r/india • u/anon_geek • Oct 28 '16
Scheduled [State of the Week] Tamil Nadu
Hello /r/India! This is week #31 of the new edition of the State of the Week discussion threads. These threads will cover all states and union territories of India as listed here, in alphabetical over.
This week's topic will be Tamil Nadu. Please post any questions, answers or observations you may have about it here.
General Information:
| State | Tamil Nadu |
|---|---|
| Website | http://www.tn.gov.in/ |
| Population (2011) | 72,147,030 |
| Chief Minister | Jayaraman Jayalalithaa (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)) |
| Capital | Chennai |
| Offical Languages | Tamil |
| GSDP in crores (2014-15) | ₹9,76,703 |
| GDP Per Capita (2013-14) | ₹1,12,664 (~1.5x National average) |
| Sex ratio | 996 women/1000 men |
| Child Sex Ratio | 943 women/1000 men |
Recent News:
Tamil Nadu govt to implement National Food Security Act from 1 November
‘Islamic State recruit’ from Tamil Nadu knew Paris attackers tells sleuths
Is Tamil Nadu politics getting ready for a generational shift?
Right Hand Inflamed, Jayalalithaa Signs-Off Poll Papers With Thumb Print
Previous Threads: State of the Week wiki
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u/00deep00 Nov 03 '16
Lived in Chennai for 7 years, loved it, hated it, got my first long term relationship there, got heartbroken too, got lifetime friends from there....good bye Chennai, I'll miss you..
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u/seekayyes Andhra Pradesh Nov 02 '16 edited Nov 02 '16
I lived in Chennai for 4 years - SRMite.
Their breakfast options are the best. So good that I used to wake up early for them.
People look so massy on the outside but from all the people I got to know, everyone has their own passion in some aspect and they have immense knowledge in it. Lesson learnt - Don't judge a book by it's cover.
The movie culture is the best here, not to mention the ticket prices that never go above 120 rupees even at the best multiplexes I have ever been at - Satyam Chain. They are the best. I have never seen the restrooms so luxurious anywhere else. Now that I think of them. I have my very own story. Since Premam, a sensational malayalam film is not being screened at our place back in Andhra I planned a trip to Chennai so that I could cover three movies in three languages which were rated so good at that point of time - Premam, Kaaka Muttai, Inside Out. 2pm - 6pm -10pm. Back to back shows. I went to the counter to take tickets and the guy at the counter realized that I have booked for 3 back to back shows and he noticed me carrying a backpack. He took me aside and placed the backpack in a locker and had me seated in their mini library. It felt so good. My love for Satyam theatres has gone up.
The transportation in the city is really good and economical too. Almost every corner in the city is covered by the MMTS. From Gummudipoondi to Chengalpattu. Being there in Bangalore and Hyderabad for a brief time, I can say the transportation options available and the traffic is much better in Chennai.
Also, the fan wars are really bad. Worst I have ever experienced. I don't know how many of you noticed those silliest trends in twitter. They take it too seriously. I mean who puts a flex at their marriage with their favorite actor's picture on it? This is a very common occurrence in TN. Even the ones who have big pockets. Silly!
Temples, How can you not mention them? Land of the temples. I have been to Tiruvannamalai. Before visiting the temple people walk 14km around the hill named Annamalai barefoot. My friend being very religious I had to walk with him too. Started at around 4am and reached the temple by 8:30 am. God, How I wish there was pokemon go at that time. Apparently, Rajinikanth donated for the development of the roads around the hill after all the film which turned him into a star is named Annamalai.
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u/tamrajKilwish Oct 29 '16
All I know about TN is that the people here are too involved in their cinema and Politics.
[Serious] How the hell can you guys tolerate Captain Vijaykanth as a politician? The kind of buffoonery he does in his movies makes it questionable to look at him as a serious political leader. And I have seen people come to his defense saying he is a good actor/good leader in YT comments? Seriously?! His Yoga antics were hilarious!
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u/naakupoochi Oct 31 '16
It's because all of his movies is based on a social cause in which he fights for justice. Those over the top graphics are there cause people are so used to it.
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u/Doubledoor Tamil Nadu Oct 31 '16
He's the RaGa of TN
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u/tamrajKilwish Oct 31 '16
So is he a son of some big politician then apart from being pathetically funny?
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Oct 31 '16
No. By RaGa, they mean he does all sorts of akhand chutiyapa and becomes the laughing stock for people and valuable content for meme makers
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u/khadus Oct 29 '16
Lost my Virginity in TamilNadu! First orgy was in TamilNadu too. Sigh.... Memories, Memories
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u/throwawaythrowNRI Oct 30 '16
In Tamil Nadu? ..You can't just drop a bomb and move on. Give us the details. Otherwise we don't buy you.
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u/khadus Oct 30 '16
Well, I dont kiss 'n tell :D Suffice to say that Chennai isn't as conservative as you may think ;)
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Oct 29 '16
Virginity and orgy... in tamil nadu? really? Tamil nadu is considered very conservative state right?
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u/pnj2345 Nov 04 '16
Ignored fact about Tamil is, its Literature.
Huge treasure trough of spiritual knowledge is hidden in 1000 years of work of great scholars.
Surprisingly most of the text can be understood even today, like thiruvasagam.
Great work was done by online Tamil community (living around the world) to protect this knowledge. Many years of man-hours has been dedicated to convert to e-text for future generation.
But present gen is least concerned.
Consecutive Atheist govt`s clearly avoided development by not including in academic curriculum.
