Strong Interactions In The 21st Century
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai
10-12 February, 2010
Venue
The meeting will be held in the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). TIFR is at the extreme western end of the Homi Bhabha Road, which is in Navy Nagar, Colaba. The institute is on the left hand side of the road as you come down it. Please show your identification card at the main gate. The meeting will be held in the ground floor of the main institute building.
Here is a plan of the institute .
Visa for foreign citizens
Most non-Indians will require a visa to enter the country. Please check with the Indian consulate in your country to find out about the visa requirements. Sometimes getting the visa can be time-consuming, so it is advisable to apply well in advance. If you need an invitation letter, or any other help regarding visa, contact us at strong2010@theory.tifr.res.in..
Reaching TIFR
From Airports:Pre-paid taxi service is available at both international and domestic airport. Stalls for prepaid taxis are located inside the terminus building. To come to TIFR, you should give "Navy Nagar, Colaba" as your destination. Both airconditioned and non-airconditioned taxis are available. Non-AC taxis to the institute will cost around Rs. 400 from the International airport and around Rs. 300 from the domestic one, during regular hours (5AM to midnight). An extra nighttime charge, about 25% of the fare, is applicable in other times. AC taxis will be about 30-40% more expensive.
Taxi rates from the airport to your hotel should be similar, probably slightly less. You can also get regular taxis outside the terminus (the amount shown on the meter has to be multiplied by a factor of about 14 to compute the cost of your trip). Other, private taxi services, like meru cabs, are also available from the airport. These are slightly cheaper than the pre-paid AC taxis.
Trafic conditions are unpredictable and it may take upwards of 90 minutes to reach the institute from the airport in busy hours. It may be faster to take the sealink (you have to mention to the taxi driver that you would like to take the sealink route), but you will have to pay an additional toll tax of Rs. 50.
As mentioned above, in order to take a taxi to the institute, please specify that you want to go to "Navy Nagar, Colaba". A landmark known to all taxi drivers is the Navy Nagar bus terminus (better known as "last stop of bus number 3") which is on Homi Bhabha Road just before the institute. The only other bus terminus in Navy Nagar is called the R.C. Church bus terminus: if you reach this then you should ask the taxi to look for the other terminus. In south Bombay most taxi drivers would know "TIFR", but if they don't then the above two directions work. Parts of Navy Nagar are closed to the public; the guards at the closure points would be able to give directions to the institute (known as "TIFR").
From Train Stations:There are no prepaid taxi services at the train stations, but taxis are readily available. If you are coming to TIFR, tell the taxi that you want to go to "Navy Nagar, Colaba". Non-AC taxis to TIFR should cost around Rs. 100 from Mumbai Central railway station, about Rs. 60 from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Mumbai CST), about Rs. 150 from Dadar or Kurla stations. Most taxis will have an old meter, and the taxi driver should have a chart for conversion of the number in the meter to the fare in Rs.(it is roughly a multiplicative factor of about 14). Newer taxis, with electronic meters, will show the fare directly.
If your train has Dadar, Kurla or Mumbai Central as final stops, you can also take a local train (a local ticket is necessary) to reach Churchgate or CST stations, which are the stations closest to TIFR. A taxi from Churchgate to TIFR will cost you about Rs. 40.
From Churchgate or CST stations, you can also take a bus to reach the institute. See below for the bus services.
Getting around: Taxis
Most of the Mumbai taxis are typical black and yellow Padmini Fiat. As mentioned above, taxi fare is controlled by meter. Most taxis will have an old meter, and the taxi driver should have a chart for conversion of the number in the meter to the fare in Rs.(it is roughly a multiplicative factor of about 14). Newer taxis, with electronic meters, will show the fare directly. Private AC taxi services, such as Meru cab (022-4422-4422) are also available by calling them in advance (022-4422-4422). Information regarding such taxi services are available here .
Taxis to the TIFR from hotels in south Bombay would cost around Rs. 50 and take under 30 minutes of commuting time at peak hours (significantly less at other times).
Getting around: Buses
TIFR is in close proximity of Navy Nagar bus terminus operated by BEST.
Here's a
wonderful tool for checking out routes.
The TIFR bus route could pass close to
your hotel.
Bus routes 3, 6 Ltd, 11 Ltd and 125 go from Mumbai CST to the Navy Nagar
bus terminus. Bus number 125 comes to TIFR directly from Mumbai Central.
From Churchgate you can get Bus number 137 to reach TIFR. To go to Colaba shopping places you can take any of these routes from TIFR.
For planning further travel inside Mumbai using the public transport network, try out an useful automated tool.
Weather
Bombay never gets very cold. In February the temperature is expected to be in the high 20s-low 30s. However, lecture rooms are air-conditioned and you may need warm clothes! Rain is very unlikely.
Network access
Wireless network access is available at all times in lecture room and its environs.
Currency and tipping
Currency can be exchanged at the airport and at various places in south Bombay (ask your hotel reception for the most convenient locations). Retain your exchange receipt; you'll need it if you want to convert rupees back into another currency at the end of the stay. Currency exchange is not possible in TIFR. Credit cards are accepted at most larger restaurants and shops. There are many ATM locations in Colaba including one inside TIFR.
Tips are not expected for taxis. Tips are expected in restaurants, and 10% is considered to be generous.
Other information on TIFR, Mumbai and India
Information on TIFR : www.tifr.res.in
The nearest interesting hangouts are in Colaba (Homi Bhabha Road is at the extreme southern end).
There are several web-sites which provide information about Mumbai. We recommend the following:
About Mumbai
http://theory.tifr.res.in/bombay/
Information for a relaxing evening:
http://theory.tifr.res.in/bombay/leisure/BoRe
Kala Ghoda arts festival during conference days :
Conference days will overlap with the famous " Kala Ghoda arts festival" of Mumbai. Program of this festival is available here.TIFR Surroundings
TIFR is situated within a Naval Settlement, though it is accessible through an unrestricted public road. However, photography is not permitted, and you are not allowed to sneak into some of the surrounding areas without proper ID.
Travelling in India
If you are planning to travel within India before/after the conference,
you may want to look at
www.incredibleindia.org for
information. India has a vast
railway network, besides many commercial airlines, and Mumbai has a
central position in both these networks. Information about the trains, including reservations, can be obtained from the Indian Railways page. Flight reservations can be made
from portals like www.makemytrip.com, www.travelguru.com, www.yatra.com etc. (we are not affiliated with any of these),
besides the web pages of the individual airlines.
