The historic city in Tamil Nadu, Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is marking its 380th anniversary this year. Madras Day is celebrated on August 22 every year to commemorate the founding of the modern city. It is believed that on August 22, 1632, the village of Madraspatnam or Chennapatnam was purchased by British administrator Francis Day. After acquiring the land, the British constructed a fortified factory that was named as Fort St George.

The East Indian Company then began to acquire lands around the fort. From the forts and small settlements, the city of Madras grew into a big, bustling metropolis. The Fort St George today houses the Tamil Nadu Assembly. The then Madras Presidency was the hub of naval activity. After Independence, the city became the capital of Madras state, which was later renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969.

To get rid of the colonial tag, the state government in 1996 renamed the city Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu which resides over four million people. While Chennai is the official name of the city, the locals still call it Madras and celebrate its brief history on August 22 every year.

Madras Day 2019: History, Significance & celebrations

The idea to celebrate the birth of the historic city every year was started as a small initiative when journalists Vincent D'Souza and Shashi Nair met the city's historian and Editor of Madras Musings S. Muthiah at his residence for coffee in 2004. Since then Madras Day celebrations are held every year called the 'Madras week'.

In the beginning, the idea began with five events in 2004, by 2008, over 60 different events were associated with the day. The events include food festivals, heritage walks, lectures, poetry and caption and quiz contests. This year, the festivities began from August 18 and will continue till August 25. Check updates of the events here or at themadrasday.in.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2019 06:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).