Associate Editor-Consultant, The Hindu Frontline. Author of Tamil book "சாதியின் பெயரால்" (In the name of caste).
Chennai
Joined June 2013
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The Bribe-Free Boom
Like many, I wondered why this Deepavali saw a massive, unexpected spike in firecracker bursts. It seemed completely paradoxical at a time when people are reeling from the skyrocketing prices of essentials. The environmental cost was heavy, too, with Chennai City unfortunately securing a spot among the top ten most polluted cities.
However, the real story behind this sudden, brisk sale is fascinating.
Against all expectations of inflation, firecrackers were actually cheaper this year. In Chennai neighbourhoods like Medavakkam and Velachery, crackers were sold by the kilogram, and stalls could run out of stock within just two days.
How did sellers, who used to weep over heavy losses, suddenly heave a massive sigh of relief? The answer is that this year, cracker licenses were reportedly issued without bribes. Previously, sellers had to shell out an exorbitant ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh to get licenses for their stalls. This time around, the licensing process was entirely hassle-free, and even enthusiastic newcomers were encouraged to compete.
The sellers passed this newfound luxury directly onto the consumer, making fireworks affordable enough to trigger a burst boom. Tku @CMOTamilnadu
P.S. Only those who are truly passionate about bursting crackers can fully vouch for how drastically this changed the market dynamics this season!)
நன்றாக புரிகிறது இந்த library scam ஒரு 'gutter political narrative' உள் இழுக்கப்பட்டு விட்டது என்று. பணம், கமிஷன் என்பது சொற்பம் ஆகத்தான் இருக்கும். ஆனால் இது ஒரு அறிவு சிதைவு என்பதை மறுக்க இயலாது.
இதை ஆராயும் போது இன்றைய சூழ்நிலையை கருத்தில் கொள்ளல் முக்கியம். Concept and content எல்லாம் கூச்ச, நாச்சம் இல்லாமல் திருடும் இன்றைய தமிழ் சூழ்நிலையில் லட்சக்கணக்கில் புத்தக கொள்முதலில் transperency and quality உறுதி செய்வதுதான் இனி மிக, மிக முக்கியம்.
இதில் exaggeration, sensation, self promotion ஆகியவற்றை தவிர்த்தல் வேண்டும். இல்லை என்றால் இன்றைய சாக்கடை அரசியலில் மாபெரும் இந்த நூலக movement சிதைந்து விடும். அதை உபயோக படுத்தும் இளைய சமூகம் trust and confident இழந்து வாசிப்பில் இருந்து அந்நியப்படுத்தப்படும். எல்லாமே தப்பு என்பது போல் ஒரு பிம்பம் உருவாக்கப்படுகிறது. அது அயோக்கித்தனம். நல்லவை இருந்தால் அதையும் சுட்டுதல் அவசியம்.
பொறுப்பு துறக்கும் நண்பர்கள், இந்த பொறுப்பையும் எடுத்து செய்தல் மிக அவசியம்.
Crackers bursting in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, goes on well past the legally mandated 10 pm ban on Deepavali day today. Thick sulphur smoke engulfs the city. Supreme Court orders are violated impudently. Tamil Nadu police seem to have shut their eyes and ears!! 😜
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Periyar Library in Coimbatore has 1.25 lakh books in various subjects, as well as videos, digital books, etc., in both Tamil and English. Now, how many Tamil books are there in the library, and what is the percentage of fake Tamil books among them?
In a beautiful standout interview with veteran journalist N. Ram in "The Hindu," Sonia Gandhi opens up about her memoir, "Belonging: A Journey of Love," explaining how her love for Rajiv Gandhi transitioned into an unshakeable love for India. The interview focuses on how she reframed her life in relation to her proximity to power, how she survived her great personal tragedy and why she declined the seat of power. It shows how she integrated into the social and cultural soul of a nation to which she belongs today.
Do not miss the interview.
‘Great damage done to the fabric of India by BJP’ share.google/ADmCasAr1kEQnP8…
இதெல்லாம் கொள்முதலுக்கு recommend பண்ணவே மாட்டாங்க. இவர்களும் வாங்க மாட்டாங்க. நல்ல பல நூல்கள் அரசாங்க நூலகங்களில் இருப்பது அரிது.
ஆனால் குறை ஒன்றும் இல்லை. இந்த library wholesale procurement racket எல்லாம் தாண்டி அறிவுசார் சமூகம் ஒன்று உயிர்ப்பாய் உள்ளது. So இந்த நூல் நல்ல reach ஆகி இன்றும் நன்றாகவே போய் கொண்டு இருக்கிறது. நன்றி.
We, living in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, are also anxiously waiting for the results of American midterm polls, especially Ohio state. After all, the world is very small.
Joking aside, the proposal to introduce chicken biryani into the government school midday meal scheme deserves serious scrutiny.
Though ensuring adequate protein intake is vital for growing children, the logistics of serving meat safely to thousands of schoolchildren raise critical concerns, irrespective of age and class.
First, can the government guarantee a strictly safe and hygienic supply chain during mass meat procurement and preparation? Second, there is a significant safety risk regarding chicken bones, which can easily become a choking hazard for children under 10. Third is whether the biryani would be served with boneless pieces or with bones?