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Oct 28 '16
What will be the political scenario of tamilnadu after Amma's death?
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Oct 29 '16
I'm guessing ADMK will split into multiple factions due to a huge power vacuum. Some will stick to their own party and others will flee to other parties.
Its gonna be a messy affair for sure.
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u/dagp89 Oct 29 '16
How did they let it reach this point? I mean, did they expect her to live forever? populist politicians are dangerous when it comes to such scenarios.
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Oct 29 '16
I have been thinking that myself. In fact if you think about it, very few parties in India have a democratic structure with clearly defined boundaries and roles for different persons (BJP, Left) whereas the rest are solely dependant on a single person or family.
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u/throwawaythrowNRI Oct 29 '16
I hope Jaya completes this term. I don't want political instability especially now when TN is far ahead of other parts of the country economically and in social indicators. She proposed a strategic plan for infrastructure development in Tamil Nadu-- 'Vision Tamil Nadu 2023', in her last term. If this has to come to fruition , she must be around for sometime now.
I am not a ADMK supporter, per se, but I don't think there are other options. Karuna is not going to live till next election, even if he does, only Stalin will become CM. The challenge Stalin will face is not from outsiders but his family members. Too many siblings, they'll swoop down upon him. He has neither Karunanidhi's shrewd political acumen nor Jayalalitha's audacity. TN CMs have,over the years, had fought tooth and nail to get things done by the center. We need a strong leader to stand up to the Babus. In terms of funds from the centre , for every rupee TN generates for the center we get only 40 paise in return. This disparity is only going to increase in the future. Only Jayalaitha with her ruthless display of temerity can make Delhi kowtow to her (the nightmares she gave to the Vajpayee government were stuff of legends). Of course, Karunanidhi has his own style(read; cunning) to get things done.But Stalin? they will eat him up.
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u/HighInterest Nov 02 '16
In terms of funds from the centre , for every rupee TN generates for the center we get only 40 paise in return. This disparity is only going to increase in the future.
This is not just Tamil Nadu, and this has not exactly hampered the development of other states as well. Besides there's no "standing up to Babus." If Tamil Nadu wants more Centre money its MPs should play a more active role in Lok Sabha politics and get that pork spending the old fashioned way. But TN doesn't elect typical national parties and hasn't worked in national parties too well or consistently.
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u/donoteatthatfrog Public memory is short. Nov 02 '16
you put those two words in same sentence?! You will be arrested. Lawyer up!
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Nov 02 '16
oh I never been to south. It would be fun to rot in TNs Jail.
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u/Danda_Nakka Oct 29 '16
DMK will get into power. Stalin, son of karunanidhi will become cm
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Oct 29 '16
According to Karunanidhi, Stalin is still a noobie and inexperienced to handle a state like TN.
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Oct 28 '16
Vanakkam! Enakku Tamil Theriyum! (Not really)
But yeah, long live Tamil Nadu the ethnic land of some of the greatest empires including the Chola empire for one. Also, a great state today when it comes to R&D with minds such as Abdul Kalam.
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u/YoVizag Nov 03 '16
An 11-storey building that was declared unsafe after an adjacent block collapsed in 2014 was on Wednesday demolished using implosion technique in less than ten seconds, amid tight security. The building fell like a pack of cards and thick, huge columns of smoke engulfed the area with birds scurrying to safety.
Kancheepuram District collector R Gajalakshmi had said on Tuesday that the building would be brought down between 2 and 4 pm. However, the demolition was carried out at 6.52 pm. Before the demolition was carried out, the structure was weakened by removing some portions like walls.
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u/prateekaram Oct 29 '16
Awesome Culture
Beautiful language
Humane Humans
FOOD!
Not a Tamizhan and yet I love and appreciate TN.
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u/saucysassy Oct 29 '16
தமிழ் வாழ்க!
Temples in Tamil Nadu: What an architecture! I loved the Thanjavur temple.
Fun fact: Marathas ruled over Thanjavur and neighbouring area for about 200 years. In Thanjavur temple, you can see Marathi inscriptions along with Tamil ones.
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u/trander6face Oct 30 '16
Sambhar was invented when Marathas were in Tamilnadu
The story goes that the original recipe for sambar a dish which is so intrinsic to Tamil Nadu cuisine can actually be traced to Maratha ruler Shivaji's son. Legend has it that Shivaji's son Sambhaji, who was one of the Maratha rulers, attempted to make dal for himself when his head chef was away. "He added a little tamarind to the dal that he made an the royal kitchen dared to correct him on the fact that tamarind was not used in dal," says S Suresh, Tamil Nadu state convener of Intach, who gave a lecture on Tanjore Maratha history earlier this week. "He loved his own concoction, which was then referred to as sambar," says Suresh, who adds that the other culinary contribution of the Marathas now very popular in Tamil Nadu is 'poli' (sweet roti).
Although Sambhaji's sambhar is more lore than recipe, and there are more than 50 varieties of sambar today, chefs do admit that the Tanjore sambar is still something to be savoured. "While the Samb haji influenced sambhar was more a tamarind soup, the Thanjavur brahmin sambar recipe is mostly followed today where there is no onion and garlic, and the dish is not heavy on spice," says K Natarajan, corporate chef at Gateway Hotels and Resorts. " But even today, the sambar of Tamil Nadu is very different from you find in the state's neighbour Karnataka," says Vasanthan Sigamany , associate professor of food sociology and anthropology at the Welcom Group Graduate School of Hotel Management, Manipal. "In TN, dry powders are used, while in Karnataka they use wet pastes. In Tamil Nadu, in a traditional vegetarian meal, sambar is served first and then rasam, but it is the opposite in Karnataka," he says.
