Chennai
Who is she, the Queen of Coromandel – a mistress of the Eastern
ports or an over-grown village?
What makes Chennai the enchantress she is? Walk her streets, smell her
flowers, get to know her with actress and model Meera Vasudhevan. Get
tempted and seduced, feel the thrill and the adrenaline of Chennai’s
sizzling culture and lifestyle. And yes, you can leave the mundu behind.
Chennai in a day
To explore the Queen of Coromandel Coast is to leaf through her history
through the various districts that glue her together. Our picks? Fort
St George and the Marina beach. The best way of getting around the city
is a metro cab, and the best time to be here, winter,
when the temperatures are mild and humidity more bearable.
Fort St George: From her humble beginnings as a fishing
village to Britain’s first colonial bastion in India, Chennai to
many is simply, Fort St George. Unfortunately, most of the buildings here,
occupied by the administrative and secretarial wings of the Tamil Nadu
government, are inaccessible to the public. One can, however, visit the
parade ground and the Fort Museum – where you can
view a variety of colonial memorabilia. On your way out of the Fort, head
for the district of Egmore where you can visit the Chennai Government
Museum in particular its National Art Gallery (which
has one the best collections of Tanjore paintings and Raja Ravi Varma’s
oils) and not far from it, one of the most beautiful churches in India,
St Andrew’s Church.
Marina Beach: This beautiful beach considered by some
as the second largest beach in the world is best visited in the evening
when young and old gather for an evening stroll or a bite of the famous
thengai-mangai-pattani (mango flavoured peas with coconut) and chili bajji
(spicy fritters).
The beach, fronted by many cardboard cutouts of AIDMK party big wigs,
like J. Jayalalitha, the chief minister of Chennai, offers a peak into
the kitsch art characteristic to Tamil film industry besides some of the
most beautiful heritage properties in the city. Do check out the tomb
of the charismatic film star M.G. Ramachandran (affectionately called
MGR) towards the north of the beach.
Links to info:
A visitor to the city can either opt for cab services
offered by the hotel or hire a metered cab from the following private
car rental agencies:
Dial-a-car
Tel: 044 – 28111098
Metro Call Taxi
Tel: 044 – 28174848
Bharati Call Taxi
Tel: 044 – 28142233
Fast Track
Tel: 044 - 24732020
Fort Museum (North of Secretariat)
Fort St George,
Chennai - 600001
Entry ticket: Rs 5
Open: 9 am – 4.30 p.m.
(Friday and National Holidays closed)
Government Museum
406 Pantheon Road,
Egmore,
Chennai - 600 008
Entry ticket: Adults Rs 15; children Rs 10
Open: 9.30 am – 5 pm
(Friday and National Holidays closed)
St Andrew’s Church
Poonamallee High Road,
Egmore - 600003
Open 9 am – 6 pm, Sundays only
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Dance with me
To many people Chennai is synonymous with Kalakshetra
– the dance academy started in 1936 by legendary danseuse Rukmini
Devi Arundale - who brought the temple dance desi attam (Bharatantyam)
out of the confines of the Tamil temples to the world stage. To visit
Chennai without visiting Kalakshetra would be like visiting Paris without
seeing the Eiffel Tower. So, do take time to see the academy or watch
a dance performance here and visit the Rukmini Devi Arundale Museum,
which contains various amazing artifacts the dancer collected through
her life and if you like buy a sari based on Rukmini Devi’s eclectic
design.
Another dance school worth a visit, maybe even an enrolment, is actress
and Bharatanatyam dancer, Shobhna’s Kalaparna Dance Academy
set up in the late-1990s. Winner of two National Award for Best Actress
for her performance in the Malayalam film Manichitra Thazu (1994) and
Mitr – My Friend (2002), Shobhna’s talent as a Bharatantyam
dancer has earned her a number of accolades including the title of Natya
Mayuri conferred on her by the state government.
Links to info:
If you wish to watch a dance performance at Kalakshetra,
please check The Hindu newspaper, which carries regular listing of performances
held in the city.
Kalakshetra Foundation
Thiruvanmiyur,
Chennai – 600041
Tel: 044 - 24911836, 24914359
Rukmani Devi Museum
Kalakshetra,
Thiruvanmiyur,
Open: 10 am – 6 pm
(Sundays closed)
Entry free
Kalaparna Dance Academy
Contact via email: shobhanac@vsnl.com
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What's in your stars?
You may have had your palm read and may have got yourself an astrological
chart, but have you ever tried consulting a Nadi astrologer? The little
known variant of astrology, believed to trace back to the early years
of the first millennium, claims that the future of all individuals has
already been predicted by siddhas (peers) of yore and that all you have
to do is reach for the right palm manuscript to predict almost every stage
of your life. Some say that there are 108 such manuscripts others put
the number to 1008. All it requires of an individual is a thumb impression
(left impression for women, right for men) and voila, the future lies
before you.
Of late, Nadi astrology is seeing an unprecedented boom, winning followers
from across the world. And what has made it even more popular is that
one need not visit the astrologers in person. Just scan a thumb impression
and send in over the email.
