At the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples celebrated near Mumbai recently, the cynosure of all eyes was the parade of adivasis: The most striking feature about them was that the clothes and hats they wore and the musical instruments they played were all made up of palm leaves....
Tamil Nadu abounds in festivals marked by various food items depending on the geographical and cultural features of the regions. The Kongu region comprising Salem, Erode, Dharmapuri, Namakkal and Tirupur celebrates the advent of the Tamil month ‘Aadi’ with a dish made of burnt coconut. This...
In Tamil Nadu, the very mention of soft - or cool - drinks brings back to mind goli soda. Time was when goli soda was served to guests at home as a token of honour. Post-Independence, the industry expanded. But after the advent of the foreign soft drinks companies in the local market, the goli...
There is a growing perception that healthy food, exercise and a stress-free mind are the key to full-fledged well-being, says Dr Sivaraman, a leading practitioner of the Siddha system of medicine. The doctor shared his insights gained from participating a path-breaking global seminar on...
Barely a month after the Tamil Nadu government stated in the Assembly that there had been no hooch tragedies in the state for 14 years, two incidents of illicit liquor, claiming 22 lives so far have put paid to these official claims. The two simultaneous incidents were reported from Villupuram...
It was artist C. Kondaiah Raju (1898-1976), who, in his portraits, infused life into several Hindu gods and goddesses and made them part of several temples and households. He was one of the few famous painters such as Raja Ravi Varma. Born to Kuppusamy Raju-Alamelu Mangammal in Chennai in 1898,...
The Kerala government has planned a year-long event to commemorate the centenary of Vaikom Satyagraha, which took place March 30, 1924 - November 23, 1925. The historic agitation was launched with the prominent demand to open the streets around the Lord Shiva Temple in Vaikom in the Kingdom of...
A solar-powered millet milling machine has brought rays of sunshine to the lives of the people living in a tribal-dominated village, who are happy that the machine has mitigated their difficulties in food preparation. Kathirimalai located in the Anthiyur area of Erode district is home to 75...
There has been a rising trend of tribal people from other states being brought into Tamil Nadu and forced to labour for long hours and low wages in work such as sugarcane harvesting. The Tamil Nadu government has been urged to act against bonded labour and provide proper facilities to the...
The Oscar award for The Elephant Whisperers, a documentary short film, is a global tribute to the tribal people living in harmony with nature and wildlife in the Nilgiris. The film tells the life story of the couple Bomman and Bellie of the Kattunayakan tribe, who work at an elephant care...