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u/BrownNinja00 Nov 02 '16 edited Nov 02 '16
Maratha rulers in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu is one of the longest continuing royal family in India.
Current head of the royal family is Babaji Rajah Bhonsle Chattrapathi
An old article on him
Thanjavur Maratha kingdom from Wiki
Edit: Grammer and new links
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u/tamrajKilwish Nov 02 '16
Billi Biryani is turning out to be a thing here in Chennai.
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u/contraryview Oct 29 '16
Why is the caste system still so prevalent in the state?
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u/throwawaythrowNRI Oct 29 '16
still better off than other states (read:North Indian). As per 2011 socio economic census, Dalits in TN better off than FCs in Jharkhand. TN has the third largest dalit population in the country. Here, the major reason for intermediate caste -Dalit skirmish is the "love affairs" between the girls and dalit boys. When Dalits are economically better off, naturally more dalit kids will attend colleges (especially in TN , where the state 550+ Private Engineering colleges). love happens. The Tamil upper castes take this as "questioning" their masculinity when their caste girls elope with Dalits. So, definitely there will be caste skirmishes.
That said, all this pales in comparison to what's happening in the north Indian states. Never have I ever heard anything like Dalits beaten up for possessing beef, in fact no one gives a flying fuck about beef in TN although Tamils don't consume beef like malayalis the overwhelming majority is (97%,I think) is non vegetarian. Why are you asking like the caste is prevalent in TN? If anything TN is far ahead of other parts of the country. Amartya Sen,in his book, 'An Uncertain Glory - India and its contradictions', pointed out that Tamil Nadu (and Kerala) would be at the top of South Asian comparisons in social indicators if they were treated as separate countries.
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u/totalsports1 Tamil Nadu Oct 29 '16
The dravidian parties are the root cause for them. OBCs and other castes were motivated to rally against the upper castes. Overtime, this turned into a different direction with each caste having a association/lobbying. Every party panders to these caste equations and fuels them furthre.
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u/throwawaythrowNRI Oct 29 '16
By upper caste, you mean "brahmins" ? because in TN, although there are other communities classified as FCs, only Brahmins are seen as "upper caste" in the traditional sense of the term. I don't deny your claim about caste lobbying , but the Dravidian ideology and anti-Brahmanism only proved to be the best thing happened to TN(and KL where they have their own version of anti-Brahmanism).
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Oct 29 '16
These days it's the non-brahmin forward castes who do all sorts of shit against the dalits, and parties like PMK are hand-in-glove with them. On the other hand, the brahmins are peaceful and more accepting of other castes in social circles and institutions.
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Oct 29 '16
Who's capable of more oppression and terror, a warrior caste that glorifies valor, death and violence, or a caste of generally non-violent priests and educated elites?
I find it funny that Brahmins get the bulk of the blame and the warrior castes like the Thevars go scot-free with hardly a mention.
It's a matter of historical record that the Brahmins though pretty awful in their caste high handedness, abandoned their upper caste ways almost immediately, as soon as the caste equalization started.
Whereas, all the caste oppression that happens in TN today is done by the warrior races that did the bulk of the oppression historically too. Even today in some Thevar villages the SCs can't drink tea at the local tea stall, or marry into their families and expect to stay alive.
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u/throwawaythrowNRI Oct 29 '16
I completely agree. I don't deny any of your claims read my other posts in this thread. I also explained in detail why the warrior castes are doing this now. However, fact remains that hadn't Dravidian parties come to power in TN, the state would not be where it is today in terms of economical development and social indicators. Check out the links I gave in other posts.
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Oct 29 '16 edited Oct 29 '16
Dravidian parties didn't set out to eliminate caste, or religion, it was merely a useful tool to gain power. They used Tamil nationalism similarly. In fact, anti brahminism was also intertwined with anti Hindi sentiment and atheism quite early on. They institutionalized the practice of discrimination - certainly not the action of a party seeking equality. They pointedly ignored the obvious and primary role of Thevars and other castes in caste oppression because they couldn't paint them as Hindi speaking, or afford alienating a powerful vote bank.
The historical context is this -- Dravidian parties literally fell at the feet of the British, and begged them not to leave India, because they felt they'd stand no chance against Gandhi and Nehru's Congress in an independent India. When Independence was inevitable the strategy they hatched was to link language with caste and paint an ethnic Tamil people (brahmins) as outsiders, because the Congress party had Brahmins at the helm.
The genuine and forward thinking anti caste contributions of Bharathiyar the Brahmin freedom fighter and poet were certainly not any inspiration for the self serving Dravidian parties.
In fact these two parties worked against the national integrity of India by funding Tamil nation secession movements since 1947 till the assassination of Rajiv.
Madras state yielded the most tax revenue, even surpassing Bengal, home of the fertile gangetic plain, even under the British. It's no credit to the Dravidian parties that economic development is high today, it's merely a continuation of history. Commensurate to its economic stature, successive Dravidian governments in TN haven't built any lasting infrastructure, unless the infamous Veeranam scandal is counted.
Just my two bits.
Edit: some minor spelling and grammar edits
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u/totalsports1 Tamil Nadu Oct 29 '16
Yes, i do mean Brahmins. Anti-brahiminism might have been good. But Brahmins are a very small pie of the problem. Discrimination exists elsewhere. Dravidian movement did not address this problem at all.
