Native name	Chennai (சென்னை)
Other name	Madras (மெட்ராஸ்)
Former name	Madras, Madrasapatnam
Type	Metropolitan city
Type 2	Capital
Locator position	left
Skyline	Chennai Montage.png
Skyline caption	Clock-wise from top: Chennai Central, Marina Beach, Kapaleeswarar Temple, Santhome Basilica, Bharatanatyam recital
State name	Tamil Nadu
District	• Chennai • Kanchipuram • Tiruvallur
Leader title 1	Mayor
Leader name 1	M. Subramaniam
Leader title 2	Corporation Commissioner
Leader name 2	D. Karthikeyan
Altitude	6
Population total	4,681,087
Population total cite
Population as of	2011
Population rank	5th
Population metro	7,413,779
Population metro cite
Population metro as of	2010
Population metro rank	4th
Population density	26,903
Area total	174
Area total cite
Area magnitude	8
Area metro	1189
Area telephone	044
Postal code	600 xxx
Vehicle code range	TN 01 to 10, 18, 20,& 22
Unlocode	IN MAA
Website	chennaicorporation.gov.in
Footnotes	}}

Chennai (; ), formerly known as Madras (; ) or Madarasapatinam (மதராசப்பட்டினம்), is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the fifth most populous city in India, and also the world's 36th largest metropolitan area. Chennai had a population of 4.34 million in the 2001 census within the area administered by the Corporation of Chennai and an extended metropolitan population of 6.5 million. The urban agglomeration of metropolitan Chennai has an estimated population over 8.2 million people. According to an A.C. Nielsen survey, Chennai is regarded as the second cleanest city in India.

Chennai's economy has a broad industrial base in the automobile, computer, technology, hardware manufacturing and healthcare industries. The city is India's second largest exporter of software, information technology (IT) and information-technology-enabled services (ITES). A major chunk of India's automobile manufacturing industry is based in and around the city. Chennai Zone contributes 39 per cent of the State's GDP. Chennai accounts for 60 per cent of the country's automotive exports, which leads it to be called as 'The Detroit of Asia'.

Chennai is an important centre for Carnatic music and hosts a large cultural event, the annual Madras Music Season, which includes performances by hundreds of artists. The city has a vibrant theatre scene and is an important centre for the Bharata Natyam, a classical dance form. The Tamil film industry, one of the largest film industries in India, is based in the city; the soundtracks of the films dominate its music scene.

Names

The name ''chennai'' is a shortened form of ''Chennapattanam'' (சென்னப்பட்டணம்), the name of the town that grew around Fort St. George, which was built by the English in 1640. There are two versions about the origin of the name ''Chennai'': according to one version, ''Chennapattanam'' was named after Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu, Nayaka of Kalahasthi and Vandavasi father of Damarla Venkatadri Nayakudu, from whom the English acquired the town in 1639. The first official use of the name ''Chennai'' is said to be in a sale deed, dated 8 August 1639, to Francis Day of the English East India Company. According to the second account, ''Chennapattanam'' was named after the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple; the word ''chenni'' in Tamil means ''face'', and the temple was regarded as the face of the city.

The city's former name, ''Madras'', is derived from ''Madraspattinam'', a fishing village north of Fort St. George. There is some argument among researchers about the exact origin of the name ''Madraspattinam''. It has been suggested that the Portuguese, who arrived in the area in the 16th century, may have named the village ''Madre de Deus''. Another possibility is that the village's name came from the prominent ''Madeiros'' family (variously known as ''Madera'' or ''Madra'' in succeeding years) of Portuguese origin, which consecrated the ''Madre de Deus'' Church in the Santhome locality of Chennai in 1575. It is uncertain whether the name 'Madraspattinam' was in use before European influence.

It is widely believed that Madras was renamed as it is an English name. However, Madras is an exonym and the origin of the name of the madras still remains a puzzle.

Sometime after the English gained possession of the area in the 17th century, the two towns, ''Madraspattinam'' and ''Chennapattinam'', were merged, and the English referred to the united town as ''Madraspattinam''. The state government officially changed the name to ''Chennai'' in 1996, at a time when many Indian cities were being renamed.

History

The region around Chennai has served as an important administrative, military, and economic centre since the 1st century. Stone-age implements were found in a pit near Pallavaram in Chennai. According to the Archaeological Survey of India, Pallavaram was a megalithic cultural establishment.

The area was ruled by various South Indian dynasties, notably the Pallava, the Chera Dynasty, the Chola, the Pandya, and Vijaynagar. The town of Mylapore, now part of Chennai, was once a major Pallavan port. The Portuguese arrived in 1522 and built a port called ''São Tomé'' after the Christian apostle, St Thomas, who is believed to have preached in the area between 52 and 70 AD. In 1612, the Dutch established themselves near Pulicat, just north of the city.

On 22 August 1639, Francis Day of the British East India Company bought a small strip of land on the Coromandel Coast. The region was ruled by Damarla Venkatadri Nayakudu,, the Nayaka of Vandavasi. He granted the British permission to build a factory and warehouse for their trading enterprises. A year later, the British built Fort St George, which became the nucleus of the growing colonial city. Fort St. George housed the Tamil Nadu Assembly until the new Secretariat building was opened in 2010. In 1746, Fort St. George and Madras were captured by the French under General La Bourdonnais, the Governor of Mauritius, who plundered the town and its outlying villages. The British regained control in 1749 through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and fortified the town's fortress wall to withstand further attacks from the French and another looming threat, Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore. British forces reisted a French siege attempt in 1759. In 1769 the city was threatened by Mysore before the Treaty of Madras ended the war. By the late 18th century, the British had conquered most of the region around Tamil Nadu and the northern modern-day states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, establishing the Madras Presidency with Madras as the capital. Under British rule, the city grew into a major urban centre and naval base.

With the advent of railways in India in the late 19th century, the thriving urban centre was connected to other important cities such as Bombay and Calcutta, promoting increased communication and trade with the hinterland.

Madras was the only Indian city to be attacked by the Central Powers during World War I, when an oil depot was shelled by the German light cruiser on 22 September 1914, as it raided shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, causing disruption to shipping.

After India gained its independence in 1947, the city became the capital of Madras State, renamed the state of Tamil Nadu in 1969. The violent agitations of 1965 against the imposition of Hindi as the national language, marked a major shift in the political dynamics of the city and the whole state.

On 26 December 2004, an Indian Ocean tsunami lashed the shores of Chennai, killing many and permanently altering the coastline.

Environment

Geography

Chennai is on the southeast coast of India in the northeast of Tamil Nadu on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains. Its average elevation is around , and its highest point is . The Marina Beach runs for 12 km along the shoreline of the city. Two rivers meander through Chennai, the Cooum River (or ''Koovam'') through the centre and the Adyar River to the south. A third river, the Kortalaiyar, flows through the northern fringes of the city before draining into the sea at Ennore. Adyar and Cooum rivers are heavily polluted with effluents and waste from domestic and commercial sources. The state government periodically removes silt and pollution from the Adyar river, which is much less polluted than the Cooum. A protected estuary on the Adyar forms a natural habitat for several species of birds and animals. The Buckingham Canal, inland, runs parallel to the coast, linking the two rivers. The Otteri Nullah, an east-west stream, runs through north Chennai and meets the Buckingham Canal at Basin Bridge. Several lakes of varying size are located on the western fringes of the city. Red Hills, Sholavaram and Chembarambakkam Lake supply Chennai with potable water. Groundwater sources are becoming brackish.

Chennai's soil is mostly clay, shale and sandstone. Sandy areas are found along the river banks and coasts, such as Thiruvanmiyur, Adyar, Kottivakkam, Santhome, George Town, Tondiarpet and the rest of coastal Chennai. Here rainwater runoff percolates quickly through the soil. Clay underlies most of the city including T. Nagar, West Mambalam, Anna Nagar, Villivakkam, Perambur and Virugambakkam. Areas of hard rock include Guindy, Perungudi, Velachery, Adambakkam and a part of Saidapet. Chennai is divided into four broad regions: North, Central, South and West. North Chennai is primarily an industrial area. Central Chennai is the commercial heart of the city and includes an important business district, Parry's Corner. South Chennai and West Chennai, previously mostly residential, are fast becoming commercial, home to a growing number of information technology firms, financial companies and call centres. The city is expanding quickly along the Old Mahabalipuram Road and the Grand Southern Trunk Road (GST Road) in the south and towards Ambattur, Koyambedu and Sriperumbdur in the west. Chennai is one of the few cities in the world that accommodates a national park, the Guindy National Park, within its limits. The city has an estimated 4.5% of its area under green cover.

