What is Chennai?
Encyclopedia : C : CH : CHE : Chennai- "Madras" redirects here. For , see .
The name Madras is derived from Madraspatnam, the site chosen by the British East India Company for a permanent settlement in 1639. Another small town,Chennapatnam, lay to the south of it. In due course the two towns were merged, and the term Madras was favoured by the British. However locals used to refer to it as Chennapatnam or Chennapuri. The city was renamed Chennai in August 1996 as the name Madras was perceived to be ofPortuguese origin. It is believed that the original Portuguese name is Madre de Sois, named after a Portuguese high authority who was one among the early settlers in 1500. There have been suggestions though that Chennai may not be a Tamil name while Madras may be of Tamil origin.
Contents
History
When the Portuguese arrived in 1522, they built a port and named it São Tomé, after theChristian apostle St. Thomas, who is believed to have preached there between the years 52 and 70. The region then passed into the hands of the Dutch, who established themselves nearPulicat just north of the city in 1612.
On 22 August 1639, the British East India Company was granted land by the Damerla Venkatadri, Nayak of Vandavasi, as a base for a permanent settlement, believed to be calledMadrasemen. A year later, Fort St George was built, which subsequently became the nucleus around which the colonial city grew. In 1746, Fort St George and Madras were captured by theFrench under General La Bourdonnais, the Governor of Mauritius, who plundered the town and its outlying villages.
The British regained control of the town in 1749 through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and subsequently fortified the base to withstand further attacks from the French and Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore. By the late 18th century, the British had conquered most of the region around Tamil Nadu and the northern modern-day states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to establish the Madras Presidency, whose capital was Madras.
Under British rule the city grew into a major urban centre and naval base. With the advent of railways in India in the late 19th century, it was connected to other important cities such as Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), facilitating communication and trade with the hinterland. It was the only Indian city to be attacked by the Central Powers during World War I, when an oil depot was shelled by theGerman light cruiser SMS Emden. After independence in 1947, the city became the capital of Madras State, which was renamed Tamil Nadu in 1968.
From 1965 to 1967, Chennai was an important base for the Tamil agitation against the imposition of Hindi. Chennai had witnessed some political violence due to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, after 33 people were killed by a bomb planted by the Tamil Eelam Army at the airport in 1984 and following the assassination of thirteen members of the Sri Lankan separatist group EPRLF, and two Indian civilians by the rival LTTE in 1991. Strong measures were taken and the city has not faced any major terrorist activity since then. The city was renamed Chennai in August 1996 as the nameMadras was perceived to be of Portuguese origin.
In 2004 the Indian Ocean tsunami lashed the shores of Chennai, killing many and permanently altering the coastline.
Geography
Several lakes of varying size are located on the western fringes of the city. Red Hills, Sholavaram andChembarambakkam Lake supply Chennai with potable water. Groundwater sources are mostly brackish. The city's water supply has proved inadequate for its population, and an over-reliance on annual monsoon rains to replenish water reservoirs has compounded problems. There had been some attempts to pipe in water from other sources, such as the Veeranam, a water-rich place in Tamil Nadu or from the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh. Water is a precious commodity in Chennai and this has given rise to private water tankers supplying many areas. Alternative measures such as reverse osmosis and rainwater harvesting have been taken up. Chennai Metrowater has currently finalised a bid to construct a reverse osmosis plant with a capacity of 100 million litres per day (about 15 litres per person per day).
The geology of Chennai comprises of mostly clay, shale and sandstone. The city is classified into three regions based on geology, sandy areas, clayey areas and hard-rock areas. Sandy areas are found along the river banks and the coasts. Clayey regions cover most of the city. Hard rock areas areGuindy, Velachery, Adambakkam and a part of Saidapet. In sandy areas such as Tiruvanmiyur, Adyar, Santhome, George Town and the rest of coastal Chennai, rainwater run-off percolates very quickly. In clayey and hard rock areas, rainwater percolates slowly, but it is held by the soil for a longer time. The city's clayey areas include T.Nagar, West Mambalam, Anna Nagar, Kolathur and Virugambakkam.
