Madras is home. The city that sheltered me, shaped me, prepared me -and drew me back to it may years later. Where ever in the world I go, it’s Madras that I come home to. Oh yes, it is a city that has a lot of problems. Its also a city that has a lot to be said for its good points. As a community, we need to discuss these things openly, appreciating the good and preserving it, discussing the bad and cleaning it up. We should fiercely protect its rich mixture of cultures, languages, peoples and traditions. While embracing the benefits of science, technology and progress for a better future. I think that, we the citizens, should use the Madras Day Celebrations to come together to see how we can contribute to making the future of this great city brighter than it is today.

Can we put together a task force of prominent citizens, industrialists, business people, conservationisists, industry bodies, environmentalists, doctors, people from academia and students to interact with the government for the improvement of the city? Can the celebrations be the starting point in building pride of belonging to a city thats been a cradle for all of us?

Madras is a metro, large enough to have all the problems of a burgeoning population, but small enough for us to take concerted action to ensure future development is a planned progression towards a better city. Lets benchmark with the best cities in the world, set standards for our city that are high, and work with the goevrnment to make it happen. So that when we are old & gray, we will have the satisfaction of having had a hand in shaping the Madras we live in then.

So that the Madras Day celebrations of the future will really be celebrations of the city as it is then, rather than its past. And so that our children will benefit from their experience of a city that, in turn, sheltered them and nurtured them into being great citizens of the future. For the Madras Day Celebrations are not just about the city. Its about us and our future in this city.

This is how much Madras Day means to me. What about you?