Even as it rained on Sunday, the city celebrated its birthday through a host of interesting events that saw the residents turning up enthusiastically.
As many as 1,000 persons visited Bhavan's Rajaji Vidyashram where an exhibition of coins, stamps and books used in Madras were on display. According to D. H. Rao of Madras Heritage Lovers Forum, one participant had displayed very old Tamil magazines that were popular in the city. “Another participant displayed really old advertisements – of the fifties. Visitors found it very interesting,” he said.
At Studio Palazzo, it was about making the city greener. Pauline Deborah's talk on ‘Trees of Madras' looked at the variety in trees in the city, the kind of plants that would grow well along medians and ways of protecting trees. Organisers of various events observed that despite the rain, the response to most events was very heartening. Members of The Madras Association of the Deaf gathered at the Marina beach in the morning to celebrate ‘Madras Day'. Members wore caps and eagerly came for their city's birthday. ‘Madras week' celebrations on Sunday also included talks on various topics about the city's past, commercial hubs and temples.