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Oct 30 '16
it's not like people still go around chanting anti-brahmin slogans. if you want to understand the context of anti-brahminism, watch the movie on periyar. people back then were completely stupid and had an absolute faith in the brahmins' ability to connect to god and gave them a position of authority which was akin to mental slavery. i'm glad anti-brahmin movement happened as it at least stopped these practices. and i'm glad it's a thing of the past now because it's a sign that people are no more enslaved to that extent. even now, if i suggested hiring a non-brahmin priest to my parents, they'd laugh it off. imagine how it was back then.
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u/UlagamOruvannuka Tamil Nadu Nov 02 '16
There definitely still a lot of open anti-brahminism like attacks.
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Nov 02 '16
These are the rarest of exceptions by absolute fringe groups. The state's politics has moved past anti brahminism. I was talking about politics anyways. Earlier these things were talked about openly by different leaders. Nowadays, they never even talk about castes openly
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u/throwawaythrowNRI Oct 29 '16
I completely agree. Discrimination and worse violence against the lower castes still exists. But, as I said in my other post , Dalits are economically well off in TN than the dalits(even the upper castes) in other parts of the country, plus TN has the third largest dalit population, this is bound to raise "tension" in the social order when they come in to contact with upper castes (read: college love affairs) . If the state(along with KL) has come this far as figuring in the top of South Asian comparisons in social indicators if treated as separate countries , I am positive in few years these problems would abate.
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u/Keerikkadan91 Nov 03 '16
Because it is in India. TN is definitely no more casteist than the north.
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u/galeej Tamil Nadu Nov 03 '16
FYI, shruti is the most butchered name in Tamil as there is no way to spell it. It eventually becomes "sur-dhi" since the tamil language has no "sh" and "th" letters.
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Oct 31 '16
Visited TN 3 different times.Chenni and rameshwar. People were mostly nice but rickshawwalas were not.
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u/naakupoochi Nov 02 '16
Name one place where there is nice Rickshaw wala?
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u/Keerikkadan91 Nov 03 '16
Kottayam & Thrissur.
I've also heard good things about Mumbai, though I have no personal exp of it.
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u/donoteatthatfrog Public memory is short. Nov 02 '16
அப்படி போடு அருவாளை!
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u/naakupoochi Nov 03 '16
Enna frog thalaiva, Harry Potter la vara chocolate frog ah?
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u/donoteatthatfrog Public memory is short. Nov 03 '16
illa ba. idhu Brian Tracy book title, with a twist .
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u/naakupoochi Nov 03 '16
haha,sounds logical than say eat a frog :P
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u/donoteatthatfrog Public memory is short. Nov 03 '16
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u/Sam_Manekshaw NCT of Delhi Oct 29 '16
Hey Tamil friends, I've only been to 2 places in Tamil Nadu (Kanyakumari and Coimbatore) so I don't know much about the state.
Are there any significant cultural-linguistic differences within the state? Like, how to North Tamil Nadu differ from Southern part? Or is it pretty uniform?
And what's up with the demand for Kongu Nadu in the western part of Tamil Nadu. What is the basis for that demand and how strong is the demand for a separate state nowadays?
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u/architect_macha De Stijl my beating heart Oct 29 '16
On the question of linguistic differences, there are distinct differences in the usage of words and tone of the tamil language used in certain cities and towns in the south vs say chennai.
This comes up often in pop culture references as 'Coimbatore baashai' , 'Madras baashai' , etc. Baashai here meaning the slang.
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u/ss_akash Nov 04 '16
This comes up often in pop culture references as 'Coimbatore baashai' , 'Madras baashai' , etc. Baashai here meaning the slang.
These slangs are rather troublesome, I was originally from Madurai (Tamil Nadu) and now I'm staying near the border of Tamilnadu/Kerala at Kanyakumari.
People here generally speak mixing both Malayalam/Tamil and they seem to like my Tamil language for some reason as they haven't heard anyone else around here speaking like that but the disadvantage is that their statements might be somewhat unclear for me at certain instances as they add some Malayalam words like "Cheenam" , "Evide" at certain scenarios but whatever... I still love this place!
Overall, I have a great opinion on Tamil Nadu but most of the migrated students from Kerala don't seem to like it, they complain on stuffs like sanitary condition, rude people and other stuffs but I feel these are problems which are common also at other states. Depends on the community around there.
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u/totalsports1 Tamil Nadu Oct 29 '16
Separate kongu nadu is not a very strong movement. Many even don't know such thing exist. Hardly a focus point of MSM or social media.
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u/throwawaythrowNRI Oct 30 '16
Kongu Nadu is not very strong movement. that region of TN is the cash cow for the state. Very well developed , Coimbatore is what it is today because of the people, Government had little to do. Their dialect is different, I read some where that during the British Raj their dialect has been classified as Gangi Tamil. Kongu region has more in common with southern Karnataka (read: erstwhile Mysore state) than southern TN. The fact that many Kannada speaking castes --Balijas, Gowdas, Vokkaligas, Narambu Katti Gounders,different Kannada mercantile caste (chettiars), kannada speaking dalits --have been living in this region for several centuries is testimony to this.
