Chennai

Chennai is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal, it is the biggest industrial and commercial center in South India and a major cultural, economic and educational center as well. The area around Chennai had been part of successi e South Indian !ingdoms for many centuries. The recorded history of the city began in the colonial times, specifically with the arri al of British "ast India Company and the establishment of #ort St. $eorge in %&''. The British defended se eral attac!s from the #rench colonial forces, and from the !ingdom of (ysore, on Chennai)s way to becoming a major na al port and presidency city by the late eighteenth century. #ollowing the independence of India, Chennai became the capital of (adras State and subse*uently Tamil Nadu, and an important centre of regional politics based on the +ra idian identity of the populace. ,ccording to the pro isional results of -.%% census, the city had '.&/ million residents, ma!ing it the si0th most populous city in India 1The area of Chennai was e0panded in -.%%. The figure represented here is calculated according to the old city limits 1%2& S* 3m4 as the re ised figures pertaining to '-& S* 3m are awaited.45 the urban agglomeration, which comprises the city and its suburbs, was home to appro0imately /.6 million, ma!ing it the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the country and 7%st largest urban area in the world. Chennai)s economy has a broad industrial base in the automobile, computer, technology, hardware manufacturing and healthcare sectors. ,s of -.%-, the city is India)s second largest e0porter of information technology 1IT4 and business process outsourcing 1B894 ser ices. , major part of India)s automobile industry is based in and around the city thus earning it the nic!name :+etroit of India:. It is !nown as the Cultural Capital of South India. Chennai is an important hub for Carnatic music and hosts a large cultural e ent, the annual (adras (usic Season, which includes performances by hundreds of artists. The city has a di erse theatre scene and is one of the important centres for Bharata Natyam, a classical dance form. The Tamil film industry, collo*uially !nown as 3ollywood, is based in the city. The city is host to the third largest e0patriate population in India after (umbai and +elhi, with 7;,... in -..6 and steadily climbing to /-,26. in -.%%. Chennai is only city in South ,sia and India, to figure in the :;- places to go around the world: by the The New <or! Times. The city also ser es as the second financial hub in India ne0t only to (umbai, also housing the (adras Stoc! "0change.

Name The name Chennai is a shortened form of Chennapattanam, the name of the town that grew around #ort St. $eorge, which was built by the "nglish in %&76. There are two ersions about the origin of the name Chennapattanam= according to one ersion, Chennapattanam was named after the Telugu ruler +amarla Chennappa Naya!udu, Naya!a of Chandragiri and >anda asi, father of +amarla >en!atadri Naya!udu, from whom the "nglish ac*uired the town in %&76. The first official use of the name Chennai is said to be in a sale deed, dated / ,ugust %&76, to #rancis +ay of the "ast India Company. ,ccording to the second account, Chennapattanam was named after the Chenna 3esa a 8erumal Temple5 the word chenni in Tamil means face, and the temple was regarded as the face of the city. The city)s colonial name, (adras, is belie ed to ha e been deri ed from (adraspattinam, a fishing illage north of #ort St. $eorge. ?owe er, it is uncertain whether the name )(adraspattinam) was in use before "uropean influence. The military mapma!ers belie ed (adras was originally (undir@raj, or abbre iatedly, (undiraj. 9ther arguments suggest that the 8ortuguese, who arri ed in the area in the %&th century, had named the illage (adre de +eus, meaning the (other of $od. ,nother possibility is that the illage)s name came from the prominent (adeiros family of 8ortuguese origin, which consecrated the (adre de +eus Church in the Santhome locality of Chennai in %;2;. ,nother theory concludes that the name (adras was gi en to Chennapattanam after it was ta!en from a similarly named Christian priest, while other parties are of the opinion that it might ha e been ta!en from a fisherman by the name of (adrasan, or from religious (uslim schools which were referred to as (adrasahs, or the word (adhu@ras, which means honey in Sans!rit. In %66&, the state go ernment officially changed the name to Chennai , at a time when many Indian cities were being renamed. ?owe er, the name (adras continues to be occasionally used for the city, as well as for places named after the city, such as the Ani ersity of (adras and The Indian Institute of Technology, (adras.

?istory The region around Chennai has ser ed as an important administrati e, military, and economic centre for many centuries. +uring %st century C", a poet and wea er named Thiru allu ar li ed in the town of (ylapore 1a neighbourhood of present Chennai4. #rom %st century C" until %-th C" the region of present Tamil Nadu and parts of South India was ruled by the Cholas. Stone age implements ha e been found near 8alla aram in Chennai. ,ccording to the ,rchaeological Sur ey of India 1,SI4, 8alla aram was a megalithic cultural establishment, and pre@historic communities resided in the settlement. The 8alla as of 3anchi built the areas of (ahabalipuram and 8alla aram during the reign of (ahendra arman I. They also defeated se eral !ingdoms including the Cheras, Cholas and 8andyas who ruled o er the area before their arri al. Sculpted ca es and paintings ha e been identified from that period. ,ncient coins

dating to around ;.. BC ha e also been unearthed from the city and its surrounding areas. , portion of these findings belonged to the >ijayanagara "mpire, which ruled the region during the medie al period.

The 8ortuguese first arri ed in %;-- and built a port called SBo TomC after the Christian apostle, St. Thomas, who is belie ed to ha e preached in the area between ;- and 2. ,+. In %&%-, the +utch established themsel es near 8ulicat, north of Chennai. 9n -- ,ugust %&76, which is referred to as (adras +ay, the British "ast India Company under #rancis +ay bought a small strip of land stretching 7 miles on the Coromandel Coast. They got a license to build a fort and a castle in the contracted region. The ruler +amarla Chennappa Naya!udu, the Naya!a of >anda asi, granted the British permission to build a factory and warehouse for their trading enterprises. The region was then primarily a fishing illage !nown as :(adraspatnam:. , year later, the British built #ort St. $eorge, the first major British settlement in India, which became the nucleus of the growing colonial city 1#ort St. $eorge housed the Tamil Nadu ,ssembly until the new Secretariat building was opened in -.%.4.

In %2'&, #ort St. $eorge and (adras were captured by the #rench under $eneral La Bourdonnais, the $o ernor of (auritius, who plundered the town and its outlying illages. The British regained control in %2'6 through the Treaty of ,i0@la@Chapelle and strengthened the town)s fortress wall to withstand further attac!s from the #rench and ?yder ,li, the Sultan of (ysore. They resisted a #rench siege attempt in %2;6 under the leadership of "yre Coote. In %2&6 the city was threatened by (ysore and the British were defeated by ?yder ,li, after which the Treaty of (adras ended the war. By the late %/th century, the British had con*uered most of the region around Tamil Nadu and the northern modernDday states of ,ndhra 8radesh and 3arnata!a, establishing the (adras 8residency with (adras as the capital.

