Madras day has quietly become one of my favourite city holidays. There’s no pressure to do anything monumental, a day to celebrate the beautiful city we call home and an unspoken agreement that if you own Madras checks, this is their time to shine. Add to it the fact that Madras checks are having a global moment, it was no surprise that we saw them everywhere. From Shirts and saris to even notebooks and upholstery. Of course mine made its annual appearance too.
That spirit carried into one of our first stops of the week: Madras, Unfolded at Woodpecker Furniture in Besant Nagar. Instead of celebrating the city with speeches and nostalgia alone, they also celebrated it through Madras checks. The showcase, created with Triple O Studio, felt colourful without being kitschy and proudly local without trying too hard. There was excellent coffee, Madras mithai, a fiercely contested Madras quiz (we take our local trivia very personally), and my favourite idea of the afternoon: inviting people to bring a piece of fabric tied to memory and transforming it into something new. Guests went home with customised living room accessories as a keepsake.
This week, we also enjoyed a special evening at Good Earth, where tables got the kind of attention usually reserved for couture. Globally celebrated stylist and creative director Løuw Køtze hosted an intimate, interactive masterclass on the art of tablescaping, playing with layers, textures and unexpected accents to create a beautifully considered table. There was a something wonderfully indulgent about seeing the simplest elements transformed into a table that felt layered, personal and full of stories. We got to chat with Louw about a multitude of topics as he walked us through the latest collection.
And then, from the art of setting a table to the art of setting a rather grand stage, The Park Collection of Apeejay Surendran Park Hotels introduced itself to Chennai at Aqua, The Park Chennai, with The Lotus Palace Chettinad taking centre stage. The evening brought together corporate, consultants, socialites, media and influencers, with contemporary dancer Revaa and fusion music act House of Jiga adding to the proceedings. Heritage and contemporary came together rather beautifully, as did the guest list.
If Madras Day had everyone reaching for their checks, Onam had Chennai reaching for its whites. This week, the city seemed to collectively embrace the festival, out came the kasavu, the flowers, the gold, and, most importantly, the appetite for a proper Onam Sadhya. From small, intimate gatherings with beautifully laid banana leaves to full-on feasts, we saw every possible version of Onam being celebrated. One such celebration was Sadhya Sangamam at Geetham Veg, a little taste of Onam before the main feast. Guests answered the call to action and came dressed in their Onam best. The food was every bit as good as everyone looked and thoroughly worth loosening the waistband for.
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