Climate

Chennai has a tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate. The city lies on the thermal equator and is also on the coast, which prevents extreme variation in seasonal temperature. The weather is hot and humid for most of the year. The hottest part of the year is late May to early June, known locally as ''Agni Nakshatram'' ("fire star") or as ''Kathiri Veyyil'', with maximum temperatures around . The coolest part of the year is January, with minimum temperatures around . The lowest temperature recorded is and highest The average annual rainfall is about . The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north-east monsoon winds, from mid-October to mid-December. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal sometimes hit the city. The highest annual rainfall recorded is in 2005. Prevailing winds in Chennai are usually southwesterly between April and October and northeasterly during the rest of the year.

Water

Historically, Chennai has relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish water reservoirs, as no major rivers flow through the area. With a steadily increasing population, the city has faced water supply shortages, and its ground water levels have been depleted. An earlier Veeranam Lake project failed to solve the city's water problems, but the New Veeranam project, which became operational in September 2004, has greatly reduced dependency on distant sources. In recent years, heavy and consistent monsoon rains and rainwater harvesting (RWH) by Chennai Metrowater at its Anna Nagar Rain Centre have significantly reduced water shortages. Moreover, newer projects like the Telugu Ganga project that bring water from water-surplus rivers like the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh have eased water shortages. The city has constructed a sea water desalination plant to further increase the water supply. However, Chennai is expected to face a huge deficit of 713 million litres per day (MLD) as the demand is projected at 2,248 MLD and supply estimated at only 1,535 MLD in 2026.

Administration

+ City officials, as of July 2011
Mayor	Ma. Subramanian
Deputy Mayor	R. Sathya Bama
Corporation Commissioner	Karthikeyan
Commissioner of Police	J.K Tripathy

Chennai city is governed by the Corporation of Chennai erstwhile, Corporation of Madras. Established in 1688, it is the oldest municipal corporation not only in India, but also in any Commonwealth nation outside the United Kingdom. It consists of 155 councillors who represent 155 wards and are directly elected by the city's residents. From among themselves, the councillors elect a mayor and a deputy mayor who preside over about six standing committees.

The area of jurisdiction of the Corporation of Chennai is set to expand manifold from its present extent of 176 km² to 436 km² pending a decision to be taken by the Government of Tamil Nadu. On doing this the population of Chennai is also set to increase from the present 4.5 million to over 8 million. Chennai, the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, houses the state executive and legislative headquarters primarily in the Secretariat Buildings on the Fort St George campus but also in many other buildings scattered around the city. The Madras High Court, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, is the highest judicial authority in the state and is also in the city. Chennai has three parliamentary constituencies – Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South – and elects 16 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to the state legislature.

The metropolitan region of Chennai covers 5 parliamentary constituencies and 28 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and many suburbs that are part of Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts. The larger suburbs are governed by town municipalities, and the smaller ones are governed by town councils called panchayats. While the city covers an area of , the metropolitan area is spread over . The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has drafted a Second Master Plan that aims to develop satellite townships around the city. Contiguous satellite towns include Mahabalipuram to the south, Chengalpattu and Maraimalai Nagar to the southwest, and Kanchipuram town, Sriperumpudur, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam to the west.

Law and Order

The Greater Chennai Police department, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, is the law enforcement agency in the city. The city police force is headed by a commissioner of police, and administrative control rests with the Tamil Nadu Home Ministry. The department consists of 36 subdivisions with a total of 121 police stations. The city's traffic is managed by the Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP). The Metropolitan suburbs are policed by the Chennai Metropolitan Police, and outer district areas are policed by the Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur police departments.

Chennai city, the second most densely populated city in the country after Delhi, has a sanctioned strength of 14,000 police personnel compared with Delhi's 83,000, Mumbai's 45,000 and Kolkata's 23,000. With a population density of 26,903 persons per square kilometre, the city has 1 policeman for every 413 people. Chennai suburban police has about 4,093 police personnel and has a ratio of 1:1,222 compared to Mumbai and Mumbai suburban with 1:267, Delhi with 1:200 and Kolkata with 1:222.

In 2005, the crime rate in the city was 313.3 per 100,000 people, accounting for 6.2% of all crimes reported in major cities in India. The number of crimes in the city showed a significant increase of 61.8% from 2004. However, the city is considered the safest of all the four major metros in the country.

Utility Services

The Corporation of Chennai and municipalities of the suburbs provide civic services. Garbage in most zones is handled by ''Neel Metal Fanalica Environment Management'', a private company, and by the Chennai Corporation in the other zones. Water supply and sewage treatment are handled by the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewage Board, popularly referred to as ''CMWSSB''. Electricity is distributed by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. The city does not have a piped gas network and gas is supplied in cylinders by both state owned and private petroleum companies.

Historically, Chennai has relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish water reservoirs, as no major rivers flow through the area. With a steadily increasing population, the city has faced water supply shortages, and its ground water levels have been depleted. An earlier Veeranam Lake project failed to solve the city's water problems, but the New Veeranam project, which became operational in September 2004, has greatly reduced dependency on distant sources. In recent years, heavy and consistent monsoon rains and rainwater harvesting (RWH) by Chennai Metro water at its Anna Nagar Rain Centre have significantly reduced water shortages. Moreover, newer projects like the Telugu Ganga project that bring water from water-surplus rivers like the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh have eased water shortages. The city has constructed water desalination plants to further increase the water supply.

Telephone services in the city are provided by nine mobile phone service companies that include nine GSM networks and two CDMA networks along with four land line companies. Commercial and domestic broadband Internet services are provided by all the four land line service providers and a majority of the mobile network service providers. Some areas of the city are also covered by a paid Wifi Internet service.

Economy

According to ''Forbes'' magazine, Chennai is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It has a diversified economic base anchored by the automobile, software services, hardware manufacturing, health care and financial services industries. According to the CII, Chennai is estimated to grow to a $100-billion economy, 2.5 times its present size, by the year 2025.

The city is base to around 30% of India's automobile industry and 35% of its auto components industry. A large number of automotive companies including Hyundai, Ford, BMW, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault, Peugeot, Komatsu, The TVS Group (TVS Electronics and TVS Motors), Ashok Leyland, Daimler Trucks, TI Cycles of India, TAFE Tractors, Royal Enfield, Caterpillar Inc., Caparo, Madras Rubber Factory (MRF), Michelin and Apollo Tyres have or are in the process of setting up manufacturing plants in and around Chennai. The Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi produces military vehicles, including India's main battle tank: ''Arjun MBT''. The Integral Coach Factory manufactures railway coaches and other rolling stock for Indian Railways. The Ambattur-Padi industrial zone houses many textile manufacturers, and an SEZ for apparel and footwear manufacture has been set up in the southern suburbs of the city. Chennai contributes more than 50% of India's leather exports. Many software and software services companies have development centres in Chennai, which contributed 14% of India's total software exports of 144,214 crores during 2006–07, making it the second-largest exporter, by city, of software in the country, behind Bangalore. The Tidel Park in Chennai is Asia's largest IT park. Major software companies have their offices set up here, with some of them making Chennai their largest base. Prominent financial institutions, including the World Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Citibank have back office operations in the city. Chennai is home to two large national level commercial banks and many state level co-operative banks, finance and insurance companies. Telecom and Electronics manufacturers based in and around Chennai include Nokia, Nokia Siemens, Motorola, Dell, zebronics, Foxconn and Siemens among others. Telecom giants Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent, pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer and chemicals giant Dow Chemicals have research and development facilities in Chennai. TICEL bio-tech park and Golden Jubilee bio-tech park at Siruseri house biotechnology companies and laboratories. Chennai has a fully computerised stock exchange called the Madras Stock Exchange. Medical tourism is another important part of Chennai's economy with health care providers like Apollo Hospitals and Fortis Healthcare based in the city and the city is considered to be the health care capital of India. The Tamil movie industry and the related Tamil music industry and the Tamil television industry are also significant parts of Chennai's economy.

In the ''Inventory of World cities'' from the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, Chennai's level of network integration with other world cities is ranked as a "Gamma+", alongside cities such as Montreal, Nairobi, Bratislava, Panama City, Brisbane, Casablanca, Denver, Vancouver, Zagreb, Manama and Cape Town.

