Tamil Nadu cartoonist G Bala arrested: for penning ‘controversial’ caricature A Tirunelveli Police team on Sunday picked up G. Bala (36), a cartoonist, who was charged with defaming the Chief Minister, the Tirunelveli Collector and the City Commissioner of Police by representing them in an obscene way. The cartoonist has been charged under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act. Against a backdrop of self-immolation deaths of four in a […]

In the aggressively fought by-election to J Jayalalithaa’s RK Nagar constituency in Tamil Nadu, in which every day has been dramatic and action-packed, taxmen arrived at the homes of minister C Vijayabaskar and popular actor Sarath Kumar in Chennai early this morning. They both are accused of handing out cash for votes, tax officials say. They claim documents seized during the raids reveal 80 crores have been paid to RK […]

India, wrote author VS Naipaul, is a country of a million little mutinies, reeling with rage and revolt. One such mutiny has brewed almost all of this week in southern Tamil Nadu state, where people have been protesting against a ban on a traditional bull-taming contest, known as jallikattu. They say the ban is an attack on their culture and identity. On Saturday evening, a harried government scrambled to bring […]

Days ahead of Pongal, a harvest festival celebrated in parts of south India, a fresh debate over Jallikattu erupted once again with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Pannerselvam writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to overturn the existing ban on the bull-taming sport. Many also weighed in on the issue, most recently Tamil actor Kamal Hassan and Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu. For the uninitiated, here is all what […]

 The ruling AIADMK on Sunday said 470 persons had died of “shock” after the demise of party supremo and former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on December 5, and announced a relief of Rs 3 lakhs each to the families.   The party released a list of 190 persons, who had died of shock, and said the toll of such persons stood at 470.   Condoling their death, the party announced […]

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who is undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital in Chennai following a cardiac arrest on Sunday evening, has been put on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to support her heart-lung activity. The 68-year-old leader was in a critical condition following the cardiac arrest and is being treated by a team of specialists at the hospital where she has been admitted since late September. Here’s what you […]

Why is Karnataka growing water-intensive crops in arid regions? While Karnataka’s farmers are decrying the government’s decision to release water to Tamil Nadu in compliance with the Supreme Court’s direction, a look inwards is also perhaps warranted. Karnataka’s cropping patterns have shifted in at least two major ways in the past four decades, moving away from millets that grow well in arid areas and towards water-intensive crops enabled by irrigation. […]

Imagine living out your childhood fantasies of small, dear English cottages, a crackling fire-place to keep you warm in chilly nights, lush green lawns with summer blooms peeping out from the grass, lady-birds, butterflies, fresh mountain air,blue skies, and Pine Forests! What better way to refresh andrejuvenate the senses, than plan a quick getaway to the Hills in the summer months, and return with a complexion and buoyancy which is […]

Madam, the benevolent people of Tamil Nadu have bestowed upon you an opportunity that none has received in the past three decades and may be none will ever receive in future. You have a unique opportunity to etch your name in the Golden History by ensuring you do very simple things that will have groundbreaking results: 1. To begin with, pls. put an immediate end to the bowing, prostrating, worshipping […]

Tamil Nadu is full of ancient heritage sites. If you are a student of history, art, ancient culture and anthropology, any number of trips will not satisfy your curiosity. This time around I took a trip to the nearest one on the outskirts of the city. Mahabalipuram is just a drive away and an ideal weekend getaway. If you are interested in ancient Tamil history, art and culture, it is […]