While parents can carefully monitor their school-going wards at home, classrooms cannot ensure the one-on-one supervision needed to ensure safety during meals. Hence, before implementing this scheme, the government must consult with nutritionists, paediatricians, and public health experts. If the scheme is still in its infancy, then the above factors should be looked into. Even seemingly minor operational details must be thoroughly evaluated to ensure student safety. @CMOTamilnadu
PS: I am not a vegetarian🙂
Excellent observations by the honourable justice. We still have hope.
Justice N. Ramesh of #MadrasHighCourt has expressed strong disapproval of the manner in which MIDS Associate Professor A. Kalaiyarasan was picked up by the police from his residence in the early hours on the basis of a fake Instagram post.
Though a Minister had acknowledged the lapse and the Chief Minister had met the victim in person, the judge said: “The grace shown at the end does not answer the questions being raised: On what verification were plainclothes officers sent to a citizen’s doorstep at dawn over a social media comment? And what action has followed against those who so acted?”
He went on to state: “An apology, however high its source, is not accountability, and a remedy that depends on the Chief Minister’s personal intervention is not a remedy at all. Secondly, that gentleman’s eminence secured his release within hours and an audience at the Secretariat; a common citizen with no access to power, taken at dawn on the same mistaken complaint, would have tasted the lock-up, the remand and the long road of a trial before anyone asked whether the account was even his.”
The judge also wrote: “The measure of a police force is not how it treats the eminent when the press is watching, but how it treats the unknown when nobody is watching. It is against that measure that the handling of political speech—this case included—falls to be judged.” @THChennai @the_hindu
thehindu.com/news/national/t…
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It's a highly laudable move by @CMOTamilnadu It will ensure a quick delivery of justice for women and child victims of crimes.
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Today's The Hindu carried a detailed and balanced report quoting all sources.
thehindu.com/news/cities/che…
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Ignore Sandhiya. What about the erasure of my own works? My groundbreaking exposes on the Kodiyankulam violence (1995), beach sand mining (1996), and the Pappapatti panchayat polls (2000), to mention a very few, have been pilferaged.
People have minted money making Tamil movies and many also did follow-up stories. Yet none gave credit. Even my book in Tamil on "In the name of Caste" has suffered. A shameless copy-paste theft!!
But it is the bane of the Google info era. Our works are in public domain, free for others, and to even own. Frustrating and helpless. I have attained a Zen status now. 😔😔
Hello @NetflixIndia the next time you want to name a reporter character Sandhya, show her uncovering illegal sand mining, create a Tamil villain, and pick bits & pieces from MY real life story which was pitched to you TWICE in 2022 and 2023, AND not give me any credit at the least.... Think hard and well.
Thankfully it was a supremely crappy movie with ham performances and @ParineetiChopra was nothing like me. In fact she was nothing like any reporter & the newsroom portrayal was idiotic & amateurish. You've been clever enough to try & escape a lawsuit by altering the story enough.
You owe me a public apology at the very least but I'm certain you have no moral fibre in you to do so.
Shame on you all, especially the director-writer Dhruv Tripathi. Stealing other people's hard work and making money sneakily out of it.
It's good the Madras High Court has appointed a two-memer (retired judges) committed to administer the controversial Chidambaram Sri Natarajar temple in Tamil Nadu.
This temple has always been in spotlight for disturbing incidents.
Hope henceforth the devotees offer prayers in peace in future.
A recap on an issue, though indirectly linked to the temple, in Frontline:
frontline.thehindu.com/the-n…
A welcome decision by @CMOTamilnadu to increase the upper age limit for Tamil Nadu government competitive examinations. This progressive move will open doors for many more young and deserving aspirants.
The recent transfer is a knee-jerk, unwarranted reaction. If it was triggered by the Theni jailbreak, the decision is both shortsighted and unprofessional.
Across Tamil Nadu, a total of 125 correctional facilities, an euphemism for prisons, including nine Central prisons,
house approximately 24,000 convicted and remand prisoners. The sanctioned strength of 5,500 prison staff already falls 10 to 15% short of standard requirements, leaving a dismal staff-to-prisoner ratio of 1:22, i.e, one staff for 22 prisoners.
Seven out of the none Central Prisons are 111% to 210% overcrowded. Madurai Central Prison today houses over 2,600 inmates against its capacity of just 1,252. Just imagine the plight!!
Theni is just a sub jail category though functions as district prison. It is woefully understaffed with four staff on duty at a time for 300 inmates, while 34 staff are needed.
What would the meagre staff do if they are overpowered? Has any order in writing issued from the state to use firearms in case of emergencies? Can the state government own any responsibility for any violations thereafter? The government had placed a few under suspension too.
Instead of viewing institutional issues, such as breach of security through a political prism, the state must adopt a practical, technical and a holistic approach. Finding scapegoats is easy and no officer is a Superman. Hence overhauling a system rotting under archaic, colonial-era practices requires actual political and administrative knowledge, and of course, will. @TNPrisons_Dept
Around 7 PM today in Thiruvanmiyur beach, the air looked hazy - perhaps due to thick marine moisture and urban air pollution. It was weird. The air quality needs to be studied, I think.
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17 பேர் jail break, திமுக மந்திரி arrest, கீர்த்தனா jewellery gold or artificial? இவைதான் சமூக ஊடகத்தை இன்று fire mode இல் வைத்து உள்ளது.
ஆனால் கடைக்காரர் ஷாக் கொடுத்தார் பால் விலை ஏறுதுன்னு.
ஆவின் பால் விலை ஏறுதா சார்? @aavintamilnadu
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