Chennai: This year, the hotels of the city will, as usual, be enthusiastic participants. Some are venues for talks while others are hosting art and photographic exhibitions besides organising food festivals with Madras cuisine as their theme. Art galleries have also taken to this event in a big way.

A major development this year is a promise by the Murugappa Group to get the schools and colleges involved in the celebrations through a major Madras-focussed quiz. The Group had helped celebrate `Madras 350′ with such a quiz and hopes to make it an annual event if this year’s revival is a success. The Chennai Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is also planning several competitive programmes for schools, such as quizzes, elocution contests and debates with Madras as the focus. Mylapore Times too is organising a wide range of events for Madras Week. These include walks, quiz contests and other programmes.

As has been the practice in past years, Chennai Heritage, publishers of Madras Musings, will be hosting eight talks at various locations, on subjects related to the city. It also plans to team with the Freemasons on a series of performance programmes from August 29 to September 4. Plenty of other heritage walks are also being organised this year. Further details will be available at the site www.themadrasday.in

Perhaps indicative of the success of Madras Week as a concept is the number of institutions that have come forward each year to celebrate the city. We are also seeing several IT companies displaying interest. Rotary Clubs also having several programmes. The celebrations have also spread to the suburbs such as Nanganallur and Tambaram. Private apartment blocks and Clubs are planning their own events.

Participation is purely a voluntary effort by those wanting to organise programmes during the Week. The role of the informal group of co-coordinators is only to encourage such participation, try to organise publicity for the events, offer advice, and, where possible, arrange venues. This is a first call for individuals/ volunteer groups who wish to celebrate the founding of this city to join in.