd Aug, 1639. It was rechristened as Chennai on 17th July, 1996. The name Chennai originates from Chennapattinam or Chennapattanam or even Chinnupattanam. It is named after Chinnu the Great town, which had developed near Fort St. George. Go ahead and continue posting some interesting and fun facts about Chennai aka Madras!
I am also proud to say that I am a Chennaite. There are lots of Good things to cherish about our city. I would like to remember a lot in this thread.. A lot more and for sure others can add on to my memories. Burma bazaar, Moor Market, Marina Beach, Eliots Beach, Adyar Banyan Tree, St. Mary's Church, St Thomas church in Santhome, kabaleeswara temple, Parthasarathi Temple, Museum, WCC , Ethiraj, Pachaiyappa's, Presidency, New College, Loyolo, Chidambaram Cricket Stadium, Napiers bridge and so on... These are very old memories of 'MAD'RAS Will be back soon ladies.... Happy Birthday Chennai
Marina Beach in Chennai is the longest urban natural beach in the world!!!! Chennai residents should be proud of their natural asset....
To add to this honour....There is also somethings which speaks volumes about the way things can be improved.......... Coovum river is the most polluted river in Tamil Nadu State in India in Chennai. Due to indicriminate release of drainage into river, there is no biological activity in the river and fishes if any released into the river die.............. Chennai residents need to wake up and preserve natural assets............ This photo below of coovum can become a boater's paradise if the river is cleaned....Currently the place stinks.....Hope things improve in future.....
Trams in Madras (now Chennai) were operated between the docks and the inland areas, carrying goods and passengers. When the system began on 7 May 1895, it was the first electric tram system in India. The trams could carry heavy loads and were popular, with thousands of riders daily. The route encompassed Mount Road, Parry's Corner, Poonamallee Road and the Ripon Building. At its height in 1921, there were 97 cars running on 24 km of track. However, the tram company went bankrupt about 1950 and the system closed on 12 April 1953. I had once travelled in tram from Purazawakkam to NSCBose road when I was eight year old. My b-I-l ( my eldest sister's husband) had a house at NSC Bose Road which was known as China bazar Road then. Trams used to ply just a few steps away from the house. My naughty nephew who was just two years younger to me used to throw banana peels from the house on top of the trams. Though we did not live in Chennai we used to visit Chennai frequently to my sister's house. My nephew used to make kites and fly them and compete with other kite flyers. Used to cut off the thread of the other kites with manna thread which he used to prepare grinding glass . We also used to go to the beach in the evenings. Those days light house was at the high court compound. A small Zoo was near Moore market and was called peoples park. I will post some pictures of old Madras which I have mentioned in my post in the media later in the evening as I have to recharge my ipad
Hi, Yes, Chennai is where I was born and brought up and will always have a special place in my heart forever. Few things which google brought up. Chennai is the second oldest corporation in the world after London. It was started in 1687 SIPCOT IT Park (Siruseri) is the Asia’s largest IT Park. Kathipara flyover in Guindy is the largest Clover leaf shaped flyover in Asia “Higginbothams” book shop on Mount Road is the first and oldest existing book shop in India which was started in 1844 Chennai region has the oldest rocks in the country dating back to a billion years
@PushpavalliSrinivasan ma, That's a great info about the olden days tram system in Madras. Look forward to those authentic pics of olden days Madras from a senior citizen like you
1) From Madras to Chennai: Photo Credit We got the name Chennai only in 1996. Until then it was Madras, believed to be derived from Madrasapattinam which is a fishing village north of Fort St. George. An interesting explanation is that it could have been derived from a fisherman named Madrasan. We South Indians are still being grouped under the term ‘Madrasis’ which evolved from Madras. 2) The Detroit of India: Photo Credit Chennai is now known as the Detroit of India. Most major manufacturers such as Ford, Hyundai, BMW, Renault Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Daimler have transformed the city into an automobile hub. The perfect combination of a number of factors such as the location, proximity of sea port, our infrastructure, flexible industrial and government policies have attracted the giants of the automobile industry to set up their plants in Chennai. 3) Shopping in Pondy Bazaar: Photo Credit If you are in Chennai you cannot miss visiting the Pondy Bazaar, one of the busiest shopping streets in India. It is also known as “Soundarapandia Bazaar” named after Justice Party politician W.P.A. Soundarapandian Nadar. If you ever wondered about the bronze statue at the entrance to Pondy Bazaar, it is that of Soundarapandian Nadar. All the streets in and around this area have been named after Justice Party leaders. One interesting fact is that Lifco Books shop which functions even today was set up years ago when there were just three shops in the area. 4) The World Bank Office at Chennai: Photo Credit One lesser known building in Chennai is the World Bank Chennai Office in Taramani that is certified as a LEED Silver building. It is built on a 3.5-acre campus. By 2012 it had almost 500 staff after it set up a permanent back office in Chennai. Recently the World Bank group president Jim Yong Kim visited the office for the first time and appreciated the improvements made in the automobile industry. 5) Connemara- not just an old library but a National Depository: We all do know that Connemara Public Library at Egmore is one of the oldest libraries that have overcome the test of times. It is also one of the four National Depository Libraries that receives a copy of all the books, periodicals and newspapers being published in India. It is also a depository library for the United Nations.
