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 Chennai, formerly known
as Madras, is comparatively a new city. As a city, Chennai displays
contrasting outlooks towards life. The city is abuzz with a sea of
humanity, jostling with each other and moving at a frenzied pace.
Chennai indeed is a city that derives pride from its contrasting
lifestyles and is ever growing, changing and pulsating with new activities.
Chennai was the first British major settlement in India and it was here that many who went on to build the Empire first learnt their trade. As a consequence, the city is replete with much that is of significance in British Indian history. But the much older settlements have stories to tell too, and so the city is an amalgam of ancient and more modern history. Everywhere one goes in Chennai, one can find history written in every name. The
Chennai climate undergoes no major change during the summer and
winter months. It is described jokingly as "hot, hotter,
hottest". In summer, the mercury will soar real high and touch
40 degrees centigrade. The monsoon comes around October as a welcome
break from the sweltering heat and though there isn't any season
called "winter", the rainy season is the best time to
visit the city. Its
proximity to the sea makes the humidity levels pretty high -
for the strangers to the city, the high humidity levels will sap the
energy.
The particularly charming features of Chennai are its allegiance to ancient traditions, no matter how modernised it has become and its willingness to spread out further rather than develop into a
multi storey concrete jungle. The result is a widespread city still open to the skies, a green, airy city with several vestiges of its rural past, a city that adheres to the leisurely tempo of the life of a world of
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yesterdays, a city whose values of the other day still survive amidst the humdrum bustle of today, a city that still retain the charm, culture, hospitality an courtesies of the ages.
Customs and religions
are closely interlinked in Chennai and present a picture of
colourful contrasts. Religious rites are closely knit into the
everyday lives of the people. For instance, kolam or
beautiful patterns in rice flour are used for adorning the
doorsteps. These form part of the daily morning rituals. Friday
evenings are considered auspicious for temple visits and all
religious festivals are celebrated with pomp and splendor. Though
westernisation has hit the city in a big way, the people still hold
on to their tradition to make Chennai one of the few cities that
hasn't let go of its original charm to take on a new avataar. Language The
language of the people of Chennai is Tamil. As is common in every
Indian metro, English is spoken by the educated class. Malayalam,
Telugu and Hindi are the other languages widely spoken by the
people. Food The
food is very popular all over India as well as with the visiting
foreigners - Madras curries need no introduction and neither do the
idlies, dosas and sambhar. But not many outsiders have tasted the
lip smacking delicacies from Chettinad. The many multi-cuisine and specialty
restaurants of the city cater to a wide variety of taste buds. Facts
for the traveller Health
risks: Foreigners coming to the city need to safeguard
themselves against malaria, typhoid, dysentry etc. It would be a
good idea to keep your medicine box filled with remedies for stomach
upsets because the spicy food sometimes proves too much for the
palate. Time
zone: GMT plus 5 hours 30 minutes Currency: Indian rupee
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