Chennai

Chennai

Question 1 How is the nature in and around Chennai?

Chennai is located on the Bay of Bengal in the South Eastern part of India in the state Tamil Nadu.

https://www.google.com/maps/

The state Tamil Nadu is divided between the flat country along the eastern coast and the hilly regions in the north and west.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Tamil-Nadu

Chennai is located 1,500 north of equator and has a tropical climate.

Via https://www.google.com/

The Adyar eco park in Chennai is an ecological park set up by the government of Tamil Nadu. The park enables people to interact with nature and learn about sustainable living.

http://www.chennairivers.gov.in/ https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/non-touristy-things-to-do-in-chennai/

Tamil Nadu has several national parks as well as wildlife and bird sanctuaries. Among the most notable of these protected areas are the Mudlumbai Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park in the Nilgiri Hills and the large Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park at the southern tip of the Western Ghats.

These sanctuaries provide a safe habitat for, for example, elephants, deer, tigers and leopards. https://www.britannica.com/place/Tamil-Nadu

Question 2 Who live in Chennai?

Chennai is among the five largest cities in India.

The population of Chennai is growing strongly.

http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/chennai-population/

The most common languages people speak in Chennai are Hindi, English, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Urdu.

http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/chennai-population/

Most people of faith in Chennai follow one of these religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.

http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/chennai-population/

The zoo https://www.aazp.in/ is located in Vandalur about 30 kilometres south of Chennai central station. The zoo houses around 1,500 wild species – including 28 species of fish and 63 species of birds. 18 tigers live in the zoo.

More than 250 people work for the zoo.

Question 3

What are examples of temples in Chennai?

In Chennai, there are more than 600 Hindu temples.

The oldest is the Parthasarathi Temple built in the 8th century.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Chennai

The Ashtalakshmi Temple, http://ashtalakshmitemple.tnhrce.in/, in Chennai was built in 1974.

The temple is dedicated to the Goddess Lakshmi and her 8 forms, which symbolize 8 types of wealth: Offspring, success, prosperity, wealth, courage, bravery, food, and knowledge.

http://blog.urbantreehomes.com/hindu-temples-in-chennai-tamilnadu/

Buses that drive to the temple

Arulmigu Mahalakshmi Temple.

Elliots beach, 6/21 paindi Amman Kovil, Besant Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600090.

http://ashtalakshmitemple.tnhrce.in/administration-mahalakshmi.html

In the Ekambareswarar temple in Chennai, 6 gods and goddesses are worshipped: Goddess Kamakshi as well as the Gods Shiva, Ganesha, Vishnu, Shakthi and Surya.

The temple was built in 1680 by Alanganatha Pillai - a worker under the British Raj. The temple is one of the most visited temples in Chennai - particularly during festivals of Chithirai, Aadi, Markazhi and Panguni. https://traveltriangle.com/blog/famous-temples-in-chennai/

Mahabalipuram is located about 50 kilometres south of Chennai.

There, you will find beautiful rock-cut monuments, cave sanctuaries, temples and sculptures. The seashell museum has more than 20,000 kinds of shells, conchs, corals and fossils on display. The Maritime Heritage Museum has models of Egyptian papyrus boats and maps of ancient sea routes.

The nearest railway station is Chengalapattu, which is around 30 km from Mahabalipuram. From Chengalapattu, you can take a bus to Mahabalipuram. https://www.nativeplanet.com/travel-guide/five-places-you-mustnt-miss-in-mahabalipuram/articlecontent-pf16900-003491.html

Question 4 What are examples of libraries and other learning initiatives in Chennai?

The http://www.annacentenarylibrary.org/ is a modern library, which covers 9 floors. In the library there is comfortable furniture for more than 1,000 readers.

In 1890, Bobby Robert Bourke Connemara founded

Connemara free, public library http://www.connemarapubliclibrarychennai.com in Chennai.

The library building is built in Indo – Saracenic style, a rare architectural style.

In 1991, the library invested in a computer. Scanning services was introduced in 2006 by which rare and old documents are scanned and preserved. In 2007, air condition was installed.

And in 2016, an eBooks section opened.

Address: Museum Compound, Pantheon Road, Egmore, Chennai.

In the Roja Muthiah Research Library , http://rmrl.in/, you can find a collection of Tamil publications.

