Chennai Links

While you are in Chennai!

Located on the Southeast coast of India, Chennai offers the best of tradition and modernity, culture and industry. The city, also known as the Detroit of India, is home to auto majors such as Ford, Hyundai, Renault Nissan, TVS etc. Other industries that flourish in the Chennai area are leather, IT, and banking to name a few.
Culturally, Chennai hosts a 5 week long Carnatic music festival every year in the months of December and January when the weather is pleasant. This event is a huge draw for music lovers the world over as well as the local audiences. Kollywood is another dynamic industry known for its professionalism. This film industry boasts of names such as Maniratnam, Kamalhaasan, Rajnikant and A.R Rehman. The two leading political figures in the state of Tamilnadu, Mr Karunaniddhi and Ms Jayalalithaa are from this industry.

Places to stay
1/ Taj Connemara- the Conference venue- This grand old lady is the oldest five star hotel and has offered special rates to the conference attendees. We recommend this option especially if two people were to share the room and split costs since this would give the advantage of staying at a five star at very reasonable rates
Superior Charm Category : Rs 6000 + taxes (Single Occupancy) / Rs 7000 + taxes (Double Occupancy)
Deluxe Delight Category : Rs 8000 + taxes (Single Occupancy) / Rs 9000 + taxes (Double Occupancy)
The above rates are on a per night basis and include complimentary breakfast at our coffee shop
For bookings contact Karthik.Balaganesan@tajhotels.com
2/ Vivanta by Taj (beach resort -) – We recommend that after the conference you unwind in this fabulous property on the beach. For tariffs contact the above Taj hotels email address.
3/ Pride hotel (Poonamallee High Road): Very comfortable and charming though you will need to organize transport to get to conference venue. For reservations contact: www.pridehotel.com/chennai
4/ Hotel Harrisons: Centrally located, great in house restaurants and boulangerie. Visit their website for reservations www.harrisonshotels.com
5/ Hotel Asoka: This is a budget vegetarian hotel, close to the conference venue. Chennai, Pantheon Road, Egmore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 044 2855 3377. For reservations visit their website- www.ballalgrouphotels.com
6/ Service Apartments in the area of the conference

Around 1800+ INR per day range

Blossoms (T.Nagar)
http://www.blossomsinchennai.com/tariff.php

Opp Park Sheraton (R.A.Puram)
http://www.chennaiserviceapartments.com/index.html

Mylapore
http://serviceapartmentsinchennai.com/

Around 3000+ INR range

Star City (T.Nagar)
http://www.starcityhotel.com/home.html

Places to visit in and around Chennai
Check out the website www.chennai.explocity.com for places of interest in and around Chennai.
We particularly recommend
1/ A visit to Dakshinachitra- an open air museum showcasing the cultural heritage of the four south Indian states on the East Coast Road en route to Mahabalipuram

2/ Mahabalipuram – The shore temple is a must see and the beaches are spectacular.
Tip: a safe way to enjoy the beaches would be to stay at one of the many resorts along the East Coast Road.

3/ A guided walking tour in some of the traditional areas of Chennai and a visit to a temple. For details check out www.storytrails.in

4/ Another different tour of the city is organized by the NGO- Speed trust where you can visit the city in an auto rickshaw driven by women! Flyers will be kept at the conference venue.

5/ ”Give time a break”! This is the official slogan of Pondicherry. A trip to Pondicherry to soak in the colonial charm of this sea side city where the pace of life is definitely more relaxing when compared to Chennai. For details, check out www.pondicherry.net.in