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NT Bureau
Chennai, Aug 27:

        In 2004, a group of Chennaiites got together and dreamt of a way in which every citizen can participate in the commemoration of the birth of Chennai. Thus, the annual Madras Week celebrations, observed every year from 22 August to coincide with the Founding Day of the city, has begun.

        This year, more institutions, organisations, hotels and educational institutions participated in the celebrations. Savera Hotels, one among them, celebrated the week with much gaiety on Saturday.

        The celebrations, attended by mostly women, began with a talk on culinary heritage of the then Madras and now 'Namma Chennai'. Almost all of the attendees draped in nine-yard silk sarees silently spoke of the rich culture the city has.

        It was followed by a demonstration of 'Grandmother's forgotten recipes' by Chandri Bhat. She demonstrated preparation methods for the traditional Mysore pak and Elai Vada.

        Taking the celebrating crowd to another level, Susi Natarajan, conducted fun- quiz on Madras. With some trivia on the city in between the questions, which revolved around music, heritage, reservoirs, history of the city, she presented it in a lively manner. Most in the audience joined her and all the correct answers received spot prizes.

        Nina Reddy, executive director, Hotel Savera, said, 'Over the last few years, more and more organisations have joined the celebrations. This year, we too felt we should honour 'Namma Chennai', along with ladies group in the city.' 'As part of our social responsibility towards society, we have hosted this celebration here, she added.