Jallikattu protests on the Marina beach in January 2017. File
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu
A city is born as a mere ideoa when people gather in settlements beside rivers. Once this idea sets anchor on land, there it remains, growing , expanding and spreading growth, allowing development to seep through the vast lands it casts its benevolence over. But as settlements transmogrify into cities and the people choose the best form of governance – democracy – then, those cities are forged in the smithies of protests, demonstrations and earnest expressions of dissent.
Chennai, in its journey from Chennapattinam through Madras, has been the crucible of several such protests in the modern age. They have gone on to shape the fortunes, politics, and growth of the city, and also the State. Through this Madras Week, The Hindu presents an account of seven protests that happened through the years.
