A glimpse into Madras through its books

CHENNAI: As the city gets ready for Madras Week, the Roja Muthiah Research Library will host ‘RMRL Exhibition of Madras Books and Periodicals’ from August 17 to 22, offering visitors a chance to browse books, magazines and other publications that document the city’s changing landscape.

One of the highlights is Aside, a magazine launched in Chennai in 1977. Considered the country’s first city-based magazine, it ran for only a few years before being discontinued. Visitors can now see copies of the magazine and flip through its pages at the exhibition. 

“The exhibition will display books, periodicals, magazines and other literary works on Chennai. There will be books that chronicle the city’s architecture, culture, politics and environment. Along with books, there will also be magazines that were published in the city,” says Arun Prasath, one of the exhibition convenors.

The exhibition draws from RMRL’s extensive collection. Primarily a research library dedicated to preserving Tamil print culture, RMRL has nearly 100 years of Tamil print history in its archives, with close to six lakh works.

Its collection covers subjects ranging from tradition, education and health to colonial and post-colonial history, offering a glimpse into the evolution of Tamil scholarship and publishing.

The library has also planned two events as part of the Madras Week celebrations. On August 20, French scholar Prof. Dominic Goodall, Director of the Ecole francaise d’Extreme Orient in Puducherry, will deliver a special talk on the Khatvanga of Lord Shiva.

On August 22, the Madras Youth Choir will present a performance. Visitors can also purchase books published by RMRL at a 10 per cent discount from August 17 to 22.