However, if you are the kind of person who’s like to meet a Nadi
astrologer in person, chose any from the recommended Nadi astrologers
in the city or alternatively travel to the little known town of Vaideeswaran
Koil in Thanjavur district where the Velluvar community has been practicing
this science of astrology since 13th century AD when the manuscripts were
first discovered. Some of the original palms from this collection can
be viewed at the Thanjavur Sarswati Mahal Library and Oriental Manuscripts
Library in Chennai.
Links to info:
Nadi Astrologer
L.K. Vijaypandian,
Acharya Street,
Virugambakkam,
Chennai
Way to Vaideeswaran Koil (the hub of Nadi astrologers)
The best way to get here from Chennai is take a train to Thanjavur and
from there proceed to Kombakonam 38 km away. The village of Mayiladuthurai
(which is good place to find boarding and lodging in the area) is another
73 km from Kumbakonam. Vaideeswaran Koil is situated 15 km south of Mayiladuthurai.
Tanjore Maharaja Serfoji`s Sarswati Mahal Library
Thanjavur - 613009
Tamil Nadu
Tel: 04362-234107,230206
Oriental Manuscripts Library
Theosophical Society,
Adyar
Tel: 044 - 24912815
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Look, no breaks
There is no other state in India that can match Tamil
Nadu’s zest for motor racing and the facilities the state has to
offer. On any given Sunday, all roads leading to the Madras Motor
Sporting Club, Irungattukotai near Siriperambadur see a line
of hip sport cars and bikes making way to the racing circuit. The only
international racing track in India, Irangattukotai has held some Formula
car races and moves are afoot to get Formula 1 racing to the venue. Currently,
it offers option of 3.69 km full course with 18 turns and 2.10 km short
course with 9 turns. Those in know say, Tamil Nadu’s chief Minister,
J. Jayalalitha is more keen to get Formula 1 to India than racing icon
Narain Karthikeyan! On non-event days the track is accessible to the public
to participate in training sessions. Just make sure you have your car
registration papers and of course, a driver’s license.
If car racing is too fast for you, Chennai offers number of options to
have fun and sport in the city. From Bungee jumping,
bowling, wave pools and slides, horse racing at one of
the oldest horse race grounds in the country to parasailing and
scuba diving there is something for everyone in Chennai and its
surrounding areas. One of the more popular outfits engaged in these activities
is the Adventure Zone, run by Major S.R. Roy, former commando instructor
with the Indian Army. Combining environmental concerns with adventure
sports in the wild, Adventure Zone offers unique opportunity
to sail above skies, climb rocks, dive the sea and try your hand at shooting.
Links to info:
For more information on events held at the Irungattukotai
track check The Hindu newspaper or contact:
The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India
Krishna Towers, VI Floor,
Sardar Patel Road,
Chennai – 600 113
Tel: 044 – 2352673
For Bungee jumping:
VGP Universal Kingdom
Injambakkam
Tiruvanmiyur,
Chennai 600 041
Tel: 044 – 24491445/ 41/43
Parasailing, scuba diving, rock climbing etc:
Adventure Zone
22 Link Street
Indira Nagar,
Adyar
Chennai 442 45800
Tel: 044 - 24424580
For horse racing events check with The Hindu newspaper or contact:
Madras Race Club
41, Velachery Road,
Guindy,
Chennai - 600032
Tel: 044 - 22351171 / 72 / 73
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Not just idli, dosa
No other city in India can boast of the variety of South
Indian food that Chennai can. And while the city has a fair sprinkling
of international cuisine, it is its festival dishes and the hinterland
cuisine that reflects Tamil Nadu’s vibrant culinary history.
Gone are the days when an average tourist to Chennai would be invited
just to slurp on sambhars and rasams, papadoms, rice dishes, idli, dosa
or vadas. Though still largely popular and available at almost every crook
and corner of the city, through eating joints known as Tiffin rooms and
Sravana Bhavan chain of eateries the simple Tamil meals are giving way
to secret recipes of Tamil countryside.
The most sought after cuisine on the menu currently is Chettinad cuisine
from Tamil Nadu’s southern districts of Karaikuddi and Chettinad
after which the cuisine takes its name. The Chettinad repertoire of dishes
includes fish, fowl and meat specialties, delicate noodle like dishes,
sun-dried legumes and berries that are used for preparation of curries,
roasted and ground spices and an array of pickles that are unlike anything
else you might have tasted. Fortunately, Chennai today has a number of
restaurants serving Chettinad cuisine among which restaurants worth visiting
are Karaikudi at the Radhakrishna Salai Road and Banana
Leaf, near Vanandurai in Besant Nagar .
For those who’d like to taste the dishes like morkazhi, sundal,
puttu, ukkarai, milk poori, aval uppuma, kozhukkattai usually prepared
only at the time of festivals such as Pongal (the harvest festival) or
Deepavali, the one stop answer is the vastly popular Sakkara Pongal
Restaurant that serves the dishes round the year, morning to
evening.
Links to info:
Karaikudi,
84, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai,
Chennai
Tel: 044 - 28111893
Bananaa Leaf
39 M.G. Road,
Shastri Nagar
2nd Avenue.
Tel: 044 - 24900928
Sakkara Pongal
46, North Usman Road
Next to Kalaimagal Sabha
T. Nagar,
Tel: 044 - 28238811
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