$radually, the city grew into a major na al base and became the central administrati e center for the British in South India. Eith the ad ent of railways in India in the %6th century, the thri ing urban centre was connected to other important cities such as Bombay and Calcutta, promoting increased communication and trade with the hinterland. Sir ,rthur Lawley was $o ernor of (adras from %6.& to %6%% and promoted modern agriculture, industry, railways, education, the arts and more democratic go ernance. The $o ernor li ed in $o ernment ?ouse, #ort St $eorge, and had a country home at $uindy, with access to a golf course, hoc!ey pitches, riding stables and the $uindy ?orse Facing Trac!. In the #irst Eorld Ear as Fed Cross Commissioner in (esopotamia, he loo!ed after the welfare of Indian soldiers. (adras was the only Indian city to be attac!ed by the Central 8owers during Eorld Ear I, when an oil depot was shelled by the $erman light cruiser S(S "mden on -- September %6%', as it raided shipping lanes in the Indian 9cean, causing disruption to shipping.

,fter India gained its independence in %6'2, the city became the capital of (adras State, which was renamed as Tamil Nadu in %6&6. The iolent agitations of %6&; against the compulsory imposition of ?indi in the state mar!ed a major shift in the political dynamics of the city and e entually it had a big impact on the whole state. 9n -& +ecember -..', an Indian 9cean tsunami lashed the shores of Chennai, !illing -.& people in Chennai and permanently altering the coastline.

"n ironment $eography Chennai, sometimes referred to as the :$ateway to South India,: is located on the southD eastern coast of India in the northDeastern part of Tamil Nadu on a flat coastal plain !nown as the "astern Coastal 8lains. Its a erage ele ation is around &.2 metres 1-- ft4, and its highest point is &. m 1-.. ft4. Two major ri ers meander through Chennai, the Cooum Fi er 1or 3oo am4 through the centre and the ,dyar Fi er to the south. Cooum is one of the most polluted ri ers in the whole South of India and ser es as potential health haGard to the people li ing in and around the ri er. , third ri er, the 3ortalaiyar, flows through the northern fringes of the city before draining into the Bay of Bengal, at "nnore. The estuary of this ri er is hea ily polluted with effluents released by the industries in the region. ,dyar and Cooum ri ers are hea ily polluted with effluents and waste from domestic and commercial sources. The state go ernment periodically remo es silt and pollutants from the ,dyar ri er, which is less polluted than the Cooum. , protected estuary on the ,dyar forms a natural habitat for se eral species of birds and animals. The Buc!ingham Canal, ' !m 1-.; mi4 inland, runs parallel to the coast, lin!ing the two ri ers. The 9tteri Nullah, an eastDwest stream, runs through north Chennai and meets the Buc!ingham Canal at Basin Bridge. Se eral la!es of arying siGe are located on the western fringes of the city. Some areas of the city ha e the problem of e0cess iron content in groundwater.

Chennai)s soil is mostly clay, shale and sandstone. Clay underlies most of the city, chiefly (anali, 3olathur, (adura oyal, 3. 3. Nagar, Semmencherry, ,lapa!!am, >yasarpadi and ,nna Nagar. Sandy areas are found along the ri er ban!s and coasts, and include areas such as Tiru ottiyur, $eorge Town, (adha aram, New Eashermanpet, Chepau!, (ylapore, 8orur, ,dyar, Besant Nagar and Athandi. In these areas, rainwater runoff percolates *uic!ly through the soil. ,reas ha ing hard roc! surface include $uindy, Nanganallur, 8alli!aranai, ,landur, Haladampet, >elachery, ,damba!!am and a part of Saidapet and 8erungudi. The ground water table in chennai is at '@;m below ground in most of the areas, which was considerably impro ed and maintained through the mandatory rain water har esting system.

$eology

Chennai is classified as being in Seismic Ione III, indicating a moderate ris! of damage from earth*ua!es. 9wing to the geotectonic Gone the city falls in, the city is considered a potential geothermal energy site. The crust has granite roc!s indicating olcanic acti ities in the past. It is e0pected that a temperatures of around -..@7.. JC will be a ailable if the ground were drilled ' to ; !m deep. The region has the oldest roc!s in the country dating bac! to nearly a billion years.

Climate Chennai has a tropical wet and dry climate. The city lies on the thermal e*uator and is also on the coast, which pre ents e0treme ariation in seasonal temperature. The hottest part of the year is late (ay to early Hune, !nown regionally as ,gni Na!shatram 1:fire star:4 or as 3athiri >eyyil, with ma0imum temperatures around 7;D'. JC 16;D%.' J#4. The coolest part of the year is Hanuary, with minimum temperatures around %;D-- JC 1;6D2- J#4. The lowest temperature recorded is %7./ JC 1;&./ J#4 and the highest recorded temperature is '; JC 1%%7 J#4 The a erage annual rainfall is about %'. cm 1;; in4. The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the northDeast monsoon winds, from midD 9ctober to midD+ecember. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal sometimes hit the city. The highest annual rainfall recorded is -;2 cm 1%.% in4 in -..;. 8re ailing winds in Chennai are usually southwesterly between ,pril and 9ctober and northeasterly during the rest of the year. ?istorically, Chennai has relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish water reser oirs, as no major ri ers flow through the area. Chennai has a water table at - metres for &. percent of the year.

Arban structure (adras is di ided into four broad regions= North, Central, South and Eest. North (adras is primarily an industrial area. South (adras and Eest (adras, pre iously mostly residential, are fast becoming commercial, home to a growing number of information technology firms, financial companies and call centres. The city is e0panding *uic!ly along the 9ld (ahabalipuram Foad and the $rand Southern Trun! Foad 1$ST Foad4 in the south and towards ,mbattur, 3oyambedu and Sriperumbdur in the west.

Beaches and par!sKeditL The old corporation limit of Chennai has a total coast length of about %6 !m, which has more than doubled with the e0panded corporation limits. (arina Beach runs for & !m 17.2 mi4, spanning along the shoreline of the city between the deltas of Cooum and ,dyar, and is the second longest urban beach in the world. "lliot)s Beach lies south of the ,dyar delta.

Chennai is one of the few cities in the world that accommodates a national par!, the $uindy National 8ar!, within its limits. The city has an estimated '.; percent of its area under green co er. This enables Chennai residents to go birding in Chennai. The se en Gones of the old corporation limits has about -&. par!s, many of which suffer poor maintenance. The city has a per capita par! space of ..'% s* m, which is the least among all metros in India. The eight Gones in the newly added areas of the city ha e about -&; locations that ha e been identified for de elopment of new par!s. The largest among the par!s is the 7;/@acre Thol!appia 8oonga, de eloped to restore the fragile ecosystem of the ,dyar estuary. The horticulture department@ owned SemmoGhi 8oonga is an -.@acre botanical garden located in the downtown.

