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Perarivalan case judgment bolsters federalism: Lawyer
The Supreme Court judgment in the Perarivalan case has important implications for the relationship between the state and central governments as well as in defining the powers of the state government and how much discretion the Governor has. On May 22, the Supreme...
Better Tamil Nadu
Ramanathapuram high achiever becomes doctor
D Ilakkiya, who studied at the Elite School initiated by former Ramanathapuram collector K Nandakumar, is now a doctor after scoring 100% in three subjects in Class 12. Elite school is a special government school for high performers in Ramanathapuram. Ilakkiya’s father Dhakshinamoorthy runs a...
How cruel dog owners play a dirty trick on Blue Cross of India
Every day, the Blue Cross of India in Chennai receives calls from pet parents who want to ‘donate’ their dogs or cats to the institution, which rescues and rehabilitates orphaned, abandoned and disabled stray animals. When the volunteers deny their request, they get offended. In the dead of the...
Burn victim: Fire burned her face, not zest for life
As a burn victim, Nivetha had to drop out of polytechnic where she was studying. But she returned after two and half years to finish her course. She then did BE through lateral entry after which she got an IT job through campus placement. Instead of taking it up, Nivetha joined the hospital...
For this gynecologist, saving lives counts, not keeping count
When healthcare has become a lucrative profession, Dr Ruby Samuel, a gynecologist, believes in old-world values and ideals of service Healthcare is increasingly a commodity that only those who can spend can get it. When modern medicine spread some 50 years ago, it was still a service. Those who...
Justice denied: How TN blacklists champion swimmer
Tanuja is a champion swimmer. The 15-year-old girl has aced district- and state-level competitions but she is not qualified to go to the nationals. She is Tamil but from Sri Lanka. As a refugee, she is disqualified from normal life and aspirations since she doesn’t have citizenship. Jayakumar...
Opinion
‘How DMK govt is to be blamed for power cuts, not Delhi’
Rolling power cuts are what many recall about the 2006-11 DMK regime. Eighteen-hour power cuts were not too unusual at that time. Power cuts of April of this year only served to bring back those memories. What happened last month owes to legacy issues in the state but...
Why Sri Lanka crisis is an opportunity for Tamils there
As the Sri Lanka crisis intensifies, the agitation against the Rajapaksas has started yielding results. The Rajapaksas are unable to digest that the people who backed them have lost faith in them. Dictators and those who don’t go by democratic norms use violence to...
Whither Dalit political leadership?
Noted film director Pa Ranjith has been talked about a bit in the Tamil social media – context, his hosting a conference in Madurai recently to celebrate the Dalit identity. A few claimed that he was cutting across sectarian identities and hence could indeed provide a...
Mathi Memes
Mathi Memes: He can’t act, he can’t dance. Yet Ajith’s Valimai is a smash hit
Actress Khushbu was referring to the reception to Ajith's film Valimai. In what seemed like a mix of admiration and envy, she tweeted in Tamil: “Only you [Ajith Kumar] draw such crowds.” On Wednesday (Feb 24) evening, at a theatre in Thoothukudi, there was a large...
Editor’s Pick
What the new Chennai MTC bus app does and what it does not
The Chennai bus app does work fairly well on certain basic aspects but could be more user-friendly. Using the app, the next MTC bus on your route can now be spotted on a mobile phone, sparing the commuter the frustrating guessing game of whether there is any bus coming. Look for Chennai Bus by...
The real meaning of sedition in Tamil Nadu
Before Independence, tor the British, sedition meant Indians working against the colonial government while in Tamil Nadu now the real meaning of sedition is democratic criticism of the government. The Tamil Nadu government has not baulked at charging critics of the administration with sedition,...
Vikram 1.0 was new, novel. Will 2.0 be a tired cliché?
Vikram was the coolest Tamil movie of the 1980s. We knew India made rockets that went into space. But the rocket in Vikram could be used to attack other countries. It could even carry a nuclear weapon. Really? India in the mid-1980s made missiles? India had nuclear weapons? Cool! The Buddha...
Pattina Pravesam ritual: Demeaning or sacred tradition?
Pattina Pravesam ritual is the practice of carrying a revered saint, usually the head of a monastery or mutt, in a palanquin as a mark of respect to the guru by his or her followers. Typically, after a pooja to the guru is done, the guru is carried on a palanquin around the mutt, across the...
Time to take lessons on temple car safety from Tiruvarur
Eleven people died recently near Thanjavur when a temple (mutt) car grazed against high tension power cables and got electrocuted. The car lost its way a bit, having faced navigation problems. A few days later, at the Uttarapathiswarar temple in Tiruchengottangudi in Nagapattinam district, the...
Politics
Modi’s Chennai visit: How some from TN facilitated his rise
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Chennai visit may be a time to recall the roles that some Tamils played in his ascent in national politics. Modi may have found little support among Tamil voters despite the BJP’s best efforts. But, individually,...
When a journalist reminisces, a world opens up
A journalist get so many experiences in the process of gathering news. But those experiences rarely get recorded. They go unnoticed though they can reveal a world of information that is not always apparent. Some editors unveil the inside story...
