Had mixed answers about whether or not I needed to learn the local language spoken in Chennai which is Tamil.  Thought I would get my feet wet by searching online for Tamil lessons, and all I found was written Tamil lessons    Do not really want to read or write the language, just want to speak it.   So, a friend of a friend is tutoring me long distance.  Got my first lesson today via email with a bunch of words and sentences which I will hopefully be able to learn soon.   Practice will help greatly!   Some people have told me English is spoken almost everywhere in Chennai, but I think to truly assimilate I need to learn, so when time permits I’m taking Tamil 101.