Madras was considered to be very moderate and conservative but that is really changing nowadays. The official language in the city is Tamil - one of the oldest languages in the world. Madras is relatively safe compared to other parts of India. it is also called the Detroit of India due to the number of car manufacturers in and in the vicinity of the city. If you are visiting Madras for the first time, you could check with the Tamil Nadu Tourism department for more information. If you do not know Tamil, it is advisable to speak English rather than Hindi, as there is a huge English-speaking population in Madras. All boards and public-utility signs of significance in Madras are in English.

Madras was of the first outposts of British East India Company. The city was founded in 1639 when the company chose Madraspattinam, a small fishing village, as its settlement. Fort Saint-George, built by the English, is today the legislative and administrative seat official of the state. George Town developed then becoming the modern city of Madras, absorbing several close boroughs.

Thomas, one of the twelve apostles is reputed to be associated with Madras. He apparently came to India as an evangelist and died in Madras. Names of two suburbs of Madras, Santhome and St. Thomas Mount, are named in his memory.

Colonel William Lambton, Superintendent of the great Trignometrical Survey of India started his journey of triangulating (dividing a land into several triangles to determine the precise longitudinal position of cities and towns) India from St. Thomas Mount, the Grand Stand of the Race Course relative to a point at sea level in the Marina Beach. This process was carried forward by his successor Lieutenant George Eve-rest upto the North and ended up in Andrew Scott Waugh and his team precisely measuring the height of the lofty himalayan peaks and establishing indisputably the highest mountain in the world, MOUNT EVE-REST (named in the honour of the Lieutenant George Eve-rest)

In 1995, Madras was renamed to the ancient name Chennai, but the former name is still widely used to date.

Madras has an international airport. All international flights arrive at the Anna Terminal while the domestic flights arrive at the Kamraj terminal. Madras is serviced by 14 International airlines and three Indian carriers (Air India, Indian Airlines and Jet Airways). Most large European airlines such as Lufthansa and British Airways and many Asian airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Malyasian and Thai Airways serve Madras. Delta Airlines will be initiating daily service to New York starting May, 2005.

Madras is well connected to Bangkok, Fujirah, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Muscat, Ras-al-Kaimah, Sharjah and Singapore by Indian Airlines. For flight timings visit the Indian Airlines (http://indian-airlines.nic.in) website or Click here For Free Air Ticket Enquiry and Booking.

Oman and Gulf Air have daily flights from Muscat and Bahrain. Srilankan Airways connects Madras to Colombo with multiple daily flights. Singapore airlines flies daily between Madras and Singapore.

Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Air Sahara and Air Deccan connect Madras with Daily flights to most other Indian cities.

Important Telephone Numbers:-

	Indian Airlines General Enquiry 140
	Indian Airlines Arrivals and Departures (Recorded) 142
	Indian Airlines Reservations 141/22561971
	Jet Airways 28414141
	Air Sahara 52110202/24980688
	Air Deccan 9840377008

Use the pre-paid taxi to get to the city. The fares are different from the domestic and international terminals though both the terminals are next to each other. You can either choose the Government Taxis (Black with Yellow tops) or the private cabs (more comfortable and more expensive). It's better to keep small change in hand as the counter staff very often don't seem to have change! Note the taxi number written on your charge slip (one copy is for the passenger and the other is for the driver to collect the fare from the counter). Once out of the terminal you'll have a tough time warding off all the touts and taxi drivers soliciting passengers. Make your way through this crowd and across the drive to the taxi stand. Now its up to you to locate your taxi!. You can ask the other drivers (clothed in khaki shirts and trousers) to help you locate the vehicle which usually is parked out of view right at the back of the line of cars. Drivers will voluntarily offer to tow your luggage cart or help you put them in the dickey (trunk) but do it yourself to avoid missing luggage.

The closest hotels to the airport are The Trident, Le Royal Meridian and Raddison GRT Hotel all five star properties.

Madras is also reachable by train from other Indian cities. The central station is the hub for all trains reaching Madras. There is another station called the Egmore station that is used for trains going to other parts of Tamil Nadu. There are daily trains from/to Bangalore, Bombay, Delhi and most other Indian cities. For train timings and on-line reservations (within India) visit the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation's (http://www.irctc.co.in) website. For Railway enquiries call 131 or 132.

If you happen to arrive at the Central Station like at most Indian railway stations you'll have to handover your journey tickets to the Ticket Collector' waiting at the exit. You'll have a tough time warding off all the touts and taxi drivers soliciting passengers the moment your are out of the concourse. Make your way through this crowd and reach the 'pre-paid' autorickshaw / Taxi stand.

There are several buses that ply in and out of Madras from nearby cities like Bangalore. Coaches can be both air conditioned (A/C) and non-A/C. During the weekends these buses run full and getting a ticket can be a bit of a problem unless you book them in advance. KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, Sharma Transports, KPN, Parveen all ply buses daily from Bangalore. All state owned buses terminate at the Koyembedu Moffusil Bus Terminus while the private buses terminate at the Omni bus terminus at koyembedu. Both these terminus are close to each other but its better to know where exactly you want the taxi/autorickshaw to take you especially if you are travelling with luggage. Buses usually drop passengers at various points in the city before reaching the terminus. So feel free to ask the driver or fellow passengers the closest drop-off point to your destination.

You can reach Madras by road from other Indian cities but as usual, be warned about driving in India.