Chennai

I was excited to go to Chennai, formerly known as Madras (which is a shortened version of its original Indian name). As explained in The Concise History of India, it played an important role in India's history as a British colony. The East India Company first established a presence in Madras when the Raj granted it the right to collect the taxes and keep 50% of the collections. The East India Company also received a license allowing it a reduction and in many cases an exemption from excise taxes when importing and exporting goods. The East India Company used the tax money collected to finance the production of goods for export to Britain. It seems to me that these brief facts explain a lot about modern day India, which suffers from a severe lack of infrastructure, as taxes and profits were siphoned off for private gain for hundreds of years.

Britain's role as a colonial power over Indian territory began when the Raj found out that the East India Company was abusing its right to import and export goods without paying full excise taxes; the Company allowed its local favorites to cheat the import and export taxes by pretending that their goods were that of the Company. The Raj immediately moved to evict all East India Company personnel from Madras. However, by then, the tax collections and tax-free trade were so important to Britain that it was forced to take military action. And so, the colony of India was born.

The East India Company also was granted the right to build Fort St. George, which today houses the state legislature. Charlie and I visited Fort St. George, which - given its modern day import - is way to easy to sneak into, if one should want to do so. Charlie and I were responsible citizens and dutifully waited in the security line.

Other than enjoying the history of Chennai, and its impressive long and wide beach, I am not sure there is much more to recommend it. I got my only migraine in my two months in India in Chennai -- I think, from having to hold my breath to keep from inhaling toxic carbon monoxide and/or raw sewage fumes. The waterways of Chennai are the most polluted I have seen in all the places we have been in India. And, to top it all off, the East Coast mosquito bites seem to be itchier than those of their West Coast counterparts, too.