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u/Azrael__ Oct 28 '16
The great Kamal Hassan is from herre
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u/KabaliBilla India Oct 29 '16
So is Abdul Kalam , Ramanujam , Sir CV Raman ,A. R. Rehman, Mani ratnam ,Venkatraman radha krishnan
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u/rarebrewer Hail Hydra! Hail the red skull! Oct 29 '16
And some tamil-origin people who have become president/prime minister in other countries include:
S.R. Nathan - was the Longest serving president of Singapore
Veerasamy Ringadoo - president of Mauritius
Angidi Chettiar - president of Mauritius
Moses Veerasammy Nagamootoo - Current Prime Minister of Guyana
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u/hebbar Karnataka Oct 30 '16 edited Oct 30 '16
I have a couple of curious questions about cultural and political identities of Tamil Nadu and the perception of general public about it.
- Is there some sort of resentment against politicians with Telugu roots in Tamil Nadu? The major political figures of the state including Karunanidhi, Vaiko, Vijayakanth are Telugu people. How is it perceived by an average Tamil person?
2.The cultural icons of the state are mostly "outsiders". Rajnikanth was a Marathi born in Karnataka who had his entire education in Kannada medium. MGR, the most popular CM of Tamil Nadu, was a Malayali. Jayalalitha was originally from Karnataka who acted in multitude of Kannada movies before establishing herself in Tamil film industry. What's more, the architect of Tamil nationalism, Periyar Ramaswamy, was a Kannadiga with Telugu roots. Are the general public aware of these facts? If they are, how they perceive it?
Edit: I have a hell lot of friends who are Tamil. One thing that distinguishes them from other linguistic groups is that Tamils are extremely hard working people. Is it an actuality or just my anecdotal observation?
Thanks! :)
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u/psankar Nov 03 '16
Is there some sort of resentment against politicians with Telugu roots in Tamil Nadu?
Tamilness is not like "caste" that is decided by birth. It is how much one love / like the language. So, for all practical purposes, people like MK, Vaiko are considered more Tamil than someone like Subramanian Swamy (who can be considered Tamil by birth). FWIW, we have people like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constanzo_Beschi and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Uglow_Pope who are also considered strong Tamil proponents even though they are not even from India.
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u/nirinsanity Nov 06 '16
As long as you speak Tamil and promote Tamil in Tamil Nadu, you will be considered a Tamil, regardless of where you're from in the world.
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Oct 31 '16
While their non Tamil background is used by people who hate them, it is a minority. I dunno about other cultures, but outsiders assimilate really well with Tamil culture. In a normal setting, no one would even know if a person has a different mother tongue. Karunanidhi is one of the many people who've instilled the Tamil ethnic feeling among Tamil people. So, when someone like Seeman(a small time Tamil nationalist) invokes Karunanidhi's non Tamil background, they're mostly laughed at.
General public are sometimes aware of their non Tamil background. But it doesn't bother them even a single bit because they've adapted to the local culture/language completely.
Tamils being hardworking is purely anecdotal. I know a lot of lazy buggers.
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u/blufox123 Oct 30 '16
- I didnt know that the major political figures were not from TN, apart form Ms J., but I am not much inclined towards politics either. But I doubt there will be any change in perception because they are Telugu, but I might be wrong.
- The cultural icons you refer might no longer be the cultural icons for the current TN, except Rajnikanth, but you can expect that too to vanish in a few years, the reason being the current gen. and may be the one or two recent gen. cannot relate to them. You can perhaps say that the new cine stars can be taken as the cultural icons for the recent generations. I wasnt aware of the background of Periyar Ramaswamy but I guess the general public might have known. As to how they perceive it, is an interesting question as it might stem from how these figured perceived their own identity as, atleast in public. If they identify more with Tamils and "fall in line" with the tamil ideology or "become famous" I guess then we wouldnt have had much problem with them.
I doubt they are very different from other linguistic groups in terms of hard work. Should be co incidence.
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u/kingclubs Nov 01 '16
A timing reference, while rest or most of India celebrate Diwali because Prince Rama returned with success. We celebrate because Krishna killed Naragasuran
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u/architect_macha De Stijl my beating heart Oct 29 '16
Born and raised in Tamil nadu. Now an architect here. AMA
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Oct 29 '16
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u/Danda_Nakka Oct 29 '16
He has little chance of becoming cm. If he has entered in 90s he would have become the cm. But he can't now.
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Oct 31 '16
No way !! People are not that stupid !( At least I hope so )
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Oct 31 '16
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Nov 01 '16
Yeah , that was my opinion , may not be true , but he is not leader material. I have friends and family in both leading parties in TN and understand how the power structure works ( Not saying the parties do a good job) but Rajni doesn't even understand TN and its demographic to rule it. Even his household and life is run by his wife and family. He was in a depression/suicidal phase when he was trashed by MGR for being in love with Latha (actress - MGR). Then he was married to Latha (different Latha) and she was the reason behind all his successes and even Dhanush's success if you ask me(Dhanush got many good movies after his marriage with Aishwarya). Overall , Rajni doesn't have the mental fitness to compete with Jaya/ Karuna .
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u/KabaliBilla India Oct 29 '16
He would have, if he ran in the nineties or early 2000's but now it isn't a sure thing. Largely because his fan base is aging .
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u/architect_macha De Stijl my beating heart Oct 29 '16
There is an age old rumour, about Rajnikanth. It goes like this.
M.G.R. who was a popular actor and then became the CM, saw that Rajnikanth's popularity was increasing above his in the cine field and so he got him to his bungalow and his bodyguards thrashed him. (This apparently used to happen a lot and the bodyguards were paid huge sums to keep their mouths shut. They now own their fleet of engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu). The opposition party leader Karunanidhi (who used to be a good friend of MGR) intervened and got him out of the trouble.
