It only cost Rs 200, said Ashok Kumar, pointing to the framed photo of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Ashok Kumar was proud that he was able to get hold of it. It had been the last such photo available at the nearby shop. All others had been sold out on Kalam’s death anniversary, July 27. That evening,...
To be distinct in any sphere of activity is everyone’s dream. But that goal requires a lifelong commitment with the stamp of originality and individuality. For that, constant training and perseverance hold the key. Of a multitude of people striving towards the goal, only a few scale the peak....
Even though archaeological excavations have been conducted in various parts of India since the Independence, archaeology remained a subject confined to researchers and scholars until a decade ago. However, things have changed today. The popularity of social networking sites and formation of...
Thou shall not … The Speaker of the Assembly has the right to decide whether the Members' words spoken inside the Assembly can be recorded in the Assembly proceedings. These unparliamentary words should not cause aspersions, be derogatory, not suitable to be uttered and generally slanderous....
This year marks the birth centenary of writer P.V. Akilandam, aka Akilan, who was the first Tamil writer to be honoured with the Jnanpith Award in 1975 for his novel Chithirapavai, Akilan was born June 27 in 1922 in Karur, his mother’s hometown. His father was from Perungalur of Pudukottai...
Art thief Subhash Kapoor's case, in the fall of 2011, sheds light on how many Indian artefacts on display in museums across the world, including idols from temples in Tamil Nadu, were stolen. Some of the most well known of such stolen idols include those in museums in Australia, the US, the UK...
Statues of the Tamil poet, nationalist and freedom-fighter Subramania Bharati (1882-1921), or Bharatiyar as he is known to Tamils, have been erected in many parts of India as well as abroad. Barring a couple, most of these statues are stereotypical, particularly when it comes to the expression...
Therukoothu is alive and kicking -- at least in some places during the Tamil months of Aani and Aadi. Therukoothu themes are often the smaller stories of the Mahabharatha, the nuggets that are spicy and carry a message. Therukoothu is typically performed through the night during village...
Caraka, the extraordinary physician and the author of Caraka Samhita, an ancient treatise of Ayurveda, is believed to have lived during the time of the Kushan empire that flourished in today’s north India between 200 BC and AD100. Being one of the three foundational texts of Ayurveda (the other...
Droupadi Murmu, who is from the Santhal tribe in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, is the presidential candidate of the BJP. Her candidature has facilitated Biju Janata Dal support which is crucial for the BJP to get 50% of the electoral college votes needed to make her win. Odisha has a rich...
