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Occult a powerful presence in educated, developed Kerala
Despite its progress in human development and educational standards compared to other states in India, Kerala continues to embarrass its admirers with its hidden and savage fascination for the occult and thriving worship of black magic, bizarre cults including crocodile worship. The shocking...
‘Dravidian Model far from perfect’
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...
Book on Thoothukudi uncovers humane side of heinous crimes
Thoothukudi, among other things, has a certain image associated with it. It's the image of being a fertile ground for heinous crimes and criminals. Serving as a policeman in Thoothukudi gave Anoop Jaiswal an opportunity to see the human side of Thoothukudi. The book Kuttramum, Karunaiyum (crime...
Did Rajaraja Chola support brahmin ascendancy, caste system?
More than the novel and film Ponniyin Selvan, the BJP’s bid to make use of the film to depict emperor Rajaraja Chola as a Hindu icon has washed away some of the harsh criticism against the medieval king by Leftists, Dalit activists and Periyarists. The debate has helped the Chola emperor gain...
Subbu Arumugam: He made a temple art popular with secular themes
Padma Shri and Kalaimamani Subbu Arumugam slept in music on Monday, his villuppaatu drawing him closer. Born on June 28 in 1928, Subbu Arumugam belonged to Nellai Samuthiram's Puthukulam. And the one person responsible for catapulting him to fame was none other than Kalaivanar N.S. Krishnan....
How the Ponniyin Selvan – 1 juggernaut crushed other films
Cinema is primarily a business and only then an artform. This is the reality borne out by the roaring success of Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan-1 (PS-1). News reports are pouring in about the film’s fabulous box-office collections not just on its home turf of Tamil Nadu but in other states and...
Kanimozhi sails past Udhayanidhi in DMK’s succession race
With the elevation of Kanimozhi as the DMK deputy general secretary, party president and Chief Minister MK Stalin has put an end to accusations of obstructing his step sister’s growth with a view to promote his son Udhayanidhi Stalin as the party heir. Though Kanimozhi is also one of the family...
Swacch honours are perception awards, but TN poor score is real
Another edition of the Swachh Survekshan awards and honours was rolled out recently for 2022, hiding basic failures in India’s urban waste management as envisaged under law. Going by the metrics of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Tamil Nadu fared badly, with only one award for...
Ponniyin Selvan and the politics of Vetrimaaran
The films of Vetrimaaran have politics. His movies are to do with power, authority and a politics against it In Adukulam, he explored the power dynamic between the guru and the disciple. In Visaranai, he critiqued lawless authoritarianism. In Vada Chennai, he talked about political forces...
Unpacking the PFI ban
The PFI, Popular Front of India, has been banned and the National Intelligence Agency has filed many cases against it for on several charges such as chopping off the hand of a college professor, of people associated with organisations espousing other faiths, collection of explosives to target...
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