Climate
Chennai lies on the thermal equator, and thus sees little variation in seasonal temperature. Its proximity to the sea gives it a hot and humid climate for most of the year. The highest temperatures are experienced in late May and early June and usually vary between 38 °C (100.4 °F) and 42 °C(107.6 °F) though it sometimes nearly touches 45 °C (113 °F) for a few days. Average daily temperature in Chennai during January is around 24 °C (75 °F), though the temperature rarely falls below 18 °C (64 °F). The lowest temperature recorded is 15.8 °C (60.4 °F) and highest 44.1 °C (111.4 °F).The average annual rainfall is about 1,300 mm (47.2 inches). The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north-east monsoon winds, from Mid October to Mid December. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal sometimes hit the city.Layout
For administrative purposes Chennai is divided into five talukas. 1. Egmore-Nungambakam, 2. Fort Tondiarpet 3. Mambalam-Guindy 4. Mylapore-Triplicane 5. Perambur-Purasawalkkam.
The Chennai Metropolitan area consists of three districts namely Chennai city and the districts of Kanchipuramand Thiruvallur. The city area covers an area of 174 km² (67 mi²). The metropolitan area covers 1,177 km² (455 mi²). The city is divided on the basis of composition into four major parts: North, Central, South and West.
North Chennai is primarily an industrial area. Central Chennai is the commercial heart of the city and the downtown area. South Chennai and West Chennai, previously predominantly residential areas are fast turning into commercial areas, hosting a large number of IT and financial companies.
Contiguous satellite towns include Mahabalipuram to the south, Chengalpattu to the south west, Kanchipuramtown, Sriperumpudur, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam to the west.
Administration
The metropolitan region of Chennai covers many suburbs that are part of Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts. The larger suburbs are goverened by town municipalities while the smaller ones are governed by town councils called panchayats.
Chennai being the capital of Tamil Nadu houses the executive and legislative headquarters of the government of Tamil Nadu. They are primarily housed in the Secretariat Buildings, part of the Fort St George campus as well as many other buildings scattered around the city. The Madras High Court, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, is the highest judicial authority in the state and is located in the city.
Chennai has three Parliamentary constituencies – Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South. The current MPs are C Kuppusami,Dayanidhi Maran and T R Baalu respectively. Chennai elects 18 MLAs to the state legislature.
Greater Chennai Police department, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police is the law enforcement agency in the city. The city police force is headed by a Commissioner of Police and the administrative control vests with the Tamil Nadu Home ministry. There are thirty six sub-divisions of the Greater Chennai Police, and 121 police stations. Fifteen of these police stations are now ISO 9001:2000 certified. The city's traffic is managed by the Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP). Metropolitan suburbs are policed by the Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur police departments.
Economy
Since the late 1990s, software development and business process outsourcing and more recently manufacturing have emerged as major areas in the city's economy. Chennai has been rated as the most attractive Indian city for offshoring services according to A T Kearney's Indian City Services Attractiveness Index 2005.[link] The IT Corridor, on Old Mahabalipuram Road in the southeast of the city houses several technology parks. The Mahindra World City, a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) with one of the world's largest information technology parks, is currently under construction in the outskirts of Chennai. Multinational corporations like Nokia, Motorola, Siemens, Flextronics and Foxconn have or are in the process of setting up electronics manufacturing SEZs in the satellite town of Sriperumbudur while Ericsson and Alcatel have research and development facilities in the city. The city has two main biotechnology parks, [TICEL bio-tech park] and [Golden Jubilee bio-tech park] at Siruseri that house bio technology companies and laboratories.
Chennai is the base for over forty percent of India's automobile industry. A large number of the automotive companies in India are based in Chennai, mainly in the Ambattur-Padi industrial zone. Several global automotive companies such as Hyundai, Ford, Mitsubishi, TVS, Ashok Leyland,Caterpillar, Royal Enfield, TI Cycles, TAFE and MRF have manufacturing plants in and around Chennai while BMW is soon to set up a plant in Maraimalainagar near chennai. The city is a major centre in the auto ancillary industry.
Chennai is an important centre for banking and finance. At present it is home to three large national banks commercial banks and many state level co-operative banks. Several large financial companies and insurance companies are headquartered in Chennai. Many Indian banks, multi-national banks and the World Bank have located their back office operations in the city. The city serves as a major back up centre for operations of many banks and financial companies in India.
Other major manufacturing facilities range from small scale manufacturing to large scale heavy industrial manufacturing, pertochemicals and auto ancillary plants. Chennai is a textile industry hub with a large number of apparel industries located in the Ambattur-Padi industrial zone in the northern suburbs of the city. The city also has a large leather apparel and accessory industry. SEZ's for apparel manufacture andfootwear are under construction in the southern suburbs of the city.