8olitics Being the capital of the (adras 8ro ince that co ered a ast area of the +eccan region, Chennai remained the centre of politics in the southern region of India during the British era. ,fter Independence, it remained the centre of political acti ities of the state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the birthplace of the idea of the Indian National Congress, commonly !nown as the Congress 8arty. #ounded by Indian and British members of the Theosophical Society mo ement, most notably ,.9. ?ume, the idea was originally concei ed in a pri ate meeting of %2 men after a Theosophical Con ention held in the city in +ecember %//'. +uring the first ;. years of the Indian National Congress, the city played host to its conferences se en times in %//2, %/6', %/6/, %6.7, %6./, %6%' and %6-2, becoming one of the strong bases for the Indian independence mo ement. ,fter independence, the city hosted the Congress in %6;; in its suburb of , adi. Chennai is also the birthplace of se eral regional political mo ements since the British era. South Indian Eelfare ,ssociation, one of the earliest regional parties, was founded in %6%&, which later came to be !nown as the Hustice 8arty, which was the main opposition party to the Indian National Congress in the state. In %6'', the party was renamed +ra idar 3aGhagam 1+34 by ". >. Famasami 1popularly !nown as )8eriyar)4. The party was a non@political party that demanded the establishment of an independent state called +ra ida Nadu. ?owe er, due to the differences between its two leaders 8eriyar and C. N. ,nnadurai, the party was split. ,nnadurai left the party to form the +ra ida (unnetra 3aGhagam 1+(34. The +(3 decided to enter into politics in %6;&. Since the %6th century, when Eestern scholars proposed that +ra idian languages, which dominated the southern region of India, formed a different linguistic group to that of the Indo@ ,ryan languages that are predominant in the north of the subcontinent, the aspects of Tamil nationalism gained prominence. This resulted in the ,nti@?indi agitations in the city and across the state. ?owe er, the post@Independence re@organisation of Indian states according to linguistic and ethnic basis has moderated Tamil nationalism, especially the demand for separation from the Indian Anion. The ,nti@?indi agitations in mid@%6&.s made the +(3 more popular and more powerful political force in the state. The agitations of the %6&.s played a crucial role in the defeat of the Tamil Nadu Congress party in the %6&2 elections and the continuing dominance of +ra idian parties in Tamil Nadu politics.

,dministration Chennai city is go erned by the Chennai Corporation 1formerly :Corporation of (adras:4, which was established in %&//. It is the oldest municipal corporation in India and the second oldest corporation in the world. In -.%%, the jurisdiction of the Chennai Corporation was e0panded from %2' !m- 1&2 s* mi4 to an area of '-& !m- 1%&' s* mi4, di iding into three regionsMNorth, South and Central, which co ers -.. wards. The corporation is headed by an Indian ,dministrati e Ser ice officer. The (ayor and councillors of the city are elected through a popular ote by the residents. Ehile the city limit was e0panded to '-& !m- in -.%%, the re ised population is yet to be officially announced. The Chennai (etropolitan +e elopment ,uthority 1C(+,4 is the nodal agency responsible for planning and de elopment of Chennai (etropolitan ,rea, which is spread o er an area of %,%/6 !m- 1';6 s* mi4, co ering the Chennai district and parts of Tiru allur and 3anchipuram districts. The larger suburbs are go erned by town municipalities, and the smaller are go erned by town councils called panchayats. Ander the gamut of the C(+, are ; parliamentary and -/ assembly constituencies. The C(+, has drafted a second (aster 8lan that aims to de elop satellite townships around the city. The city)s contiguous satellite towns include (ahabalipuram in the south, Chengalpattu and (araimalai Nagar in the southwest, and Sriperumpudur, ,ra!!onam, 3anchipuram and Tiru allur to the west. Chennai, as the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, houses the state e0ecuti e and legislati e head*uarters primarily in the Secretariat Buildings in the #ort St $eorge campus. The (adras ?igh Court, is the highest judicial authority in the state, whose jurisdiction e0tends across Tamil Nadu and 8uducherry. Chennai has three parliamentary constituenciesMChennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai SouthMand elects %' (embers of the Legislati e ,ssembly 1(L,s4 to the state legislature.

Law and order The $reater Chennai 8olice is the main law enforcement agency in the city, with a jurisdiction of o er 2'; s* !m catering to o er /.; million people. It consists of %-% 8olice stations and is headed by a commissioner of police. The Chennai police is a di ision of the Tamil Nadu 8olice, and the administrati e control lies with the Tamil Nadu ?ome (inistry. Chennai City Traffic 8olice 1CCT84 is responsible for the traffic management in the city. The (etropolitan suburbs are policed by the Chennai (etropolitan 8olice, and the outer district areas of C(+, are policed by the 3anchipuram and Thiru allur police departments. ,s of -.%% 1prior to the e0pansion of Chennai Corporation area4, Chennai city had a sanctioned strength of %',... police personnel. Eith a population density of -&,6.7 persons per s*uare !ilometre, the city had % policeman for e ery '%7 people. The Chennai suburban police had

about ',.67 police personnel and a ratio of %=%,---. In -.%., the crime rate in the city was %&6.per %..,... people, as against an a erage of 7'%.6 in the 7; major cities of India. In -.%%, North Chennai Gone had 7. police stations and 7 police out posts, Central Chennai Gone had -/ police stations and 7 police out posts, and South Chennai Gone had 7. police stations. In -..6, Chennai Central 8rison, one of the oldest prisons in India, built o er %% acres of land, was demolished5 the prisoners were mo ed to 8uGhal Central 8rison.

Atility Ser ices The city)s water supply and sewage treatment are managed by the Chennai (etroEater Supply and Sewage Board. Eater is drawn from Fed ?ills La!e and Chembaramba!!am La!e, the primary water reser oirs of the city, and treated at water treatment plants located at 3ilpau!, 8uGhal, Chembaramba!!am and supplied to the city through -2 water distribution stations. The city recei es ;7. mld of water from 3rishna Fi er through Telugu $anga project, %/. mld of water from the >eeranam la!e project and %.. mld of water from the (injur desalination plant, the country)s largest sea water desalination plant. ?owe er, Chennai is predicted to face a huge deficit of 2%7 million litres per day 1(L+4 in -.-& as the demand is projected at -,-'/ (L+ and supply estimated at only %,;7; (L+. There are 2%' public toilets in the city managed by the city corporation, and -,... more has been planned by the corporation. The corporation also owns ;- community halls across the city. The Corporation of Chennai pro ides ci ic ser ices to the city. $arbage collection in some of the wards is contracted to Fam!y "n iro "ngineers Limited, a pri ate company, while the Corporation loo!s after the remo al and processing of solid waste in the others, with a superintendent engineer managing the channels. ,s of -.%%, / transfer stations e0ist within the city for treating the waste. $arbage is dumped in two dump@yards in the cityM9ne in 3odungaiyur and another in 8erungudi, with a major portion of the latter co ering the 8alli!aranai marshland. In mar!et areas, the conser ancy wor! is done during the night. "lectricity is distributed by the Tamil Nadu "lectricity Board. #ire ser ices are handled by the Tamil Nadu #ire and Fescue Ser ice. The city, along with the suburbs, has 77 operating fire stations.