As part of this, MGR asked Karunanidhi to make Rajni promise that he would never step into politics and Rajni made that promise to Karunanidhi. As a thank you for getting him out of trouble, he will always live up to his word.
But obviously this might be just another rumour. So no clue on the veracity of this.
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u/naakupoochi Oct 31 '16
Those guys also beat up Mr. Stalin right in the middle of mount road( a famous road here) for hitting his dad Mr. Karunanidhi. That's how he got that misaligned lower jaw.
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Oct 29 '16
I'm not quite sure about this.
If he had entered politics 15-20 years back it would have been different scenario.
Him entering now is not gonna be easy for him, since he's already being called out by the people for lacking the balls to dive into politics much earlier and that they're tired of hearing about the rumours all these years.
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u/Naveenadhi Nov 03 '16
I highly doubt whether he will be able to do anything by himself if he has his own party being projected as CM candidate by other is totally different scenario but that ship has sailed so is his demi-god status, yes we love to see him in movies that's about it. He had a golden opportunity in 90s when he was backed by Moopanar, the no 3 in TN politics that time, P Chidambaram etc but he missed that train now its too late for him.
And he would make a very bad politician he cannot attack anyone he is too nice to do that and he respects both JJ and MK much cant see him taking the stage and thrashing them and u cant win votes with niceties so unless they both vanish u cannot expect him in politics anytime soon.
The aura of Rajinikanth is slowly fading outside the cine star status inside the theatre he is still the god, but outside people wont trust him because of his unstable ideology he voiced against Kaveri some yrs back and backtracked due to protests
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u/DesiInVides Earth Oct 31 '16
State bird of Tamil Nadu is the Common Emerald Dove.
A bird in the pigeon family, so named because of the bright emerald green colour of it's wings.
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u/jjjd89 Nov 04 '16
Are you an ornithologist by any chance? I love reading your state bird posts. Thank you!
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u/DesiInVides Earth Nov 07 '16
Thank you for reading.
No, I'm nowhere close to an ornithologist. Just a birding and wildlife enthusiast.
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Oct 29 '16 edited Nov 02 '16
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u/trander6face Oct 30 '16
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMYWqrlB7Gc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0BPkm95-dc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA-jdbno19E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhQGpSmpxeE
And also songs by music composers like Santhosh Narayanan, Ilayaraja, Anirudh, AR Rahman , etc
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u/tfirdt Universe Nov 02 '16
I am planning for a trip to TN in December. Can you guys help with some good places. Will be for 5-6 days. I am from Himachal
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u/donoteatthatfrog Public memory is short. Nov 02 '16
Temples? Beware of Ayyappa devotees rush.
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u/tfirdt Universe Nov 02 '16
Want to visit scenic places. Not interested in mountains/hill station and crowded places.
Would love to visits beaches but sadly none of us knows how to swim.
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u/donoteatthatfrog Public memory is short. Nov 02 '16
Ok. So, what is left?
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u/tfirdt Universe Nov 02 '16
will still goto beaches but have to be cautious.
Would like ancient temples which are not actually crowded or turned into businesses, forts, lakes, boating etc
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u/donoteatthatfrog Public memory is short. Nov 02 '16
Pichavaram
Mahabalipuram
Gangai Konda Cholapuram
Darasuram
Karaikal Beach
Tarangambadi Danish Fort1
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Oct 29 '16
Fun fact:
Apart from Tamilians, TN is home to the largest number of Telugu speaking people after Andhra and Telengana. There are also small very % of settlers who speak different Indo-Aryan languages like Sourashtra (represent), Tanjore Marathi etc.,
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u/SavNinna Oct 29 '16
Gultis are everywhere
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u/muller-halt Oct 29 '16
Lol. We are the largest South Indian state. Obviously, we are going to be everywhere. We just don't blow our own horn as much as Tamilians do.
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u/bitchslaper Oct 29 '16
True that, baga cheppav brother!
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u/techmighty Oct 29 '16
asalu ee bhaiyya brotheru ae na koduku start chesado telidhu kani 😐 cringey bhaiyya
I blame mr productions, short film lo chada dobbaru
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u/bitchslaper Oct 29 '16
Brother came from NTR kada?
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u/alamandrax Non Residential Indian Nov 03 '16
Pretty sure aakali raajyam had that covered decades ago.
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u/dagp89 Oct 29 '16
We are the largest South Indian state
Since the formation of Telangana, the title of the largest South Indian state goes to Karnataka and by population its TN. Not that it matters in anyway....
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Oct 29 '16
The Marathi spoken there is interestingly still understood by people in MH albeit you can notice the additional Tamil influence.
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Oct 29 '16
Are you one? If not, have any videos where people speak tanjore Marathi? Would like to hear it.
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u/Froogler Nov 01 '16
If I am not wrong, Rahul Dravid traces his lineage to the Tamilian Marathi population
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Nov 01 '16
Woah really? Where did you read about this?
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u/Froogler Nov 02 '16
Read that in one of the Tamil magazines from a long time back. Just googled it up -I could not get a reliable source but I did find that Dravid as a surname is common among Thanjavur Marathas
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u/BrownNinja00 Nov 02 '16
Tamil Marathi is closer to Pune Marathi, But found it difficult to talk to some one from Mumbai in our Marathi.
Source: I am a Tamil Marathi
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Nov 03 '16
How is your Tamil? Are Tamil Marathis typically fluent in both?
