As the city turned 384, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin released three books published by The Hindu, as part of the month-long ‘Festival of Chennai-Madras Month’ celebrations, at the Ripon Building on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. The Chief Minister also inaugurated a specially curated archival photo exhibition to mark the occasion.
Nirmala Lakshman, Chairperson, The Hindu Group Publishing Private Limited said on Chennai’s 384th Birthday, the celebrations were not just about the city’s age, but also the journey it has undertaken, transforming from Madras to the vibrant metropolis it is today.
“Our archival photo exhibition at the iconic Ripon Building portrays the evolution of our city from Madras to Chennai through the lens of The Hindu, keeping people at the forefront. Every picture narrates a story from the people’s perspective and it is also an opportunity to show how this city once was, to a younger generation,” she said.
Taking readers through a journey about the great rulers of Tamil Nadu, the book, ‘Epic Saga of the Cholas: Their art, temples and heritage’, curated by T.S. Subramanian, former Associate Editor, Frontline was released by the Chief Minister, and Thangam Thennarasu, Minister for Finance and Human Resource Management received the first copy. The coffee table book has many scholars and experts on the subjects who have contributed to it, and promises an insight into the architecture, administration and other facets of the Chola rule.
A collection from the pages of The Hindu, ‘Tamil Nadu In Focus: Culture and Society; Politics and Governance’ seeks to capture the evolution of a region and its inhabitants. The book brings together the people’s history of events, movements, personalities and institutions, and how the State has evolved with every successive generation across various fields. Ma. Subramanian, Minister for Health received the first copy of the book
‘Pioneers - Stars in the Madras Galaxy’ a compilation of profiles by Kausalya Santhanam, former Deputy Editor of The Hindu, chronicles the lives of some remarkable personalities of Chennai during the 1990s. Many of them have traversed difficult roads and overcame challenges to take their professions to new heights. P.K. Sekar Babu, Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) received the first copy of the book from the Chief Minister.
Ms. Lakshman also said that the newspaper has released a special supplement to mark the occasion, curated by historian and author V. Sriram, which celebrates and showcases the historic legacy of the city.
Chennai Mayor R. Priya also addressed the gathering. Magesh Kumar, Deputy Mayor, N. Ram, Director, The Hindu Publishing Group, N. Ravi, Director, The Hindu Publishing Group and N. Murali, Director, The Hindu Publishing Group were also present on the occasion.
‘Akkam Pakkam’ exhibit
“I am happy that the Ripon Building has been chosen to showcase The Hindu’s archival exhibit, which captures the history of the city. Instead of celebrations just for a day, The Hindu has made this a festival for nearly a month for the residents of the city,” said J. Radhakrishnan, Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation.
He said that as a part of the GCC’s efforts to mark Madras day, a photo exhibition by students from Corporation’s schools across the city, titled ‘Akkam Pakkam’ will also be open to the public at the Ripon Buildings.
Mr. Stalin later posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he was honoured to unveil three remarkable works by The Hindu on Chennai Day.
“Epic Saga of the Cholas’ captures the grandeur of the Chola dynasty, ‘Tamil Nadu In Focus’ provides a fascinating insight into the world of Tamil history and culture; politics and governance, over the centuries, while ‘Pioneers – Stars in the Madras Galaxy’ honours our resilient achievers,” he said.
He thanked Mr. Ram, Mr. Murali, Mr. Ravi and everyone from The Hindu Group for celebrating the heritage and heroes of the Dravidian heartland.
Epic Saga of the Cholas: Their art, temples, and heritage has been designed by L. Balamurugan. The copy editor is K. Kirubanidhi, and art director is Kannan Sundar.
‘Pioneers: Stars in the Madras Galaxy’ has been curated by Geetha Venkataramanan. K.R. Naresh Kumar, S.K. Subrramanya, and Vibha Sudarshan have provided archival assistance, cover design by Kannan Sundar, design by Joseph Gnana Satheesh, illustrations by Balakrishnan, and photo enhancement by S.Sree Aja and A.Murali.
Tamil Nadu In Focus: Culture and Society; Politics and Governance has been curated by D. Suresh Kumar, designed by J. Albert Francis and with photo enhancement by E. Manohar and S. Sree Aja.
The books can be purchased at https://publications.thehindugroup.com/bookstore/