,rchitecture Eith the history of many neighbourhoods of the city such as (ylapore and Triplicane antedating that of the city itself, the architecture of Chennai ranges in a wide chronology. The oldest buildings in the city dates bac! to 2th and /th centuries C", which include the 3apaleeshwarar Temple in (ylapore and the 8arthasarathy Temple in Triplicane built in the +ra idian architecture. This architecture style includes arious styles such as those of the 8alla as, the Cholas, and the >ijayanagara empires. The associated ,graharam architecture, which consists of traditional row houses surrounding a temple, can still be seen in these areas. The heritage temples at (amallapuram at the outs!irts of the city are some of the e0amples of the 8alla a

architecture. Chennai is home to the second largest collection of heritage buildings in the country, after 3ol!ata. Eith the ad ent of the (ugals and the British, the city saw a rise in a blend of ?indu, Islamic and $othic re i al styles, resulting in the distinct Indo@Saracenic style. The architecture for se eral early institutions such as ban!ing and commerce, railways, press and education, chiefly through the colonial rule, followed the earlier directions of the Neo@Classical and the Indo@ Saracenic. The Chepau! 8alace in the city, designed by 8aul Benfield, is said to be the first Indo@Saracenic building in India. Since then, many of the colonial@era buildings in the city were designed in this style of architecture, which is most apparent around the #ort St. $eorge built in %&'.. (ost of these were designed by "nglish architects Fobert #ellowes Chisholm and ?enry Irwin. The best e0amples of this style include the (adras ?igh Court 1built in %/6-4, Southern Failway head*uarters, Fipon Building, $o ernment (useum, Senate ?ouse of the Ani ersity of (adras, ,mir (ahal, Bharat Insurance Building, >ictoria 8ublic ?all and the College of "ngineering. The construction of the National ,rt $allery in (adras was completed in %6.6. The new building, with a stunning facade, was built of pin! sandstone brought from Sathya edu, and formed part of the (adras (useum campus. It was opened, on -7 Hanuary %6.6, by the $o ernor of #ort St. $eorge, Sir ,rthur Lawley, and called the >ictoria (emorial ?all after the Nueen@"mpress >ictoria. The residential architecture in the city was based on the bungalow or the continuous row house prototypes. $othic re i al style buildings include the Chennai Central and Chennai "gmore railway stations. The Santhome Church, which is originally built by the 8ortuguese in %;-7 and is belie ed to house the remains of the apostle St. Thomas, was rebuilt in %/67 in neo@$othic style. By the early -.th century, the art deco too made its entry upon the city)s urban landscape. #rom %67.s onwards, many buildings in $eorge Town were built in this style, including the Anited India building 1presently housing LIC4 and the Burma Shell building 1presently the Chennai ?ouse4, both built in the %67.s, and the +are ?ouse, built in %6'.. 9ther e0amples include the Bombay (utual building 1presently housing LIC4 and the South Indian Chamber of Commerce building. ,fter Independence, the city witnessed a rise in the (odernism style of architecture. The completion of the LIC Building in %6;6, the tallest building in the country at that time, mar!ed the transition from lime@and@bric! construction to concrete columns in the region. The presence of the weather radar at the Chennai 8ort, howe er, prohibited the construction of buildings taller than &. m around a radius of %. !m. In addition, the floor@area ratio 1#,F4 in the central business district is also %.;, much less than that of smaller cities of the country. This resulted in the city e0panding horiGontally, unli!e other metropolitan cities where ertical growth is prominent. 9n the contrary, the peripheral regions, especially on the southern and south@ western sides, are e0periencing ertical growth with the construction of buildings up to ;. floors.

+emographics

, resident of Chennai is called a Chennaite. ,ccording to the pro isional population results of -.%%, the city had a population of ',&/%,./2, with a density of -&,6.7 per !mO and the urban agglomeration had a population of /,&6&,.%.. The city registered a growth rate of 2.22P during the period -..%D-.%%. In -..%, the population density in the city was -',&/- per !mO 1&7,6-& per miO4, while the population density of the metropolitan area was ;,6-- per !mO 1%;,772 per miO4, ma!ing it one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The Chennai metropolitan area is the fourth most populated agglomeration in India and 7%st largest urban area in the world The se0 ratio is 6;% females for e ery %,... males, slightly higher than the national a erage of 6''. The a erage literacy rate rose from /;.77P in -..% to 6..77P in -.%%, much higher than the national a erage of 26.;P. ?owe er, the city has the fourth highest population of slum dwellers among major cities in India, with about /-.,... people 1%/.&P of the city)s population4 li ing in slum conditions. ,ccording to -.%% census, the Chennai district has %.% million households, with ;%P of them li ing in rented houses. The majority of the population in Chennai are Tamils. Tamil is the primary language spo!en in Chennai. "nglish is spo!en largely by white@collar wor!ers, often mi0ed into Tamil. Telugus form the majority among the non@Tamil communities. In -..%, out of the -,672,... migrants 177./P of its population4 in the city, &%.;P were from other parts of the state, 77./P were from rest of India and 7.2P were from outside the country. Chennai, along with (umbai and +elhi and 3ol!ata, is one of a few Indian cities which is home to a di erse population of ethno@religious communities. (inorities include (arwaris, 8arsis, Sindhis, 9riyas, $oans, 3annadigas, ,nglo@Indians, Bengalis, 8unjabi, and (alayalees. ,ccording to the -..% census, ?indus constitute about /%.7P of the city)s population, and (uslims 16.'P4, Christians 12.&P4 and Hains 1%.%P4 are other major religious groups.

?ousing In a -.%7 sur ey titled Q"merging trends in real estate in ,sia 8acific -.%'R, Chennai emerged in the top -; real estate destinations list in the ,sia 8acific region. The city ran!ed --nd in the list. There are about %,-'. slums in Chennai home to about ..6 million people. 8er -.%% census, there are %.% million households in the city and the residential housing stoc! a ailable is %.%; million D a surplus of about ;.,... houses. ,bout '7,2.. of them are !ept acant. In the suburbs of Chennai located in Tiru allur and 3ancheepuram districts, the figures of acant houses ;&,... and 2%,..., respecti ely. 9f the e0isting housing stoc! in the city, about -..,... houses are not in good condition, necessitating either to rebuild or build new units. ,bout -&,... households li e in houses without any room and another '-2,... families 1with an a erage siGe of fi e members4 li e in small dwelling units with only one room. ,n earlier estimate shows that there is a need to generate about '-.,... units for low@income groups by -.%&.

,s of -.%-, an estimated population of %%,%%& 1..%& percent4 were homeless. 8er Supreme Court guidelines, the city needs &; shelters for the homeless. ?owe er, it has only %;, of which / are functioning and two are under reno ation.

(useums and ,rt $alleries Chennai is home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions, many of which are free of admission charges and are major tourist attractions as well as playing a research role. The city is also an host to the oldest (useum and ,rt $allery in the country@ $o ernment (useum, Chennai and The National ,rt $allery 1Chennai4, established in the early %/th century. The city also hosts two art festi als annually. The :#ort (useum: inside the premises of #ort St. $eorge is an important (useum ha ing a noteworthy collection of objects of the British era in its collection. The museum is managed by the ,rchaeological Sur ey of India and enjoys the pride of ha ing in its possession, the first tricolor 1Indian National #lag4hoisted after the Indian independence.

