Chennai
Britain's first major Indian fortress (Fort St. George, 1644) evolved into the 'Detroit of India' producing 40% of national vehicles, now India's fifth-largest urban economy.
Chennai began on 22 August 1639 when Francis Day of the British East India Company secured a strip of fishing village shoreline from Chennappa Nayaka for five hundred lakh pagodas annually. By 1644, Fort St. George stood complete—the first major English fortress in India, costing £3,000 and finished on St. George's Day. This nucleus would generate the entire British presence in South Asia: the fort divided the emerging city into White Town (European) and Black Town (native traders), a colonial pattern replicated across the subcontinent.
The French twice attacked this valuable node—capturing it from 1746-1748 and besieging it again in 1758-59. Chennai's position on the Coromandel Coast made it essential for textile trade; it became headquarters of the East India Company's southern operations. Post-independence, the city pivoted from colonial administration to manufacturing. Its 'Detroit of India' nickname reflects an automobile cluster that produces over 40% of India's vehicles—Hyundai, Ford, Renault-Nissan, and BMW all operate here.
Today Chennai has the fifth-largest urban economy in India and the third-largest expatriate population. The city anchors Tamil Nadu's economy through automobiles, IT hardware manufacturing, and healthcare—hosting Apollo Hospitals (India's first corporate hospital) and attracting medical tourists from across Asia. Fort St. George still houses the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly, continuity unusual in postcolonial cities.
The 1996 renaming from Madras to Chennai signaled cultural assertion while the economy remained globally integrated. The city hosts Chennai Super Kings, India's most successful IPL cricket franchise, and hosted tournament finals in 2011, 2012, and 2024—entertainment capital layered atop industrial base.