The library was founded in 1994 to preserve, catalogue, and expand the collection of Roja Muthiah Chettiyar, who put together one of the world’s finest private libraries of Tamil publications until his death in 1992.

C. S. Lakshmi, a visiting Fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute for Culture and Consciousness, who had used Muthiah’s collection of books for her research on women in India, knew from previous discussions with Muthiah that he was concerned about the future of his library. Hearing of his death, Lakshmi informed friends at the University of Chicago Library, which launched a global effort to preserve Roja Muthiah’s library.

The Adyar library http://tnpubliclibraries.gov.in/the-adyar-library-andresearch-centre-alrc-chennai/ is dedicated to research and publication in the field of eastern civilization, philosophy and religion.

Address: The Adyar Library and Research Centre, The Theosophical Society, Adyar, Chennai 600 020.

Examples of schools in Chennai: http://www.rishsinternationalschool.com/blog/ http://www.vrukshamontessori.com/ http://www.zeeschool.org.in/

Address 391A, 3rd Floor, Nehru Nagar.

IGP Bus Stop, Chennai 600096.

OMR Land Mark. Opposite to Hotel Turyaa, Above Titan showroom.

Opening times Monday – Friday: 10:00 - 24:00.

Saturday – Sunday: 24 hours.

https://www.meetup.com/Makers-Tribe/events/ https://www.instagram.com/makers_tribe/

http://chennaivolunteers.org/ facilitates volunteering in Chennai.

https://auroville.org/ http://auroville-learning.net/

Tharangambadi is a Tamil town of 24,000 people located about 250 km. south of Chennai.

People from Denmark arrived by ship in Tharangambadi in 1620. Raghunatha Nayak, ruler of the surrounding Thanjavur kingdom, willingly entered into a trade agreement with the Danes, giving them possession of the town for an annual rent of 3,111 rupees and allowing them to export pepper to Denmark.

Tharangambadi, which means "land of the singing waves", was a colony of Denmark from 1620 to 1845, when it was sold to Britain. The education system in Tharangambadi is entirely a legacy of the Danes: Most of the schools are managed by the Catholic St Theresa’s Convent and the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church. http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20160929-indias-scandinavian-secret http://www.foreningen-trankebar.dk/

Question 5 How do people stay fit in Chennai?

https://fitkits.in/ workouts are designed to celebrate movement through fitness.

Address: 11/4, 3rd Floor, Padmanabha Nagar, Adyar, Chennai.

People organize sailing events and courses via The Tamil Nadu sailing association http://www.tnsa.in/

Question 6

How do people get from A to B in Chennai?

http://www.mtcbus.org/ operates in Chennai about 3,700 buses which are used by about 6 million people every day.

There are almost

1,000 bus routes in Chennai.

https://moovitapp.com/index/en/public_transit-lines-Chennai-4612-975818

Above 100,000 people use the Chennai metro https://chennaimetrorail.org/ every day.

The metro has a mix of underground and above ground stations.

Chennai central station is owned by the Government of India and operated by Indian railways, http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/ Every day, more than 500,000 people use Chennai central station.

Chennai central station is among the 23 stations in India that will be privatized.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai_Central_railway_station

Every day, more than 400 aircrafts arrive and depart from https://www.chennaiairport.com/. The airport services over 20 million passengers a year. https://www.chennaiairport.com/ is owned and operated by the government of India. The Airports Authority of India, https://www.aai.aero/ is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India.

https://www.tripsavvy.com/chennai-airport-information-guide-1539129 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airports_Authority_of_India

In Tamil Nadu, auto companies Hyundai Motors, Ford, Hindustan Motors and Mitsubishi have production plants.

https://www.tn.gov.in/tamilnadustate

Question 7

Where can you buy things in Chennai?

Examples of shops to buy clothes: ▪ Kenith parker.

▪ https://www.supersaravanastores.com/

Examples of shops where you can buy electronics products: ▪ https://www.croma.com/ ▪ https://www.reliancedigital.in/

Parry's corner is a place in Chennai where you can buy almost anything.

https://www.treebo.com/blog/shopping-places-in-chennai/

Question 8 How is the infrastructure in Chennai?

Due to low groundwater levels and an inability to collect sufficient rain water, the Tamil Nadu state government has been struggling to provide water to residents.

