While Madras went to bed early, Chennai stays up

From closing up about 9 p.m. to queuing up for a plate of biriyani around 3 a.m., the city has come a long way; pubs emerged in the 1980s, and following an IT boom and a growing night-shift workforce in the late 90s, tea shops stayed open, eateries mushroomed, and sports facilities and gyms extended their hours, keeping the city alive at night