Back in the 1970s, Chennai was called Madras. And in the Hindi-belt, everyone from southern India was classified as Madrassi. Never mind what the ‘Madrassis’ spoke at home - Malayalam, Kannada, Coorgi, Tulu, Telugu or even Badaga; most North Indians (including the educated ones) believed that anyone from ‘down-below’ spoke an exotic language called ‘Madrasi’ (that is Madrassi with one ‘s’ removed)! It did not matter where they actually came from: Kanyakumari, Kakinada or Kozhikode. Bollywood took the stereotype to a whole new level and the idea of a Madrassi was here to stay.

In 1960, a Tamil fiction film called Raja Desingu was released, starring the swashbuckling matinee idol, MGR. It flopped. But after centuries, Raja Desingu stories continue to be told in street performances like Therukoothu, Poi-Kal-Kuthirai, and even the Burra-Katha tradition of Andhra. In fact, many boys in Tamilnadu are named Desingu even today, after the legendary hero of Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu. 

A tall frosted glass of something delicious, clinking with ice – is there anything to beat this on a hot summer’s day in Chennai? Today, it just means a walk to the ‘fridge, but what about the days before refrigeration? Would you believe that there was ice in Chennai much before refrigeration was invented? All thanks to a 19th century businessman from far away Boston. His name was Frederic Tudor. It’s because of him that Chennai has a handsome round building on the Marina beach front – the Ice House, now called Vivekananda House. Let me connect all the dots for you.

Yale University is named after Elihu Yale. Back in 2007, the University had quietly removed a picture of Elihu from display, and replaced it with another. Why? And how is this university connected to the South Indian city of Ch