TC is happy to be partnering with The Alternative, an online platform that seeks to inspire sustainable ways of everyday living and chronicle and support social development in India, to bring you new and exciting content. Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect:

Come August and it is time to celebrate Madras Day and the birth of the city  – the day, a small piece of a fishing hamlet was sold to the British. They went on to create the settlement Madras or Chennapattinam from that sandy stretch,  built Fort St. George and made it the headquarters of the East India Company. Soon many villages were added and annexed to this fishing village and the settlement Madras grew into the city as we know it today. Every year, the city gets into a festive mood in August and there is plenty of action on the streets of Madras, with walks and talks, music and theatre, and photography and documentary sessions among other events.

Backpacker and I have always been celebrating the Madras Day with gusto. I wrote a detailed article on the Madras Day and the story behind it. I also featured some of my favourite monuments in the city and wrote in detail about Fort St. George.

I will however kick start this special with a list of 30 things that I like/would like to do in Madras. And if you do find people passionate about Madras, ask them to  tell you their stories. You don’t need any scholar out here – just ask your parents, uncles or grandparents to talk and as you listen to them, and a new city opens out in front of you . Continue reading at the Alternative.