The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Chennai ahead of other metropolitan cities, says Barnala

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Chennai ahead of other metropolitan cities, says Barnala

Special Correspondent

— Photo. V. Ganesan

HISTORIC WORK: Governor Surgit Singh Barnala launching the first volume of a trilogy on the history of the erstwhile Madras by handing over the first copy to British High Commissioner Richard Stagg in Chennai on Sunday. Chris Gibson, Director, British Council (left); historian S. Muthiah; and Mike Connor, British Deputy High Commissioner (right), are in the picture.

CHENNAI: The first book in a trilogy on the erstwhile Madras that chronicles the eventful evolution from the fishing hamlet of Madraspattinam to a global metropolis was launched on Sunday.

‘Madras (Chennai): A 400 Year Record of the First City of Modern India,’ a collaborative effort of the Chennai chapters of the Association of British Scholars and the British Council, represents the first book in a three-part series on a city that pioneered on many fronts.

The objective documentation focusses on the city’s pioneering contributions as the capital of the British settlement in the East, antedating Calcutta or Bombay.

While the first volume deals with the land, the people, their religion and systems of governance over 17 chapters, the next one, due in April next, tackles the achievements in the field of services, education and economy, and the final tome, which will be out by September next, dwells on information, culture and entertainment.

Governor Surjit Singh Barnala launched the publication by handing over the first copy to Richard Stagg, British High Commissioner.

Mr. Barnala noted that Chennai was ahead of other metropolitan cities in terms of being a hub for multinational companies, software, automobile and healthcare.

The great city, which had many firsts to its credit—providing the country’s first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the first Governor General or the first Corporation housed in the Ripon Building—had also produced brilliant scientists, poets and virtuoso musicians.

The Governor said the history of Madras revealed that it had been a symbol of communal harmony, whether it was a Hindu merchant building a mosque or Muslim munificence benefiting temples. As home to people from all walks of life, different communities and religious beliefs, Chennai to this day had upheld the secular values.

Mr. Richard Stagg said that while the book recaptured the bonds between the U.K. and India, it was a challenge to ensure that the relationship grew and developed among a new generation that was more focussed on the future than the past.

India had a great potential for providing skilled workforce to the world. Citing quality education as the basis for this to happen, he said the U.K. was keen on supporting partnerships in education.

Chris Gibson, Director, British Council, said the British Council last week renewed its mission to further Indo-U.K. partnerships on the English language, education and climate change. One of the key initiatives was Project English that sought to bridge the skills gap among the youth by involving an estimated 7.50 lakh teachers across the country.

Historian S. Muthiah, who edited the work, said the bottom line of the voluminous exercise was to avoid opinions, and instead stick to the straightforward manner of putting out the facts. “We did not want young researchers to be influenced by the biases of others or the contributors.”

The factual account, he hoped, would serve as a strong foundation….a starting point for scholars in India or foreign Universities, before they branched out into specialised areas of scholarship on India.

Mike Connor, British Deputy High Commissioner, and P. M. Belliappa, president, Association of British Scholars, who presided over a core committee for the project, spoke.

The trilogy features articles by 50 authors, predominantly members of the Association of British Scholars, and experts in various fields.

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