In its brutality, sickness of intent, execution, and the profile of the victim and the murderer, the two murders are not very dissimilar. The reaction to Swathi’s murder in June, 2016, was immediate and visceral. It seemed to...
Among the mega stars of Tamil cinema, actor Rajnikanth has a primary place. For the last four decades, he has been acting as one of the top heroes, singing duets with young actresses and delivering punch dialogue. On most of the occasions, his films have been money...
”Paar meethu naan saagathiruppane kaanbeer” (I will never die), declared Tamil poet Bharathi. As if endorsing his words, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced 14 new schemes to commemorate the poet’s death centenary. The announcements include the...
The appointment of former Deputy National Security Adviser (DNSA) Ravindra Narayana Ravi as Tamil Nadu Governor has sparked sharp criticism from several quarters including some of the political leaders allied to the DMK and there are valid reasons behind the...
In a dramatic turn of events, the President of India has appointed Ravindra Narayana Ravi, the serving Governor of Nagaland, as the new Governor of Tamil Nadu on Friday. He replaced Banwarilal Purohoit, who has been made the Governor of Punjab. Interestingly, this...
Chekka Chivantha Vaanam starts out featuring all the Mani Ratnam tropes. It pays ritual homage to Godfather through a Corleone-like family. There is the don who is shot but survives, and he has three sons and a daughter. The first son is a hot-head and not terribly...
With the 69% reservation system in vogue in the state facing legal challenges, some political parties and activists for social justice have raised the demand for caste-wise census for protecting it. “Data from the socio-economic-caste based census conducted...
The no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on July 20, 2018, could not have come at a worse time for the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK had taken a stand against the NDA government at the Centre on recent issues like UGC, NEET for Siddha, Cauvery etc., to...
Rangaraj | Jul 20, 2018
(This is the concluding part of a series on the One Nation, One Poll idea that is being debated. The first part dealt with the immediate political motives behind it, the second was about the legal manoeuvres that would be required to accomplish it, and the third...
Rangaraj | Jul 14, 2018
(The first part of the series looked at why the one nation, one poll idea is a ploy by NDA government to come back to power; the second looked at the legal complications in bringing this about; this article deals with the stand of TN parties) The All India Anna...
Rangaraj | Jul 12, 2018
The first part of the article dealt with how the one nation, one poll proposal may be help BJP in the short-term by giving it an advantage in the next Lok Sabha polls. The question is whether it has the intention or the stomach to really carry it to its full extent...
Rangaraj | Jul 11, 2018
The first thing that must be understood about the move to have simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the state Assemblies is that it is aimed at establishing single party rule throughout the country, including in the States. Much as the BJP is...
Rangaraj | Jul 10, 2018
The Lok Ayukta bill passed today in the Tamil Nadu Assembly is a toothless law. It will not only not fight corruption but also embolden the corrupt. The flaws are glaring and obvious. The Lok Ayukta is to be selected by a selection panel comprising Chief Minister,...
In Tamil Nadu, Chennai Puzhal, Vellore, Salem, Cuddalore, Tiruchi, Madurai, Palayamkottai have prisons for men. Heading the state prisons is Additional Director General of Police and under him several Deputy Inspector Generals, as well as superintendents,...
There were only ten people watching Kaala at Carnival Cinemas. It was an 11:30 pm show on a Saturday, and, there were perhaps not too many Tamils in Salt Lake City, Kolkata, who would venture out late night for a movie. A family of five had come to watch the film....
The 5th of June is that time of the year when governments and businesses across the world renew their commitment for environmental protection. The list of challenges facing the planet range from Climate Change to depleting rain forests to mass extinction. This year...
Easily the most disastrous assumption of Karl Marx was that the middle class would be squeezed out as the bourgeoise and the proletariat got locked in mortal combat. The middle class didn’t. On the contrary, they flourished and became some kind of a buffer for the...
Starting from the January 2017 jallikattu protests, Tamil Nadu has been on the boil. There is an overwhelming feeling that the entire country -- Parliament, central government, Supreme Court, and the north Indian media -- has ganged up against Tamil Nadu....
The Cauvery issue has severely tested the idea that India shall be a law-governed nation. The system is supposed to work based on checks and balances imposed by constitutionally mandated institutions, but successive Karnataka governments have repeatedly stressed in...