Demographics

{{bar box |width=250px |barwidth=100px |title=Religions in Chennai |left1=Religion |right1=Percentage |float=right |bars= }}

{{IndiaCensusPop |title= Population Growth of Chennai |1639=7000 |1646=19000 |1670=40000 |1681=200000 |1685=300000 |1691=400000 |1715=100000 |1726=100000 |1733=100000 |1791=300000 |1871=367552 |1881= 405848 |1891= 452518 |1901= 509346 |1911=518660 |1921=526911 |1931=647232 |1941=777481 |1951=1416056 |1961=1729141 |1971=2469449 |1981=3266034 |1991=3841398 |2001=4216268 |2011=4681087 |footnote=Sources:* 1639–1791:* 1871–1901: * 1871–1931: * 1931–1951: * 1951–1961: * 1991–2001: * 2001–2011: }} A resident of Chennai (Madras) is called a ''Chennaite''. According to the provisional population results of 2011, Chennai city has a population of 4,681,087, with a density of 26,903, making it one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city registered a growth rate of 8% during the period 1991–2001. The population of the metropolitan area is estimated to be more than 9.24 million. The estimated metropolitan population in 2006 is 4.5 million. With the area of the Chennai Corporation being extended to 456 km² the population with in the area administered by the corporation was 5.6 million in 2001 which makes it the third largest city in India. In 2001, the population density in the city was 24,682 per km² (63,926 per mi²), while the population density of the metropolitan area was 5,922 per km² (15,337 per mi²), making it one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The sex ratio is 951 females for every 1,000 males, slightly higher than the national average of 944. The average literacy rate is 85.33%, much higher than the national average of 64.5%. The city has the fourth highest population of slum dwellers among major cities in India, with about 820,000 people (18.6% of its population) living in slum conditions. This number represents about 5% of the total slum population of India.

The majority of the population in Chennai are Tamils. Tamil is the primary language spoken in Chennai. English is widely spoken especially in business, education and white collar professions. Telugus form the majority of the population among the non-Tamil community. Chennai also has a large migrant population, who come from other parts of Tamil Nadu and from the rest of the country apart from few Marwaris, Oriyans, Malayalis, Anglo-Indians, Bengalis and Punjabi and Kannadigas. Chennai also has a small expatriate population who work in IT firms. As of 2001, out of the 937,000 migrants (21.6% of its population) in the city, 74.5% were from other parts of the state, 23.8% were from rest of India and 1.7% were from outside the country.

According to the 2001 census, Hindus constitute about 81.3% of the city's population, and Muslims (9.4%), Christians (7.6%) and Jains (1.1%) are other major religious groups.

Culture

Chennai is a major centre for music, art and culture in India. The city is known for its classical dance shows and Hindu temples. Every December, Chennai holds a five-week long ''Music Season'' celebrating the 1927 opening of the Madras Music Academy. It features performances (''kutcheries'') of traditional Carnatic music by hundreds of artists in and around the city. An arts festival called the Chennai Sangamam, which showcases various arts of Tamil Nadu is held in January every year. Chennai is also known for Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu. An important cultural centre for Bharatanatyam is Kalakshetra, on the beach in the south of the city. Chennai is also home to some of the best choirs in India, who during the Christmas season stage various carol performances across the city in Tamil and English.

Chennai is the base for the large Tamil movie industry, known as ''Kollywood'', home to most of the movie studios. The industry makes more than 150 Tamil movies a year, and its soundtracks dominate the city's music. Some of the biggest names in the Indian film fraternity like Ilaiyaraaja, K. Balachander, Sivaji Ganesan, M. G. Ramachandran, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Mani Ratnam and S. Shankar are based out of Chennai. A. R. Rahman took Chennai to international fame by winning two Oscars, two Grammy Awards in 2009 for the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Chennai's theatres stage many Tamil plays; political satire, slapstick comedy, history, mythology and drama are among the popular genres. English plays are also staged in the city.

Among Chennai's festivals, Pongal is celebrated over five days in January, is the most important. Almost all major religious festivals such as Deepavali, Eid and Christmas are celebrated in Chennai. Tamil cuisine in Chennai includes vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Many of the city's restaurants offer light meals or tiffin, which usually include rice-based dishes like pongal, dosa, idli and vadai, served with steaming hot filter coffee.

Transport

Air

Chennai serves as a major gateway to southern India, and the Chennai International Airport, comprising the Anna international terminal and the Kamaraj domestic terminal with a total passenger movements of 10.53 million and aircraft movements of 110,000 in 2009–2010, is the third busiest airport in India. The city is connected to major hubs across Asia, Europe, and North America through more than 30 national and international carriers. The airport is the second busiest cargo terminus in the country with a total fright tonnage of 249,523.

The existing airport is undergoing further modernisation and expansion with an addition of 1069.99 acres, and a new greenfield airport is to be constructed at an estimated cost of 20,000 million in Sriperumbudur on of land.

Sea

The city is served by two major ports, Chennai Port, one of the largest artificial ports, and Ennore Port. The Chennai port is the largest in Bay of Bengal with an annual cargo tonnage of 61.46 million (2010–2011) and is India's second busiest container hub with an annual container volume of 1.523 million TEUs (2010–2011), handling automobiles, motorcycles and general industrial cargo. The Ennore Port with an annual cargo tonnage of 11.01 million (2010–2011) handles cargo such as coal, ore and other bulk and rock mineral products.

A smaller harbour at Royapuram is used by fishing boats and trawlers. A mega shipyard project called the Kattupalli Shipyard cum Captive Port Complex is being built by L&T; Shipbuilding at Kattupalli village near Ennore and is expected to be operational in 2012.

Rail

Chennai is the headquarters of the Southern Railway. The city has two main railway terminals. Chennai Central station, the city's largest, provides access to other major cities as well as many other smaller towns across India. Chennai Egmore is a terminus for trains to destinations primarily within Tamil Nadu; it also handles a few inter-state trains. The Chennai suburban railway network, one of the oldest in the country, consists of four broad gauge sectors terminating at two locations in the city, namely Chennai Central and Chennai Beach. Regular services are offered in the following sectors from these termini: Chennai Central/Chennai Beach – Arakkonam – Tiruttani, Chennai Central/Chennai Beach – Gummidipoondi – Sullurpeta and Chennai Beach – Tambaram – Chengalpattu – Tirumalpur (Kanchipuram). The fourth sector is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) which links Chennai Beach to Velachery and is interlinked with the remaining rail network. Construction is underway for an underground and elevated Chennai Metro rail.

Road

Chennai is well connected to other parts of India by road. Five major national highways link Chennai to Mumbai (via Bangalore), Kolkata, Kochi, Tiruchirapalli (Trichy) and Tirupati and onwards to the rest of the national highway system. Numerous state highways link the city to Puducherry and other towns and cities in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states. The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT), the terminus for all intercity buses from Chennai, is the largest bus station in Asia. Seven government-owned transport corporations operate inter-city and inter-state bus services. Many private inter-city and inter-state bus companies also operate services to and from Chennai. The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) runs an extensive city bus system consisting of 3,421 buses on 690 routes, and moves an estimated 5.52 million passengers each day. Vans, popularly known as ''Maxi Cabs'' and 'share' auto rickshaws ply many routes in the city and provide an alternative to buses. Metered call taxis, tourist taxis and auto rickshaws are also available on hire. Chennai's transportation infrastructure provides coverage and connectivity, but growing use has caused traffic congestion and pollution. The government has tried to address these problems by constructing grade separators and flyovers at major intersections, starting with the Gemini flyover, built in 1973 over the most important arterial road, Anna Salai to the recently completed Kathipara Flyover.

According to the Transport Department's official report, the two-wheeler population shot up to 2.58 million in 2011 from 0.93 million in 2001 while the number of four-wheelers jumped to 0.56 million in 2011 from 0.21 million in 2001. On the other hand, on 1 April 2011, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation fleet strength was just 3,421, or 0.1% of the total vehicular population. The MTC fleet strength was 2,773 in 2006.

Media

Newspaper publishing started in Chennai with the launch of a weekly, ''The Madras Courier'', in 1785. It was followed by the weeklies ''The Madras Gazzette'' and ''The Government Gazzette'' in 1795. ''The Spectator'', founded in 1836, was the first English newspaper in Chennai to be owned by an Indian and became the city's first daily newspaper in 1853. The first Tamil newspaper, ''Swadesamitran'', was launched in 1899.

