There were three other programmes conducted at PII during Madras Week. The presentation by Meenakshi Devaraj turned out to be quite fascinating one. Titled A Battle for Language Identity in the Madras Presidency, there were references to almost everything that finally led to the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1953:
• The Madras Manade movement launched by the Telugus or Andhras residing in Madras to create a separate state for their community with Madras as its capital city
• Mention of Telugu leaders like T. Prakasam and others, the movement launched in Tamil Nadu by the Tamil Arasu Kazhagam under the leadership of M.P. Sivagnanam, the The JVP Committee that took its name from its members Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel and Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya
• Two political solutions suggested by Andhra leaders, to make Madras the joint capital of Andhra and Madras States or to divide the city, allowing the areas north of the River Cooum going to Andhra and areas south of the river going to Madras States, which did not find favour with Tamils or the Central leaders
• C. Rajagopalachari, then chief minister of Madras Province, not supporting Madras moving to Andhra State
• Potti Sreeramulu, a freedom fighter, embarking on a fast unto death hunger strike, demanding a Telugu State, including Madras – his death leading to the formation of the Andhra State
Meenakshi is an IT professional turned into a home-grown historian thanks to her to the love and interest for Indian culture, Tamil literature, inscriptions and local history.
On the evening of Madras Day (August 22), Chithra Madhavan made a presentation on the Dhenupurishwarar Temple, a Shiva temple in Madambakkam in Chennai’s suburbs, and she spoke about its history, sculpture and architecture. According to Wikipedia, the temple was discovered from its ruins. Well-preserved Chola sculptures and carved pillar bases are present in and around both sanctums. A number of fine inscriptions and sculptures dating to the Vijayanagara Empire are also preserved. The temple is one of a number of sites that have been conserved and restored under the auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India. It has been declared a monument of national importance under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (amendment and validation) 2010 Act.
Chithra Madhavan has MA and MPhil degrees in Indian History and a PhD in Ancient History and Archaeology. A recipient of two post-doctoral fellowships, Chithra has published several books, including History and Culture of Tamil Nadu (in two volumes), Vishnu Temples of South India (in five volumes), and Sanskrit Education and Literature in Ancient and Medieval Tamil Nadu – An Epigraphical Study. She has compiled books on the Srirangam Temple and the Varadaraja Perumal Temple.
In the last programme,Vinita Sidhartha, founder, Kreeda, took the audience down memory lane, to the simple days of innocence, highlighting some of the games (parama padam, gilli danda, pallanguzhi, marbles, kite-flyng) we remember playing as children and some of the games we have forgotten. Her presentation was titled Social and Cultural History of Madras That is Chennai, Seen Through the Lens of Childhood and Games. It was followed by a traditional game-playing session.
Years ago, after Vinita returned with a degree in Journalism from the University of Texas in Austin, US, she set up a communications consultancy. As a mother of two, she turned to her grandmother for babysitting support. Her grandmother spent hours with the children teaching them a number of traditional Indian games. Kreeda, meaning ‘play’ in Sanskrit, was the result of Vinita watching her children play these games.
from Webdoux