Chennai, India - A Guide For Visitors Article

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Chennai, India - A Guide For Visitors

Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, is one of the largest cities in India. This article gives a quick introduction to Chennai - the city's geography, culture, cuisine, tourist attractions and more.

Author: Kishore Kadiyala

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Chennai is a major city, and there is no dearth of means of transport to take you there. There are planes flying to Chennai every hour, and India's strong rail network can assure you of a regular and safe rail journey. Air-conditioned buses ply regularly to the city, as well.

Chennai is a southern, coastal town, and is hot and humid. There are vast stretches of beaches, and for a cooler holiday, you can drive down to the erstwhile French colony of Puducherry.

Tamilian food is as hot as the climate, and it makes sense to specify dietary preferences. The food is famously vegetarian, although non-vegetarian food is also popular. Chennaiites covet their idly and sambar, and curd-rice (with the right pickle) is an iconic dish. Making rasam perfectly is considered a skill!

However, not all Tamilian cuisine is as charmingly simple. Rice is the staple food here, though, and refined gingelly oil is used in all cooking, so if you are particular, beware!

The filter coffee here has gained international repute. Chennaites tend to look askance at instant coffee, and the right way to do the 'filter coffee thing' is to grind your own beans, fresh, and drink your steaming coffee out of a tumbler and a 'dabara' bottom.

If you're not really into coffee, you can always 'chill, macha', on the abundant coconut water available, especially along the picturesque Marina Beach.

A must try in culinary complicatedness, the Tamil 'plate meals' are famous for their variety and quantity. Chettinad cuisine, a type of Tamil cuisine, actually includes Mughlai dishes like 'paaya'. Albeit with a spicy Tamilian touch, this 'paaya' is usually eaten with parathas or appam. Chettinad cuisine also includes a formidable variety in chicken, mutton and fish dishes.

The Tamilians have mastered the South-Indian breakfast, with dishes like idly, dosai, uttapam, pongal etc. being par-de-cours here. An enjoyable way to eat is off a plantain leaf!

Chennai represents the ultimate melting-pot of cultures, an interesting amalgam of diverse streams and ideologies that have crystallised at this 'Gateway to the South', over the centuries. Considered a traditional city, Chennai promotes several art forms, from dance and music to film and theater. Kalakshetra, the Bharatnatyam School, was established here, with the national dance also being the official dance of Tamil Nadu.

Every year, The Hindu group of publications holds the annual The Hindu Theater Festival, bringing the best in the field together to this city which thoroughly patronises the arts. The week-long fest draws stalwarts of the stage from across the country in a theater-bonanza that thrills and treats the Kanjeevaram-clad connoisseurs. That apart, there are a variety of plays by a variety of theater groups all through the year.

The Tamil film industry is renowned for its technical wizardry and larger-than-life portrayals. A huge Tamil star, Rajnikanth, is a national icon. Movies are a rage, and piracy is rampant, with pirated DVDs of films, including Korean and Iranian films, selling like hot cakes.

Communication should never be a problem, as the vast majority of Tamilians speak good English along with their Tamil, so much that English is also known as 'Madras bhashai'. Chennai was an important colonial naval base, and was known as Madras post-independence, till 1996.

When you want to see the sights, you can take an early morning walk on the beach, go street-shopping in the alleys, or wander into temples looking for an elephant! A bustling city, Chennai offers the eager tourist striking visuals of southern temple architecture. Triplicane, the oldest temple in Chennai, is one such. There are several churches, too, colonial remanants from the British rule. A fine specimen would be the beautiful St. Thomas Mount. The Big Mosque is also renown. A visit to the Vedathangal Bird Sanctuary and a silk-saree shopping spree, combined with a tour of Chennai's contemporary architecture, would make for a fabulous day.

If you need an excuse to stay longer, then Chennai has some great academic campuses you could take strolls on. The city has made considerable strides in both scientific and liberal arts education, with institutions like Loyola and Indian Institute Of Technology Madras (IIT-M) being some of the few that
have set up base here.

So pack that backpack, and head to Chennai for a good time. And a good cup of coffee, guaranteed.

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