Tamil Nadu was one of the pioneering states to implement beggar rehabilitation programmes. Among the flagship programmes of the DMK government in the 70s was the beggar rehabilitation programme. What is the status of such programmes in Tamil Nadu now? During an assembly session in July 2019,...
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...
YouTuber Blue Sattai Maran made a name for himself by skewering Tamil movies. When Elamaran's movie, Anti Indian, was released, it was expected trolls would take delight in skewering it. But Maran has come out relatively unscathed with his dignity intact. Given his record of rubbishing...
Two years ago, A Saravanakumar from Madurai had to take a tough call as a bibliophile. His love of books was so much that his natural inclination was to collect, not sell. But he needed money to fund his son's medicine studies and so decided to sell his collection of 4,000 rare books. And, it...
This week we celebrate Rajinikanth whose birthday is a cause for joy for lakhs of people. inmathi.com has generally been critical of him. We attacked him for suddenly becoming pro-government before every movie release of his. We concluded he does this to wangle tax concessions for the tickets...
Kani tribes learned many skills by keenly observing nature. Ants and dragonflies in forests were their teachers. Those skills got expression in their art, customs and traditions. But the march of modernity has disrupted the lives of Kanis. Their art forms have nearly vanished. The customs and...
Two incidents rocked the Tamil film industry recently. One was the audio release function of Enna Solla Pogirai starring Ashwin, the anchor of Vijay TV’s show, Cooku With Comali. Speaking in the event, Ashwin coolly said he listened to some 40 movie story pitches from directors and they all put...
It is a small venture with a sound message. Forty-seven-year-old P Chinmayanandham from Madurai heard stories about unmanned shops in Russia while he was a boy. He has decided to give this old tale a shape. Two weeks ago, Chinmayananandam started an honesty shop where people can pick groceries...
Languages evolve and spread when a common cultural norm is created among communities due to social cohesion. This is true of all languages and of Tamil also. No one person or community can claim ownership for the creation and diffusion of languages over time. One may have passion towards a...
On the first Sunday of every month, an audience assembles on the outskirts of Mangaluru in Karnataka as early as 6 am. They come to attend the concert titled ‘Udaya Raga’ (morning raga) conducted by the Mani Krishnaswami Academy at Surathkal. And, the venue is not a concert hall but the...