(usic and 8erforming ,rts Chennai is a major centre for music, art and culture in India. The city is !nown for its classical dance shows. In %67., for the first time in India, (adras Ani ersity introduced a course of music, as part of the Bachelor of ,rts curriculum. The (adras (usic Season, initiated by (adras (usic ,cademy in %6-2, is celebrated e ery year during the month of +ecember. It features performances of traditional Carnatic music by many artists in and around the city. ,n arts festi al called the Chennai Sangamam, which showcases not only arious arts of Tamil Nadu but also from the neighbouring states, li!e !alari 1from 3erala4, which is a major attraction, is held in Hanuary e ery year. The Speciality of Chennai Sangamam is that the arious programs are held near or at the arious famous landmar!s in the city so that e eryone in the city has access to the programs and there is no fee charged for entry for any of the programs. Chennai is also !nown for Bharata Natyam, a classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu and is the oldest dance form of India. ,n important cultural centre for Bharata Natyam is 3ala!shetra, on the beach in the south of the city. In -.%-, a group of fi e Bharatha Natyam dancers from Chennai performed at the India Campaign during the -.%- Summer 9lympics. Chennai is also home to some choirs, who during the Christmas season stage arious carol performances across the city in Tamil and "nglish.

Cinema Chennai is the base for the Tamil film industry, !nown as 3ollywood. (any film personalities ha e gone on to become Chief (inisters of the State. (.$. Famachandran and H. Hayalalitha are prime e0amples of actors turned administrators. (.3arunanidhi is another chief minister turned politician who has close lin!s with the cinema industry. ,ll mentioned abo e ha e contributed to the spread of Tamil cinema and language in India. Chennai hosts major film studios, including ,>( studios, so on. ,>( studio is the oldest sur i ing studio in India. ,s of

-.%-, there are %-. cinema screens in Chennai. Chennai)s theatres stage many Tamil plays5 political satire, slapstic! comedy, history, mythology and drama are among the popular genres. "nglish plays are popular in the city.

Tourism and ?ospitality Eith temples, beaches and centres of historical and cultural significance, including the AN"SC9 ?eritage Site of (ahabalipuram, Chennai remains the most isited city in India. Chennai has been the most isited Indian city since -../, in terms of foreign tourists arri al. In -.%%, Chennai was ran!ed '%st in global top %.. city destination ran!ing, with 7,%2',;.. tourists, a %' percent increase from -.%., up from &;.,... in -..2. In -..6, Chennai attracted the highest number of foreign tourists in the country. The city ser es as the gateway to the southern part of India with tourists landing in the city and starting their trip to the rest of the region. Top foreign nationals isiting the city includes those from Sri Lan!a, (alaysia, and Singapore, followed by the Anited 3ingdom, #rance and the Anited States. In -.%., the figure of foreign tourist arri al increased by '. percent in the first half of the year. ,bout /7.,&-. domestic tourists arri ed in Chennai in (arch -.%%. Currently, the city has -' lu0ury hotels in the fi e@star and fi e@star delu0e categories.

Fecreation Ioo, beaches, and wildlife par!s form the primary recreation areas of the city. The ,rignar ,nna Ioological 8ar!, one of the largest Goological par!s in the world, attracts nearly - million isitors per year. The city boasts two popular beaches, the (arina and "lliot)s. $uindy National 8ar!, a protected area of Tamil Nadu, has a children)s par! and a sna!e par!, which gained statutory recognition as a medium Goo from the Central Ioo ,uthority of India in %66;. Chennai houses se eral theme par!s, namely ($( +iGGee Eorld and Nueens Land. The safety of se eral amusement par!s has been *uestioned after se eral fatal accidents occurred. 9ther important recreation centres include (adras Boat Club, which is o er %'. years old, and $ym!hana Club, which is famous for its %/@hole golf courses. Built in %/&2, (adras Boat Club is the second oldest rowing club in India. Chennai is home to se eral malls, due to its status as an IT hub. Chennai houses *uite a few big malls namely "0press , enue 1",4, Citi Centre, Spencer 8laGa, ,mpa S!ywal!. 8hoeni0 (ar!et City which was opened in Hanuary -.%7 at >elachery is one of India)s Biggest shopping (alls. #orum >ijaya (all de eloped by the 8restige group has also started functioning since % (ay at >adapalani. Chennai houses a lot of cinema screens in the form of multiple0es. #ew of the famous multiple0es are Sathyam Cinemas, "scape, +e i, ,birami comple0 and (ayajaal. Tamil, "nglish, ?indi, Telugu S 3annada1occasionally released4 mo ies are released and ha e a large number of fan following. Eith the increase in malls, the multiple0es ha e also doubled recently. Chennai encourages its Theatre artist)s e*ually. The city is under a thic! of acti ity

across the year with a number of plays staged in Tamil and "nglish, as well as with 3oothu 8atrai, a form of street play in unison with songs and dance.Kcitation neededL Chennai is the most important gold mar!et in the southern region of India which contributes to '; percent of the /..@tonne annual national gold offta!e. Chennai)s retail industry is concentrated chiefly in T. Nagar, which accounts for about 2. to /. percent of the gold sold in Chennai. ,ccording to the -.%- report by property consultant Cushman S Ea!efield, (ain Streets ,cross the Eorld, 3hader NawaG 3han Foad at Nungamba!!am ran!ed %.th position in the list of )Top %. $lobal ?ighest Fetail Fental $rowth (ar!ets -.%-), with 7&.2 percent jump in rents.

"conomy IndustrialiGation in the city dates bac! to the %&th century, when te0tile mills manufactured goods which were e0ported to British during its war with #rance. ,ccording to #orbes magaGine, Chennai is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and the only Indian city to be rated in the :#orbes@Top %. #astest $rowing Cities in the Eorld:. It is ran!ed 'th in hosting the ma0imum number of #ortune ;.. companies of India, ne0t only to (umbai, +elhi and 3ol!ata. It also is home to -' Indian companies ha ing a net worth of more than AST% billion. ,s of -.%-, the city has about 7',-&. identified companies in its %; Gones, of which ;,%6& companies ha e a paid@up the capital of o er INF ; million. Chennai has a di ersified economic base anchored by the automobile, software ser ices, hardware manufacturing, health care and financial ser ices industries.K&L ,ccording to the Confederation of Indian Industry, Chennai is estimated to grow to a AST%..Dbillion economy, -.; times its present siGe, by the year -.-;. ,s of -.%-, with INF %... billion in estment in the pipeline o er ; years, the city is poised for major industrial in estment. Chennai is classified as a global city by $aEC, with a ran!ing of Beta based on the e0tent of global reach and financial influence. The city is base to around 7. percent of India)s automobile industry and '. percent of auto components industry. , large number of automoti e companies including ?yundai, Fenault, Fobert Bosch, Nissan (otors, ,sho! Leyland, +aimler ,$, Caterpillar Inc., 3omatsu Limited, #ord, B(E and (itsubishi ha e manufacturing plants in Chennai. The ?ea y >ehicles #actory at , adi produces military ehicles, including India)s main battle tan!= ,rjun (BT. The Integral Coach #actory manufactures railway coaches and other rolling stoc! for Indian Failways. The ,mbatturD8adi industrial Gone houses many te0tile manufacturers, and a special economic Gone 1S"I4 for apparel and footwear manufacturing has been set up in the southern suburbs of the city. Chennai contributes more than ;. percent of India)s leather e0ports. (any software and software ser ices companies ha e de elopment centres in Chennai, which contributed %' percent of India)s total software e0ports of INF %,''-,%'. million during -..&D.2, ma!ing it the second largest e0porter, by city, of software in the country, behind Bangalore. The

