Art

Madras School of Art founded

Surgeon Alexander Hunter founded a private art school in Madras, today's Government College of Fine Arts.

Government Museum, Madras founded

Built on collections donated by the Madras Literary Society, the Madras Government Museum, India's second oldest, was founded.

Birth of Tamil theatre pioneer Sankaradas Swamigal

Tuticorin was the birthplace of Sankaradas Swamigal, the playwright whose boys' drama companies trained many Tamil stage and screen artists.

Victoria Technical Institute opens in Madras

Marking Queen Victoria's golden jubilee, the Victoria Technical Institute opened on Pantheon Road in Egmore.

Suguna Vilasa Sabha theatre company founded

Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar founded the Suguna Vilasa Sabha in Madras to revive and reform Tamil drama.

Madras Music Academy founded

The Music Academy was founded in Madras following the 1927 Congress session and became a leading institution for Carnatic music.

Proposal to rename sadir as Bharatanatyam

E. Krishna Iyer moved a resolution at the Madras Music Academy to rename the dance form sadir as Bharatanatyam.

Rukmini Devi's first public Bharatanatyam performance

At the Theosophical Society's Diamond Jubilee convention, Rukmini Devi Arundale danced Bharatanatyam in public for the first time.

Kalakshetra founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale

Rukmini Devi Arundale founded Kalakshetra at Adyar, Madras, an academy for Bharatanatyam and the arts.

State emblem designed by R. Krishna Rao

Designed in 1949, the Madras government's emblem combined a temple gopuram with the Lion Capital of Ashoka.

Mani Ratnam's Nayakan released

Mani Ratnam's Nayakan, with Kamal Haasan in the title role, reached cinemas and was later named by Time as one of the greatest films of all time.

Roja released, A. R. Rahman's debut as composer

Mani Ratnam's Roja, the first film scored by A. R. Rahman, was released and its soundtrack transformed Indian film music.

Kanchipuram silk registered as a geographical indication

Kanchipuram silk saris were one of the earliest Tamil Nadu products to gain registration as a geographical indication.

A. R. Rahman wins two Academy Awards

Slumdog Millionaire earned composer A. R. Rahman Oscars for both Best Original Score and Best Original Song.