The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : How corporates celebrate ‘Madras Day'

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Saturday, Aug 21, 2010
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

How corporates celebrate ‘Madras Day'

Staff Reporter

Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

In retrospect:Students take a look at the exhibition of photographs displayed at Anna University in Chennai on Friday. —

CHENNAI: From educational institutions to clubs to galleries, ‘Madras Week' celebrations even on the corporate campuses wore a colourful look. While some companies were recreating the Onam festivities before employees left for the weekend, a few organised events to celebrate the city's birthday.

Apart from kolam, a tagline contest and a photography exhibition, a typical tea stall-like set-up was recreated on the Infosys campus by the Voice of Youth team that served filter coffee and ‘vazhai elai virunthu'. It is not over. A photo caption contest on the theme ‘What I like about Madras', which is on till August 22, wants to ensure every Infosys employee finds a team member from outside the company for the competition.

Kites did not originate in Tamil Nadu but are a part of the Pongal celebrations, which art and craft teacher Sindhu Suresh decided to teach children at Vanilla Children Place. She taught the participants how to make and fly a kite. The wind also cooperated, she said.

Pictures speak a thousand words and the exhibition of photographs and design by students of different colleges at Anna University was a reminder of that.

A blown-up picture of traffic problems in the city on a scaffolding design structure and a contemporary piece of art with fluorescent bottles on walls to address defecation problems … reflected the problems of urban spaces and the promise of reclaiming them.

Historian S. Muthiah, who participated in the event, recalled the splendour the city that had ‘the beginnings of the modern world'. A panel discussion that followed the event had architects highlighting the need to develop a creative form of urban art, which would “recapture lost public spaces” and prevent the danger of “monotonous neighbourhoods of booming cities.”

Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni's recipes picked from ancient Madraspattinam are for the foodies. The festival opened on Friday at Hotel Green Park and continues till August 29.

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