Celebrate Madras Week with books, heritage walks and art exhibitions. Here is a quick guide

Madras in writing

The Madras Literary Society will host several events throughout the month to train the lens on Madras-related literature. The Spirit of Madras, storytelling by Geeta Ramanujam and Vikram Sridhar, curated by the All Tamil Nadu Storytelling Chapter, will take place on August 20, from 11 am to 12.30 pm, with a domestic heritage display by architect and conservation professional Sivagamasundari T.

Service to the Raj, an exhibition on the help of rent in colonial Madras by author Venkatesh Ramakrishnan, will be shown from 11 am to 3.30 pm from 22 to 29 August. And, Madras Incade, a talk and book discussion by author Sujata Shankar and artist and writer Manohar Devdas will be held on August 27 at 11 am.

three centuries and counting

The Chennai Photo Biennale celebrates this Madras week with a month full of photography events. Photo Kadai, a one-day pop-up photo fair on August 19th, which is also World Photography Day, lets us take a look at photo prints and merchandise, and participate in a cyanotype workshop. Mela gives you a chance to win prizes through lucky draw. Participating photographers, artists and initiatives include Amar Ramesh, Dwarkesh Iyengar, Manisha Sambhagam, Naam Veedu and more. Photowalk for children will also be organized at Mylapore Temple and Besant Nagar beach on August 20 from 6.30 am to 8 pm and on August 21 from 6.30 am to 8 am. The registration cost is ₹300. Get in touch at contact@chennaiphotobiennale.com.

bear witness to the past

An exhibition on centuries of kings and queens will be organized by CPR Institute of Indological Research from 20th to 27th August from 11am to 5pm at Shakuntala Art Gallery, CP Art Centre, Aldams Road. A talk on Kings and Queens by author Venkatesh Ramakrishnan, which will be held in conjunction with the exhibition at the CP Ramaswamy Iyer Foundation, Aldams Road on 20 August between 11am and 12pm.

With over 30 vintage bicycles, including a customized Raleigh bicycle that incorporates the Tour de France specifications of the 1980s, contemporary and vintage bicycle enthusiasts will enjoy a field day looking at the popular mode of transport during the Madras era. It will be held at Hotel Tamil Nadu, Island Grounds (Opposite Victory War Memorial) on 21st August from 08 AM to 12 Noon.

The Loose House in Mylapore will curate old photographs of the Buchi Babu cricket family who were involved in advancing the game since the late 1800s. The Vizianagaram royal family will also contribute to this Madras collection. It will be held on 20th August from 10 AM to 6 PM at Loose House, Loose Church Road, Mylapore.

Writers Dilip Kumar and Prabha Sridevan, a retired judge of the Madras High Court for Dilip Kumar: Signboards to Stories, Join Madras Musings, Madras Book Club and Ashvita in a talk featuring A Journey. The talk will take us on a journey through the tales of the past as they describe Madras as it used to be. It will take place on 22nd August at 6.30 pm in Ashvita’s Mylapore. To RSVP contact sonam@ashvitas.com.

history tour

Want to shape and awaken your inner historian? The Heritage Walk is the ideal way to go. Here are some walks you can wear your shoes for:

Streets of Aminjikarai: Take a stroll through the streets of Aminjikarai as the Madras social history group Naam Veedu, Naam Ooru, Naam Kadai gives us a history lesson about the surrounding areas. It will be held on 21st August from 6.30 am to 7.30 am. For more details and registration enquiry, email annanagarshg@gmail.com.

Fort St George: Take a look at one of the most iconic landmarks of Madras in this heritage walk organized by Vincent D’Souza. No registration required, join the walking tour by reporting to the parking lot in front of the main gate of the fort by 6.45 am. It will be held on August 21 between 7 am to 9 pm.

George Town: Learn more about Chennai’s past with organizer StoryCorner in Bookmine through this walk led by Sudha Umashankar. The walk begins outside Dare House, Parry Corner and covers boundary markers outside Dare House, past High Court, King George V statue, Pachayappa Hall, YMCA Building, Armenian Church, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Binny Site and Gokhale Hall. Is. It will be held on August 21 between 7 am to 9 pm. To register contact on 9840247624 with your name and details.

Triplicane: This heritage food walk in association with Madras Inherited Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) showcases the architecture, culture and cuisine of Triplicane. The event will be held on August 21 from 4 pm to 6 pm. Find the registration link on themadrasday.in.