About the Book: Tamarind City: Where Modern India Began
A WITTY, OBSERVANT AND PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY OF A REMARKABLE CITY—CHENNAI
From moody, magical Madras to bursting-at-the-seams, tech-savvy Chennai, the two
aspects of the city are inseparable. As Bishwanath Ghosh tells us, while Chennai
is usually known as conservative and orthodox, almost every modern institution
in India—from the army to the judiciary; from medicine to engineering—traces its
roots to Madras.
Today the city once again figures prominently on the global map as 'Indias
Detroit, a manufacturing giant and a hub of medical tourism. There have been
sweeping changes since Independence, but even as Chennai embraces change, its
people hold its