Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu is a civilized, elegant and cultured city. Here the traditional arts grow and flourish. You can find a school of dance and music in almost every neighborhood of the city. The Tamil culture of warm hospitality is known the world over. Even the humblest householder will welcome you with some simple eatables and drinks. Generally, early rising and incorporation of religious rites into their day-to-day living is part of life. The doorsteps are decorated with kolam - patterns made from rice power or white stone powder for decorative as well as religious purposes. On Friday evenings, you will find many people visiting temples. It is customary to celebrate the various religious festivals with pomp and show. The cost of living being amongst the lowest in the country, one can fulfill one's needs easily. Chennai has an unhurried pace and laid back ambience so that if you lose your way, you can be sure someone will be kind enough to take you to the place where you want to go or give you detailed instructions. Neighborhood friendships thrive with mutual give and take. People show such a lively curiosity about each other that it is impossible for one to live on one's own, isolated, as it were. Chennai is a veritable mélange of cultures. The Sindhis, Gujaratis, Malayalees, Muslims, and Kannadigas, live peacefully with the Tamils in this cornucopia of religious and cultural diversity. The distinct characteristics and particular set of beliefs, ideals, and values and principles shape the culture of the city. There is intermingling of ideas and cultures that create the cosmopolitan character of Chennai.
The land of temples and priests, kaapi and Chennai Checks reflects its traditionalism every December when the music season is in full swing. Cultural trusts like The Bharat Kalachar strive to keep the richness of the city's heritage alive. At the Y.G.P. Auditorium every year, renowned dancers like Alarmel Valli give Bharatanatyam recitals to appreciative rasikas. The other festival in the month of December brings together talented dancers from different backgrounds through the universal language of dance and music. However there is another side to this city. People dance away into the wee hours of the morning to Western trance music in Chennai's numerous discotheques and pubs bringing globalization to the city. It has attained the distinction of being one of the prime cultural centers in India.
However, you will see a more complete and wholesome picture of this culturally rich city. If you wish to spend an evening out, choose between theatre, both Tamil and English, dance recitals or musical concerts. A visit to the Music Academy will prove beyond any doubt that a large portion of the population still flocks to the theatres and sabhas for wholesome, live entertainment. As far as theatre is concerned, it remains more popular than dance or music. In Chennai, theatre is divided into the sabha-oriented theatre and the non-sabha oriented theatre. The sabha-oriented theatre is more popular of the two. It is a parody on the latest political issue or trend supported by slapstick comedy and ribald jokes. However, it has mass appeal. The non-sabha oriented theatre consists of historical plays and plays based on in-depth analysis of the various aspects of life. English theatre in Chennai is also coming of age with plays being staged by various consulates, and hotels like the Trident and the Park Sheraton, encouraging Dinner Theatre. The daily newspapers 'The Hindu' also sponsors plays in Chennai. In fact, English theatre has become so popular that it attracts crowds on the strength of the name of the director alone. Another form of theatre that has been evoking a good response in Chennai is the 'Daily Theatre'. The dance ballets are also very popular nowadays. Of late, Chennai has witnessed many musicals being staged.
Chennai celebrates a number of festivals also. The festivals are mainly based on the agricultural activities and according to the position of the stars and planets. Pongal, celebrated in the month of January, is the most important festival of Chennai. Being a cosmopolitan city, almost all the religious festivals are celebrated here. Pongal is a highly revered festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu to mark the harvesting of crops by farmers. It is the time when the people get ready to thank God, earth and their cattle for the wonderful harvest and celebrate the occasion with joyous festivities and rituals. Pongal continues through the first four days of the Thai month that starts in the mid-January and spreads to mid-February. The houses are cleaned, painted and decorated. Kolams (decorative patterns made out of rice flour) are made in the front yards of the houses and new clothes for the whole family are bought to mark the festivities. Even the cattle are gaily caparisoned with beads, bells and flowers-their horns painted and capped with gleaming metals. Pongal has been designated the "State Festival" for its unique celebration that is typical of Tamil Nadu. It is a festival that encompasses all of Tamil Nadu in its joyous embrace. It is a time when the poor, the rich, the urban dweller and the villager, all celebrate the harvest festival together.