Minimalist artiste captures the evolution of Madras to Chennai

CHENNAI: According to Rajesh Seshadri, an engineer turned visual artiste, and a minimalist designer, “Madras is an emotion.” Spending 35 years of his life in Chennai, he has rather seen the transformation of Madras into Chennai, more than just the name.

“Being a software professional, my work required me to travel to different cities. I am stubborn, I am not going to leave my home. Madras Day is not a mere celebration, it is an emotion that connects every person who calls this city their home,” states Rajesh with pride.

Chennai has seen enumerable development since its inception, which made the visual artiste transport people back to their roots, where it all began, with his Madras Rubber stamp series. What better time than Madras Day.

“I wanted to give back to Madras, something unique this year exploring my creative capabilities. Remember the old post cards which we used to write to people, before smartphones became a thing? I used the prominent rubber stamp seals on the postal card stamps to present how certain elements of Madras changed after it established itself as Chennai,” explains Rajesh.

The minimalist designer uses key elements of transport, heritage, and food in his visual representation. The bullock carts to hand rickshaws, which has now evolved into autos and share autos, is something which Rajesh has tried to capture.

“I also have tried to bring in the evolution of railway commutation, which is predominant for any person from Chennai. The tram rails which operated between the docks and the inland areas, carrying goods and passengers, from the Mount road, Parry’s corner, Ripon building and Poonamallee road, is now a good old memory left in the past,” says the artiste, who has depicted the half decker trains to the suburban trains, which have now become the metro rail.

Madras’ iconic architectural heritage buildings inspired Rajesh to celebrate the true essence of the city. “Chennai has the second largest number of heritage buildings after Kolkata. Not many are aware of that. The most iconic being the MGR Chennai central railway station, Madras Lighthouse, Anna Nagar tower, the Karl Schmidt memorial and many more,” highlights the visual artiste.

Nothing can beat the pleasure of steaming hot corn, with a tinge of tanginess and spice, and the chill, cold ice creams melting in the hot sun, when on a beach. But the minimalist designer takes on a different approach to showcasing Moor thatha, an old man selling buttermilk, and the iconic Jannal bajji kadai.

“For over a decade, Ramajayam, famously known as Mor thatha, has been selling the tastiest buttermilk on his bicycle daily from 7 pm to midnight at the Thiruvanmiyur beach. His dedication is something which I appreciate the most. One can also not forget the Jannal bajji kadai in Mylapore, which functions out of a window on Ponnambala Vadhyar street. It is a world of its own,” remarks Rajesh.