Asst Resident Editor, Tamil Nadu
@NewIndianXpress
| MPhil Social Anthropology
@Cambridge_Uni
| Feminist | Food-lover | Dog person | She/her | Views personal
TNIE Exclusive: As many as 29 female staff - nurses & sanitary workers - from
@chennaicorp
UPHCs were told to skip duty and go to houses of senior IAS officers to take care of senior citizens.
Story by
@NirupamaViswa
&
@SAPRAVEENA1
#TamilNadu
TN's growth is not just to do with economy, but includes social justice, women's empowerment, equality. TN is a State of inclusive growth. This what we call the Dravidian model:
@mkstalin
"Do you have a constitutional basis? No
Are you a financial expert? No
Do you have a Nobel prize? No
Do you perform better than us? No
On what basis should I change my policy for you?"
🤣🤣🤣
#TamilNadu
strongly objects to proposal to classify coconut oil in container of less than 1000ml as hair oil with GST of 18pc “irrespective of actual end use”.
@ptrmadurai
has termed it “anti-poor, anti-southern states and anti-Indian”.
(This is worth a read)
#GSTCouncil
@theliverdr
The lack of understanding about depression in the comments here is very upsetting. I understand her distress. The thought of living through treatment-resistant depression is unbearable. We should bear in mind that without this option, people anyway die by suicide due to distress
#ChennaiFlood
#ChennaiRain
Drove back from office this morning:
1. Estate is mostly clear, fallen trees removed
2. Mogappair main road clear
3. Inner roads of Anna Nagar bit inundated. Quite a few fallen trees
@chennaicorp
4. PH road clear, ChetPet bridge open
Dad, already unwell, freaked after tree fell on car this evening. I called number of Corp staff on wall. He gave contact of person in parks. I was sceptical anything would happen tonight but team came at 10.45pm & removed tree!
@chennaicorp
(Right number to call is 1913 😬)
So many persons w/ disabilities accessing a public space & enjoying themselves, courtesy
#MarinaBeach
path. As
@aisrao
said, design dismantles disability. Hope TN Govt adopts this approach for public transport & starts buying low-floor buses
#DisabilityInclusion
#DisabilityDay
So it's not cool for woman MP to cackle in Parliament but totally cool for Vice President to suggest she see a doc (cos
#MentalIllness
?) and for PM to compare her to a demoness whose nose was cut off? And then for all the menfolk to cackle?
#misogyny
#RenukaChowdhury
“I was carrying my Aadhaar card, PAN card and employment proof. However, nothing helped. What is the point of carrying them if I am made to feel like an outsider in my country?”
Re Tamil Nadu restrictions coming into force tomorrow. Can someone explain wisdom of closing beaches and parks (risk of COVID-19 spread lower outdoors) while allowing dine-in facilities and movie theatres (risk of spread higher indoors) with 50pc occupancy to continue?
This is disingenuous. DMK didn't say don't be Hindus, else why participate in temple entry movements? Why fight for all communities to be archakars? Has DMK also failed wrt to caste? Yes. Party & TN have a long way to go on that front but let's not misrepresent what they say
Sanatana Dharma is a way of life. It's inclusive and not divisive as DMK is trying to create. To them, it's ok when their own women go to temples and pray, conduct poojas, and walk around with threads, kumkumam n vibhuthi. Let's see if they have the guts to stop women from
Rather, grossly mistranslated. He says that despite the work done by DMK representatives, these communities did not vote for them and instead voted for BJP. But, even if these communities reject the DMK, the DMK will not reject them, he says.
Blown out of context by
@ANI
. Minister
@PKSekarbabu
has actually said DMK will work for the North Indian communities even though they did not vote for the party. Original video 👇🏼
🧵 A man died by suicide protesting an eviction drive in Chennai. *After* he was declared dead, the State govt, which speaks of social justice, responded assuring houses for the residents in the city instead of on the outskirts of the city.
Cannot selectively believe accounts of sexual violence. If you believe accounts of PSBB kids (as you should) then why not believe Chinmayi and others who’ve spoken up against Vairamuthu? At the very least, why give platform to man who allegedly uses these connections as a shield?
கேரளாவின் புகழ்பெற்ற
#ONVaward
-க்குத் தேர்வு செய்யப்பட்ட 'கவிப்பேரரசு'
@Vairamuthu
அவர்களை, முத்தமிழறிஞர் கலைஞரின் கோபாலபுரம் இல்லத்தில் வாழ்த்தினேன்.
தமிழுக்குப் பெருமை சேர்த்திடும் கவிப்பேரரசுவின் இலக்கியப் பயணம், எல்லைகளைக் கடந்து உலகளாவிய விருதுகளையும் பெற்றுத் தொடரட்டும்!
States handled Centre-made migrant crisis, States handled first and now second wave, while even GST dues were pending (at least till Feb). Now States have to keep demand for medical O2 under control. What exactly is Centre's contribution to managing pandemic? Chaos?
