Maya,the Nayanthara starer is a unique horror film.Right from the beginning, till the end, the movie manages to keep you engaged.There are lot of scenes which may scare you, especially the visual and sound effects.We have seen lot of horror flicks with a storyline of a woman(or man too) getting killed by goons in a cruel manner and the victim takes revenge after becoming a ghost.Maya takes a different route.I don't want to reveal anything more than this. Nayanthara's screenpresence has helped the movie a lot.It is heartening to see Nayanthara accepting such roles.Well done :-). Different attempt from the director Ashwin Saravanan and it is convincing too. Appreciate the director for working on a good script instead of trying to ride on the 'ghost-movie-wave'.One or two scenes reminds us of Demonte Colony.Anyway Maya rocks.
#Yatchan is watchable. Kind of above average movie. it has an interesting plot,but Vishnuvardhan should have either made it as an out and out action film or a proper comedy film.there are some good scenes and some boring scenes too.with a decent climax, movie is watchable once. Yuvan Shankar Raja - time has come to give voluntary retirement.the build up towards the interval block became irritating because of the 'Champion' song.
#PaayumPuli is average.it has a boring first half and a decent second half with a very usual climax. it seems Suseendhran has run out of ideas.Vishal looks good and has a very good screenpresence.He neither underplayed nor overacted,neat job. I didn't like him in movies like Satyam or Vedi where he played cop,but he fits well in PaayumPuli(he comes in cop dress only in 1 or 2 scenes though).Arul Doss' character is impressive.He comes only for 2-3 scenes,but he has done well to give a special mention. Paayum Puli jumps,but falls short :D
குஜராத்தில் இட ஒதுக்கீடுக் கோரி படேல் சமூகத்தினர் நடத்தும் போராட்டத்தை நாடே கவலையோடு பார்க்கும் நிலையில், ஒரு சில அமைப்புகள் மட்டும் இந்த வன்முறைச் சம்பவங்களை, பெரும் எழுச்சி என புகழ்ந்து கொண்டிருக்கின்றன. அதில் மிகவும் கவனிக்கப்பட வேண்டிய அமைப்புகள் - 1)சிவசேனை 2)திராவிடர் கழகம்(திக).இந்த இரண்டு அமைப்புகளுமே காலம் காலமாக வெறுப்பு மற்றும் வன்முறை அரசியல் நடத்தும் அமைப்புகளே.நேற்று விடுதலையில் திக தலைவர் வீரமணி 'காந்தியார் மாநிலத்திற்கு பெரியார் சென்றுவிட்டார் அடிமை ஜாதிகள் இனி விடமாட்டார்' என்ற தலைப்பில் ஒரு கட்டுரை எழுதி இருக்கிறார். இவர் கட்டுரையில் இருந்து நாம் முதலில் புரிந்து கொள்ளவேண்டியது என்னவென்றால் பெரியார் மற்றும் அவருடைய சித்தாந்தங்கள் எங்கு சென்றாலும் அங்கு அமைதி சீர்குலையும்,வன்முறை வெடிக்கும்,மக்கள் நிம்மதி இழப்பார்கள் என்பது தான்.இவர் யாரை அடிமை ஜாதி என குறிப்பிடுகிறார் என்று புரியவில்லை.இந்த போராட்டத்தை நடத்தும் படேல் சமூகத்தினர் பொருளாதார ரீதியாக மிகவும் முன்னேறிய சமூகம். இந்த சமூகம் வர்த்தகத் துறையில் ஆதிக்கம் செலுத்தி கொண்டிருக்கும் ஒரு சமூகமே.இதில் கவனிக்கப்பட வேண்டிய அம்சங்கள் என்னவென்றால்,இந்தப் போராட்டத்தைத் தலைமை தாங்கி நடத்திக் கொண்டிருக்கும் 22 வயது ஹர்டிக் படேலின் நிபந்தனைகள் தான்.
அவரின் நிபந்தனை படேல் சமூகத்தினரை இதர பிற்படுத்தப்பட்டவர்கள் பிரிவில் சேர்க்க வேண்டும் என்பது அல்ல. அவர் கோருவது இதுவே : 'ஒன்று எங்கள் பிரிவினரையும் இதர பிற்படுத்தப்பட்ட வகுப்பில் சேர்க்க வேண்டும், எங்களுக்கும் இதர பிற்படுத்தப்பட்டவர் பிரிவில் இட ஒதுக்கீடு வழங்கப்பட வேண்டும், இல்லையென்றால் இட ஒதுக்கீடு முற்றிலுமாக நீக்கப்பட வேண்டும்'.