The major English dailies published in Chennai are ''The Hindu'', ''The New Indian Express'', ''The Deccan Chronicle'' and ''The Times of India'' recently joined the list. The evening dailies are, ''The Trinity Mirror'' and ''The News Today''. As of 2004, ''The Hindu'' was the city's most read English newspaper, with a daily circulation of 267,349. The major business dailies published from the city are ''The Economic Times'', ''The Hindu Business Line'', ''Business Standard'', ''Mint'' and ''The Financial Express''. The major Tamil dailies include the ''Dina Thanthi'', ''Dinakaran'', ''Dina Mani'', ''Dina Malar'', ''Tamil Murasu'', ''Makkal Kural'' and ''Malai Malar''. Major Telugu dailies include ''Eenadu'', ''Vaartha'', ''Andhra Jyothi'' and ''Sakshi''. The one and only Hindi Newspaper published from Chennai is the ''Rajasthan Patrika''. Neighbourhood newspapers such as ''The Anna Nagar Times'' and ''The Adyar Times'' cater to particular localities. Magazines published from Chennai include ''Ananda Vikatan'', ''Kumudam'', ''Kalki'', ''Kungumam'', ''Thuglak'', ''Frontline'' and ''Sportstar''.

Doordarshan runs two terrestrial television channels and two satellite television channels from its Chennai centre, which was set up in 1974. Private Tamil satellite television networks such as Sun TV, Raj TV, Zee Tamil, Star Vijay, Jaya TV, Makkal TV, Vasanth TV, Kalaignar TV and Captain TV broadcast out of Chennai. The Sun Network one of India's largest broadcasting companies is based in the city. While SCV is the monopoly cable TV service provider, direct-to-home (DTH) is available via DD Direct Plus, Dish TV, Tata Sky, Videocon DTH, Sun direct DTH, Reliance Big TV and Digital TV (Airtel-Bharti) Chennai is the first city in India to have implemented the Conditional Access System for cable television. Radio broadcasting started from the radio station at the Rippon Buildings complex, founded in 1930 and was then shifted to All India Radio in 1938. The city has 4 AM and 11 FM radio stations, operated by Anna University, All India Radio and private broadcasters.

Education and healthcare

Schools in Chennai are either run publicly by the Tamil Nadu government or privately, some with financial aid from the government. The medium of education is either English or Tamil, with the former being the majority. Most schools are affiliated with the Tamil Nadu State Board, the Matriculation Board or the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). A few schools are affiliated with the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board, there are schools which cater National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) board, Anglo-Indian board or the Montessori system. Schooling begins at the age of three with two years of kindergarten followed by ten years of primary and secondary education. Students then need to complete two years of higher secondary education in either science or commerce before being eligible for college education in a general or professional field of study. There are 1,389 schools in the city, out of which 731 are primary, 232 are secondary and 426 are higher secondary schools.

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and College of Engineering, Guindy, founded in 1794 and Madras Institute of Technology are centres for engineering education in the city. Most colleges that offer engineering programs are affiliated to Anna University. Madras Medical College (MMC), Stanley Medical College (SMC), Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) and Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute (SRMC) are notable medical colleges in Chennai. thumb|right|The Government General Hospital Colleges for science, arts and commerce degrees are typically affiliated with the University of Madras, which has three campuses in the city; some colleges such as Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College,Pachaiyappa's College, Madras Christian College, Loyola College and The New College are autonomous. Research institutions like the prestigious Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI), Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), the Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI) and the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) are in the city. The Indian Army's Officers Training Academy is also based in the city. The Connemara Public Library is one of four National Depository Centres in India that receive a copy of all newspapers and books published in India. It has been declared a UNESCO information centre. There is a newly constructed Anna Centenary Library.

There are 15 Government hospitals and a large number of private hospitals which provide medical and health care. The Government General hospital, popularly referred to as the "G.H.", is the biggest government-run hospital in the city. There are many large private hospitals, among which many are multi-specialty hospitals. Some of India's well-known health care institutions such as Apollo Hospitals (the largest private health care provider in Asia), Sankara Nethralaya, Madras Medical Mission (MMM), Frontier Lifeline & K.M.Cherian heart foundation, MIOT Hospitals, Chettinad Health City and Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre are based in the city.

Sports

Cricket is the most popular sport in Chennai. The M.A. Chidambaram Stadium (MAC) in Chepauk is one of the oldest cricket stadiums in India. The Chemplast Cricket Ground on the IIT Madras campus is another important venue hosting first class matches. Prominent cricketers from the city include former Test-captains S. Venkataraghavan and Kris Srikkanth. A cricket fast bowling academy, the MRF Pace Foundation, whose coaches include Bob Simpson and Dennis Lillee, is based in Chennai. Chennai is home to the Indian Premier League cricket team, the Chennai Super Kings, one of the most successful in the tournament.Chennai was also formerly the home to the Chennai Superstars part of the defunct Indian Cricket League.

The city also hosted 2011 IPL finals in M.A.Chidambaram stadium.

The city is home to a Premier Hockey League (PHL) team, the Chennai Veerans, and has hosted many hockey tournaments such as the Asia Cup and the Men's Champions Trophy at The Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium. Chennai has produced popular tennis players over the years, including Vijay Amritraj, Ramesh Krishnan, Leander Paes, and Mahesh Bhupathi, and current star Somdev Devvarman also grew up primarily in the city. Since 1997 Chennai has been host to the only ATP World Tour event held in India, the Chennai Open, ATP World Tour 250 series, the country's only (ATP) event.

Football and athletic competitions are held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which also houses a multi-purpose indoor complex for competition in volleyball, basketball and table tennis. Water sports are played in the Velachery Aquatic Complex. Chennai was the venue of the South Asian Games (SAF Games) in 1995.

Automobile racing in India has been closely connected with Chennai since its beginnings shortly after independence. Motor racing events are held on a special purpose track in Irungattukottai, Sriperumbudur, which has also been the venue for several international competitions. Ex-Formula One driver and current Team Lotus reserve driver Karun Chandhok was born in Chennai.

Horse racing is held at the Guindy Race Course, while rowing competitions are hosted at the Madras Boat Club. The city has two 18-hole golf courses, the Cosmopolitan Club and the Gymkhana Club, both established in the late nineteenth century. Viswanathan Anand, the chess World champion, grew up in Chennai.

Other athletes of repute from Chennai include table tennis players Sharath Kamal and two-time world carrom champion, Maria Irudayam. The city has a rugby union team called the Chennai Cheetahs.

Sister cities

Chennai has sister city relationships with the following cities of the world.

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Country	City	State / Region	Since
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See also

Areas of Chennai

Notes

Footnotes

In December 2009, the Tamil Nadu government announced plans to merge 9 municipalities, 8 town panchayats, and 25 village panchayats into the city of Chennai, which would increase its area to 426 square kilometres and population (according to the 2001 census) to 5.6 million. The plans are that boundary of the expanded corporation will be drawn in 2011, after the term of the elected councillors ends. An ordinance was promulgated on 21 December 2010, amending the Madras City Municipal Corporation Act, giving effect to the total number of wards as 200. The corporation council is currently represented by 155 members.

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Official government website of Chennai District

Official website of the Corporation of Chennai

}} Category:Chennai District Category:Chennai railway division Category:Divisions of Indian Railways Category:Indian capital cities Category:Metropolitan cities in India Category:Populated coastal places in India Category:Port cities in India Category:Southern Railway (India) Zone

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name	Mani Ratnam
size	200px
years active	1983–present
birth date	June 02, 1956, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
birth name	Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam Iyer
residence	Alwarpet, Chennai, India
occupation	Film DirectorFilm ProducerScreenwriter
spouse	Suhasini(1988-Present)
children	Nandhan }}

Mani Ratnam (; born Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam Iyer on 2 June 1956) is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film ''Pallavi Anu Pallavi'' starring Anil Kapoor in 1983. Directing landmark films such as ''Mouna Raagam'' (1986), ''Nayagan'' (1987), ''Anjali'' (1990), ''Thalapathi'' (1991), ''Iruvar'' (1997), ''Alaipayuthey'' (2000), ''Kannathil Muthamittal'' (2002), ''Yuva'' (2004), ''Guru'' (2007), and his ''terrorism trilogy'' consisting of ''Roja'' (1992), ''Bombay'' (1995) and ''Dil Se'' (1998), he went on to become one of the leading directors in Indian Cinema Ratnam is widely credited with having revolutionised the Tamil film industry and altering the profile of Indian cinema.

His films ''Nayagan'' (1987) and ''Anjali'' (1990) were submitted by India in contest for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Ratnam has won multiple National Film Awards, five Filmfare Awards (South), four Filmfare Awards (Hindi), and twelve international film festival awards. His Tamil movie ''Nayagan'', Satyajit Ray's Apu trilogy and Guru Dutt's ''Pyaasa'' are the only Indian films that have appeared in ''TIME Magazine's'' All-Time 100 Greatest Movies. His film ''Roja'' was the only Indian film to feature in TIME Magazine's "10 Best Soundtracks" of all time. In 2003 BBC International poll, people from 155 countries voted "Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu" from his 1991 film ''Thalapathi'' as fourth in the world's top 10 most popular songs of all time.