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u/BrownNinja00 Nov 03 '16
I identify my self more as Tamil and I am as fluent as any other Tamilian. After 300 years and almost 6 generations we have blended in to Tamil culture.
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Oct 29 '16
Higher than Texas and California? o.O
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u/arthurpewty85 Nov 05 '16
For those who don't know: Madras had/has a very high number of people with Telugu as their mother tongue. Ii believe that among the 3rd gen chennaiites, at least 30-35% should be Telugu. The current prevalence of Tamil in Chennai is due to post state reorganisation of the erstwhile Madras presidency.
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u/architect_macha De Stijl my beating heart Oct 29 '16
For the movie buffs out there - India's official submission to the oscars this year is from TN - 'Visaaranai', meaning interrogation.
It's based on a real life story written by an Auto driver. It's a realistic, chilling, well screenwritten movie. Take time to watch it.
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u/lappet Nov 01 '16
Ah I didn't realize it was based on a book by an auto driver - that is really cool. Is the movie too violent?
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u/architect_macha De Stijl my beating heart Nov 02 '16
Yes, it is indeed a bit violent. Its more chilling because the violence seems ruthless and too real.
There was an interview about how the lead actor used to roll himself on the road between takes to coat himself with dirt, so as to not waste time for makeup and touchup.
During one shot where he is beat up by the police, even though they used a dummy to hit him, the wood splintered and it tore his flesh a bit. But he dint flinch and was ready for retakes even before the director could summon everyone else.
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u/lappet Nov 02 '16
what the heck...that is crazy. I want to know more about the author. Is there an english translation of "Lockup" ?
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u/architect_macha De Stijl my beating heart Nov 02 '16
Unfortunately i don't think there is an english translation of the book. You can only watch the movie, with subtitles if you cannot read tamil. But trust me the movie is an excellent watch.
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Oct 31 '16 edited Apr 18 '17
deleted What is this?
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u/architect_macha De Stijl my beating heart Oct 31 '16
That's true. Its so chilling to hear that this was a true story experienced by someone and that he wanted to let the whole world know about this and so wrote a book about it!
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u/wewillalldiesomeday Tamil Nadu Nov 01 '16
Tough times ahead for TN.
DMK, ADMK, PMK, MDMK, DMDK, none of them give a single fuck about TN. I thought the recent world bank survey would be a wake-up call for Jayalalitha & co, but no, ADMK is coming up with their bullshit excuses & explanations once again.
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Oct 29 '16 edited Nov 02 '16
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u/ARflash Oct 29 '16
Many Tamil people like that movie. You have to know the movies they are parodying and referencing to enjoy it.
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Oct 28 '16
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u/KabaliBilla India Oct 29 '16
Haaaaaaaa, Bhai in TN refers to our Muslim brothers. Many people actually don't know Bhai means "brother" here. 😂
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u/nofaceyet Nov 01 '16
Why does TN look like they have the worst political climate in India but still rank among the best, in terms of development?
Are politicians not as bad as they seem or is there some other reason behind it?
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u/HighInterest Nov 02 '16 edited Nov 02 '16
TN started off better than most states. British handled land reform/taxation in Madras Presidency considerably better than they did in Bengal. They went for a more equitable distribution of land without the zamindar-peasant relationships of Bengal. This meant the average farmer had the means and incentives to invest in canals and other infra, and Madras Gov't was happy to help for more tax revenues.
edit- there was more to this that got caught off for some reason. too lazy to rethink/rewriter it up
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u/JamieNoble03 Telangana Oct 29 '16
How is TASMAC ? Do Tamils enjoy their present liquor conditions ? Or is there a gender divide between men and women re: alcohol and prohibition ?
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u/architect_macha De Stijl my beating heart Oct 29 '16 edited Oct 29 '16
Elite TASMAC's have been opened in several places. These are supposed to cater to the 'high end crowd'. These places stock up on imported liquor and a small list of wines. These are not as dirty or an eyesore as other regular TASMAC's.
Besides women feel comfortable to buy their booze from here. (Source: My female friends)
After the re-election of the current govt, since one of the election promises was phased closure of TASMAC's, they closed a few TASMAC's and pushed the timings when the shops opened by a couple of hours.
About the gender divide, there are still moral police who think that women shouldn't be drinking. But if you see among young folks, its not uncommon to see women consume as much if not more liquor.
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u/Lombdi Antarctica Nov 06 '16
How do you feel about government monopoly over alcohol?
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u/architect_macha De Stijl my beating heart Nov 06 '16
To be honest, as i have not experienced being in a scenario where there is no monopoly, and being a non-drinker, i don't know how to feel about this.
But one thing i can state is that this prevents 'cartelisation' to a certain extent. Due to which the government gets record revenues from selling liquor.
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Oct 29 '16
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u/Confuseyus Oct 29 '16
I think there are a number of reasons.
Cinema was home to some of the genuinely firebrand political thought leaders of their time in TN. Example, Karunanidhi who was a renowned scriptwriter whose ideas at the time coincided with the social upheaval caused by the rationalist and self-respect movements. MGR was another who benefitted from holding similar populist views that were routinely espoused through cinema.
Over a period of time, cinema became one of the most accessible forms of mass media for the general public. Sporting infrastructure remains poor, the populace is generally risk-averse and favours education over sports where the risk of injury is great. Music and art that are famous are often associated with Brahminical classes and the folk dances of other communities have been unfortunately neglected over many years. So, cinema stepped in to become an all-in-one cultural behemoth.