மேலும், தன்னுடைய படேல் சமூகத்தைச் சேர்ந்த மாணவர்கள் 80-90% மதிப்பெண் வாங்கியும் தகுந்த வேலை கிடைப்பதில்லை எனவும்,அதன் காரணமாக தாங்களே சொந்தமாக தொழில் செய்ய வேண்டிய நிலைக்கு தள்ளப்படுகிறார்கள் எனவும் கூறியுள்ளார்.ஒருவேளை இவர்கள் இதர பிற்படுத்தப்பட்ட பிரிவில் இருந்திருந்தால் நிலைமை வேறு விதமாக இருந்திருக்கும் என்று கூறி இட ஒதுக்கீடு கேட்கிறார். அதோடு அவர் மேலும் ஒரு கருத்தை முன்வைக்கிறார்.அதாவது தாழ்த்தப்பட்ட மற்றும் பழங்குடியினர் இட ஒதுக்கீடு பெறுவதோடு நில்லாமல்,பொது பிரிவிலும் போட்டியிடுகிறார்கள் என்றும் இதன் காரணமாக ஒன்று இட ஒதுக்கீடு முற்றிலுமாக நீக்கப்பட வேண்டும் அல்லது அவருடைய சமூகத்தினருக்கும் இட ஒதுக்கீடு வழங்கப்பட வேண்டும் என்ற நிபந்தனையோடு போராடி வருகிறார்.இதோ அவர் பேட்டி : http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/get-rid-of-reservation-or-make-everyone-its-slave-says-hardik-patel/article7587411.ece .
வீரமணி கூறியிருப்பதில் உண்மை இல்லாமல் போய்விடவில்லை. இந்த திராவிடர் கழகம் என்றுமே தாழ்த்தப்பட்டவர்களுக்கு எதிரான இயக்கமாகவே இருந்து வருகிறது.தீண்டாமையை எதிர்த்து அன்று பிராமண சமூகத்திலிருந்தே பலர் போராடி இருக்கிறார்கள் - உதாரணமாக ராஜாஜி, வைத்தியநாத ஐயர் போன்றவர்களைக் குறிப்பிடலாம். இவர்களே, தாழ்த்தப்பட்ட மக்களை அழைத்துக் கொண்டு, மதுரை மீனாட்சி அம்மன் கோவிலுக்குள் நுழைந்து ஆலயப் பிரவேச போராட்டம் நடத்தியவர்கள். இதன் பொருள் பிராமணர்கள் நல்லவர்கள் என்பதல்ல.தீண்டாமையை விதைத்தவர்கள் என்று சொல்லப்படும் பிராமணர்களிலும் கூட சிலர் தாழ்த்தப்பட்டவர்களுக்காக போராடி இருக்கிறார்கள். ஆனால் இந்த திராவிடர் கழகம் இது போல ஒரு போராட்டமும் நடத்தியதில்லை. பெரியார் மற்றும் திகவின் நோக்கம் பிராமண ஒழிப்பு மட்டுமே என்று வாதிடுபவர்கள் உண்டு.ஆனால் உண்மை என்னவென்றால் இவர்கள் நோக்கம் பிராமண ஒழிப்பு மட்டும் அல்ல தாழ்த்தப்பட்டவர்களை முன்னேற விடாமல் செய்வதும் தான். அதன் காரணமாகவே ஹர்டிக் படேலின் போராட்டத்தை, பெரியார் வழி போராட்டம் என்று மார்தட்டிக் கொள்கிறார்களோ என்னவோ.
