Chennai Dating - Single Men and Women in Chennai Looking for a Date

Chennai is the largest metropolitan city in southern India and the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu. Formerly known as Madras, the city is home to a thriving economy as well as cultural scene, both of which contribute to the high quality of life, including socializing opportunities, its citizens enjoy.

Chennai is the fifth most populous city in India with around 4.34 million people calling it home according to the 2001 Census of India. Both the sex ratio and literacy rate are higher than the national average – the former being 951 females for every 1000 males and the latter being 80.14%. Tamils form the majority community in Chennai and till the early 1990s, skilled migrant professionals were not found in Chennai in significant numbers. However after the IT and ITES boom, the popularity of private professional institutions as well as the arrival of multinational companies, the migrant population in Chennai has increased. As of 2001, migrants made up 21.57% of the city’s population and 74.5% of the migrants were from other parts of the state, 23.8% were from rest of India and 1.7% were from outside the country. The increasing impact of other cultures and ways of life has significantly influenced dating and socializing trends in Chennai.

Chennai has always been the cultural capital of southern India. In the classical arts especially, Chennai has a lot to offer to its youth looking for recreational opportunities where they can socialize as well. The city is home to the best performers and teachers of Carnatic music as well as Indian classical dance forms like Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniattam. Every December, Chennai plays host to a five-week long Music Season featuring performances of traditional Carnatic music and Bharatnatyam by hundreds of artists from all over the country. Yet another arts festival called the Chennai Sangamam, showcasing the various arts of Tamil Nadu is held in January every year. Young people looking for a more non-classical experience of music have the Christmas season to relish in Chennai when churches, cathedrals and community centers come alive with the music of choirs and carols, both in English and Tamil. A vastly more popular tradition of music is associated with the Tamil film industry from where composers like A.R.Rahman have emerged to international acclaim.

Being a culture-lover’s delight Chennai is replete with museums, cathedrals, temples, forts and other historic landmarks. Visits to places like the Free Mason's Hall, Madras War Cemetery, Valluvar Kottam, Ripon Building, Theosophical Society, Doveton House, Pancha Mandapams, Senate House, Kamaraj Memorial House, Bharathiyar Illam, Anna Square, Vivekananda Illam, Fort St.George and MGR Film City can make for enjoyable outings among Chennai’s singles. Among the art galleries, two of the best known is the Lalit Kala Akademi at Greams Road and the Cholamandal Art Village where visitors can see artists and sculptors working live in their studios. Theater lovers in the city too have a lot to look forward too, especially in each other’s company. Evam, Theatre Y, ASAP, Still Water, Boardwalkers, Masquerade, Rebelz, Stagefright and Madras Players are some of the most popular theater companies in Chennai which put forth performance in English and regional languages. Every year around the months of July and August in fact, Chennai hosts the Metroplus Theatre festival, in conjunction with a leading newspaper of the city, The Hindu.

Chennai was largely proof to influence of a western way of living till the 1990s. However the wave of globalization and the arrival of young people from many other parts of the country to study and work here brought about a perceptible change in the cultural and social landscape of the city. Chennai now has swanky shopping malls, multiplex theaters and fast food joints like any other hip-n-happening city in India. Some of the most popular among these are the Spenser Plaza, City Centre, Gold Mall, Alsa Mall, Fountain Plaza, Abirami Plaza and the Century Plaza. The food courts, movie theaters, coffee shops and hang-outs at these places comprise of the most popular dating venues among Chennai’s young singles. The city is yet to embrace an open pub culture like Bangalore or Pune and therefore the shopping malls offer the most accessible dating opportunities to the city’s students or singles with limited resources.

In recent years however, pubs and nightclubs have made an entry to Chennai’s recreational scene. And even though they are mostly frequented by the professionals and young members of the upper class, their increasing popularity is a sign that the nightclub culture is here to stay. Among the most-frequented nightspots in Chennai are Hell Freezes Over, Pasha, EC41, Flame Le Club, Geoffrey’s, Deep Purple, Zara and many others which form part of five- and seven-star hotels.

Even before the IT and ITES sectors opened up Chennai’s economy and culture, its education and healthcare sectors attracted people from all over the country. Medical, technology and engineering colleges have long attracted students other Indian states with the result that Chennai has a large young population. The cultural fests at these institutes are another popular way for young singles to meet each other. Commonly known as ‘cul-fests’, some of the most eagerly anticipated events among these are Instincts at SSN College of Engineering, Saarang at IITM, Techofes at  the College of Engineering, Guindy, Deep Woods at MCC, Mitafest at MIT and Down Sterling hosted at Loyola.

Chennai though having woken up relatively late to the phenomenon of dating is fast catching up with other Indian cities and now offers ample socializing opportunities for its singles.