Chennai Culture
Chennai also has the pride of being the Musical and Cultural Capital of India, with the city being reputed for its classical dance shows and Hindu temples. During every December, Chennai hosts a Music Season celebration stretching over five weeks since the opening of the Madras Music Academy in 1927, featuring performances (kutcheries) of traditional Carnatic music by a number of artists hailing from various parts of the state. In addition, yet another famous annual event called Chennai Sangamam that showcases various arts of Tamil Nadu is hosted by the city in January every year. Chennai has a renowned global fame for Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form that had its origins in Tamil Nadu.
Named after Kodambakkam, Kollywood is the term that refers to the large Tamil movie industry based in Chennai. Chennai’s film industry rose to international fame with A. R. Rahman bagging two Oscar awards in 2009 for the movie Slumdog Millionaire.
Pongal is the most popular among Chennai’s festivals, which is celebrated over five days in the middle of January. Some of the other notable religious events celebrated in the city include Deepavali, Eid and Christmas. Tamil cuisine in Chennai feature a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Most of the restaurants across Chennai offer light meals or tiffin, usually including rice-based dishes like pongal, dosa, idli and vadai.
Chennai Language and Religion
Tamil speaking people constitute the majority of Chennai’s population, with Tamil being the primary language spoken across the city. Usage of English is widely seen in business, education and most key professions. Also, a considerable Telugu and Malayalee communities reside in the city. Hindus make about 82.27% of the Chennai’s population, while Muslims (8.37%), Christians (7.63%) and Jains (1.05%) are seen as the other major religious groups living in the city.
