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From their rise and fall, the world has seen a complete transformation of cities. A cultural, economic, commercial and educational hub, the city of Chennai was previously a centre of colonial administration and was founded in the first half of the 17th Century.
Happened on 22nd August 1639
The age of colonization had begun. The 16th and 17th Centuries witnessed a splurge of Europeans rushing towards the East in search of power, wealth and territories. Initially disguised under the motive of trading, the English, French, Dutch, Portuguese etc, ventured out towards the Oriental lands, for they seemed to be an apt target due to their “backwardness” and “gullibility.” Justifying their interference in internal matters of the East as a way of “civilizing” them, the Westerns sailed towards the coastal towns of the subcontinent, and stumbled across one such town in the southern tip of India, perfectly suitable to their needs.
It was the Portuguese who were the first Europeans to set their foot on its soil. This town, then named Madraspatnam, was flanked by the rivers Penna and Ponnaiyar, and the word on the street was that it was once the hub of Deccan powers such as the Cholas, the Pallavas, the Pandiyas, and the Vijayanagar Empire. Looking at its strategic geographical location, the Portuguese built a port and named it São Tomé in 1522.
Although the theories surrounding the origins of the name of this town are plenty, the Portuguese titled it Madre de Deus (Mother of God). As you may have guessed by now, this is a tale of the once-named city of Madras.
It was perhaps its geographical location, or maybe the air surrounding the town which attracted uninvited outsiders to settle here, for before time could even change its fate, another set of visitors arrived, this time prepared for a long stay. The expeditions of the English East India Company were countless, and in 1639, their ships led them to our southern settlement.
Upon setting their foot on its soil, the Britishers instantly imagined a bustling administrative and trading centre, and with their eyes twinkling with greed, they set out to mark this territory as theirs.
During that era, it was the Vijayanagar Empire that ruled upon the area and had appointed independent chieftains called Nayaks to rule various regions of the province independently. The Britishers needed their permission to start trading from here and they got exactly what they wanted when Darmala Venkatadri Nayaka, a Telugu king and a powerful chieftain granted them a piece of land between the Cooum River and the Egmore River on 22nd August 1639.
Utilizing the land to its fullest use, the British built Fort St. George, which ultimately became a settlement for all kinds of British folk alike- from factory workers to British residents, all found their homes inside the walls of this magnificent architecture.
Fort St. George stood tall as a symbol of their authority, and they pressed their dominance further by giving the region the name “Madras” in honour of the village named Madraspatnam.
The fort also successfully achieved what it was set out to do- become a vibrant hub attracting traders and Europeans from all across the world. In fact, the Portuguese and Dutch signed an agreement with the British to let them reside in it and in just a decade, it was home to 19,000 residents!
With the growing population and needs, the British expanded the fort and occupied its surrounding areas as well, naming the entire complex as Fort St. George settlement.
The terms of the treaty signed with the Nayaks allowed the Britishers to paint the outside of the buildings and insides of the settlement as white. In addition to this, non-Europeans weren’t allowed to reside here, marking this territory both socially and literally “white”.
Naturally, due to the technicalities of different treaties signed by the Portuguese and Dutch with the Nayaks and the outrageous racial discrimination faced by Indians, the fort transformed into a site of violent clashes between Europeans and the Indian community. Ultimately, the latter was given a region nearby to settle in, which came to be known as “Black Town”, further instilling differences among the two communities.
White town got the best of resources and maintenance which led to the complete neglect of its counterpart. With barely receiving any attention, Black town was forced to live true to its name, for it became infested with pests, unkempt drainage systems and houses. Soon plague and warfare engulfed the entirety of the settlement, but Fort St. George continued to beam with pride.
Throughout the course of years, the region expanded into what we now know as the metropolitan city of Chennai. Although named Madras even after Independence and beyond, it was in 1996 that its name was officially changed to Chennai, a name that reflected the sovereignty of India rather than walking in the shadows of the former imperial powers.
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