பெரியார் தாழ்த்தப்பட்டவர்களுக்கு எதிராக பேசிய கருத்துக்கள் முன்பொரு முறை முரசொலியிலேயே கேலிச்சித்திரங்களாக வெளியிடப்பட்டன. பகுத்தறிவு பேசும் இந்த இயக்கங்கள் சுலபமாக பிராமணர்களை தரக்குறைவாக பேசி தங்களின் சாதி எதிர்ப்பைப் பதிவு செய்து விடுகிறார்கள். ஆனால் மற்ற சமூகங்கள் தவறு செய்யும் நேரத்திலும் கூட 'இதற்கு காரணம் வர்ணாஸ்ரம தர்மம் தான்' என தங்கள் மேதாவிலாசத்தைக் காட்டுவார்கள் இந்த பகுத்தறிவு பகலவர்கள்.பிராமணர்கள் எண்ணிக்கையில் குறைவானவர்கள் என்பதால் அவர்களை இந்த இயக்கங்கள் சுலபமாக தாக்கி விட முடிகிறது.
இந்த ஹர்டிக் படேல் உண்மையில் இட ஒதுக்கீடு கோரி போராடுகிறாரா அல்லது இட ஒதுக்கீட்டை எதிர்த்துப் போராடுகிறாரா என்ற கேள்வி எழாமல் இல்லை.இட ஒதுக்கீட்டால் படேல் சமூகத்தினர் எந்த பிரச்சினைகளை எதிர்கொள்வதாக இவர் கூறுகிறாரோ அதே பிரச்சனைகளை பொது பிரிவில் இருக்கும் மற்ற சமூகங்களும் எதிர்கொள்கின்றனவே? பொதுப்பிரிவு என்பது ஏதோ பிராமணர்களுக்கான பிரிவு என்பது போன்ற தோற்றத்தை இந்த திராவிட இயக்கங்களின் அடிவருடிகளாக செயல்படும் சில ஊடகங்கள் ஏற்படுத்திவிட்டன. பொதுப்பிரிவில் பிராமணர்கள் மட்டுமல்லாது நாயுடு,ரெட்டியார்(சில பிரிவினர்),மார்வாடி,ஜெயின் போன்ற சமூகங்களும் அடங்கும். இந்த அதிமேதாவி வீரமணி ஹர்டிக் படேலை ஆதரிக்கும்பட்சத்தில், அவர் முன்வைக்கும் பிரச்சினைகளுக்கு எதிராகவும் போராட முன்வருவாரா? அதாவது, இட ஒதுக்கீட்டால் பிராமணர் உட்பட பொதுப்பிரிவில் உள்ள பல சமூகங்கள் பாதிக்கப்படுகின்றன என்ற கூற்றை அவர் ஏற்கிறாரா?இட ஒதுக்கீட்டுக்கு எதிராக போராடுவாரா? அல்லது திராவிடர் கழகம் என்கிற அமைப்பு,ஒரு சில லாபங்களுக்காக, இடைநிலை சாதிகள் என சொல்லப்படும் சில சமூகங்களுக்காக மட்டும் போராடி, தாழ்த்தப்பட்டவர்களின் வளர்ச்சியைத் தொடர்ந்து தடுக்கும் ஒரு சுயநலவாத இயக்கம் என்பதை பகிரங்கமாக அறிவிப்பாரா? இதைத் தெளிவு படுத்த வேண்டியது திரு.வீரமணியின் கடமை.
ஹர்டிக் படேல் என்கிற ஒரு தனி நபரின் பின்னால் 18 லட்சம் பேர் திரண்டனர் என்பது வேதனைக்குரிய விஷயம்.குஜராத் மாநில அரசு மென்மையான போக்கைக் கடைபிடிக்காமல்,வன்முறையைத் தூண்டிவிட்ட இந்த ஹர்டிக் படேல் என்கிற இளைஞரைக் கடுமையாகத் தண்டிக்க வேண்டும். உளவுத்துறை மேலும் எச்சரிக்கையுடன் செயல்பட்டு இது போன்ற போராட்டங்கள் குறித்தத் தகவல்களை அரசுக்குத் தெரிவிக்க வேண்டும். அந்தத் தகவல்களை அலட்சியம் செய்யாமல் தகுந்த முன்னெச்சரிக்கை நடவடிக்கைகள் எடுக்கப்பட வேண்டும்.இட ஒதுக்கீடு வழங்கப்படமாட்டாது என்று குஜராத் அரசு அறிவித்திருப்பது பாராட்டுக்குரியது.
There are some people who are 'curious' to know why was Yakub Memon hanged. There is a false propaganda carried out by some pseudo-liberals who never bothered about victims of terrorist attacks but are only worried about the terrorists.Usually the argument on such cases will be that the 'accused' is innocent,he was misguided by people around him,he was so young that he didn't have the maturity to understand what he was actually doing,due to surroundings and unfortunate circumstances he committed this crime etc etc etc.But this case is little bit different.
