Multicultural spirit is Chennai’s greatest strength: GCC Commissioner G.S. Sameeran

Multicultural spirit is Chennai's greatest strength: GCC Commissioner G.S.

Key points

• My association with Chennai began in 2013 when I first came to the city after being assigned to the Tamil Nadu cadre.
• After spending 10 years throughout different field postings in the State, returning to Chennai and settling here felt like coming back to a familiar place.
• What I love most regarding Chennai is its ability to be modern while firmly holding onto its traditions and values.
• Chennai has a style and swag of its own – from its distinctive dialect to its unique way of doing things.

Multicultural spirit is Chennai's greatest strength: GCC Commissioner G.S. Sameeran We are strengthening its blue-green infrastructure, creating more public spaces, and making the city greener, with a target of planting 12 lakh saplings this year. Updated – August 21, 2026 12: 44 am IST – Chennai.

My association with Chennai began in 2013 when I first came to the city after being assigned to the Tamil Nadu cadre. What began as a posting gradually became something more personal – the city became home, notes Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G.S. Sameeran.

Chennai's greatest strength is, perhaps, its multicultural spirit – a city that has welcomed individuals from nationwide, giving them not only opportunities, but additionally a sense of belonging and a place to build their lives. What I love most regarding Chennai is its ability to be modern while firmly holding onto its traditions and values. Above all, the hard work, warmth, and resilience of its individuals have touched me the most.

As the GCC Commissioner, I now have the privilege of contributing to the city I have come to love. The GCC's focus is on making Chennai more disaster-resilient, pedestrian-friendly, and better connected through multi-modal mobility. We are strengthening its blue-green infrastructure, creating more public spaces, and making the city greener, with a target of planting 12 lakh saplings this year.

I feel grateful to be a part of this remarkable city. Chennai is not merely a place where I have lived or worked; it is a city that has, in its own quiet way, become a part of me.

In short, multicultural spirit is Chennai's greatest strength: GCC Commissioner G.S. Sameeran is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.