The city is home to the Tamil entertainment (motion pictures, television, and recorded music) industry which is the second largest in Indian entertainment industries.
Demographics
Residents of Chennai are called Chennaiites. As of 2000, Chennai city had a population of 4.2 million, while the total metropolitan population was 6.7 million. The estimated metropolitan population in 2006 is 7.60 million.
The main problem Chennai faces is overpopulation and resulting water scarcity. Residential skyscrapers are generally not favoured, leading to urban sprawl, with consequent increase in commuting time and ownership of private vehicles. High land prices and the lack of space has pushed many members of the lower strata of society into residing in slums, which tend to have poor sanitation and lack of access to clean water.
The majority of residents in Chennai are native Tamilians and speak Tamil. English is widely spoken, and is used almost exclusively in business, education and other white collar professions. Tamil spoken in Chennai uses English words liberally, so much so that it is often called Madras bhashai (Tamil for "Madras language"). There are also sizeable Telugu and Malayalee communities. A regional hub since British times, other prominent communities include Marwari, Anglo Indian, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujaraticommunities and people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Chennai also has a growing expatriate population who work in the industries and ITcentres.
Culture
Chennai is also known for the classical Indian dance, Bharatanatyam, which is also the official dance of Tamil Nadu. An important cultural centre for Bharatanatyam is Kalakshetra (Sanskrit for "place of the arts"), located on the beach in the south of the city.
Chennai is the base for the large Tamil movie industry, dubbed Kollywood after the locality of Kodambakkam where most of the movie studios are located. The industry makes about 300 Tamil movies a year, and its film soundtracks dominate the music scene in the city.
Chennai celebrates a number of festivals. Pongal, celebrated in the month of January, is the most important festival of and is celebrated over a period of five days. Tamil New Year's day signifying the beginning of the Tamil Calendarusually falls on April 14 and is celebrated widely. Being a cosmopolitan city, almost all major religious festivals likeDeepavali, Eid and Christmas are celebrated here.
Chennai is famous for its numerous restaurants that offer light meals or tiffin which usually include rice-based dishes like pongal, dosa, idli or vada, served with steaming hot filter coffee, a very popular beverage consumed in Chennai. This unique cuisine is replicated in many a Madras Cafe in other parts of India and the world.
Transport
The Chennai International Airport serves as the city's airport for both domestic and international flights. The city is connected to major hubs in South Asia, South East Asia, the Middle East,Europe and North America through over thirty national and international carriers. The airport is also the second busiest cargo terminus in the country.
The city is served by two major ports namely the Chennai Port which is one of the largest artificial ports and the Ennore Port. The Chennai port is India's second busiest container hub handling general industrial cargo, automobiles etc. The Ennore port handles cargo such as coal, ore and other bulk products. A smaller harbour at Royapuram is used by local fishing boats and trawlers.
Buses and trains are the most popular form of public transport. The Chennai suburban railway network consists of four rail sectors, namely Chennai Central—Arakkonam, Chennai Central—Sullurpeta, and Chennai Beach—Chengalpattu. The fourth sector is an elevated MRTS suburban train system, which is interlinked with the remaining rail network. The rail network is broad gauge. There are plans to construct an underground Metro in the City.
The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) runs an extensive city bus system. The bus service consists of 2,773 buses on 375 routes, and transports an estimated 4.2 million passengers daily. Besides MTC services, mini-bus services are present in the suburbs of the Chennai metropolitan area. Vans which are run like bus services and popularly called "Maxi Cabs" also ply on many routes in the city. Hired transport facilities include metered call taxis, fixed rate tourist taxis and auto rickshaws.
