Did You Know?

Did You Know? Chennai is the first Indian city with a unique souvenir brand ie, Chennaigaga!
But even as we are a brand named ‘Chennai’gaga, the old tug of the heartstrings often murmured ‘Madras’ and there are many Chennaiites who still refer to Chennai by its former name - Madras.
There was a viral poster on the internet that says ‘Chennai is a city and Madras is an emotion’ and the reason it went viral is because of the truth in it.

Folks often get a faraway or dreamy look in their eyes when we ask them about how Madras was or what Chennai was like before the name change. They then reminisce about times as far back as the sixties or as late as the early nineties when our city was called Madras.
It might be that change is inevitable in any city’s natural evolution as the years roll on and urban growth takes over and that delivers a changed city to us now. However, so many people still fondly recall this city of ‘those days’ with much nostalgia and many personal anecdotes.

Nostalgia is a powerful feeling and any mention of the name 'Madras' usually evokes it, but rather than tending towards a sad frame of mind, we thought we could bring some joy into nostalgic memories of the time before this city came to be called Chennai.

So, for us, to be Chennaigaga now, is to also to be Madrasgaga. We have quite a range of designs across all products that include the former name MADRAS.

This artwork is named “Old Madras” by us because we wanted it to evoke that ol’ feeling. If you looked closely at the design, you can see the details that lend a quaint touch to a simple depiction with just the word Madras on it.

We chose a light grey t-shirt fabric for this tee design. It is a popular and comforting colour and lends a ‘flashback’ mood that would go well with all the old memories still carefully stored like gold in many a wistful heart.
Madras lovers sure won’t be disappointed at chennaigaga.com