Author: K R A Narasiah

A convenient spot from which to tradeâ??that was all the British wanted when they first landed on a sandy spit off the Coromandel Coast. Fate intervened and from that narrow strip of land grew Fort St George and the nucleus of the city of Madras. This book traces the growth of Madras from 1639 when Francis Day and Andrew Cogan persuaded the East India Company to set up a base here to 1947.

The history of Madrasâ??renamed Chennai in 1996â??is linked with the destiny of the country; finding the populace to be willing subjects, the East India Companyâ??s trading venture soon became a mission to rule. The book answers many questions: Was every Englishman honest and just? Why is there no record of prominent Indians of the era? Where have the Armenians and Jews, once the backbone of the cityâ??s commerce, gone? The author brings to light several forgotten gems of history and recounts with pride the antecedents of several Madras institutions such as the Corporation of Madras, the film industry, and the trail-blazing newspapers and magazines of the time.

Engagingly told with interesting anecdotes, the book brings to life the characters who shaped the history of the city.