As usual,the wannabe liberals, started abusing our judiciary system.The case was going on for the past 22 years, since 1994.These people have outright rejected the arguments of public prosecutor and the judgement given.They are quoting an article of late RAW(Research and Analysis Wing) officer, Mr.B Raman,which went unpublished way back in 2007.Recently,after getting permission from his brother B S Raghavan,the article was published.Based on this article,these fellows are running a campaign as if Yakub Memon was an innocent guy and he helped the investigating agencies in all possible ways,he was assured of not getting death penalty,he voluntarily came forward and surrendered etc,only thing is he helped his brother Tiger Memon,who is the mastermind behind the blasts,without knowing about the bomb blasts and since he was a chartered accountant,it was possible that he was unaware of the activities of Tiger.The saffron govt has hanged Yakub Memon. And 'sudden-patriots' like Shashi Tharoor calls this a cold blooded murder.Nonsense.
If someone tells such a story to you,just reply them in word - 'stupid'.Raman's article only says, Yakub was uncomfortable with ISI and wanted to surrender to the Mumbai police,but his relatives advised him not to surrender and return back to Karachi.While he was all set to return,the Nepal police arrested him based on suspicion and then he was brought back to India. Raman, not a single place in his article, claims Yakub was innocent.He clearly says Yakub Memon and his family members were involved in the conspiracy and they cooperated with ISI till July 1994.Further,the article reads, Yakub deserved death sentence for his conduct and role before July 1994.Then, he has written that since Yakub cooperated well with the investigating agencies and his conduct was good, "there is a strong case for having second thoughts about the suitability of the death penalty in the subsequent stages of the case.".
So the article which the liberals are using to prove Yakub's 'innocence' itself clearly says he was involved in the conspiracy carried out by ISI.Then where does the question of innocence arise? Yakub was given a fair trial. He had 22 years of time to prove his innocence.Death penalty will be awarded only after thorough investigation.He was given death sentence in 2003, which means after a 10 year investigation,he was awarded death penalty and he had 12 more years to prove his innocence. The following image from the The New Indian Express explains it all.
Just because someone has surrendered,it doesn't mean they should be let off.If the crime deserves a death penalty,the criminal will be given death sentence.Before sympathizing for people like Yakub Memon,spare some time for the families of 257 people who died in the serial blasts.Moreover though Raman says,as Yakub's conduct was good post July 1994 and there should be second thought on death penalty to him,it is not necessary to reconsider the punishment awarded.What Raman wrote in his article was just his opinion.Merit of the evidence and the impact of the crime will only decide the punishment, not the personal opinions of investigating officers.
Let us assume that Yakub was let off based on Mr.Raman's 'certificate' that his conduct was good post July 1994.What if he commits an even bigger crime after being let off?What is the guarantee that he wont do that again?Think..
The review petition on death sentence was rejected by the Supreme Court in 2013 itself,which means when Dr.Manmohan Singh was PM,which means there was a secular govt.On what basis these people accuse Modi sarkar and color the verdict 'saffron'?Its contempt of court.As usual the Muslim card is also being used.If they can ask such a question that was Yakub hanged because he was a Muslim? ,then they owe an answer for these questions as well, 'are these people supporting terrorists and terrorist activities?are these people supporting a terrorist because he is a Muslim?". One more info - statistics says,out of 1414 convicts only 72 were Muslims and 1342 were Hindus.
"..a new report by Death Penalty Research Project of the National Law University (NLU), Delhi shows that of the 1,414 prisoners in the available list of convicts hanged in post-Independence India, only 72 are Muslims—not even 5 per cent of the total executions..." - source-click-here
All these Muslim card-victim card and all will not work out dear liberals.
My appeal to sensible people,let the law take its own course,don't believe the false propaganda of pseudo-liberals and pseudo-seculars.Yakub's criminal culpability was proved beyond doubt. If you have any questions about this issue,you can post it in the comments section.