Sri Lankan PM the go-to man for economy rescue
The new Sri Lankan PM is the man many Lankans love to hate – the enigmatic Ranil Wickremesinghe. He was sworn in as the Prime Minister for a record sixth time yesterday by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Wickremesinghe is the Leader of the United...
As Gotabaya Rajapaksa climbs down, will army take power?
On May 11, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa told his countrymen that he is ready to talk about removing the Presidential form of government. He promised to give more powers to Parliament and facilitate a national government this week. Once the new...
YPP and its seven champions of hope
Arjun and Rishi are two young digital creators from structurally excluded communities living in the stigmatised regions of north Chennai. Even though both owned a smartphone each, their devices had only basic features. The duo knew their limitations, but they...
Culture
Egmore museum is dead, let’s revive it!
The Madras Museum can be the pride of Tamil Nadu. With its vast collection and resources such as an in-house high-quality conservation laboratory, it could offer an interesting, educative, fun and immersive experience. For people of Tamil Nadu...
Son donates book collection of writer Sa Kandasamy to library
Just like other writers, Sa Kandasamy left behind a vast collection of books when he died. What will happen to the books of a writer’s personal collection after his death? In most cases, they will end up in stalls that sell second-hand books, if...
Kashmir and Tamil Nadu, an ancient link
Was there any cultural link between Jammu & Kashmir, the northernmost state of India and Tamil Nadu, the southernmost? Yes, according to young research scholar Prathik Murali. "Kashmir was a centre for the study of philosophy having close...
Azhagar Kovil festival: Inclusive, promoting social harmony
Chithirai festival is celebrated all over Tamil Nadu but the event at Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple and Azhagar Kovil stand out. After a break imposed by the lockdown, this year the festival was celebrated recently in a grand manner amidst...
Palm products: The cultural pilgrimage of a priest
The palm tree and its products are intrinsic to Tamil culture. Endowed with roots that go deep and hold groundwater, the palm tree takes 15 years to grow and mature. The young palm tree is called Vadali in Tamil. The palm tree is a food bearing life form. It is a...
Food
Plant-based meat: Just a pricey lifestyle choice?
Plant-based meats refer to food products that mimic animal meat products. The eating experience and taste are equivalent to consuming meat. They appear like meat too. They may also be called “fake” meats, “meat alternatives,” or “vegan meats.” A...
Traditional rice varieties Tamil Nadu: In tune with the times
The traditional rice varieties of Tamil Nadu are seeing a renewal in interest (click here and here for more on this). This article summarizes the scientific aspects. Rice is India’s pre-eminent crop and is the staple food of the people of...
Why only trained, knowledgeable cooks should make shawarma
Shawarma is one of the most popular Middle East foods. Its vertical cooking style cooks the meat in its melting fat. Although vertical cooking of meat was introduced by the chefs of Ottoman Empire, it was Iskender Effendi, a Turkish man, who...
Banana leaves: Tasty, traditional and healthy
Banana leaves have been an integral part of desi food and traditions. They offer health benefits, help farmers and meet ecological needs. Apart from just serving as a leafy plate, banana leaves are also used for cooking and wrapping as well. The...
Organic certification: Decoding the true nature of produce
Organic certification is a must to ensure quality but the costs are prohibitive for small producers. There has been a growing awareness of the need for producing food without using chemicals. Alternatives to farming that uses chemical fertilizers and pesticides are...
Civic Issues
What the Perungudi fire says about our garbage system
The fire in Perungudi dumping yard that started on April 27 and raged for five days literally brought to light the state of garbage collection and disposal in the city. The waterbody in the dumping yard that turned pink due to the leeching of toxic pollutants has...
Local businesses: Can Annachi take on Amazon?
The quiet launch of ONDC, or Open National Digital Commerce platform, in five cities including Coimbatore to help local businesses and even mom and pop stores open online storefronts is the Union government’s bid to curb the power of giants such as Amazon and...
Environment
Can Tamil Nadu coast survive deadly wet bulb temperature?
The buzz around wet bulb temperature has reached the Coromandel coast with cyclone Asani turning out to be only a brief interlude. The heat wave that has swept many parts of India in recent days, surpassing previously recorded peaks in April and May of 2010, has...
TN Green Climate Company: Matching performance with promise
Tamil Nadu recently became a major State dedicating itself to strong action on climate change. It set up the Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013, with an authorised capital of Rs 5 crore, to implement specific missions on...
Sports
Yellow jersey, leadership, template: Dhoni returns as captain
Mahendra Singh Dhoni returned as captain for CSK's game against SRH and took us on a nostalgia trip with his insights about the game, his future, leadership and that enigmatic smile after the win. Before the game had even started the talk was about the return of...
T Natarajan and his cosmic dance in the death overs
T Natarajan has become a beast reincarnate. From a yorker specialist to a speedy, skiddy, reliable death bowler, Natarajan has developed his game post injury concerns. Though in the Wednesday, April 28 game against Gujarat Titans, Natarajan went wicketless, stats...
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