Early life and education

Mani Ratnam was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, to Iyer parents. His actual name is Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam Iyer. He attended Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, Chennai. After graduating with a degree in Commerce from Vivekananda College, University of Madras, and an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, he embarked on a career as a management consultant before becoming a filmmaker. He got into film direction with the help of his late brother, film producer G. Venkateswaran.

Career

Ratnam is particularly known for his eye for technical detail in the art of film making, having worked with and also introduced some of the best music directors, cinematographers, art directors, dialogue writers and editors in India. Several international papers and books have been published on his critically acclaimed movies.

1980s

Mani Ratnam's directorial debut was in 1983, through the Kannada film ''Pallavi Anu Pallavi'', starring Anil Kapoor. Mani Ratnam managed to persuade acclaimed director and cinematographer Balu Mahendra to serve as his cinematographer. The film boldly explored the nature of a relationship between a young man and an older woman. The film did not perform well at the box office but its brilliant score by Ilaiyaraaja became hugely popular. His following efforts were the Malayalam film ''Unaru'' (1984), which starred Mohanlal, and then two Tamil films, ''Pagal Nilavu'' and ''Idaya Kovil.'' All these films were average performers although they had strong music scores by Ilaiyaraaja, which became hits.

In 1986, Mani finally attained commercial success in Tamil Nadu through the Tamil language romantic drama ''Mouna Raagam'' with Revathi and Mohan. The film told the story of the friction between a newly-wed couple, and remains famous to date as a relevant and realistic portrayal of romance among urban Tamils. Its score by Ilaiyaraaja became a huge success upon release. It was subsequently dubbed into Telugu under the same title and went to become a hit in Andhra Pradesh as well. Mani's status was elevated further a year later writing ''Nayagan'', directing Kamal Haasan for the film, which went on to become a huge success. Many Indian critics dubbed it as India's answer to the cult ''The Godfather''. The film, which tells the story of an orphaned slum dweller and his rise to top of the Mumbai underworld hierarchy, was included in ''TIME Magazine's'' All-Time 100 Greatest Movies. The story was inspired by the real life story of underworld king Varadarajan Mudaliar.

Late 1980s and 1990s

With commercial success coming back to back, Ratnam wrote and directed ''Agni Natchathiram''. The film was notable for use of new techniques in terms of camera framework, especially during the shoot of songs in the film. The film had a successful run in the box office. Mani later returned to familiar territory of winning critical acclaim through his next film. Until then, Mani had made films in Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada languages, and a Telugu film would mark a milestone of having directed films in all South Indian languages. Thus Mani opted to do his next project in Telugu, and it was titled ''Geethanjali''. The film which starred Nagarjuna in the lead role told the story of an ill-fated couple who are both suffering from terminal diseases. Ratnam maintained a momentum of making emotional stories of undeserved people through the Raghuvaran starring Chennai release ''Anjali'' in 1990. The film told the story of an autistic child and how she changed the lives of people in colony. Mani later made another underworld-themed Tamil film with ''Thalapathi'' in 1991 starring Rajinikanth and Mammootty. With a theme of friendship between a local don and a slum king, ''Thalapathi'' earned both critical acclaim and commercial success upon release.'' Thalapathi '', based on the legend of Mahabharata, ran into trouble when news leaked that the character of Karna, portrayed by Rajinikanth, would die in the end. The climax was altered to appease the fan base of the Rajinikanth.

With ''Thalapathi'', Mani ended his long term association with music director Ilaiyaraaja, bringing in debutant music director A. R. Rahman to score for his Tamil classic ''Roja''. It turned out to be Mani's greatest find, as Rahman went on to become a musical legend on his own right in the annals of Indian and International cinema. ''Roja'', a romantic film, tackled themes of terrorism in the regions of Kashmir. The film – starring Arvind Swamy and Madhoo – was released in 1992 and nominated for the Golden St. George Award at the Moscow International Film Festival; it became so popular that it was dubbed into other languages and met similar success in other regions. Mani then took a more light-hearted approach with his next film – ''Thiruda Thiruda''. Scripted by Ram Gopal Varma, the film saw the exploration of action thriller, a departure from the norm for Ratnam, and fared less well at the box office. In 1994, a retrospective of his Tamil films was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. Meanwhile, Ratnam again teamed up with Ram Gopal Varma to provide the screenplay for the latter's Telugu film Gaayam, a socio-politico film loosely based on The Godfather. In 1995, Ratnam returned to Tamil language drama. ''Bombay'' starring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala told the story of a Hindu-Muslim couple in the midst of the 1993 religious Bombay riots and bombings. The film was met with controversy and censorship upon release. However ''Bombay'' was financially very successful and well appreciated by the critics. It won the Special Award from the Political Film Society, the Wim Van Leer In Spirit of Freedom Award at the Jerusalem International Film Festival and the Gala Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Then came his third part of "Terrorism Trilogy" in 1998 named Dil Se starring Superstar Shahrukh Khan and another movie collaboration with Manisha Koirala after Bombay. Unlike previous two movies, this movie did average business in Indian Market but was hit in overseas market. This Film gained cult status just after it released and this movie was screened in many International Film Festivals and won Netpac Special Mention award in Berlin Film Festival. This movie showed the relationship between an young and obsessed lover boy and dangerous and disturbed lady,although both loved each other but girl was not able to accept that truth because she was disturbed by her dark past and this role (Of Meghana) was very beautifully delivered by Manisha koirala that she got her fourth filmfare nomination for best female Actress in 1999. The album was again composed by A. R. Rahman and this whole album was very popular amongst the masses so much that all songs of this album became chartbuster of year 1998 and gave Rahman his next Filmfare Award for best Music Direction in 1999. This album also marked the beginning of a famed collaboration between playback singer Lata Mangeshkar and Rahman.

2000–present

Ratnam's following effort, ''Kannathil Muthamittal'', was the story of a child of Sri Lankan Tamil parentage adopted by Indian parents, who desires to meet her biological mother during the midst of the Sri Lankan Civil War. The film was a critically lauded commercial success, winning six National Film Awards, Ratnam's second Filmfare Award South for directing, his second In Spirit for Freedom Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival and an award at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. In 2004, Mani made his second Hindi language effort with ''Yuva.'' The film, which tells the story of three different youths and how one incident sends their three lives on a collision course, received positive reviews and was a hit in the box office. Ratnam also made the film simultaneously in Tamil as ''Aayutha Ezhuthu'', starring Surya Sivakumar, R. Madhavan and Siddharth replacing Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan and Vivek Oberoi respectively. The film was an average at the Tamil box office, but critics favored the Tamil version over the Hindi version. Ratnam also had his first heart attack during shooting for ''Yuva''.

2007 saw Ratnam direct the Madras Talkies production ''Guru'' starring Abhishek Bachchan. It became one of 2007's biggest hits. In 2010 Ratnam worked on a big-budget bilingual being made in Tamil and Hindi. The films are titled ''Raavanan'' in Tamil and ''Raavan'' in Hindi. The Tamil version was dubbed into Telugu as Villain. The film released worldwide on June 18, 2010.

The film is loosely based on the Hindu epic "Ramayana" and happened over a period of 14 days where the character Beera kidnaps the wife of a cop to avenge his sister's death. The Tamil version received better reviews than the Hindi version, based mainly on the lead's performance. The Hindi version of the film received mostly negative reviews and was a failure at the box office.The film received critical acclaims in America,Europe and southern part of India.The NY times called the movie a "critics' pick".Bollywood reviewers overall rated the movie very poorly,Taran Adarsh said "On the whole, ''Raavan'' is a king-sized disappointment, in terms of content" and Rajiv Masand said "...is a crushing bore of a film, a disappointment on virtually every count" while another reviewer Raja Sen commented "It's profoundly sad to see a filmmaker of Ratnam's calibre reduced to this". The Tamil version was declared a box office success. The contrasting response to the same film on the either side of the vindhyas is not surprising,as many films in the past,that have followed this trend.This can be attributed to different expectations and tastes of the audiences. Some reviewers (National Award Winning Baradwaj Rangan) found this to be Mani's best work thus far.

Mani Ratnam received the Glory to the Filmmaker! Award at the 67th Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2010. The ceremony was followed by a screening of ''Raavanan'' in Tamil. His wife, Suhasini Maniratnam and actor Vikram Kennedy were also present at the ceremony.

