The students combined all the data and other information and have published it as a book titled Marvels of Madras. Nandhabalan JK, a student at Chennai Public School, tells us, “While working on the lake mapping project, we got to learn many things about Chennai. It was really surprising to find out how the lakes and rivers have changed the face of a city like ours. Our research and learnings inspired us to bring out a book so that others will get to know more about the city. The book Marvels of Madras covers the culture, heritage and history of Madras. This is an ambitious project and we are looking forward to the launch.” The other members of the team are Kharan PR, Rakshitha RB, Mahesh Boopathy V, Sri Meenakshi JS and Aswin SS.

The team of six is planning to release the book in two parts. In the first part, the book narrates details from 1600 till early 1900. The rest will be in the second part. “The idea was to share knowledge about the birth of Madras and also a study of how the city has transformed over the years. Not just for children, but this book will also be a great help for adults as well. We have referred books from the libraries and met researchers from various fields. Historians like Venkatesh Ramakrishnan, V Sriram, Hemachandra Rao (fondly called Lighthouse Man) shared their knowledge with us,” he adds.

The first volume of Marvels of Madras will cover ports, forts, gardens, canals, architecture, heritage conservation, Thiruvottriyur Temple, medical history and maps of madras. “When we take a city like Madras, there is a lot to write about. That’s why we divided the book into two volumes so that we don’t miss out on anything.” The team is planning to release the book on August 22.