Mr.B Raman's article is given below. Courtesy rediff.com
Memon brothers and the Mumbai blasts I have been going through a moral dilemma in my mind ever since I read in the media about the sentencing of Yakub Memon to death by the court, which tried the accused in the Mumbai blasts of March 1993, and his tantrums in the court after the death sentence was pronounced. Right though the trial, he has been claiming that he was not arrested in Old Delhi as stated by the prosecution, but in Kathmandu, Nepal. This was disputed by the prosecution, which asked for the severest penalty against him and others, who were sentenced to death. All those sentenced to death have the right of appeal to the higher court and to petition the President of India for clemency if their appeals are rejected. I have been repeatedly asking myself: Should I write this article? Would I be a moral coward if I did not do so? Would the entire case get unravelled if I wrote it? Would the undoubtedly guilty escape punishment as a result of my writing it? Would my article be adversely viewed by the court? Would I be committing contempt of court? It is impossible to have definitive answers to these questions. Ultimately, I decided to write this in the belief that it is important to prevent a person, who in my view does not deserve to be hanged, from going to the gallows. As the head of the counter-terrorism division of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), I had dealt with the external aspects of the investigation between March 1993 and my retirement on August 31, 1994. I like to believe that my work, with the help of some outstanding field officers of R&AW, was highly appreciated by P V Narasimha Rao, the then prime minister, who described our contribution to the investigation of the external aspects as worth its weight in gold. I was disturbed to notice that some mitigating circumstances in the case of Yakub Memon and some other members of the family were probably not brought to the notice of the court by the prosecution and that the prosecution did not suggest to the court that these circumstances should be taken into consideration while deciding on the punishment to be awarded to them. In their eagerness to obtain the death penalty, the fact that there were mitigating circumstances do not appear to have been highlighted. It was an outstanding piece of investigation by the Mumbai police and the Central Bureau of Investigation, with the excellent help of the IB. The nation ought to be proud of the officers who handled the investigation and prosecution, for their outstanding success in painstakingly collecting all the relevant evidence and placing before the court a watertight case. The aura surrounding them would have shone even brighter had they taken the initiative in underlining before the court that there were some mitigating circumstances and that keeping those circumstances in view, they would refrain from asking for the death penalty even though perpetrators of such barbaric acts of terrorism deserve the death penalty. The prosecution was right in saying that Yakub was arrested in Old Delhi. Yakub was right in claiming that he was not arrested in Old Delhi. In July 1994, some weeks before my retirement, he was informally picked up in Kathmandu, with the help of the Nepal police, driven across Nepal to a town in Indian territory, flown to Delhi by an aircraft of the Aviation Research Centre and formally arrested in Old Delhi by the investigating authorities and taken into custody for interrogation. The entire operation was coordinated by me. He had come to Kathmandu secretly from Karachi to consult a relative and a lawyer on the advisability of some members of the Memon family, including himself, who felt uncomfortable with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, returning to India and surrendering to the Mumbai police. The relative and the lawyer advised him against surrender due to a fear that justice might not be done to them. They advised Yakub to go back to Karachi. Before he could board the flight to Karachi, he was picked up by the Nepal police on suspicion, identified and rapidly moved to India. He cooperated with the investigating agencies and assisted them by persuading some other members of the Memon family to flee from the protection of the ISI in Karachi to Dubai and surrender to the Indian authorities. The Dubai part of the operation was coordinated by a senior officer of the IB, who was then on deputation to the ministry of external affairs. Neither the R&AW nor I had any role in the Dubai part of the operation. The cooperation of Yakub with the investigating agencies after he was picked up informally in Kathmandu and his role in persuading some other members of the family to come out of Pakistan and surrender constitute, in my view, a strong mitigating circumstance to be taken into consideration while considering whether the death penalty should be implemented. There is not an iota of doubt about the involvement of Yakub and other members of the family in the conspiracy and their cooperation with the ISI till July 1994. In normal circumstances, Yakub would have deserved the death penalty if one only took into consideration his conduct and role before July 1994. But if one also takes into consideration his conduct and role after he was informally picked up in Kathmandu, there is a strong case for having second thoughts about the suitability of the death penalty in the subsequent stages of the case. http://www.rediff.com/news/column/exclusive-b-ramans-unpublished-2007-article-why-yakub-memon-must-not-be-hanged/20150723.htm
July 27,2015 is a sad day for India as it has lost an eminent scientist,great president and a humble human being Dr.A P J Abdul Kalam.He played a key role when India carried out nuclear tests in Pokhran during the Vajpayee regime.
