Chennai culture
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Popularly called the "Gateway to the South", Chennai culture is distinctly different from that of any other city in India. Being a cosmopolitan city, the culture of the city reflects its diverse population which has resulted in a unique blend. Though a modern city, it continues to be traditional and conventional in certain ways. Traditional music, dance and all other art forms of Tamil Nadu are very popular in the city. One can find a unique blend of culture from traditional foods to fast foods, from ancient temple architecture to modern high-rises and from classical music and dance to the growing nightlife in the city.
Contents |
[edit] Music, Dance and Drama
The city is known for its classical music shows. Every December, Chennai holds a five week-long Music Season, which has been described as one of the world's largest cultural events.[citation needed] The Music Season encompasses performances (kutcheries) of traditional Carnatic music by hundreds of artists in and around the city. This happens during the Tamil season of Margazhi and this period is a festive and joyous time in chennai. The mercury lies in the low twenties and the music rendered by the great musicians is soul-stirring and sensational. Carnatic music makes the December season a must-experience for visitors to Chennai.
Chennai is also known for the classical Indian dance, the 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 has a vibrant theatre scene, with a large number of Tamil plays being performed. In general, Tamil theatre is divided into the sabha-oriented theatre which are parodies on political issues or trends supported by slapstick comedy and the non-sabha oriented theatre which include serious plays and historical plays. English theatre is also popular.
School and college cultural festivals (locally called culfests) play an important role by providing platforms for the city's youth to indulge in art and culture. These culfests attract participants from around India. Some of the larger culfests in the city are Saarang (IIT Madras),Techofes (College of Engineering, Guindy),Deep Woods (Madras Christian College) and Down Sterling (Loyola).
Also present is an established and growing culture of bands in western and other styles. Predominantly these are 'student bands', although professional bands exist. While the student bands are most visible in culfests and other competitions, pro-events like the JRO are dominated by established bands.
[edit] Kollywood
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.
[edit] Art
The city is an important centre of Tamil art, crafts and culture. There are a number of art centres that add to the artistic diversity of Chennai. The Krishnamurti Foundation India (KFI) is a religious, charitable and educational institution that preserves and publishes the teachings of the renowned thinker and philosopher - J Krishnamurti. The C. P. Ramaswamy Aiyar Foundation conducts research projects, courses, seminars and lectures on Indian culture and society. It also runs a reference library with a substantial collection of books on Indian culture and philosophy. The C. P. Art Centre (established in 1978) is the venue for exhibitions, workshops, festivals, seminars and lecture-demonstrations on art. The Foundation has also taken up heritage conservation through temple renovation and revival of folk and classical art forms. The Victoria Training Institute is involved in the promotion and revival of arts and crafts of Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country. It provides a platform to the unknown craftsmen and talented artisans to display their skills and market their finished products. The Cholamandal Artist Village is a unique centre of art and craft where artists and sculptors work in their own studios to supplement their income from the sale of paintings or sculptures. A permanent gallery attracts visitors throughout the year. Dakshinachitra preserves the typical village space of traditional Tamil Nadu, with exhibitions and workshops of the arts and crafts and performing artists of South India.
[edit] People
The majority of residents in Chennai are native Tamilians and descendants of settlers from different part of Tamil Nadu. There are also sizeable native Telegu and migrant Malayalee communities in the city. A regional hub since British times, other prominent communities are the Anglo Indian, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati and Marwari communities and people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Chennai also has a growing expatriate population especially from the United States, Europe and East Asia who work in the industries and IT centres.
Tamil is the city's first language. 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"). Other languages spoken in the city include Tamil Nadu Telugu, Malayalam, and Urdu and they contribute to the vocabulary of Madras bhashai as well.
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. Pongal has been designated the "State Festival" for its unique celebration that is typical of Tamil Nadu. Though a harvest festival it is still celebrated widely in the city. Tamil New Year's day signifying the beginning of the Tamil calendar usually falls on April 14 and is celebrated widely. Being a cosmopolitan city, almost all major religious festivals like Deepavali, Eid and Christmas are celebrated here.