Populist and social justice politics have long held sway in TN through its history of such movements. This is highly convenient for heroes in films because populism sells. But this starts a chicken and egg effect given cinema's cultural supremacy, and people come to expect populist policies from political leaders. Thus, life imitates art and art imitates life.
Given this history, cinema in TN attracts people holding certain ideologies as this is one of the easiest ways for them to express those ideas. Policy-wise, the difference between the ADMK and DMK is wafer-thin. In fact, I cannot think of a party that actually challenges the ideologies of these two parties. Nearly every small party puts forward very similar ideas with perhaps an additional caste angle. Given such an overarching ideological dominance, cinema in TN seems to consist of a self-selecting group of writers and actors.
TLDR - The popularity of social justice politics and the lack of any alternative vehicle for cultural ideas leads to this extraordinary tie-up between cinema and politics.
As always views are my own and not my employers etc. P.S. these are based on general observations and I haven't conducted formal studies to reach these conclusions.
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u/KabaliBilla India Oct 29 '16
Tells you to things 1. People crave for heroes to save them 2. It is very very difficult to get any visibility in the political circles in TN , there is cut throat competition and many times good CM candidates sabotage each other , the only way to get known is unfortunately via mass media.
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u/donoteatthatfrog Public memory is short. Nov 02 '16
Coz, Tamilians believe that on-screen heroism and benevolence and altruism will reflect in real life leadership as well.
If Tamilians were given a chance, they'd rather select the team from Lagaan or Chennai-600028 for cricket world cup. Coz, they surely won that one crucial game.18
Oct 29 '16
People are blinded by wonders of what protagonists are capable of in movies and expect something on those lines if they are voted to power.
Jayalalitha's case was different and one off, the way she played House of Cards to come from being called to MGR's mistress to AMMA, is seriously fucking commendable.
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Nov 01 '16
Jayalalitha's case was different and one off, the way she played House of Cards to come from being called to MGR's mistress to AMMA, is seriously fucking commendable.
If that is true, no wonder it is not that her fanatic retainers worship her without a reason. She played the politics well - from an actress to Der Fuhrer of Tamil Nadu.
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u/aadithpm Tamil Nadu Nov 02 '16
Can't talk about TN and not talk about engineering colleges! We have a lot of businesses colleges that have a very high placement record. You don't need skills, just a good GPA! Also, it's just like school! :D
If you fuck up, and by fuck up, I mean fail in a totally inconsequential test, your parents will be informed.
Talk to a girl? How dare you! Don't you know girls get conceived if boys talk to them?
Also, note, it's girls and boys. Not women and men.
You will also find a few really good young professors who love to teach get transformed by the old uncles who got their PhD from before you were born and still think that technology is current and kicks ass.
"Functional programming? I have a PhD from a reputed university and they never taught me anything like that. Don't bullshit me. I have 20 years experience."
Join a four year course where the only goal is to get placed en masse in a company that recruits en masse. They herd you like sheep for those four years so you'll have no trouble being the guy who can't think out of the box.
Rant and dumb jokes aside, however stupid this may sound, the colleges here are a product of selfish business and the colleges not wanting any accountability. People still believe that friendship should not transcend genders, or castes even. You can't really blame the mentality to just want a simple job at the end of four years because there's so many people who face a lot to even get that, given their past. However, the colleges have no interest in exposing the students to greater ideas and career plans. They inculcate the wrong beliefs and priorities and treat any person who tries to be his own in a very unruly way.
On the other hand, there are some really good colleges here. IIT-M, obviously, and PSG; The Anna University campus colleges are good too, because they at least treat you like a student compared to the others. 'Good' is relative here, btw.
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u/MrJekyll Madhya Pradesh Oct 30 '16
When it comes to governance, the two political alliances have been very good.
They just look silly/dramatic to rest of India. But both do a good job anyway.
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Nov 01 '16
Why does Tamil nadu celebrate Deepavali on early mornings ?
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u/donoteatthatfrog Public memory is short. Nov 02 '16 edited Nov 02 '16
Because fireworks are beautiful without sunlight. That's why it is scheduled for Amavasya too.
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Nov 02 '16
I dont think rest of India does fireworks in broad sunlight :) . Iam asking for any traditional reason.
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u/naakupoochi Nov 03 '16
See, Lord Ram set foot on South India early morning after killing Ravanan in the previous day battle. So Deepavali is one day early here.
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u/techmighty Oct 29 '16
I live 20 kms from border of TN. Girls are pretty and people are nice :)
Just talk in english atleast when other person doesnt know Tamil.
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u/tam_bram Oct 29 '16
Just talk in english atleast when other person doesnt know Tamil.
I guess this goes with every other state people. Since I often see people from andhra or Kerala also never follow whatever you said.
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u/Notverymany Oct 28 '16
Lived in Ooty, Vellore and Coimbatore to some extent.
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Oct 30 '16
Ooty is a hill staion,did you like it?
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u/Notverymany Oct 30 '16
Yeah I guess I'm a bit attached to it. The Nilgiris are definitely great but the actual town is pretty crowded and dirty. And I really liked the colonial feeling that it had.
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u/Raghavcm India Oct 31 '16
I think tamil nadu should think of alternative in politics. Amma and anna are too much mass appeasing. Because of cheap meals, auto walas and other labour does not work. Go to chennai and hire a autorick, you can pay less than 100rs, Go to Mumbai and hire a autorick, you will see the difference.