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Chennai
The advantages of India without the hassle

By

Published: Tuesday 03 June 2008

What's so special about Chennai?
Best summed up as all of the talent and cost advantage of India without the hassle of Mumbai or Delhi, Chennai is the state capital of Tamil Nadu and the fourth largest city in India.

Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is India's second biggest exporter of IT services after Bangalore but offers a pleasant seafront location on the Bay of Bengal and a better physical infrastructure than its more famous rival.

What's more, Chennai boasts excellent transport links with an international and domestic airport, meaning the far more crowded Bangalore is just a 45-minute trip by air.

More than 1,400 tech companies have located in the IT parks set up by the Tamil Nadu state government, with around 145,000 IT professionals employed in the region. There is also a steady supply of relatively cheap skilled labour with more than 60,000 graduates in Tamil Nadu alone.

Key tech companies All the big Indian IT companies are here - HCL, Infosys, TCS, Wipro along with the likes of Xansa, now part of Steria, and the captive operations of several Western companies including insurance giant Aviva.

Key institutions The state of Tamil Nadu has 21 universities, 255 engineering colleges and 444 arts and science colleges - the most notable centres for engineering education in Chennai are the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Anna University.

Local salaries Anywhere between $5,500 and $7,500 per year for an entry-level software engineer.

Famous faces In the business world M A Alagappan is executive chairman of Murugappa Group, one of the oldest and best known business conglomerates in the city. One of the most famous tech leaders in Chennai is Arun Jain, who heads up Polaris Software. Famous crooner Engelbert Humperdinck was also born in Chennai, as was The Beatles’ original drummer Pete Best.

Population 7.5 million.

iPod cost $183 Source: CommSec, Apple.

Time zone GMT +5 hours 30 minutes.

Voltage and plugs 230V.

How to get there Air France, British Airways and Lufthansa all fly direct non-stop to Chennai International Airport, with connecting services at the major European hubs to the US. It's also a relatively hassle-free internal flight from the domestic airport to India's other major tech hotspots, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Watch out for This is India, so away from the gleaming high-tech campuses and air-conditioned five-star hotels be prepared for a culture shock on seeing the real country and get used to white-knuckle rides as your taxi weaves through the chaotic Indian traffic.

Places to stay, eat or drink Great seafood at the BayView Point restaurant and choose from a variety of lively bars in the evening, including the Bike and Barrel English-style pub in the Taj Residency Tower hotel or for dancing head to the popular nightclub Pasha.

What you might not know? The city, previously known as Madras, reverted back to its original name of Chennai in 1996. Chennai is also home to Kollywood - the second largest film industry in India.