Startups have become the talk of the town. Recently, Chennai-based Startup Pepul raised Rs 10 crore investment through seed funding. PayTm founder Vijay Shankar Sharma and Freshworks founder Girish Mathrabootham were prominent investors. PayTm and Freshworks are also startups which succeeded in...
The Tamil Nadu government’s initiative to make a Tamil paper mandatory in the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) examinations is quite welcome, says Ilakkuvanar Thiruvalluvan, president, Tamil Protection Association. But more should be done, he says, suggesting the inclusion of the...
Tamil Nadu has a long history of opposition to Hindi imposition. Every now and then, a controversy breaks out about the central government’s attempts to impose Hindi. It is worthwhile recalling an essay written by writer R Narayanaswamy, aka Karichan Kunju, in the publication, Annam Vidum...
How do we describe a startup in simple terms? It’s a business venture with an innovative business model which is instrumental in scaling it up. Swiggy or Zomato are basically logistics firms that are effectively using technology like geo-informatics, mobile technology and banking to their...
The Tamil Nadu government has the history of nationalizing books of prominent authors, scholars and political leaders from the state. Recently, the works of late general secretary of the DMK, K. Anbazhagan were nationalized marking his birth centenary. The works of the late Dravidian movement...
While MK Stalin's leadership has given new life to the DMK after the death of M Karunanidhi, the AIADMK is in far worse shape after the loss of Jayalalithaa. The Dravidian parties have fashioned a politics based on welfare and mobilization of the under-priveleged. How relevant is that politics...
The ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’ (hymn in praise of the Mother Tamil) was penned by Manonmaniam P. Sundaranar in the preface to his poetic drama ‘Manonmaniam’ published in 1891. The Karanthai Tamil Sangam demanded that the song, “neeraarum kadaluduththa nilamadanthai” (the earth personified as a woman...
The seller quoted a price of Rs 35,000. Girish may have been just 27 years old and looked white collar. But he knew the game. He relentlessly beat down the price without budging. He sensed that it was late evening and the seller must be eager to empty his inventory. When the price seemed about...
Tea is as much a Tamil drink though of foreign origins. Tea came from China originally. The British introduced it in a big way here inadvertently. They wanted tea for themselves and grew them in other colonies in plantations. British imperialism, being what it was, didn’t think twice about the...
Sexual violence against children is still a taboo subject for conversation. It is a vicious circle where the child is victimized twice. Parents don’t want to talk about it. Perpetrators go unpunished. Professor A Mangai’s new play Ulluram (strength within) talks about sexual violence against...
