"I felt like a child in a toy shop when I opened the book to its first page. Every page of this book is a discovery." This is how Sushila Ravindranath, Resident Editor of the Deccan Chronicle described Mr. Narasiah's latest venture. Madras - Tracing the growth of the city since 1639 which was released today by the Madras Book Club, is the latest book written by this luminary vision. Published by New Horizon Media (P) Ltd, this book is yet another feather in the cap for Mr. Narasiah.

Madras traces the growth of Madras from 1639 when Francis Day and Andrew Cogan persuaded the East India Company to set up base here to 1947. The history of Madras is linked with the destiny of the country; finding the populace to be willing subjects, the East India Company's trading venture soon became a mission to rule.

Speaking at the Club's meeting, Mr. Narasiah said, "It's been a penance for me to know so much about Madras. What fascinated me about my book is the amazing ease with which the English took over and became rulers from being just mere traders. The Indians of those days shirked their responsibilities and let the Britishers take over our country. There have been great personalities in India who have existed and died at a young age."

According to Mr. Badhri Sheshadri, Managing Director of New Horizon Media, "It is not only the theme of a book that matters but also the way in which it is presented. Madras was published 2 years back in Tamil and this version is a complete recreation of the Tamil book. This book has a great scope for expansion. It is quite entertaining and you will find a lot of interesting things in the book."

Mr. Narasiah has authored more than 100 short stories in Tamil. He has also co-authored with S. Muthiah 125 years of Chennai Port, which has been published in both English and Tamil. With this book, the author brings to light several forgotten gems of history and recounts with pride the antecedents of several Madras Institutions, the film industry and various newspapers and magazines. Told with interesting anecdotes and photographs, the book brings to life the characters that shaped the history of the city.

By
Rashmi Kumar