Stella Maris College Celebrates Madras Day With 'Madrastalgia' Exhibition

Stella Maris College in Madras celebrated the city's 387th year on Wednesday with a series of heritage activities, exhibitions, and oral history showcases organised under the theme 'Madrastalgia'.

The annual Madras Day celebrations were led by students from the departments of History and Fine Arts. The event highlighted family histories, oral traditions, and the contributions of various communities to the evolution of Madras, including Portuguese, Armenian, Jewish, and Saurashtrian populations.

At an exhibition held in the college's open-air theatre, students displayed antiques and heirlooms brought from their homes, including objects belonging to grandparents and earlier generations. The display was designed to link personal family memories with the broader history of the city, showing how past generations lived in Madras. The exhibition remained open to visitors until 3.30 pm.

Filmmaker and documentarian Harry MacLure attended the event as the special guest of honour. The programme included the investiture ceremony for several student groups, including the Tourism Club, the Heritage Club, the Social Media Team, and the Postcards from Tamil Nadu team.

As part of the celebrations, students from 12 schools competed in a quiz covering the history, art, culture, and sporting heritage of Madras. Visitors also took part in a heritage walk around the Stella Maris College campus before touring the open-air theatre exhibits, where student stalls offered additional games and quizzes.

The Fine Arts and History departments also set up an interactive 'Postcards for Madras' art corner. Visitors were invited to sketch their impressions or write about the city on postcards to create a personal record of local memories across generations. Alongside this activity, a curated collection of 76 postcards was displayed, and school students and visiting college participants received postcard mementos that could also be used as bookmarks.