Film-making style

Mani Ratnam often makes movies inspired by real-life events & famous epics: ''Nayagan'' is loosely based on Varadarajan Mudaliar, an underworld Don in Mumbai at that time; ''Bombay'' is based on the ethnic war between Hindus and Muslims in Mumbai. ''Iruvar'' is based on Tamil Nadu political and cinematic icons M. G. Ramachandran and M. Karunanidhi. His 2002 film ''Kannathil Muthamittal'' was based on the Sri Lankan Civil War and ''Aayutha Ezhuthu'' (2004) focussed on student politics. ''Guru'', released in 2007 was loosely based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani. ''Thalapathi'', based on the Hindu-epic ''Mahabarata'' and ''Raavanan'' is said to be inspired by another Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. His movies are notable for staccato dialogues. His movies often portray strong friendship. Examples are seen from Rajni - Mammootty in ''Thalapathi'', Suriya - Siddarth in ''Aayutha Ezhuthu'', Prasanth - Anand in ''Thiruda Thiruda'', Mohanlal - Prakash Raj in ''Iruvar'' and Kamal - Janakaraj in ''Nayagan''. He also revels in creating onscreen relationship tangles like Rajnikanth - Shobana - Arvind Swamy in ''Thalapathi'', Karthik - Revathi - Mohan in ''Mouna Raagam'', Prabhu - Karthik in ''Agni Natchathiram'' and Simran - Keerthana in ''Kannathil Muthamittal'' with the latest being that of Aishwarya Rai - Abhishek Bachchan - Vikram in ''Raavan''.

Family

Mani is the son of Gopal Ratnam, a film producer. Mani's brother, the late G. Venkateswaran, popularly known as G.V., was a noted film producer, as well. He married actress Suhasini, niece of Kamal Haasan and daughter of Charuhasan in 1988. They have a son named ''Nandhan''. Mani co-founded the independent production company Madras Talkies along with his brother G. Srinivasan who passed away in Manali on 27 May 2007. Ratnam lives in Alwarpet, Chennai, where he runs his production company Madras Talkies.

Awards & Honors

Mani Ratnam has won several National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards and International film awards. His film ''Geethanjali'' won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Other films like ''Mouna Raagam'', ''Anjali'' and ''Kannathil Muthamittal'' have won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. ''Roja'' and ''Bombay'' have won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. His films such as ''Bombay'', ''Iruvar'' and ''Kannathil Muthamittal'' have won International film awards and screened at various film festivals. In 2010, he was honoured with ''Jaeger-Lecoultre Glory To The Filmmaker'' at 67th Venice International Film Festival

Filmography

The following is the list of films directed by Mani Ratnam. Many of his films have been remade or dubbed in several languages, mostly in Telugu and Hindi.

!Year	!Film	Film director>Director	Film producer>Producer	Screenwriter>Writer	!Notes
align="center"	''Pallavi Anu Pallavi''
align="center"	''Unaru''
rowspan="2" align="center"	''Pagal Nilavu''
''Idaya Kovil''
align="center"	''Mouna Raagam''				National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
align="center"	''Nayagan''
align="center"	''Agni Natchathiram''
align="center"	''Geethanjali''				National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment
rowspan="2" align="center"
				National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
align="center"	''Thalapathi''
align="center"	''Roja''
rowspan="2" align="center"	''Gaayam''
''Thiruda Thiruda''
align="center"
align="center"	''Aasai''
align="center"
rowspan="2" align="center"	''Iruvar''
''Nerrukku Ner''
align="center"	''Dil Se''
align="center"	''Alaipayuthey''
align="center"
rowspan="2" align="center"	''Kannathil Muthamittal''				National Film Award for Best Feature Film in TamilFilmfare Award for Best Film – TamilFilmfare Award for Best Director – TamilTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best DirectorBest Film award at Jerusalem Film FestivalITFA Best Director AwardAudience Award for Best Feature Film at Indian Film Festival of Los AngelesAudience Choice Award for Narrative Competition at RiverRun International Film FestivalBest Picture at Zimbabwe International Film FestivalAudience Award, Jury Award and Special Award at Film Fest New HavenBest International Film at Westchester Film Festival
rowspan="2" align="center"	''Yuva''				Filmfare Critics Award for Best MovieFilmfare Award for Best ScreenplayNominated—Star Screen Award for Best DirectorNominated—Star Screen Award for Best Screenplay
align="center"					Filmfare Critics Award for Best MovieFilmfare Award for Best ScreenplayNominated—Star Screen Award for Best DirectorNominated—Star Screen Award for Best Screenplay
rowspan="2" align="center"	''Raavan''
align="center"	''Bloody Paki''				Announced

Stage productions

''Netru, Indru, Naalai'' (2006)

See also

Madras Talkies

List of films directed by Mani Ratnam featuring A. R. Rahman

References

Further reading

External links

Technical Analysis of Mani Ratnam Films

Mani Ratnam and A. R. Rahman

Mani Ratnam: Brief film descriptions

A Mani Ratnam Interview

Mani Ratnam - article and interview

Interview with Bharathan Kandaswamy and Mani Ratnam

Category:Indian film directors Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:Indian Hindus Category:University of Madras alumni Category:Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies alumni Category:Tamil film directors Category:Tamil-language film directors Category:Tamil screenwriters Category:Tamil people Category:Indian film producers Category:People from Chennai Category:Indian screenwriters Category:Hindi-language film directors Category:National Film Award winners Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri

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Surat ar-Rahman (Arabic: ) is the 55th sura of the Qur'an with 78 ayats. It has the refrain: "Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?"

Verse

Ar-Rahman is often regarded as the 'beauty of the Quran', in accordance with a hadith: Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reported that the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, "''Everything has an adornment, and the adornment of the Qur'an is Surah ar Rahman''" [Bayhaqi in Shuab al Eiman]

The main theme of the Surah is giving manifestation and fruits to the attribution of Allah's mercy and grace, which is evident right from the beginning, till the very end.

الرَّحْمَنُ Ar'Reh'maan: Name of Allah

The Nouns in Arabic, whether Proper Nouns or Common Nouns, in their original/default state, as a rule are always "Nominative" or مرفوع i.e. the last consonant has a vowel sign as is here نُ.

The name is the code which gives the basic cognition of existence and presence of a thing and person. Hence name is the introduction for apparent/initial recognition of a thing and person. Cognition of the code/name of a thing or person is the elementary/first step in gaining knowledge about the thing or person. Name of a thing or person gives it or him a vivid distinction from all other things and persons and makes it or him distinguished/identified/definite/isolated [معرفة] and grants an ability to others to identify and describe/ remember/recall and/or mention-refer it or him to others. The name/code serves as a basis/foundation for others to enquire and study about it to gain further knowledge.

Attributive names/adjectival descriptions give further information, insight and knowledge about the thing or person introduced by a Personal Name. These are complimentary in nature and help to acquaint others about the inner-self [بَاطِن] of the named object or person/being. Every person and thing/object that exists has two aspects, the one evidently apparent [ظَاهر] notwithstanding whether or not it is in the range of focus of someone, and the other is the inner-self, hidden, infolded, not apparent but invisibly embedded therein [بَاطِن].

The evidently apparent [ظَاهر] is the reflection of the fact of existence, and its cognition and reference is by the Name. The pursuit-journey of knowledge is from cognition of existence/Name towards knowing and perceiving the inner-self [بَاطِن] of that which exists and its relationships and equations with all that exists. We cannot have the absolute knowledge of anything and person/being unless we know its/his inner-self [بَاطِن], after its cognition, i.e. introductory knowledge of its Name.

Once we know the inner-self, all that is secreted, hidden and its relationships with everything else, we know that thing and Person in near absolute sense. Thereupon, it or He becomes more visible and apparent than the shining sun in a bright and clear day, even without being physically in visual sight, the [ظَاهر] aspect of Him. Therefore, we know Him/him with such conviction, which is the absolute-exalted end of the knowledge. This type of knowledge, with reference to personalities, can be attained only about two, Ar'Reh'maan, the Exalted and Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam-The Mercy Personified, since the بَاطِن of both is quite extensively visible to us all around and through the courtesy of Grand Qur'aan.

Personal Names that introduce and grant cognition of an existing personality, unlike attributive/ adjectival names/descriptions, never have duality and plurality, and neither with personal names is done the process of feminization or masculinization.