With the reservoirs dry, water is being brought directly into Chennai neighborhoods in trucks. Every day, hundreds of thousands of residents stand in line to get water.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/19/india/chennai-water-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html

The water crisis in Chennai is man-made. As Chennai has grown, natural water bodies have been squeezed and polluted by the expanding city.

Between 2019 and 2024, the city of Chennai plans to open 2 new

plants to desalinate seawater.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/113952384/chennai-runs-out-of-water-9-million-people-pray-for-rain-in-indian-city

Question 9 How is Chennai organized?

There are 3 regions in Chennai: ▪ North Chennai.

▪ Central Chennai.

▪ South Chennai.

Each of the regions is divided into 5 zones.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/expanded-chennai-corporationto-be-divided-into-3-regions/article2658830.ece

The Greater Chennai Corporation, http://www.chennaicorporation.gov.in/, is the Oldest Municipal Institution in India. It was established on September 29th, 1688.

On December 30th, 1607, a charter was issued by East Indian Company constituting the town of Fort St. George.

http://www.chennaicorporation.gov.in/

Before the British arrived in Chennai in 1639, Armenian and Portuguese traders lived there. At that time, weaving cotton fabrics was a local industry, and the English invited the weavers and native merchants to settle near Fort St. George, a fort that they built. By 1652 the factory Fort St. George was recognized as an administrative unit governed by a president.

Between 1668 and 1749 the Fort St. George company expanded its control. About 1801, by which time the last of the local rulers had been shorn of his powers, the English had become masters of southern India. Chennai, which at that time was called Madras, had become their administrative and commercial capital.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Chennai

http://www.chennaicorporation.gov.in/

People, who work for the Greater Chennai Corporation, ▪ maintain 1160 roads.

▪ maintain 260 parks.

▪ remove waste using 966 vehicles.

▪ maintain the Kodungaiyur and Perungudi facilities for recycling waste.

http://www.chennaicorporation.gov.in/

Question 10

What are examples of places to stay in Chennai?

https://www.hostelworld.com

http://www.yhchennai.com/

Other possibilities: https://www.airbnb.com/ https://www.couchsurfing.com/

Question 11 What are examples of food and beverages in Chennai?

Examples of food in Chennai Food

Description

Bhaji

Spicy fritter in several variants. It is often served with chutney.

Bondas

Crispy potato balls.

Dosa

Crepes made with rice flour.

Idli

A steamed, spongey rice cake dunked into coconut chutney.

Kapi

Filter coffee made with milk, sugar and chicory.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/tamil-nadu/chennai-madras/travel-tips-and-articles/chennai-for-foodies-a-lonely-planet-guide-to-south-indias-finestdining-scene/40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d27660b9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_food_of_Chennai

Agriculture is the major occupation in Tamil Nadu.

Examples of food products produced in Tamil Nadu: ▪ Sugarcane.

▪ Coconut, cashew, and groundnut.

▪ Cardamom, gingelly and chilli.

▪ Tea and coffee.

https://www.tn.gov.in/tamilnadustate

Question 12 How is health care in Chennai?

The Apollo hospitals groups includes several health care initiatives. Examples: ▪ https://www.askapollo.com/, an online consultation portal.

▪ https://www.apollopharmacy.in/ .

▪ https://apollohomecare.com/.

▪ 70 hospitals.

Apollo has introduced a genetic predisposition test as part of its personalized health checks (PHC) - a single test to analyze and assess unique DNA makeup of the patient to find out what conditions they are more prone to.

https://www.healthcareglobal.com/company/apollo-hospitals-personalizing-healthcare-technology#

Question 13

What are examples of other innovation initiatives in Chennai?

https://www.clri.org/ was founded in 1948. Why? In 1947, mostly raw hides and skins were exported. There remained an untapped opportunity to develop and produce leather products. What was missing was manufacturing technologies.

Investing in leather research was important.

Since the late 1990s, software development and electronics

manufacturing have made up the bulk of Chennai’s economy.

Numerous technology parks, where many foreign companies have offices, are found throughout the city. Other major industries in Chennai include the manufacture of automobiles, rubber, fertilizer, leather, iron ore, and cotton textiles.

Wheat, machinery, iron and steel, and raw cotton are imported. https://www.britannica.com/place/Chennai

Several initiatives are being taken to create more clean energy, for example using wind, sun, water, and biomass.

http://teda.in/