Happy Birthday, Madras! I Mean, Chennai!

Here’s celebrating Chennai’s 380th birthday.

Aerial view of Chennai’s Marina Beach. 

(Photo: iStock)

Around 400 years ago, this day, the British bought Madrasapattinam, aka Chennapattinam. And so the city of filter coffee and fish fillet, Carnatic ragas and the blues was born.

Here’s to Namma Chennai, where every day is a brand new musical. Watch this space through the week for more videos, stories and pictures of the city, as it celebrates its birthday week.

(This article has been republished from The Quint’s archives to mark Chennai's 380th birthday. This article was originally published on 22 August 2016.)