A peculiar and distinguishing feature of Arabic language is that, unlike other languages say English and Urdu in which the adjective comes first-prioritized than the described one, the مُوْصُوف/the one who is being described/portrayed is always mentioned first followed by the صِفَة/Adjective. Arabic, the language of our Guide Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam, is a language of truth and fact. مُوْصُوف/the one being described/portrayed is mentioned first since he is First in Existence and it is always the مُوْصُوف who has either inherently and intrinsically the mentionedصِفَة/adjective, quality, trait, or has acquired/adopted it. Hence Proper Nouns/Personal Names are NEVER placed at a secondary place as an adjective in the Adjectival Phrases.

الرَّحْمَنُ-Ar'Reh'maan is the Personal Name of Allah. It is unique, exclusive, unprecedented [19:65]; this has no parallel, no dual, no plural, no feminine equivalent. In Grand Qur'aan it is never placed as second noun of Adjectival Phrase, and nor one will find it in any Arabic literature mentioned as second noun of Adjectival Phrase.

Personal Names are also not the first noun [مضاف] of possessive construction/genitive phrases [الاضافة]. They are always second noun [مضاف اليه] in possessive phrases. One will never find الرَّحْمَنُ the Personal Name of Allah having been used as first noun [مضاف] of possessive construction/genitive phrases.

The fundamental and simple features and principles of Arabic language vividly reflect that الرَّحْمَنُ cannot be considered and perceived except as Proper Name. But in consideration of the fact that there has been a debate, spreading over thousands of pages, over this Peculiar Name of Allah, we may, without indulging into merits of controversy, request the Grand Qur'aan to let us know whether this is the Personal Name of Allah or it could be stretched and considered as an Adjectival Name attributing a qualitative trait.

The Grand Qur'aan unambiguously explains to us, in various references and contexts that this is but the Unique and Exclusively the Personal Name of Allah Who is the Sustainer Lord of all that exists. Some of contexts and references are as under:-

2. Surrender and allegiance is by the Title and/or Personal Name of Master-Lord; not by adjectival names. 2.1 Subject [عَبْد plural عباد] is identified only by the Title-Allah and Personal Name-Ar'Reh'maan of his Lord.

3. Creator of a thing is identified and referred only by Title-Allah and Personal Name Ar'Reh'maan.

4. Prostration-obeisance is before and for the Person, and not for his traits.

5. One is mentioned by Title and Personal Name who adorns the Throne/Seat of Sovereignty and not by adjectival.

6. A person makes a promise. Promise-maker finds mention by his title or personal name.

7. An agreement, treaty, compact, pact of obligation is with reference to Title or Personal Name.

8. Fear is induced by a perceived threat from a specific stimulus-Being or a named object.

9. Mention of Permission, Authorization, and Proclamation is always by the Title or Name of the authority.

10. People relate a son [very as well adopted] with Personal Name of the one with whom they relate a son.

[For detailed study kindly see the Link on 01-Surat Fateh "Word by Word Analysis"

Recitation

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Surat-Al-Rahman/142565212521005?sk=info

By---Tafseet e Qurrtabi

Surah Ar-Rahman In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

The Most Gracious (Allâh)! (1) He has taught (you mankind) the Qur'ân (by His Mercy). (2) He created man. (3) He taught him eloquent speech. (4) The sun and the moon run on their fixed courses (exactly) calculated with measured out stages for each (for reckoning). (5) And the herbs (or stars) and the trees both prostrate themselves. (to Allah. See V.22:18). (Tafsir Ibn Kathir) (6) And the heaven He has raised it high, and He has set up the Balance. (7) In order that you may not transgress (due) balance. (8) And observe the weight with equity and do not make the balance deficient. (9)And the earth He has put down (laid) for the creatures. (10) Therein are fruits, date-palms producing sheathed fruit-stalks (enclosing dates). (11)And also corn, with (its) leaves and stalk for fodder, and sweet-scented plants. (12) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (13) He created man (Adam) from sounding clay like the clay of pottery. (14) And the jinn He created from a smokeless flame of fire. (15)Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (16) (He is) the Lord of the two easts (places of sunrise during early summer and early winter) and the Lord of the two wests (places of sunset during early summer and early winter). (17) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (18) He has let loose the two seas (the salt and the fresh water) meeting together. (19) Between them is a barrier which none of them can transgress. (20) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (21) Out of them both come out pearl and coral. (22) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (23) And His are the ships going and coming in the seas, like mountains. (24) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (25) Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish. (26) And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honour will remain forever. (27) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (28) Whosoever is in the heavens and on earth begs of Him (its needs from Him). Every day He is (engaged) in some affair (such as giving honour or disgrace to some, life or death to some, etc.)! (29)Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (30) We shall attend to you, O you two classes (jinn and men)! (31) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (32)O assembly of jinn and men! If you have power to pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass beyond (them)! But you will never be able to pass them, except with authority (from Allâh)! (33) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (34) There will be sent against you both, smokeless flames of fire and (molten) brass, and you will not be able to defend yourselves. (35) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (36) Then when the heaven is rent asunder, and it becomes rosy or red like red-oil, or red hide — (See V.70:8|) (37) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (38) So on that Day no question will be asked of man or jinni as to his sin, [because they have already been known from their faces either white (dwellers of Paradise - true believers of Islamic Monotheism) or black (dwellers of Hell - polytheists; disbelievers, criminals)]. (39) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (40) The Mujrimûn (polytheists, criminals, sinners) will be known by their marks (black faces), and they will be seized by their forelocks and their feet. (41) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (42) This is Hell which the Mujrimûn (polytheists, criminals, sinners) denied. (43) They will go between it (Hell) and the fierce boiling water! (44) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (45) But for him who fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens (i.e. in Paradise). (46) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (47) With spreading branches. (48) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (49) In them (both) will be two springs flowing (free). (50) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (51)In them (both) will be every kind of fruit in pairs. (52) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (53) Reclining upon the couches lined with silk brocade, and the fruits of the two Gardens will be near at hand. (54) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (55) Wherein both will be Qasirat-ut-Tarf [chaste fmales (wives) restraining their glances, desiring none except their husbands], with whom no man or jinni has had Tamth[] before them. (56)Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (57) (In beauty) they are like rubies and coral. (58) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (59) Is there any reward for good other than good? (60) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (61) And besides these two, there are two other Gardens (i.e. in Paradise). (62) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (63) Dark green (in colour). (64) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (65) In them (both) will be two springs gushing forth. (66) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (67)In them (both) will be fruits, and date- palms and pomegranates. (68) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (69)Therein (Gardens) will be Khairâtun-Hisân [fair (wives) good and beautiful]. (70) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (71) Hûr[] (beautiful, fair females) guarded in pavilions; (72) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (73)With Whom no man or jinni has had Tamth[] before them. (74) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (75)Reclining on green cushions and rich beautiful mattresses. (76) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (77)Blessed is the Name of your Lord (Allâh), the Owner of Majesty and Honor. (78)

