Have you ever wondered why one end of the Chepauk Cricket stadium, in Chennai, is called Wallajah End? Your response would probably be “That’s because, that’s where the Wallajah Road is!” Yeah, so why is the Wallajah Road called so? Well, THAT requires a serious answer. Wallajah Road is so called because it leads to the Chepauk Palace of the Nawab Wallajah. And who was Nawab Wallajah? To find out, let us travel back to a time when the British were a formidable power in these parts.

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.