Madras Day row: R Rangaraj says Chennai’s legacy spans over 2,000 years
As Chennai marks 386th Madras Day, journalist R Rangaraj questions why August 22 is celebrated as the city’s birthday when its history is far older
Chennai has a recorded history stretching back more than 2,000 years. Yet every year, August 22 is celebrated as the city’s “birthday.” In 2025, this marks 386 years since the East India Company acquired land on August 22, 1639, to build Fort St George.
But senior journalist R Rangaraj argues this celebration misrepresents the city’s past. He says Chennai’s culture and identity go back far deeper than the colonial milestone being observed.
How Aug 22 became Chennai's birthday
On August 22, 1639, the East India Company is believed to have acquired land from local rulers to build Fort St George. Over time, this date became associated with the founding of modern Chennai, then known as Madraspatnam.
In 2004, historian S Muthiah, along with journalists Vincent D’Souza and Sashi Nair, launched Madras Day, officially fixing August 22 as the city’s birthday. Since then, schools, cultural groups, and civic bodies have marked the day with events.
R Rangaraj, senior journalist, questions this choice: “The so-called lovers of history are throwing up all kinds of wrong information, even disinformation, about their own records. When August 22 is not the date, why are you celebrating August 22 as the date?” he asked.
According to him, even the organisers admitted that the choice of August 22 was based on convenience. “The spokesman said, ‘We needed some date. We chose August 22 instead of July 22 because in July, schools and colleges would be busy with exams and unable to take part. August was more convenient.’ So you can imagine this is the way they are treating the history of the city.”
These arguments keep the focus on whether convenience has overtaken accuracy in marking the city’s “birthday.”
Questioning the colonial lens
Rangaraj believes the larger issue is the claim that Chennai is only 375 or 386 years old. “Now, a small group of people who want to perpetuate the British legacy in Chennai want to commemorate about 350 or 375 years of the British Raj in Chennai. That is actually their aim,” he said.
“They are free to celebrate the British Raj or British legacy. But to say that Chennai is 375 or 380 years old amounts to desecration of the ancient Chennai culture and the ancient Chennai city. Anybody can celebrate anything, but for heaven's sake, don’t say that the city is only 375 or 380 years old. It boasts of a tradition and culture, literature and music which go back several centuries.”
Chennai's legacy beyond British
Critics argue that Madras Day should highlight not just the colonial origins of Fort St George but also the pre-colonial traditions of Chennai, its temples, markets, music, and thriving communities.
Ultimately, as Rangaraj points out, Chennai’s story cannot be confined to one date. Its true legacy is found in its people, its enduring culture, and a history that spans over two millennia.
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