Tidel 8ar! in Chennai was billed as ,sia)s largest IT par! when it was built. (ajor software companies ha e their offices set up here, with some of them ma!ing Chennai their largest base. 8rominent financial institutions, including the Eorld Ban!, Standard Chartered Ban!, ,BN ,(F9, Ban! of ,merica, The Foyal Ban! of Scotland, $oldman Sachs, Barclays, ?SBC, IN$ $roup, ,llianG, Sumitomo (itsui Ban!ing Corporation, The Ban! of To!yo@(itsubishi A#H, ,bu +habi Commercial Ban!, ,sian +e elopment Ban!, Credit Suisse, BN8 8aribas #ortis, Ire na, +eutsche Ban! and Citiban! ha e bac! office and de elopment center operations in the city. Chennai is home to the national le el commercial ban!s Indian Ban! and Indian 9 erseas Ban! and many state le el coDoperati e ban!s, finance and insurance companies. Telecom and "lectronics manufacturers based in and around Chennai include No!ia, No!ia Siemens, (otorola, +ell, #orce%., Eipro, Iebronics, #o0conn and Siemens among others. Chennai is currently the largest electronics hardware e0porter in India, accounting for ';P of the total e0ports in -.%.D%%. Telecom giants "ricsson and ,lcatel@Lucent, pharmaceuticals giant 8fiGer and chemicals giant +ow Chemicals ha e research and de elopment facilities in Chennai. The TIC"L bioDtech par! at Taramani and $olden Hubilee bioDtech par! at Siruseri houses biotechnology companies and laboratories. Chennai has a stoc! e0change called the (adras Stoc! "0change. , study conducted by the National ?ousing Ban! on the residential price inde0 of Indian cities showed that Chennai e0perienced the highest growth after the -../D-.%- global financial crisis. ,ccording to a study by 66acres.com in -.%%, Chennai real estate saw an a erage price appreciation of 2 per cent with Tambaram, Chrompet and Thoraipa!!am leading the way. (edical tourism is another important part of Chennai)s economy with '; percent of total medical tourists to India ma!ing to Chennai. The Tamil film industry and the Tamil tele ision industry are also significant parts of Chennai)s economy. The city also has a permanent e0hibition comple0 in Nandamba!!am called the Chennai Trade Centre. Eith 7/; ultra@rich li ing in the city, Chennai is positioned in the si0th place among Indian cities that are home to the country)s super@rich. ,n estimated %..,... people in the city ha e assets o er INF ;. million. The city is the third largest mar!et in India for lu0ury cars.

Infrastructure Communication Chennai is one of the four cities in India through which the country is connected with the rest of the world through undersea fibre@optic cables, the other three being (umbai, 3ochi, and Tuticorin. The city is the landing point of major submarine telecommunication cable networ!s such as S(E' 1connecting India with Eestern "urope, (iddle "ast and Southeast ,sia4, i-i 1connecting India with Singapore4, TIC 1connecting India with Singapore4, and BFICS 1connecting India with Fussia, China, South ,frica, BraGil and the Anited States4. The 7,%2;@!m@ long, /@fiber@paired i-i has the world)s largest design capacity of /.' terabits per second.

,s of -..2, nine mobile phone ser ice companies operate nine $S( networ!s and two C+(, networ!s in the city. There are four land line companies. Commercial and domestic broadband Internet ser ices are pro ided by all the four ser ice pro iders and a majority of the mobile networ! ser ice pro iders. Chennai was the first Indian city to ha e the Ei@#i facility in a widespread manner. ,s of -.%., there were 6./ million mobile phone users in Chennai. In -.%., Chennai had the fourth highest number of acti e Internet users in India, with -.- million users.

8ower , ailability of power has become a concern in recent years due to increasing demand and slow paced addition of power plants, due to which scheduled power cuts ha e become increasingly common. ?owe er this situation is e0pected to be rectified soon by the end of -.%7. ,s of -.%-, the total electricity consumption by the street lamps in the city is %6 (E a day, costing about INF -.,...,... per month to run. The '-& s* !m of the city has o er --.,... streetlights, including //,... in the newly e0panded areas.

Ban!ing The FBI ran!ed Chennai as fourth largest deposit centre and third largest credit centre nationwide as of Hune -.%-. 8rior to the ad ent of modern commercial ban!s, the ban!ing ser ices in the city were offered to the public by Nattu!ottai Chettiars or Nagarathars, chiefly in and around the neighbourhood of $eorge Town, who offered loans as well as accepted money deposits from the public, in addition to offering liberal loans to the agricultural labourers. " en today, many of the ban!ing offices are housed in heritage structures belonging to the Colonial era that are chiefly clustered around North Beach Foad or Fajaji Salai in $eorge Town.K-;-L Chennai is home to the first "uropean@style ban!ing system in India with the establishment of the )(adras Ban!) on -% Hune %&/7, almost a century before the establishment of the first commercial ban!s, such as the Ban! of ?industan and the $eneral Ban! of India, which were established in %22. and %2/&, respecti ely. ?owe er, the ban! pro ed a failure. Apon the recommendation of the British #inance Committee on the formation of a go ernment ban!, the (adras Ban!, then !nown as the )$o ernment Ban!), started functioning again from %/.&. In %/'7, the ban! merged with the Carnatic Ban! 1%2//4, the British Ban! of (adras 1%26;4 and the ,siatic Ban! 1%/.'4 and became the Ban! of (adras, which was one of the three 8residency ban!s of India, the other two being the Ban! of Bengal and the Ban! of Bombay. In %6-%, the three 8residency ban!s merged to form the Imperial Ban! of India, which later became the State Ban! of India in %6;;. Chennai is the head*uarters of the Indian Ban!, the Indian 9 erseas Ban!, and the erstwhile Bharat 9 erseas Ban!, which merged with the Indian 9 erseas Ban! in -..2. The city is home to the south Gonal office of the Feser e Ban! of India, the country)s central ban!, along with its Gonal training centre and Feser e Ban! Staff College, one of the two colleges of the ban!. The city also houses the permanent bac! office of the Eorld Ban!, which is one of the largest

buildings owned by the ban! outside its head*uarters in Eashington, +C. The Chennai office handles corporate financial, accounting, administrati e and IT ser ices of the ban!, in addition to se eral alue@added operations of the ban! that were earlier handled only in its Eashington, +C office, including the ban!)s analytical wor! in bond aluation which is estimated to be AST%.. billion. Se eral foreign ban!s ha e established their branches in the city. The first Sri Lan!an Ban! in India was established when the Ban! of Ceylon opened its branch in (adras on 7% 9ctober %66;.

