Located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, the city of Chennai (formerly Madras) is the capital of Tamil Nadu. Rated as the safest city in India, Chennai is the de facto and traditional gateway to the south of India. Chennai was named the 9th best cosmopolitan city in the world by Lonely Planet and was ranked the best city in India by India Today in its 2014 survey.
History:
The Archaeological Survey of India has unearthed evidence of prehistoric communities residing in Pallavaram, Chennai. The region around Chennai has served as an important administrative, cultural, military, and economic center for several centuries. From the 1st to 12th century the region of Chennai and parts of Tamil Nadu was ruled by the Cholas. In 1939 the English East India Company secured a region known as Madrasapatinam and built Fort St. George. Urban Chennai grew around this fort. After Independence, the city became the capital of the state of Madras which was later renamed Tamil Nadu.
People:
Tamil is spoken by a majority of the people and there are communities that speak Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Urdu. 61% of the migrant population are Tamils from other parts of the state and 33% are from the rest of India. Hinduism is the religion of the majority while Islam and Christianity are followed by a significant minority.
Culture:
Chennai is home to many museums, galleries, auditoriums and is a major center for music, art, and culture in India. The city has one of the oldest museums and art galleries in the country, the Government Museum, and the National Art Gallery. The Madras Music Season initiated by the Madras Music Academy in 1927 is celebrated during the month of December. The city is an important center for Bharatanatiyam, which is the oldest dance form in India.
Economy:
Industrialization in the city dates back to the 16th century and today Chennai has a broad industrial base in the automobile, hardware, technology, and healthcare sectors. The city is base to 40% of India’s automobile and 45% of India’s auto parts industry earning it the nickname ‘The Detroit of India.’ The city hosts prominent financial institutions like World Bank, Goldman Sachs, Standard Chartered Bank, etc. Electronics and telecom manufacturers like Samsung, Motorola, Dell, and Wipro also have their presence in Chennai. The city experienced remarkable growth after the financial crisis of 2007-08.
Mental Health:
- As the city has world-class health care facilities it attracts 45% of the health tourists from abroad and is known as India’s health capital.
- Chennai is yet to develop good mental health care facilities. In 2020 the Madras High Court pointed out that the government of India has spent only 20 paise per person per month to treat 15 crore people who need mental health care in the country.
- The bench also pointed out that India’s budget for mental health care was only 52.8 crore in 2018, which was reduced to 40 crores in 2019. But the actual amount spent was only 5 crore.
- According to a recent study, Tamil Nadu has the highest incidence of Depression among Indian states and has the third highest incidence of Anxiety disorder.
- Chennai with 2461 suicides in 2019 has the highest incidence of suicides among Indian cities.
- India also accounts for 36.6 percent of suicides globally, and that suicide has surpassed maternal mortality as the leading cause of death among women and teenage girls aged 15-19 years
- To battle the mental health crisis in the state initiated the District Mental Health Programme to reach all districts of the state with mental health care.
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