In India, the President post is more like a rubber stamp,but Dr.Kalam used some exclusive powers, given to President,which not many of his predecessors used.Dr.Kalam will be remembered for two of his important actions as a President. One - it is said that, it was Dr.Kalam who stopped Mrs.Sonia Gandhi from becoming the Prime Minister of India citing the citizenship issue.Two - he exercised his power under Article 111 of Constitution and sent back the "Prevention of Disqualification Amendment Bill,2006" for revision.
As a President,govt offers him free Iftar during the month of Ramzan,but Dr.Kalam gracefully ordered the food to be served to poor children. Even after completing his term as President,Dr.Kalam continued his social work.He has given lectures in many colleges and schools.He stayed in Anna University.He paid for the food consumed by his family members in Rashtrapathy Bhavan canteen.
It was Dr.A P J Abdul Kalam, who gave confidence to the demoralized Indian youngsters that one day India will become a superpower.His 'Wings of Fire' was able to ignite many young minds.This book has a special place in the annual book-fair conducted in Chennai every year.His Vision2020 convinced us that India will be the superpower in 2020.India may not become a superpower in 2020, but we will be on track.
Watch this 2 minutes video.The words he uses,his majestic voice and gallant body language will inspire anyone.
The man hails from Rameswaram.He was born in a poor family,but now the entire world weeps for his demise.This is called 'achievement'.His house was shown in TV channels.It is so simple that none will say its a former President's house.Nowadays even panchayat presidents owns properties worth lakhs and crores,but inspite of being a President of the nation for 5 years,this man lived such a simple life.Once I have seen Dr.Kalam, during my college days,at a close distance.When one of my friends went near his car and asked for an autograph,the man patted the guy on his shoulders and politely said 'son,its getting late for me.I have to board the flight at 4.30,if I give my autograph to you,others will be disappointed as I cannot sign for everyone now".Such a humble and sincere man he was.
The man who taught us the value of dreams is no more.I started blogging in the year 2009.I gave my blog title as 'Start Dreaming' inspired by Dr.Kalam's words only.Though his age is 84,it is too difficult to overcome the sadness.
Our request to the central govt is to set up a university,mainly for scientific research and name it after Dr.Kalam.Our deep condolences to the family members of Dr.A P J Abdul Kalam. May his soul rest in peace.
In Tamil Nadu, whether you find hospitals or not,you can find liquor shops in all parts of the state,even in remote villages.Nowadays the situation has developed to such an extent that if someone says 'drinking is a bad habit',he will be branded as a 'retard'.In olden days,some excuses were given for drinking - to overcome sadness,to celebrate a success etc.Also our male-chauvinistic society was so 'narrow minded' that women were not allowed to drink. Now there is a new trend - 'drinking is to get social with people'.What a fantastic reason.And yes,now ours has become a feminist society as well, as there is no gender based discrimination in drinking. So this is for common man. Infact, the points I mentioned above holds good for the people of entire nation,but this article is all about the recent developments over liquor in Tamil Nadu politics.
In Tamil Nadu,the govt itself runs the liquor shops under the name TASMAC(Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation).All of a sudden, some kind of 'enlightenment' happened to Tamil Nadu media and politicians,that all are jumping to earth and sky about the TASMAC and liquor shops. There are 2 types of arguments against TASMAC - 1)Govt should not run the TASMAC,but private firms can run(as drinking is one's privacy)- this is a brilliant argument. 2)There should be a total ban liquor.I am not sure what kind of impact will the point 1 mentioned above can create in the state. The argument is so stupid and lame that 'how can the govt itself give warning about the after-effects of alcohol and run the liquor shops too?'.According to this logic,it is ok if someone drinks in a private shop and develops some disease,but it is not ok if the same happens in a govt owned liquor shop. This argument happens in most of the places - work place,among college guys,in social media etc. If the private vendors take over liquor business,still shouldn't they get approval from govt? Now doesn't the same hypocrisy arise? Govt preaching about adverse effects of alcohol on one side and it gives license to private vendors to carry on liquor business,so is that fine? People who argue like this may get a sense of satisfaction that they have teared the ruling govt into pieces with their argument. The govt took over the TASMAC to prevent cartelisation and revenue loss. Since the govt took over TASMAC, the illicit liquor flow has been controlled to a great extent and the govt too got good revenue.