?ealth Care Chennai has world@class medical facilities, including both go ernment@run and pri ate hospitals. The go ernment@aided hospitals include $eneral ?ospital, ,dyar Cancer Institute, TB Sanatorium, and National Institute of Siddha. The National Institute of Siddha is one of the se en ape0 national@le el educational institutions that promote e0cellence in Indian system of medicine and ,yur eda. Some of the popular pri ate@run hospitals in Chennai are ,pollo ?ospitals, Chettinad ?ealth City, (I9T ?ospitals and >asan ?ealthcare. The prime N,B?@ accredited hospitals includes Chennai ,pollo Speciality ?ospital, +r (ehta ?ospitals, #rontier Lifeline ?ospital, $lobal ?ospitals S ?ealth City, San!ara Nethralaya, and >ijaya (edical S "ducational Trust. Chennai attracts about '; percent of health tourists from abroad and 7. percent to '. percent of domestic health tourists. The city has been termed India)s health capital. The city has more than %-,;.. beds in its hospitals, including about ;,... in multi@specialty hospitals in the pri ate sector and o er &,... beds in the public sector. This wor!s to -.% beds per %,... population against the national a erage of less than % bed per %,... population and the Eorld ?ealth 9rganisation)s norms of 7 beds per %,... persons, higher than any other city in the country. By mid@-.%-, with the addition of at least 7,... beds in four leading hospitals in the city, the bed strength of the pri ate@sector hospitals is e0pected to increase by nearly -; percent. ?owe er, only half of these %-,;.. beds is used by the city)s population with the rest being shared by patients from other states of the country and foreigners.

Easte (anagement The city generates ',;.. tonnes of garbage e ery day of which '-6 tonnes are plastic waste. The city has three dumpyards, one each at 8erungudi, 3odungaiyur, and 8alli!aranai. The corporation has planned to close these yards and create four new dumpyards at (alaipattu, (injur, >allur, and 3uthamba!!am illages, ranging in siGe from -. acres to %.. acres. The ci ic body also spends INF ',... million a year on solid waste management.

Transport ,ir The city generates ',;.. tonnes of garbage e ery day of which '-6 tonnes are plastic waste. The city has three dumpyards, one each at 8erungudi, 3odungaiyur, and 8alli!aranai. The corporation has planned to close these yards and create four new dumpyards at (alaipattu, (injur, >allur, and 3uthamba!!am illages, ranging in siGe from -. acres to %.. acres. The ci ic body also spends INF ',... million a year on solid waste management.

Fail Chennai hosts the head*uarters of the Southern Failway. The city has two main railway terminals. Chennai Central station, the city)s largest, pro ides access to other major cities as well as many other smaller towns across India, whereas Chennai "gmore pro ides access to destinations primarily within Tamil Nadu5 howe er, it also handles a few interDstate trains. The Chennai suburban railway networ!, one of the oldest in the country, facilitates transportation within the city. It consists of four broad gauge sectors terminating at two locations in the city, namely Chennai Central and Chennai Beach. Ehile three sectors are operated on@grade, the fourth sector is majorly an ele ated corridor, which lin!s Chennai Beach to >elachery and is interlin!ed with the remaining rail networ!. Construction is underway for an underground and ele ated Fapid Transit System locally !nown as Chennai (etro Fail. There is also a proposal to construct a monorail networ! to augment the e0isting public transportation system in the city.

Foad Chennai is one of the cities in India that is connected by the $olden Nuadrilateral system of National ?ighways.K-2/L It is connected to other Indian cities by four major National ?ighways 1N?4 that originate in the city. They are N? ' to (umbai 1 ia Bangalore, 8une4, N? ; to 3ol!ata 1 ia >isa!hapatnam, Bhubaneswar4, N? '; to Theni 1 ia >illupuram, Tiruchirapalli, +indigul4 and N? -.; to ,nantapur, ,ndhra 8radesh 1 ia Tirupati4. Chennai is connected to other parts of the state and the Anion Territory of 8uducherry by state highways.K-26L The go ernment has constructed grade separators and flyo ers at major intersections, and built Inner Fing Foad and 9uter Fing Foad.K-/.LK-/%L The $emini flyo er, built in %627 crosses o er the arterial road, and eases the traffic mo ements towards ,nna Salai and towards the 3athipara #lyo er.K-/.LK-/%L ,s of -.%%, according to the Transport +epartment, there were -.;/ million twoDwheelers and ..;& million fourDwheelers in the city, and the (etropolitan Transport Corporation 1(TC4 bus fleet were 7,'-%, which was ..%P of the total ehicular population of the city.K-/-L

The Chennai (ofussil Bus Terminus 1C(BT4 is one of the largest bus stations in ,sia. It is the main intercity bus station of Chennai, administered by 2 go ernment@owned transport corporations, which operate intercity and interstate bus ser ices. There are many pri ate bus companies that pro ide similar transport ser ices. The (TC pro ides an e0clusi e intercity bus ser ice, consisting of 7,'-% buses on 2-' routes, which pro ides transportation to ;.;- million passengers daily. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation operates >ol o air@conditioned ser ices from Chennai to nearby cities li!e 8ondicherry, >ellore and ?osur. The other means of road transport in the city include >ans, regionally !nown as (a0i Cabs, auto ric!shaws, on@call metered ta0is and tourist ta0is. Chennai outer ring road is &-.7 !m long connecting N? '; 1$ST Foad4 at 8erungalathur, N? ' 1$ET Foad4 at NaGarathpet, N? -.; 1CT? Foad4 at Nemilicherry1Thiruninra ur4, N? ; 1$NT Foad4 at Nallur and T88 road at (injur under the process by Chennai (etropolitan ,rea.

Sea The city is ser ed by two major ports, Chennai 8ort, one of the largest artificial ports in India, and "nnore 8ort. The Chennai port is the largest in Bay of Bengal, with an annual cargo tonnage of &%.'& million 1-.%.D-.%%4, and second busiest container hub in India, with an annual container olume of %.;-7 million T"As 1-.%.D-.%%4. The port handles transportation of automobiles, motorcycles and general industrial cargo. The "nnore 8ort with an annual cargo tonnage of %%..% million 1-.%.D-.%%4 handles cargo such as coal, ore and other bul! and roc! mineral products. The Foyapuram fishing harbour is used by fishing boats and trawlers. , mega shipyard project called the 3attupalli Shipyard cum Capti e 8ort Comple0 is being built by LST Shipbuilding at 3attupalli illage near "nnore and is e0pected to be operational in -.%-.

(edia Newspaper publishing started in Chennai with the launch of a wee!ly, The (adras Courier, in %2/;. It was followed by the wee!lies The (adras $aGGette and The $o ernment $aGGette in %26;. The Spectator, founded in %/7&, was the first "nglish newspaper in Chennai to be owned by an Indian and became the city)s first daily newspaper in %/;7. The first Tamil newspaper, Swadesamitran, was launched in %/66. The major "nglish dailies published in Chennai are The ?indu, The New Indian "0press, The +eccan Chronicle and The Times of India. The e ening dailies are, The Trinity (irror and The News Today. ,s of -..', The ?indu was the city)s most read "nglish newspaper, with a daily circulation of -&2,7'6. The major business dailies published from the city are The "conomic Times, The ?indu Business Line, Business Standard, (int and The #inancial "0press. The major Tamil dailies include the +ina Thanthi, +ina!aran, +ina (ani, +ina (alar, The ?indu

