my town

Mytown

In our series, in which we travel to various Indian cities with a SpiceJet family member, this month, Cabin Crew Shafeequa Fathima takes us around Chennai

city connect

I was born and raised in Chennai and this is the city I call home.

What makes chennai special?

It is a perfect blend of the old and new. It is a city of culture, traditions, temples, and beaches. It boasts a booming economy, low living costs, and a thriving music and arts scene, being home to some of India’s oldest artistic schools. Chennai offers a large variety of cuisines as well, available at both fine-dining restaurants and street stalls. It is a city where people from different communities and faiths live harmoniously. Chennaiites are devoted to their heritage and most of them follow age-old rituals every day.

ShaFeequa FaThima

maa – CaBin CReW

Best thing that you like about the city

Every year, between December and January, the city hosts one of the world’s largest music festivals, the Madras Music Season. During this time, Chennai transforms into a mega carnival of Carnatic music, with venues hosting concerts and performances, with around 2,000 artists. It is also home to “Kollywood”, the Tamil language film industry.

nightlife

Being an IT hub, the city attracts youth from across the country, who revel in Chennai's unique cultural blend. There are a number of pubs and bars that play outstanding Rock and Metal music. The city is teeming with restaurants, pubs and bars that stay open till late evening. And as Chennai is a safe city, one can stay out till late without being scared.

Favourite eating place

Sunset Grill in Velachery. A candlelight dinner at this rooftop restaurant is one of the most romantic experiences in Chennai.

Favourite dish

My favourite dish is pothi kozhi biryani from Charminar Biryani Centre. In this dish, the meat is cooked with whole spices, and the masala has a base of onion with a lot of garlic and coriander powder. The rice is made in the style of 'ghee rice' and then layered with meat and given a dum (type of steaming).

Best places to hang out

Writer’s Café is the perfect place to spend time with friends, family and by yourself. Feast on the European dishes served here, sip a coffee and read a book! It's a great place to work as well.

Chess fever

Recently, Chennai hosted the 44th Chess Olympiad. The prestigious event cemented Chennai's reputation as india's chess capital. for the event, the iconic Napier Bridge was given a chess-themed makeover. it was painted in black and white to resemble a chess board. To mark the event, SpiceJet flew around 150 government school students from across Tamil nadu on a special joyride on a B 737 aircraft.

recommendations for tourists

There is a lot to see in Chennai but there are a few interesting places one shouldn't miss, like the Guindy National Park and Snake Park, and the VGP Marine Kingdom. If you have time, step out of the city and explore the Ubbalamadugu (Tada Falls) waterfalls, where trekking and camping are very popular.

Weekend trips

While Pondicherry is the most obvious choice, the former French colony is far from the only weekend destination close to Chennai. A scenic coastal road hugging Chennai called the East Coast Road (on which Pondicherry also lies) can take you to several nearby tourist destinations, including the ancient temple town Mahabalipuram (50 km) and former Dutch and Danish colonial forts in Sadras (72 km) and Tranquebar (300 km).