SquareShooter

Caste  Sitting at Ethiraja Kalyana Mandapam waiting for Sanjay Subrahmanyam concert to begin, saw someone sitting infront of me read The Hindu article on the controversy over ‘Madhorubagan’. Asked for the paper from the person and quickly read it. Two days later at the Museum book shop saw this bright red coloured cover of  the book  - it was a small book and immediate inclination picked it up. Hectic travel followed it and the book travelled with me to Mumbai unread. Last afternoon after seeing the author’s reaction to threats and the overwhelming support of intelligentsia decided to leave other works aside and read it. As a student of literature and avid reader, over the years one has encountered all sorts of books ranging for serious adultery to free sex to whatnot. So, was not shocked or surprised to read this book which mainly deals with fertility issue and an open free sex day at a temple as a way to solve it. From the so called “animists” to Hindu Gods fert...

We were watching Madurai Law College students protest for total prohibition in Tamil Nadu. As usual few lessons in history I got from my father. He says Rajaji imposed prohibition soon after taking over as the Chief Minister of Madras in 1937 saying it was Congress policy and they believed in it. That was the first Congress Government. Prohibition continued till the first non-Congress government came to power in Tamil Nadu in 1967. Annadurai was not in favour of lifting prohibition though there was an intention to do so by the party at that time. Periyar who as the Congress party president in his early days of activism had cut down 100 coconut trees in his orchard to prevent toddy tapping, obviously in support of prohibition. But, the same Periyar apparently made fun of Anna when he refused to lift prohibition. Periyar is also supposed to have supported at around this period a movement called “kal venduvor sangam” meaning those who were in favour of toddy. Reasons cited fo...