Why Chennai is not fond of non-Tamilian single women

North Indian foods I think are too much well known and well eaten across the nation , so is South Indian cuisine. To an average Indian trying Indian food is not adventurous. Yes, if it was Thai or Chinese or any alien cuisine with alien ingredients that could deter most from touching. Rajma or Chhole is simply boiled pulses with spicy gravy nothing kind of snake or toad or insect.

Thanks everyone, for that comforting welcome!

It certainly helps to read so many responses here

I am living in a working women's hostel, but it's not working out. I have been responding to newspaper and online ads for apartments and PGs since 2 months, but no luck. So if anyone has any tips on finding a decent flat and hopefully another flatmate to share it with (family & friends are not too keen on me living alone here), that'd be real helpful.

I speak a bit of Tamil. I pick up some everyday, so it's not a question of being hung up on Bombay or ways of living there. I don't speak a single word of Hindi here! Once absentmindedly, I told the auto driver "bas" ("stop", in Hindi) and he starts looking at the bus in front of us So yeah, I learnt my lesson. It is easy to get around in broken English (with proper Indian accent!), broken Tamil, and lots of wild hand gesturing and sign language

Transport is a problem here. Many people ask me why don't I travel by buses here. I am a Bombay girl, who has only traveled in trains and buses, but I had my first bad incident here in a bus, so I haven't traveled since...

I'm just glad that I'm not the only one who has challenges of living in this city, or any new city for that matter. Each person goes through a growing and learning phase in a new environment. I guess it'll be fine in a couple of months

So what do people do here on weekends? I work Saturdays, so I only have Sundays as a "weekend". I have finished visiting almost all coffee and breakfast places on Sunday mornings with my stack of books. I've spent hours alone at these places, soaking in this city's extreme lifestyle.

Chennai is a progressing city, and I guess it's nice to be a part of something that's changing!

life time member of chennai here.

I have however spent a year in mumbai and know the shock of moving to chennai. Even for a couple of years after returning i still felt more comfortable in mumbai than chennai.

even after spending the better part of 3 decades i loose my way at times...

Try to make the IM Chennai meetups part of your sunday afternoon (on the weekends they occur). the biggest plus is no tamil conversation

Look around the chennai forum and you will find references to events around the city. the events may not occur but you can look up the locations online to see what is running there currently.

As ive said before (it'd be good to be able to say hopefuly not for much longer, but alas) chennai has everything to offer that every other city in india does. It just doesnt seem to have enough choice as compared to other cities.

Only a sunday to explore will definitely be a damper on finding those few choices.

do you have preferred locations reg. the PG/Hostel. I know of some one that takes in PGs though i dont know if she has space available. Its located in anna nagar. do post if this location works for you. I can only pass on the contact, no guarantees whether she has space available or it will be within your budget.

Cant PM you yet but you can create a disposable email address and email me on my login id on this site at gmail for the contact if you want to explore that option.

You could try to visit a health food store called reStore in Adyar and post a notice there. Their location is:

Kasturba Nagar 3rd Cross St, Kasthuri Bai Nagar, Adyar

Their contact number is:9884409566.

Various kinds of people of all ages patronize this store. You may just bump into someone who has something for you or could tell you about a landlord who has something suitable for you.

Restore sells organic veggies and groceries and also toiletries. They also have lectures and film shows etc. on healthy food, the environment etc. Since you are a foodie I am sure you will bump into someone your age whom you could strike up a new friendship with. Best. Tulsi

I dream. I dream I'm floating on the surface of my own life. Watching it unfold. Observing it. I'm the outsider looking in ~ Dexter

I like your signature. After coming to Chennai I have seen:
The Sopranos
Six feet under
The Oz
Prison Break
Sons of Anarchy
Breaking Bad
The Wire
Deadwood and what not....

Currently, watching Justified and Mad Men.

Reading the quote, it seems Dexter is next on my list..

Instead of watching Dexter be Dexter.

