Difficult to say whether Jawaharlal Nehru was indeed the progenitor of political dynasties in India. Well, yes, he did acquiesce to his daughter’s election as president of the Congress party and also allowed her enough leeway to bring down the Communist-led Kerala government. Indira Gandhi did...
The BJP victory in Gujarat was of course widely expected, but the scale took everyone by surprise. Despite Morbi, corruption charges and all-round inefficiency, the party was returned to power with an increased number of seats in the assembly, topped up by a higher vote share than last time....
Many observers heap praise on Rahul Gandhi’s character, calling him very humane and eminently decent. I too would like to think he is, but am afraid there’s a blind spot – the Lankan Tamil issue, more particularly when it comes to those convicted of assassinating his father. He just would not...
I have written enough on Thol Thirumavalavan, prominent Dalit leader from Tamil Nadu. I would not have been tempted to write another but for dear friend N Ravi Kumar’s portrayal in these columns recently. The account seeks to portray Thirumavalavan as a great crusader for secularism and claims...
Periyar is there on the bookshelves or as a statue on street corners. So all is right with the world, almost… That I think neatly sums up the Dravidian model. Going through the endless proclamations on the strides made by Tamil Nadu under the leadership of the Dravidian movement, one is struck...
Is MK Stalin more committed to secularism than his late lamented father? We can begin to believe so, though our own instincts might rebel against such ‘hasty’ judgments. Secularism is under existential threat in the entire country at the moment. Only a few opposition Chief Ministers stand...
The Sri Lanka - China relationship reminds us of the world of Charles Dickens: Oliver Twist asked for more, everyone was shocked, and he was duly punished. But today the crisis-ridden Sri Lanka knocks at the door of China yet again and asks for a lot more - -- “Sri Lanka has asked China to help...
As Savukku Shankar lurches from one tryst with law to another, as a friend of yesteryears, I can wish him well alright, but am also nagged by an uncomfortable feeling that the contempt proceedings against him in the Madras High Court is not going to end well at all, either for him or for the...
Former minister and AIADMK Organizing Secretary Ponnaiyan seems to have created a stir within his party with his strident attack on the BJP. He has charged the latter with trying to gobble up its ally and declared that its growth would “not augur well for the AIADMK, Tamil Nadu or Dravidian...
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 refreshingly new...
