Hot and Dense Matter
in the RHIC-LHC Era
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai
12-14 February, 2008
Venue
The meeting will be held in the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. 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. The meeting will be held in the ground floor of the main institute building.
The registration desk will be in the foyer of the Homi Bhabha Auditorium and will be open from 9:00 AM on 12 February. The talks are scheduled in room AG 69 in the ground floor of the main building. The poster session will be held in the foyer of the Homi Bhabha Auditorium. Lunch will be served in the paved area behind the Homi Bhabha Auditorium.
Here is a plan of the insitute.
Physics program
The physics program will consist of talks and a poster session as announced in the schedule. Please hand over your talks in electronic form to the conference sysadmin during the break before your session. Those who are presenting posters should also hand in electronic copies to the sysadmin. All these will be made available on the web as soon as possible.
For those who have talks on plastic, there are transparency projectors as well. If you give a transparency talk, please bring a pdf for inclusion in the web proceedings of the workshop.
Weather
Bombay never gets very cold. In February the temperature is expected to be in the mid or low 30's. However, the air conditioning in the institute makes sure that you do not miss the winter. Be prepared for significantly lower temperatures inside the lecture rooms. Rain is very unlikely.
Network access
Wireless network access is available at all times in lecture hall AG 69 and its environs. Wired access has been arranged in the lobby of the Homi Bhabha Auditorium. This area will be open during regular working hours only.
Unfortunately, cell phone reception for the Airtel and Dolphin networks is good inside and in the vicinity of the lecture rooms. Please make sure that your phones are on silent mode during the meeting.
Getting around: taxis
Taxis to the institute will cost around Rs. 350 from the airport, Rs. 100 from Mumbai Central railway station, Rs. 60 from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Mumbai CST), Rs. 50 from the Ritz hotel, and under Rs. 40 from Colaba (the amount shown on the meter has to be multiplied by a factor of about 14 to compute the cost of your trip). Traffic conditions are unpredictable; allow 20--25 minutes for travel by taxi between the hotels and the institute, about 90 minutes to the airport and about 30 minutes to the railway stations.
In order to take a taxi to the institute from the airport or the railway stations specify that you want to get 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").
Getting around: arrival by train
Bus routes 3, 6 Ltd, 11 Ltd and 125 go from Mumbai CST to the Navy Nagar bus terminus. At Mumbai CST cross through the suburban railway station to arrive at the bus stops. Make sure that the bus you take goes all the way to "Navy Nagar" (some buses on these routes stop at "Electric House" or "Colaba Bus Station" — the destination is mentioned outside the bus).
Bus number 125 comes to TIFR directly from Mumbai Central; exit away from the suburban railway station for this bus. It is also possible to take a local train to Churchgate station. Then come out through the western exit, get to the main road (Veer Nariman Road) and take bus number 137 to "Navy Nagar" from the Churchgate side of the road. This is much faster than taking the 125 all the way.
If you arrive at Dadar central station, then cross over to the western local station and take the train to Churchgate. At Churchgate take bus number 137 as explained above. From Dadar you can also take the central line to Mumbai CST and then buses 3, 6 Ltd, 11 Ltd or 125 as explained above.
If you arrive at Bandra terminus, get to the western rail network, arrive at Churchgate and take 137 as explained above. If you arrive at the Kurla terminus (Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak terminus), walk across to the local station, take the train to Mumbai CST and then buses 3, 6 Ltd, 11 Ltd or 125 as explained above.
Getting around: from Mumbai Central to YWCA
The train from Jaipur arrives at Mumbai Central Station. Bus numbers 43, 44 and 47 from Mumbai Central Station terminate at Dr. S. P. Mukherji Chowk (near the museum). Alight at the terminus, and follow the map in this page. A taxi would cost around Rs. 90.
Getting around: from hotels to TIFR
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). Buses are available: here's a wonderful tool for checking out routes. The TIFR bus route could pass close to your hotel.
Getting around in Mumbai
For planning further travel inside Mumbai using the public transport network, try out an useful automated tool. Boats to Elephanta island leave every hour from the jettys at the Gateway of India. The most recent issue of "Time Out Mumbai" is a good investment if you want to figure out how to spend the long leisure hours.
Refreshments, lunch and dinner
During breaks coffee and tea will be served in the terrace outside the west canteen. Lunch will be served in the terrace behind the Homi Bhabha auditorium: you'll need the lunch coupons in your registration bag for this. Dinner is available between 7 PM and 8 PM in the east canteen for those who are interested. Bombay has a wide variety of good restaurants. A partial list of restaurants in south Bombay is available here.
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.
Tips are not expected for taxis. Tips are expected in restaurants, and 10% is considered to be generous.
Maps
The nearest interesting hangouts are in Colaba (Homi Bhabha Road is at the extreme southern end). Here is a plan of the institute (the meeting will be held in the block marked AB in the plan). Here is a map of the route taken by the TIFR bus.