Media
Chennai has six major print media groups that publish about eight major newspapers and magazines. The major English dailies are The Hindu,The New Indian Express, The Deccan Chronicle and an evening daily, The News Today. The major business dailies published from the city are The Economic Times, Business Line, Business Standard, and The Financial Express. The major Tamil dailies include the Dina Thanthi, Dinakaran, Dina Mani, Dina Malar, Tamil Murasu and Malai Malar. Besides major newspapers, there are a number of localised neighbourhood newspapers such asThe Adyar Times that cater to particular localities. Magazines published from Chennai include Ananda Vikatan, Kumudam, Kalki, Kungumam,Frontline and Sportstar. Doordarshan runs two terrestrial television channels and two satellite television channels from its Chennai centre. Private Tamil satellite television networks like Sun TV, Raj TV, Star Vijay, Jaya TV broadcast out of Chennai. The city has two AM and five commercial FMradio stations, operated by All India Radio and private broadcasters. FM radio stations are Suryan FM, Radio Mirchi,Radio city and FM Rainbow.Utility Services
The Corporation of Chennai and various Municipalities of the suburbs look after civic services. Garbage handling is handled by Onyx, a private company. Water supply and sewage treatment is handled by the Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Board popularly refered to as Metro Water. Electricty is supplied by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. The city's telephone service is serviced by four landline companies: BSNL, Tata Indicom,Reliance Infocomm and Airtel. There are six mobile phone companies: BSNL, Hutch, Airtel and Aircel which offer GSM services and Tata Indicom and Reliance Infocomm whcih offer CDMA services. The phone companies also offer broadband internet access. SCV and Hathway are the major cable TV service providers.Direct To Home (DTH) is available via DD Direct Plus and Dish TV. Chennai is the only city in India to have implemented the Conditional Access System for cable television.Education
Schools in Chennai are either run publicly by the Tamil Nadu government, or run privately, some with financial aid from the government. The medium of education in private schools is English. Government run schools offer both English and Tamil medium education, English being preferred by a majority. Private schools are usually affiliated to the national CBSE board or to the Tamil Nadu State Board. A few schools are affiliated to the ICSE board and the Montessori system. A few schools also offer the International Baccalaureate and the American systems. Schooling begins at the age of three. After two years of kindergarten and twelve years of schooling, students take up non professional or professional university courses.
The prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras (1959), is located in the south of the city and is internationally renowned for its engineering program. Located nearby, is the main campus ofAnna University (1978), which formed from a merger of the College of Engineering, Guindy (1794), theMadras Institute of Technology (1949), the Alagappa College of Technology (1944), and the School of Architecture and Planning (1957). Almost all colleges in Tamil Nadu that offer programs in engineering, technology and architecture are affiliated to Anna University. The remaining colleges are autonomous deemed universities.
The Connemara Public Library built in 1890 is one of the four National Depository Centres in India. These centres receive a copy of all newspapers and books published in India. It also is a declared UNESCOinformation centre. Other important libraries include the Archaeological Survey of India library at the Fort St. George, The Ramakrishna Math Library and The Krishnamurti Foundation library in the premises of theKrishnamurti Foundation world headquarters.
Sports
Cricket is the most popular sport in Chennai. The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium (formerly known as Madras Cricket Club ground or Chepauk Stadium) in Chepauk and popularly called the MAC, is one of the oldest cricket stadiums in India built in 1916. It seats more than 50,000 and is home to the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. The Chemplast Cricket Ground in the IIT Madras campus is another important cricket venue.
Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium is the venue for hockey matches and seats 4,000. The Chennai Veerans, aPremiere Hockey League team is based in Chennai. The stadium has hosted the Champions Trophy (featuring the 6 best teams in the world) twice, most recently in 2005.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium seats 40,000 and hosts football (soccer), and athletic competitions. The complex also houses a multi purpose indoor stadium with a seating capacity of 8,000 which hosts various competitions including volleyball, basket ball, table tennis. The Velachery Aquatic Complex seats 4,000 and hosts different kinds of water sports. Chennai has also hosted the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games 1995.
The Guindy Race Course for horse racing was set up in 1777. Motor racing events are held at theSriperumbudur (Thirupperumbudur) track for cars, and the Sholavaram track for motorcycles. The Madras Boat Club was set up 1867 at the Basin Bridge and hosts rowing races. The city has two 18-hole golfcourses: the Cosmopolitan Club,& the Gymkhana Club golf course, both of which were established in the late 19th century.
References
External links
- [Official government website of Chennai District]
- [Official website of the Corporation of Chennai]
- [History of Madras]
- [Chennai Airport]
- [Chennai Metro Bus service]
- [Chennai Consulate]
- [Tamilnadu Government]
- [Chennai News]
- #redirect
- [Archive of historian S. Muthiah's articles on Chennai, published in The Hindu]
- [Moving around in Chennai]
- [Th. Brinkhoff: The Principal Agglomerations of the World], 2005-01-30
- [Current weather in Chennai]
- * Mapping from [Multimap] or [GlobalGuide]
- * Aerial image from [TerraServer]
- * Satellite image from [WikiMapia] or [Google Maps]
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