A1, A2, fresh, sachet: Which milk is best?
The 2017 jallikattu protests marked a watershed moment in recent history of Tamil Nadu. It brought forth young Tamils’ rootedness and also their anxiety about losing their traditions. Boycott of colas was mooted, for instance. Campaigners for jallikattu alleged that the ban on the bull sport...
Every Sunday for 25 years, his free coaching has nurtured science researchers
Sundays mean rest days for all of us. It is a time to spend with family and friends and laze around, doing not much. For S V M Sathyanarayana, Sundays mean coming from Kalpakkam to Chennai to help scholarship students of science pass central exams and become science researchers and faculty. He...
Ajith Kumar is enough; Thala is not needed
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...
Self-taught artiste creates 21 feet terracotta figure, gets Padma Shri
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...
Tamil vs Sanskrit is an absurd conflict: Expert
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, Mariappasamy: The legend’s teacher was also a legend
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...
Are Malayalis happier than Tamils? Quite possibly
In a recent issue, India Today magazine ranked states in India on many parameters such as income, health, governance and ease of doing business. One parameter that stood out was the Happiness Index. According to that index, Kerala is the happiest state while Gujarat is a distant second. Coming...
Not fair to force Covid vaccine on teachers: Activist doctor
In a recent judgment, the Madras High Court ruled that teachers not willing to take a jab need not come to schools. The first bench of Acting Chief Justice Munishwer Nath Bhandari and Justice P D Audikesavalu refused to hear the Public Interest Litigation challenging the vaccine mandate for...
A woman Bigg Boss: Remember, Jayalalithaa?
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...
Vaccine fear: Why TN could breed mutations like Omicron
Experts have noted that Omicron carries 30 mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus genome. They say that current vaccines may not prevent Omicron infection although there is every chance vaccinated individuals would be able to fight the infection better. For this reason, the high levels of vaccine...