When private vendors sell liquor, what will happen? Or it should be like,what happened when private vendors had the license to run TASMAC. Relatives and benamis of powerful politicians ran the TASMAC shops,they got huge revenue but never paid the taxes properly.They supplied poisonous liquor which resulted in the death of many people.So should we support TASMAC?No,that is not the point here.Running the TASMAC shops by private vendors will do more bad than good.
Regarding the point2 of imposing a complete liquor ban,I am fine with it.I have spoken about it on many occasions.I have also written against drinking in the past.If a liquor ban is imposed,I will be the first person to support it.But this article is not about my opinion,it is actually about the recent stunts by our politicians.
PMK leader Ramadoss and his son(who thinks he is the next CM,he also has formed ministry with his family members it seems),were constantly speaking against liquor shops, only since 2002.Actor Rajnikanth made a statement against forest brigand Veerappan.Rajni called Veerappan a demon and went on to say, he should be shot dead.This has irked Ramadoss then and he started his activities against actor Rajni.Ramadoss said,Rajni spoiled the youth of TN by endorsing smoking and drinking in his movies and sought for a complete ban on his movies.He openly asked his community people to boycott Rajni movies and they held rallies too.In many places,PMK people allegedly,vandalized the theaters.The movie reel was taken away from a theater in Jayamkondam(Source-The Hindu,click here) by some PMK men.If Rajni says something against Veerappan,why should Ramadoss be bothered about it? The reason is - Veerappan belongs to his community as well(source-click here). This is a clear case of caste politics.Later in 2004,Rajni voiced out against PMK and asked his fan clubs to defeat PMK in all the 6 constituencies where they contested.Unfortunately PMK won and Rajni was not ready to experiment anymore.He 'bought' peace with Ramadoss and stopped using smoking/drinking scenes in his movies.After Chandramukhi's release,Ramadoss called Rajni his friend('Nanbar' Rajni).The entire episode was twisted as if Ramadoss changed Rajni and PMK is a party against drinking/smoking.Recent request by Anbumani to actor Dhanush to quit smoking, is yet another gimmick on the same line.
Was there no smoking/drinking scenes in Tamil movies before Rajni's entry into the industry? What's this then?
Except MGR,almost all actors have acted in smoking and drinking scenes.Why should Ramadoss single out Rajni?Let it be a case of personal enmity.This man says ADMK spoils Tamil Nadu by running arrack shops.The ADMK govt took over liquor sales in 2003 and TASMAC became a govt institution.Inspite of knowing this,why did he join the ADMK alliance in 2009? He got 7 seats and fought the elections under ADMK leadership.Was he not aware of TASMAC shops then?Isn't this enough to prove PMK's stand on liquor ban is publicity stunt?If you need more details about PMK, you can post a comment under this article,I will respond.
Next joker is Vaiko.Vaiko was a loyal DMK member.He was expelled from the party as he supported LTTE and DMK feared LTTE may kill the DMK chief Kalaignar Karunanidhi.Then he formed a party on his own(MDMK).I will tell why I have mentioned this information later.Vaiko was in ADMK alliance in 1998 Lok Sabha elections and won some MPs.Then Vaiko was arrested under POTA act by the then chief minister Jayalalithaa for supporting LTTE.After almost 18 months he was released.Again he joined the ADMK alliance in 2006.He campaigned like a loyal ADMK man in 2006 assembly elections,2009 Lok Sabha elections,2011 assembly elections too.But,he was not happy with the no. of seats offered to him during 2011 elections and he quit ADMK alliance,but his party didn't contest the elections too.He was with ADMK for atleast 5 years,after TASMAC was taken over by govt.Now he says TASMAC shops should be closed.
There is no liquor ban in some states ruled by BJP and Congress.One may again intelligently argue, govt doesn't own liquor shops.Such people can scroll above.So their demand for a complete liquor ban is laughable.This holds good to communist parties as well.I don't want to comment anything about Vijayakanth's DMDK.Upto the readers to make a decision about it.
