India States - Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is a state at the southern tip of India. The bordering states/territories are Pondicherry, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The island nation of Sri Lanka, which has a significant Tamil minority, lies off the southeast coast. Tamil Nadu is the second most industrialized state in India. Unlike most other parts of the country, Tamil Nadu gets its rainfall largely from the "North-East monsoon" in the months of October-December. There is a long standing dispute with Karnataka over the matter of water from the Kaveri River. The river flows south from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, and both regions draw on water from the river, prompting concerns over whether the upper riparian Karnataka has released its fair share of river water to the lower riparian Tamil Nadu. Chennai, which was known until 1996 as Madras, is the fourth largest city of India and the state capital. Also known as the auto capital of India, Chennai is the home of Marina Beach, the second longest beach in the world. Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Salem and Tirunelveli are other large cities of Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Civilization is one of the oldest in the World. Unique cultural features, like Tanjore paintings, Bharatanatyam and Tamil architecture, give Tamil Nadu a heritage to be proud of. Tamil Chola kings conquered lands as far North as the Himalayas, and as far East as Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia. The world's oldest dam was built across the Kaveri river in Tamil Nadu by King Karikala Chola. Today, the rapidly increasing IT boom in Tamil Nadu cities like Chennai and Coimbatore makes Tamil Nadu the economic hotspot of India. Today, the Tamil Indians preserve their Tamil culture, while being proud Indians and active global citizens. Tamil Nadu is known for its rich tradition of literature, music and dance which continue to flourish today. It is one of the most progressive and industrialized states in India. Tamil is the official language of Tamil Nadu (as well as one of the official languages of India).

Chennai is the second leading Software exporter in India, after Bangalore. India's largest IT park is housed at Chennai. Software exports from Tamil Nadu rose from Rs.7,600 Crore ($1,600 million) in 2003-04 to Rs.11,000 Crore ($2.4 Billion USD) in 2004-05. Chennai is a hub for e-publishing, as there are 47 e-publishing units registered with the STPI in Chennai and 25 in Bangalore. Companies such as Wipro,TCS, Satyam, Infosys, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Covansys, Ford Information Technology, Xansa, Verizon, iSoft, iNautix, Electronic Data Systems,Bally and many others have offices in Chennai. Infosys Technologies has set up India's largest software development centre to house 25,000 software professionals at an estimated investment of Rs 1,250 Crore ($270 million USD) in Chennai. India's largest IT park is housed at Chennai, jointly made by Ascendas India Ltd, a Singapore-based company engaged in providing business space solutions, and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO). Businees Process Outsourcing Services - Chennai is now emerging as the most preferred destination for high-end BPOs in financial services, healthcare and other back-office services for multinational companies. Companies like Congruent Solutions (back-end services for California-based retirement funds), Secova eServices (HR service provider for US clients), Lason India (data processing for healthcare and financial services clients in the US) and OfficeTiger (outsourcing of creative works) have set up centres here to take advantage of Chennai's "quality talent pool and infrastructure". Stanchart, eServe (Citibank),ABN AMRO and World Bank have also chosen the city for their back-office functions. In the recent surveys, Chennai has been rated a the most attractive city for Offshoring Services.

Tamil Nadu is also home to the large Tamil film industry, producing a huge number of Tamil films each year. Chennai has often been referred to as Kollywood, a conflation of Hollywood and Kodambakkam (the section of Chennai that houses the cinema related facilities). Pongal, a four-day harvest festival, is the most celebrated festival of Tamil Nadu. It is then followed in importance by ThaiPucam, Tamil New Year which generally falls on the April 14 or 15 of the English calendar and DheepaVali(Diwali). The first month in the tamil calendar is Chittirai. Apart from these, other national festivals like Saraswathi Poojai(Dasara) and Vinayaka Chathurthi are also celebrated. Tamilians are avid readers, and there is a vibrant magazine publishing industry. Tamil literature is amongst the oldest in India and some of it is now accessible on the World-Wide Web! Here is a forum where you can meet people from many cities in Tamil Nadu. It also is a way to visit your home town and catch up with old friends. Much of the ancient culture of Tamil Nadu is still alive. We have Carnatic music, an Indian classical tradition. Bharatha Natyam is its twin dance form, always accompanied by this music. The rich tradition of folk music continues to inspire the more popular film music. Popular culture in Tamil Nadu is an altogether different pot of sambar. The creative force of the people has led to one of the largest film industries in the world, producing movies and film songs for several decades. Three major religions co-exist in modern Tamil Nadu. The grandeur of the Hindu temple architecture in Tamil Nadu should be seen to be believed. Food in Tamil Nadu does go beyond the famous idli, sambar, and dosai. You can find more information on numerous topics pertaining to Tamil Nadu here.