India is a fantastic country, and visiting here can be bewildering, exhilarating, and mystifying all at once. There are a hundred contradictions in every city, and even on every block, and it’s delightful to try to figure them all out, and equally pleasurable to let them all work themselves out for themselves. Chennai, one of the largest cities here, is also one of the most fascinating places, offering plenty of attractions for visitors of all ages, and with a sensibility that is all its own. With a tropical climate and a thriving industrial economy, it has a vibrant present that is as interesting as its amazing history. It’s worth getting to know all the sides of Chennai, although it’s impossible to do in one, or even several, trips. Night life is exciting, offering plenty of clubs and bars, and some amazing opportunities to see local live performance. Music and theatre have strong roots and traditions here, and offer a splendid look into the inner life of the citizens.
For guests looking for fantastic accommodations, there are plenty of luxury hotels. Chennai specializes in old-world hospitality, offering a sumptuous stay in a spectacular setting, so that you can doze off and wake up in the finest surroundings. Being refreshed is a great way to begin your days here, as there is so much to see and do, and you’ll want to experience everything. There is an enormous variety of performing arts here, with music, dance, theatre, and visual art, but you might notice that it tends toward the traditional, utilizing Indian and European standards that have been around for a hundred years or more. Ranvir Shah and Anita Ratnam, with their backgrounds in theatre and dance, along with a bit of wisdom on arts administration, felt this keenly, and began the Other Festival.
This ran from 1998-2006, and presented dozens of new works of dance, theatre, music, and visual art, with an emphasis on experimentation in all these forms. In 2007, Shah branched off to start another version of the Other Festival, called the New Festival, and this is its current incarnation, where you can see some of the coolest stuff Chennai has to offer. It speaks volumes that the festival has been running successfully for so many years, proving that the art and the audiences are here, growing and thriving.
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