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ (١) عَلَّمَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ (٢) خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ (٣) عَلَّمَهُ ٱلۡبَيَانَ (٤) ٱلشَّمۡسُ وَٱلۡقَمَرُ بِحُسۡبَانٍ۬ (٥) وَٱلنَّجۡمُ وَٱلشَّجَرُ يَسۡجُدَانِ (٦) وَٱلسَّمَآءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ ٱلۡمِيزَانَ (٧) أَلَّا تَطۡغَوۡاْ فِى ٱلۡمِيزَانِ (٨) وَأَقِيمُواْ ٱلۡوَزۡنَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِ وَلَا تُخۡسِرُواْ ٱلۡمِيزَانَ (٩) وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَضَعَهَا لِلۡأَنَامِ (١٠) فِيہَا فَـٰكِهَةٌ۬ وَٱلنَّخۡلُ ذَاتُ ٱلۡأَكۡمَامِ (١١) وَٱلۡحَبُّ ذُو ٱلۡعَصۡفِ وَٱلرَّيۡحَانُ (١٢) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (١٣)خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مِن صَلۡصَـٰلٍ۬ كَٱلۡفَخَّارِ (١٤) وَخَلَقَ ٱلۡجَآنَّ مِن مَّارِجٍ۬ مِّن نَّارٍ۬ (١٥) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (١٦) رَبُّ ٱلۡمَشۡرِقَيۡنِ وَرَبُّ ٱلۡمَغۡرِبَيۡنِ (١٧) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (١٨) مَرَجَ ٱلۡبَحۡرَيۡنِ يَلۡتَقِيَانِ (١٩) بَيۡنَہُمَا بَرۡزَخٌ۬ لَّا يَبۡغِيَانِ (٢٠) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٢١) يَخۡرُجُ مِنۡہُمَا ٱللُّؤۡلُؤُ وَٱلۡمَرۡجَانُ (٢٢) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٢٣) وَلَهُ ٱلۡجَوَارِ ٱلۡمُنشَـَٔاتُ فِى ٱلۡبَحۡرِ كَٱلۡأَعۡلَـٰمِ (٢٤) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٢٥)كُلُّ مَنۡ عَلَيۡہَا فَانٍ۬ (٢٦) وَيَبۡقَىٰ وَجۡهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلۡجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلۡإِكۡرَامِ (٢٧) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٢٨) يَسۡـَٔلُهُ ۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ‌ۚ كُلَّ يَوۡمٍ هُوَ فِى شَأۡنٍ۬ (٢٩) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٣٠) سَنَفۡرُغُ لَكُمۡ أَيُّهَ ٱلثَّقَلَانِ (٣١)فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٣٢) يَـٰمَعۡشَرَ ٱلۡجِنِّ وَٱلۡإِنسِ إِنِ ٱسۡتَطَعۡتُمۡ أَن تَنفُذُواْ مِنۡ أَقۡطَارِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَٱنفُذُواْ‌ۚ لَا تَنفُذُونَ إِلَّا بِسُلۡطَـٰنٍ۬ (٣٣) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٣٤)يُرۡسَلُ عَلَيۡكُمَا شُوَاظٌ۬ مِّن نَّارٍ۬ وَنُحَاسٌ۬ فَلَا تَنتَصِرَانِ (٣٥) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٣٦)فَإِذَا ٱنشَقَّتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَكَانَتۡ وَرۡدَةً۬ كَٱلدِّهَانِ (٣٧) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٣٨) فَيَوۡمَٮِٕذٍ۬ لَّا يُسۡـَٔلُ عَن ذَنۢبِهِۦۤ إِنسٌ۬ وَلَا جَآنٌّ۬ (٣٩) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّڪُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٤٠) يُعۡرَفُ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ بِسِيمَـٰهُمۡ فَيُؤۡخَذُ بِٱلنَّوَٲصِى وَٱلۡأَقۡدَامِ (٤١) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٤٢) هَـٰذِهِۦ جَهَنَّمُ ٱلَّتِى يُكَذِّبُ بِہَا ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ (٤٣) يَطُوفُونَ بَيۡنَہَا وَبَيۡنَ حَمِيمٍ ءَانٍ۬ (٤٤) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٤٥)وَلِمَنۡ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ جَنَّتَانِ (٤٦) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٤٧) ذَوَاتَآ أَفۡنَانٍ۬ (٤٨) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٤٩) فِيہِمَا عَيۡنَانِ تَجۡرِيَانِ (٥٠)فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٥١) فِيہِمَا مِن كُلِّ فَـٰكِهَةٍ۬ زَوۡجَانِ (٥٢) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٥٣) مُتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَىٰ فُرُشِۭ بَطَآٮِٕنُہَا مِنۡ إِسۡتَبۡرَقٍ۬‌ۚ وَجَنَى ٱلۡجَنَّتَيۡنِ دَانٍ۬ (٥٤) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٥٥) فِيہِنَّ قَـٰصِرَٲتُ ٱلطَّرۡفِ لَمۡ يَطۡمِثۡہُنَّ إِنسٌ۬ قَبۡلَهُمۡ وَلَا جَآنٌّ۬ (٥٦) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٥٧) كَأَنَّہُنَّ ٱلۡيَاقُوتُ وَٱلۡمَرۡجَانُ (٥٨)فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٥٩) هَلۡ جَزَآءُ ٱلۡإِحۡسَـٰنِ إِلَّا ٱلۡإِحۡسَـٰنُ (٦٠) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٦١) وَمِن دُونِہِمَا جَنَّتَانِ (٦٢) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٦٣) مُدۡهَآمَّتَانِ (٦٤) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٦٥) فِيہِمَا عَيۡنَانِ نَضَّاخَتَانِ (٦٦) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٦٧) فِيہِمَا فَـٰكِهَةٌ۬ وَنَخۡلٌ۬ وَرُمَّانٌ۬ (٦٨) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٦٩) فِيہِنَّ خَيۡرَٲتٌ حِسَانٌ۬ (٧٠) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٧١) حُورٌ۬ مَّقۡصُورَٲتٌ۬ فِى ٱلۡخِيَامِ (٧٢) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٧٣) لَمۡ يَطۡمِثۡہُنَّ إِنسٌ۬ قَبۡلَهُمۡ وَلَا جَآنٌّ۬ (٧٤) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٧٥) مُتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَىٰ رَفۡرَفٍ خُضۡرٍ۬ وَعَبۡقَرِىٍّ حِسَانٍ۬ (٧٦) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٧٧) تَبَـٰرَكَ ٱسۡمُ رَبِّكَ ذِى ٱلۡجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلۡإِكۡرَامِ (٧

Translation

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

1. ((Allah)) Most Gracious!

2. It is He Who has taught the Qur'an.

3. He has created man:

4. He has taught him speech (and intelligence).

5. The sun and the moon follow courses (exactly) computed;

6. And the herbs and the trees - both (alike) bow in adoration.

7. And the Firmament has He raised high, and He has set up the Balance (of Justice),

8. In order that ye may not transgress (due) balance.

9. So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance.

10. It is He Who has spread out the earth for (His) creatures:

11. Therein is fruit and date-palms, producing spathes (enclosing dates);

12. Also corn, with (its) leaves and stalk for fodder, and sweet-smelling plants.

13. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

14. He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery,

15. And He created Jinns from fire free of smoke:

16. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

17. (He is) Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests:

18. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

19. He has let free the two bodies of flowing water, meeting together:

20. Between them is a Barrier which they do not transgress:

21. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

22. Out of them come Pearls and Coral:

23. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

24. And His are the Ships sailing smoothly through the seas, lofty as mountains:

25. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

26. All that is on earth will perish:

27. But will abide (for ever) the Face of thy Lord,- full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour.

28. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

29. Of Him seeks (its need) every creature in the heavens and on earth: every day in (new) Splendour doth He (shine)!

30. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

31. Soon shall We settle your affairs, O both ye worlds!

32. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

33. O ye assembly of Jinns and men! If it be ye can pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, pass ye! not without authority shall ye be able to pass!

34. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

35. On you will be sent (O ye evil ones twain!) a flame of fire (to burn) and a smoke (to choke): no defence will ye have:

36. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

37. When the sky is rent asunder, and it becomes red like ointment:

38. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

39. On that Day no question will be asked of man or Jinn as to his sin.

40. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

41. (For) the sinners will be known by their marks: and they will be seized by their forelocks and their feet.

42. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

43. This is the Hell which the Sinners deny:

44. In its midst and in the midst of boiling hot water will they wander round!

45. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

46. But for such as fear the time when they will stand before (the Judgment Seat of) their Lord, there will be two Gardens-

47. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

48. Containing all kinds (of trees and delights);-

49. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

50. In them (each) will be two Springs flowing (free);

51. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

52. In them will be Fruits of every kind, two and two.

53. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

54. They will recline on Carpets, whose inner linings will be of rich brocade: the Fruit of the Gardens will be near (and easy of reach).

55. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

56. In them will be (Maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched;-

57. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

58. Like unto Rubies and coral.

59. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

60. Is there any Reward for Good - other than Good?

61. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

62. And besides these two, there are two other Gardens,-

63. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

64. Dark-green in colour (from plentiful watering).

65. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

66. In them (each) will be two Springs pouring forth water in continuous abundance:

67. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

68. In them will be Fruits, and dates and pomegranates:

69. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

70. In them will be fair (Companions), good, beautiful;-

71. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

72. Companions restrained (as to their glances), in (goodly) pavilions;-

73. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

74. Whom no man or Jinn before them has touched;-

75. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

76. Reclining on green Cushions and rich Carpets of beauty.

77. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

78. Blessed be the name of thy Lord, full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour.

[for linked study see the link on 01-Suray Fateh "Word by Word Analysis"

See also

References

External links

Exegesis of Surah Rahman

Read Surah Ar-Rahman in many languages www.SearchTruth.com

Rahman Rahman

ar:سورة الرحمن az:Rəhman surəsi bs:Er-Rahman fa:الرحمن hi:अर-रहमान id:Surah Ar-Rahman ku:Rehman ml:റഹ്‌മാൻ mzn:الرحمان ms:Surah Ar-Rahman nl:Soera De Erbarmer ce:Сура Къинхетамениг ps:سورة الرحمن pt:Ar-Rahman ru:Сура Ар-Рахман sl:Usmiljeni (sura) sv:Ar-Rahman tr:Rahman Suresi ur:الرحمٰن