On the trail of jalebis this Madras Week

CHENNAI: Cookbook writer Pratibha Jain’s family members in Sowcarpet are excited. They are all set to treat a group of food-lovers to some fine jalebis, spicy ganthiyas with raw papaya thokku and fresh sugarcane juice on August 25. The occasion is the birthday of Madras, which turns 373 on August 22.
“I am more of a south Indian than a marwari and I am a foodie,” says Jain, explaining why she is organising the Mint Food trail for this year’s celebrations.
Since the first Madras Day in 2004, the celebrations have grown over the years. Programmes will be organised by schools, colleges, hotels, companies and individuals from August 18 to 26. The core team, including historians S Muthiah, V Sriram, writer Sashi Nair and journalist Vincent D’Souza, steers the festival. For people like Jain, social media platforms like Facebook are coming in handy to organise events. “It was a chance conversation with Vincent D’Souza on Facebook that gave me the idea,” says Jain.
After it was vetted, she talked with her cousins to choose the eateries on the numerous lanes in Sowcarpet. “I have chosen places that offer a quick bite to provide a variety of dishes to participants within 90 minutes,” she says.
Like Jain, cycling enthusiast Ramanujar Moulana got into the celebrations due to a Facebook post. “I wanted to create awareness about Chennai’s roots through cycling,” says the teacher.
The ‘Bicycle Heritage Ride’ on August 19 will cover 10 places in and around Triplicane and Mylapore. “Chennai has lot to offer. The famous Thanni Thurai market is no more and we will cycle past that. Also, cycling helps the rider evolve based on where he or she cycles,” he says.
This year’s celebrations include a set of tree walks covering Kalakshetra, Egmore museum, St George’s Cathedral and Queen Mary’s College areas.
Walks will cover residential areas like Adyar and Alwarpet and historical parts such as Fort St George and the Royal Madras Yacht Club. Some of the talks include ‘Changing Face of Chennai’s Dance Scene’ by dancer Anita Ratnam on August 22, ‘The Tamil forms of Sivaji Ganesan’ by film historian Mohan V Raman on August 25, ‘Cooking for Chennai’ by restaurateurs Vipin Sachdev and Chef Willi on August 26, and ‘Focus on Heritage’ by Muthiah on August 29.