Tamil, Tamil (urasu, (a!!al 3ural and (alai (alar. (alayala (anorama and (athrubhumi are the major (alayalam dailies while major Telugu dailies include "enadu, >aartha, ,ndhra Hyothi and Sa!shi. The one and only ?indi Newspaper published from Chennai is the Fajasthan 8atri!a. Neighbourhood newspapers such as The ,nna Nagar Times and The ,dyar Times cater to particular localities. (agaGines published from Chennai include ,nanda >i!atan, 3umudam, 3al!i, 3ungumam, 8uthiya Thalaimurai,Thugla!, #rontline and Sportstar. +oordarshan runs two terrestrial tele ision channels and two satellite tele ision channels from its Chennai centre, which was set up in %62'. 8ri ate Tamil satellite tele ision networ!s such as Sun T>, Faj T>, Iee Tamil, Star >ijay, Haya T>, (a!!al T>, >asanth T>, 3alaignar T>, Captain T> and 8uthiyaThalaimurai T> broadcast out of Chennai. The Sun Networ! one of India)s largest broadcasting companies is based in the city. Ehile the cable T> ser ice is entirely controlled by the state go ernment, directDtoDhome 1+T?4 is a ailable ia ++ +irect 8lus, +ish T>, Tata S!y, >ideocon +T?, Sun direct +T?, Feliance Big T> and +igital T> Chennai is the first city in India to ha e implemented the Conditional ,ccess System for cable tele ision. Fadio broadcasting started from the radio station at the Fippon Buildings comple0, founded in %67. and was then shifted to ,ll India Fadio in %67/. The city has ' ,( and %% #( radio stations, operated by ,nna Ani ersity, ,ll India Fadio and pri ate broadcasters.

"ducation Chennai is in second place for literacy among metropolitan city centres in India with a 6..77 percent literacy rate. Chennai has a mi0 of public and pri ate 1some of which also recei e financial support from the go ernment4 schools. The public school system is managed by the Chennai Corporation with an enrolment of %'-,7/2 students in o er 77. schools. Tamil and "nglish are the primary media of instruction, though se eral schools also use Telegu or Ardu. 8ublic schools run by the Chennai Corporation are all affiliated with the Tamil Nadu State Board, while pri ate schools may be affiliated with either of the Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary "ducation or the Central Board of Secondary "ducation 1CBS"4. , few schools are affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate "0aminations, the National Institute of 9pen Schooling 1NI9S4 board or the (ontessori system. "ducation in Chennai starts with two years of 3indergarten from age three onward and then follows the Indian %.U-U7 plan, ten years of school, two years of higher secondary education, and three years of undergraduate education. "nglish is the medium of instruction in the majority of institutions for higher education. Colleges for science, arts and commerce degrees are typically affiliated with the Ani ersity of (adras, which has three campuses in the city. The Indian Institute of Technology (adras 1IIT (adras4, the ,nna Ani ersity are two well !nown centres for engineering education in the city. The Indian ,rmy)s 9fficers Training ,cademy is also head*uartered in the city. The Institute of ?otel (anagement 1I?( chennai4 is also located in Chennai. Chennai has a plethora of libraries, including British Council Library, ,merican Library, Connemara 8ublic Library, and ,nna Centenary Library. The Connemara 8ublic Library is one of four National +epository Centres in India that recei e a copy of all newspapers and boo!s published in the country. The ,nna Centenary Library is the largest library in ,sia.

Chennai has two CSIF research institutions namely Central Leather Fesearch Institute and Structural "ngineering Fesearch Centre. Chennai Boo! #air, an annual boo! fair organised in Chennai by the Boo!sellers and 8ublishers ,ssociation of South India 1B,8,SI4, is the largest e0hibition for Tamil boo! publishers to display their boo!s. The fair is typically held for about %. days between the last wee! of +ecember and the third wee! of Hanuary. Thirty@fifth edition of the fair was held on -.%-.

Sports Cric!et is the popular sport in Chennai. It was introduced in %/&' with the foundation of the (adras Cric!et Club. The (.,. Chidambaram Stadium established in %6%& is among the oldest cric!et stadium in India. The Chemplast Cric!et $round located at the IIT (adras campus is another important enue for cric!et matches. 8rominent cric!eters from the city include former cric!et captains S. >en!ataragha an and 3ris Sri!!anth. , cric!et fast bowling academy called the (F# 8ace #oundation, whose coaches include T. ,. Se!har and $lenn (cgrath, is based in Chennai. Being home to the Indian 8remier League 1I8L4 cric!et team Chennai Super 3ings, the city hosted the finals of the I8L)s -.%% and -.%- series. Chennai was the enue of the K%66; South ,sian $amesL. Chennai is home to a Eorld Series ?oc!ey 1ES?4 team, the Chennai Cheetahs. The (ayor Fadha!rishnan Stadium is associated with hoc!ey and was enue for the international hoc!ey tournament the -..; (en)s Champions Trophy and the -..2 (en)s ,sia Cup. The Hawaharlal Nehru Stadium is associated for hosting #ootball and athletic competitions, it also houses a multiDpurpose indoor comple0 for competition in olleyball, bas!etball and table tennis. Eater sports are played in the >elachery ,*uatic Comple0. Tennis sport is popularising among the city youths, Since %662 Chennai has been host to the only ,T8 Eorld Tour e ent held in India, the Chennai 9pen. >ijay ,mritraj, Famesh 3rishnan and Somde +e arman are tennis players from Chennai. (adras Boat Club founded in %/'& and Foyal (adras <acht Club founded by Sir #rancis Spring in %6%%, promotes the sailing sports in Chennai, and organises national and international sailing e ents. ,utomobile racing in India has been closely connected with Chennai since its beginnings shortly after independence. (otor racing e ents are held on a special purpose trac! in Irungattu!ottai, Sriperumbudur, which has also been the enue for se eral international competitions. #ormula 9ne dri ers Narain 3arthi!eyan and 3arun Chandho! were born in Chennai. ?orse racing is held at the $uindy Face Course, while rowing competitions are hosted at the (adras Boat Club. The city has two %/Dhole golf courses, the Cosmopolitan Club and the $ym!hana Club, both established in the late nineteenth century. The city has a rugby union team called the Chennai Cheetahs. >iswanathan ,nand, the world chess champion, grew up in Chennai. 9ther sportspersons of repute from Chennai include table tennis players Sharath 3amal and twoDtime world carrom

champion, (aria Irudayam. Chennai is the host of the Eorld Chess Championship -.%7 match between >iswanathan ,nand and (agnus Carlsen.

International Felationships #oreign missions The consular presence in the city dates bac! to %26', when Eilliam ,bbott was appointed AS consular agent for South India. ,s of -.%-, there were '7 foreign representations in Chennai, including consulates general, deputy high commissions and honorary consulates. The ,merican Consulate in Chennai is one of the top adjudication posts in the world and the number one in processing employment@based isas. It was ran!ed among the top globally in issuing )L) and )?) category isas for wor!ers and professionals and was ran!ed eighth globally in terms of all category of isas being issued. The #oreigners Fegional Fegistration 9ffice 1#FF94, which is the office of the field officers in charge of immigration and registration acti ities in the city, is located at Shastri Bha an at ?addows Foad.

Sister cities Chennai has sister city relationships with the following cities of the world.

City

Country

State/Region

Since Reference

Volgograd

Russia

Volgograd Oblast 1966

[339]

Denver

United States

Colorado

1984

[340]

San ntonio

United States

!e"as

#008

[341]

$uala %u&'ur

(ala)sia

*ederal !erritor)

#010

[34#]

Fefrences=

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