Attitudes towards race, colour and gender are constantly changing depending on time and place. People holding lofty ideals in the past have sometimes left records that today appear regressive. Autobiographical jottings flesh them out. I read one such piece of writing recently. Chinna Annamalai...
Titles bestow special status on Tamil film actors. Having a title is a sign that the star has arrived: Makkal Thilagam MGR, Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan, Super Star Rajinikanth, Ulaga Nayagan Kamal Haasan. In 2001, when he was 30 years old, Ultimate Star Ajith Kumar became Thala when his...
Among this year’s Padma Shri awardees from Tamil Nadu is VK Munusamy, a self taught terracotta artiste. His creations include a 21 foot terracotta figure of Periyasamy that took him seven months to complete. It will be consecrated this January. Fifty-year old Munuswamy who has got the UNESCO...
Ever wondered why so many Latin words are found in English. All the botanical names are in Latin. Ad hoc, Habeas Corpus, Stat; the terminologies we use in official, legal and medical fields are all Latin. Latin acts as the root for many words in European languages. The major European languages...
SG Kittappa is a legendary figure in the music world. His extraordinarily dexterous voice sent listeners into a rapture. His early death gave him a legendary status. But, even legends have teachers and their stories can illuminate, too. Kittappa’s teacher was Mariappasamy, whom the people...
When Kamal Haasan announced he got Corona, Bigg Boss viewers were among the most concerned. Kamal had provided a certain intellectual veneer, even gravitas, to the reality show. They were wondering what would happen to it without him. The show’s main attraction may be the voyeuristic pleasure...
Sai Teja is no yogi but he did surrender to the unknown power behind the universe and found that the power is indeed there to help him complete a journey just as Paramahamsa Yogananda described in The Autobiography of a Yogi. Here’s how Sai Teja did it. He set off on a cross country cycling...
Simbu is one of the imponderables of Tamil cinema. His movies are rare and they are not always hits. Yet, every movie release of his comes with a buzz and gets talked about. Simbu has had many comebacks in his career. He changes tack in the characters he portrays to stay relevant. Simbu has...
Actor Vadivelu is the ready reckoner and source for any meme creator. He has dealt with all the ridiculous, absurd things that happen in our daily lives. The tomato can hit the rock bottom in prices one week but soon climb up to compete with gold. Not too long back, farmers dumped tomatoes on...
Hakki Pikki is a semi-nomadic tribe that roamed around the entire country. The community originated in North India but is mostly found in South Indian states. In Karnataka, they are called Hakki Pikki, meaning bird catchers, while they are also called Nakkavando in Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil...
