Chank Brand Lungis – A Century-Old Name from Old Madras

Thambu Chetty Street in George Town has many old commercial buildings. Most people walk past them without giving them a second look. But a few still carry stories from another Madras.

One such place is connected with Mohamed Aboobacker Chank Lungi, a business that began here in 1927.

The company started its first shop on Thambu Chetty Street and went on to become a familiar name across Tamil Nadu and even Sri Lanka. Its best-known brand is Sangu Mark, or Chank Brand in English.

The symbol is simple, a conch.

Over the decades, that conch became strongly associated with the company’s lungis. What began as a textile business in old Madras gradually became a household name, particularly in Tamil Nadu.

The old building on Thambu Chetty Street makes the story more interesting for me. This is not a recreated heritage space or a modern showroom trying to look old. It belongs to the original commercial landscape of George Town, where merchants once operated from narrow streets packed with warehouses, offices and shops.

And the business survived.

That is what makes places like this worth noticing.

We often associate heritage with temples, palaces, statues and colonial monuments. But a nearly century-old commercial establishment also tells us something about a city, what people wore, what they bought, how businesses grew and which names stayed in public memory.

Chank Brand had several well-known regular customers over the years. Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was among those associated with the brand.

A simple lungi shop from Thambu Chetty Street went on to become a name recognized across generations.

Old Madras survives in many forms.

Sometimes, it is in a building.

Sometimes, in a brand.

And sometimes, even in a piece of cloth.

Happy travelling.