Dexter is kickass. I'm a huge TV buff, with all seasons of all shows on my beloved hard drive, which crashed in my second week in Chennai. So it has just added to my Chennai woes.

Some more from Dexter:
"They make it look so easy. Connecting with another human being. It's like no one told them it's the hardest thing in the world"

"There are no secrets in life, just hidden truths that lie beneath the surface"

"Everyone hides who they are at least some of their time. Sometimes you bury that part of yourself so deeply that you have to be reminded it's there at all. And sometimes you just want to forget who you are all together"

your response is too good Giri - We will go to Germany, learn German, but we will not do the same thing when we are in India.

Why with such great difficulties people stay here? Let them go to the places where they are happy! Its like guests coming to our house and complaining about us. This is not with respect to Chennai applies to all places.

If I go to North India and say people are not talking tamil, whom should I say fool? India has many languages and you cannot expect all Indians to speak to one common language untill its a national language.

Willingess to learn hindi is not in the hands of common people. This city is developed like this by previous generations, adjust to live and you will live happily any where!

There is a difference which makes the analogy imperfect. Europe does not have any language which is widely accepted as being a "link" language between the countries, not even informally. India does, albeit informal.

(For any newcomer to the conversation, Hindi and English are the "offical" languages of India's central govt; they have no greater status than any other language when it comes to the street, but many expect Hindi to be accepted as a "link" language. The last person that I heard supporting this case smartly reminded me that Hindi is not her mother tongue either )

In a recent newspaper report, I read of Tamil-Nadu school children being enthusiastic to learn Hindi. From someone else, I learn of children that want to, but are not able to, die to previous-govt machinations with text books and curricula

I love Dexter. Especially, his constant struggles against the evil Mandark.

Source: http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews...92-cid-29.html

I never said we are not interested to learn Hindi, I too have passed upto rashtrabhasha exam. My only concern is don't crib if you dont like Chennai, move where you like..I don't want people to say that why people are like this , like that etc!

I am not here for any debate, its my thoughts and the above is your thoughts, both let it be..whoever, however they want to take it..let them decide.

You're welcome to your thoughts, but you seem to have jumped into this conversation only today. Perhaps you might read the whole thread before trying to tell us what we should or shouldn't talk about and why. In fact, preferably don't, anyway!

gannuboy why that link ? that link will take this thread to numerous addition of posts, well just came from calicut all were speaking malayalam only, but when i talked in hindi / tamil / english they replied in english / hindi / tamil. And there also from my stay duration i found that people understand and reply in hindi so felt good in that small city, anyway that is not related
as nick told hindi is the link language for which there is no official record / notification, but it makes things easier when you come out of your state. Only notification is for central government departments where non following hindi language attracts action by hindi commission.They have to make everything bilingual right from notice boards, to circulars, to forms. but this makes things for people easier when they visit central govt offices, no matter from where they belong they have a link language, even today while driving in chennai i get confused looking at some signs in guindy which probably means restricting heavy vehicles from entering during day time, its fully in tamil only, atleast they could have a translation in english.

but thread went from somewhere to somewhere seems have to open new thread.

I am myself new here, but I just wanted to tell you foodie25 that this could be a cultural thing. I was in Chennai last weekend. Though I am a native speaker of Tamil etc., I had a bad experience at Elliot's Beach. There was this woman selling roses. I wanted to buy some (since it was Father's Day) for someone. I was several inches away from the flowers, I didn't even touch them, when she started yelling and ranting ("to keep my nose away from the flowers!!") !! I don't know if she can get any customers that way! Anyway she lost business from me. My friend who lives in Chennai told me "it was a cultural thing" haha...
But I think with time, you will definitely feel better there. There are several things about Chennai that I like. I think it is a great city! But I don't know much about this city since when I go there I am there at the most for 1-3 days... So even I am still an 'outsider' there, I guess...

Similar experience i had in tambaram market which me. I asked one roadside vendor for the cost of apples, and her reply was people who buy apples, dont ask the cost, another culture shock.,.. or the rudeness of shopkeeper,