Chennai: Chennaiites may be gearing up to celebrate the city’s 377th birth anniversary with much fervour. But an organisation has taken objection to the celebration with the argument that the city is more than 2,000 years old and that the “Madras Week” celebrations are wiping out the city’s “own heritage and culture.”
Putting forth evidences that August 22, 1639 trotted out by British Raj supporters is false, R. Rangaraj, President of Chennai 2000 plus trust says as per the official records preserved at the Chandragiri Museum, the East India Company bought Madraspatnam to set up a cloth factory and to carry on global trade which Portuguese were already doing from Mylapore and the Dutch from Pazhaverkadu (anglicized to Pulicat), far ahead of the British.
“British may have taken over the port city of Madarasapattinam some 350 years back. They took over only the port city meaning that a city already existed.
“Port town of Madarasapattinam existed according to a 1367 inscription; which means that the town itself must be ancient. Without the infrastructure of a town, a port town cannot be established, and trade cannot be conducted,” Mr Rangaraj said.
The document bought by the British mentions that they have bought the port town of Madraspatnam, not Madras. So, it is obvious that the place they bought already existed with the name Madraspatnam, and the name – Madras was used as a mere abbreviation, he said.
“Many parts of the city including Saidapet, Mylapore, Adyar and Pallavaram were found from 1st century AD. Why are they clinging to an artificial theory that Madras or Chennai is 377 years old?” he asked.
However, Vincent D’Souza, one of the organisers of the ‘Madras Week’ said the arguments made by Mr Rangaraj are “hollow and immature. This part of India is over 2,000 years old. But the metro emerged in 17th century. Rangaraj’s charges are hollow, immature and cheap. He fails to appreciate the celebrations. The focus of Madras week is on Madras as Metro,” he told DC.
Mr Rangaraj says evidence has also come about the word Madraspatnam being used in several official communications by both the British and the Vijanayanagar empire representatives repeatedly, even after 1639.
