It is that time of the year, when Chennaites are mob frenzied into celebrating Madras week, as a part of Madras Day celebration. For the unawares, Madras Day is celebrated on 22nd August.
Why 22 August?
Because a group of people decided that 22 August is the founding day of Madras. What made them choose this date? It was on 22nd August 1639, East India Company a.k.a. invaders, purchased a piece of barren land from Nayakas. Later the East India Company built St. George Fort over the land they built.
Madras Day has no historic connection. It is just a recent phenomenon that started about 20 years ago. What started as a simple heritage walk around the Fort in 2004, has now turned into a full-fledged marketing brainwashing exercise.
Certain people claim 22.08.1639 is the birthday of Madras, which is Chennai. Does this mean, there was No Madras, No civilization, No People before that? Our Parthasarathy Temple, Kalikambal Temple, Kapaleeswarar Temple and predates by many centuries. Over 2 dozen temples are there in Chennai for over 1000 years. Thiruvalluvar was born in this very Madras.
Conveniently or purposefully ignoring our history, new narrative is being set as if our city is less than 400 years old. And what day do these folks have chosen?
This day, invaders British set foot on our soil. This day is actually a black day for the city. Celebrating it is an insult to lakhs of Freedom fighters who fought for our Independence. It is exactly 7 days after our Independence Day, and it is nothing but a crude joke.
Even the US, which has been celebrating Columbus Day for Centuries, now started to mark the day as Indigenous people’s day to honour Native American history and acknowledge the negative impacts of Columbus’s arrival. Like how arrival of Columbus at Caribbeans, led to exploitation and enslavement of natives, this land deal by the British, led to exploitation of natives in Channapatnam and entire Tamil Nadu. Though the Europens arrived much earlier to Bharat and already started to colonize, this land deal was the start point for colonising Madras and Tamil Nadu. And we are celebrating this day! A typical slave mindset.
People with right thinking will never celebrate their invaders and oppressors. Ofcourse Bharat is a free country, one can even celebrate Robert Clive’s Birth Anniversary, who can stop? But this freedom was not given in a silver plate. Lakhs of people have shed their blood for this. Our loyalty should be only to these patriots and Bharat Mata and not to oppressors.
Kannappan is a writer.
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