PMK,MDMK,DMDK,BJP,Cong and Communists - these are all nothing compared to DMK. Recently,the DMK chief,Mr.M Karunanidhi announced that there will be a complete liquor ban in Tamil Nadu,if DMK comes to power.What a noble gentleman Mr.Karunanidhi is.There was complete liquor ban in Tamil Nadu until 1971.It was the same Karunanidhi who lifted the liquor ban.Former Madras chief minister and founder of Swatantra Party,Mr.C Rajagopalachari(fondly called as Rajaji),met Karunanidhi personally and requested him not to lift the liquor ban in the state. Karunanidhi not only lifted the ban but also said that Rajaji requested a Rajya Sabha seat for his son C R Narasiman.
People should know about Rajaji.Let me narrate a small incident here.Once Rajaji was offered a free ticket to watch cricket match in stadium.His grandchild took one back.He called the child back and said,'This is the Chief minister's ticket and not Rajaji's ticket and therefore leave it here'.He himself did not go to the match.Source-Corruption at the Grassroots: The Shades and Shadows By N. Narayanasamy).This is just an example.It is possible to list out many such incidents and prove how honest was Rajaji.He formed a party against congress(Swatantra Party).Not even his son was aware of it until the official announcement came from the man himself.But Karunanidhi says Rajaji asked a Rajya Sabha seat for his son.
Karunanidhi, who justified the act of lifting the liquor ban in TN then,by giving false information from literature as an example,now says he will ban liquor in Tamil Nadu.Should we not laugh out loud on this statement?By allowing free flow of alcohol in Tamil Nadu,it was Karunanidhi who spoiled Tamil Nadu.An entire generation,which was not aware of alcohol,started drinking because of this man.DMK and Karunanidhi are the root cause of all the evils in Tamil Nadu.But his statements are seriously highlighted by a leading Tamil weekly called Ananda Vikatan.After this statement by Karunanidhi,the magazine wrote, 'its dream of seeing a liquor-free TN may come true soon'.Lot of magazines support this claim.Their dream is not to see TN as a liquor-free state,but to see Karunanidhi as Chief Minister again.
TN will go for elections in 2016(the probability of advancing the elections cannot be ruled out).That is why our media and politicians are 'suddenly' concerned about the younger generations getting spoilt because of liquor.A leading Tamil news channel,Thanthi TV,even went to the extent of telecasting a school girl shouting under the influence of alcohol.Though her face was masked, is it so difficult to identify that girl?People of her locality might have easily identified who that girl was and would have 'branded' her with 'terms'.We are also coming across a very disturbing news of toddlers forced to drink by elders.For all these problems these magazines,TV channels,social activists and politicians conveniently blame the state govt and the govt-run TASMACs.
Did school children not drink before TASMAC was introduced?I have personally witnessed children studying in 6th,7th standards smoking and drinking.There was no govt run TASMACs then.They were able to buy and drink liquor easily.Such incidents has been happening for a long period of time and just like that blaming govt run liquor shops,one may satisfy himself that he has done a great service to this nation.But the ground reality will remain the same.
Through this article am not endorsing liquor shops or drinking.I stand by my view - drinking is a bad habit and it can spoil an entire generation.At any cost a liquor ban is must.When the Kerala govt wanted to impose a ban on liquor in Kerala,the Supreme court asked the Kerala govt to follow Gujarat model on imposing the same same(source-click here).But this step has to be taken by the state govt. The TN state govt should think about the welfare of people and go for a liquor ban in the state.Neither the ADMK nor the DMK showed any intent to shut down the liquor shops,instead they openly supported increasing the number of shops.TASMAC was taken over by govt in 2003,DMK was in power for 5 years after that(2006-2011).Both the parties heavily depended on the TASMAC revenue while in power.There are certain rules and regulations in running a liquor shop like there should be some minimum distance between one shop and other,there should be no liquor shops in residential areas,near religious places,near educational institutes etc.But the govt itself violated all these rules and like some provisional store,there are liquor shops in every street. As a first step in reducing liquor flow,the govt should atleast come forward to reduce the number of shops and follow the rules mentioned above.Because I have mocked other parties,it doesn't mean ADMK is an angel. ADMK is equally bad.
The press should behave with some responsibility.Instead of behaving like official mouth-piece of DMK,they should pass constructive criticism on govt.Only if the journals follow some standard,it can make the people think.The only intention of most of the leading Tamil weeklies and dailies seems to be to bring down the ADMK govt and make Kalaignar Karunanidhi as chief minister again,which is unfortunate.