State governments should keep demand (for medical oxygen) under control. Demand-side management is as important as supply-side management. Containing COVID spread is the responsibility of state governments & they should fulfil this responsibility: Union Minister Piyush Goyal
.
@chandhini97
’s story on
@celinegounder
, who was named to Biden’s Covid task force, and her ties to the Erode village her father is from. During lockdown she got grocery kits sent to kids at home, and guided villagers on being safe during the pandemic
Why can't
#TamilNadu
govt just ask private hospitals to raise an indent and reach out to district admin/TNMSC with patient details for this drug??? Why have ppl gather like this during pandemic for a drug that govt says is over-prescribed?
@mkstalin
@Subramanian_ma
@RAKRI1
Though counters for buying
#Remdesivir
from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium are set to open only at 9 am on May 15, people started forming a long queue on Friday night itself.
#COVID19
Express Video |
@shibasahu2012
@xpresstn
Archana & parents spent the night
before she received her medical seat allotment order from the CM outside the Nehru stadium cos they couldn’t afford lodging in the city. They told
@Sinduj11
it didn’t matter: An impossible dream had come true.
#NEET
I read Murasoli, Namadhu MGR, Namadhu Amma, Theekathir, and more, to understand a particular party line. It is essential for a journalist to do this. Mocking a journalist because he reads a party organ is born out of ignorance. The cure is an education. Get well someday!
Just 3 major incidents relating to law and order in the last 10 years of AIADMK govt, says a political analyst. Really? How about refreshing our memory?
First, how crime statistics are managed in
#TamilNadu
:
Really unfortunate how my colleague
@thinak_
is being viciously trolled for asking about disparity in medical services available in TN. You can agree or disagree with what he’s saying - in good faith - but there is no need to be nasty, abusive and resort to name-calling.
Why medical disparity & transfer rule N/A for doctors:
Tamil Nadu government had to bring three specialists from the distant (620km) Chennai Stanley hospital to perform surgery for a Tirunelveli boy. In most cases, poor children of down south districts have to travel to Chennai
.
@mkstalin
says: Women activists, speakers and journalists who speak boldly in public spaces are being attacked with obscenities. When the DMK forms the government it will bring in strong laws to prevent such attacks.
"பொதுவெளியில் துணிச்சலாகக் கருத்துக்களைச் சொல்லும் பெண் பேச்சாளர்கள், போராட்டக்காரர்கள், பத்திரிகையாளர்கள், ஊடகவியலாளர்கள் ஆபாசமான தாக்குதலுக்கு உள்ளாகிறார்கள்;
கழக ஆட்சி அமையும் போது, இவற்றை தடுக்க சட்டங்கள் கொண்டு வரப்படும்"
- கழக தலைவர்
@mkstalin
அவர்கள் உரை.
#DMK
CM Stalin highlights disparity between TN's contribution to national economy and share it receives from Union govt. Points out States also contribute to national schemes. Says TN is happy to work with union govt on such schemes...
What point is being made?
For the curious, the pic is Jan 8, 2017 launch of a book of essays on "The challengers in Neet exam and problems with Neet training/coaching". Suriya's foundation also provides free residential NEET coaching for students btw.
()
#Covidbeds
#BedsforTN
As many may know, I volunteer with
@ChennaiCares
. Since many have reached out asking for info: This is a collective of individuals (incl journos & doctors) & some NGO workers. Some of us have worked together since 2004 Tsunami, many from...
Lady with leprosy, no
#biometrics
can’t get
#AadharCard
but ‘In August, she got a letter from deputy tahsildar’s office in Rajajinagar that her pension would stop in 7 days if she failed to link it with her Aadhaar.’
#disability
but, first, when they start these schemes, the Union initially takes up higher share in expenditure but later shifts more of the costs to the States. So Union must keep the share the same throughout: Stalin
.
@Vijayabaskarofl
in today's briefing says anyone with even cough, slightest ILI symptoms, contacts of positive persons all being immediately tested, says State is going beyond ICMR protocol. That's great but has anyone informed
@chennaicorp
about this?
@RAKRI1
Really happy to have heard
@KanimozhiDMK
’s talk on custodial violence in TN organized by
@ForumTamilnadu
today. Two important points she made: 1. Good or bad, everyone has a right to life 2. Whatever stress a cop may have, they cannot resort to violence
One political leader terms another "schizophrenic" so now the latter questions the former's "mental stability". Meanwhile, people who actually live with mental illnesses feel the weight of stigma grow heavier. This 'discourse' also flies at face of TN's successes in this area
Why shut grocery & veggie stores for a week? How will hort dept supply so many homes? Now mass shopping will happen - effects to be seen in 2 weeks. The poor (who can’t afford to buy & stock for a week), elderly & disabled will suffer & grocery kits only from June 3 🙄
@mkstalin
Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday announced that a complete
#lockdown
without any concessions will be in force in the state for one week from May 24.
@muruga_TNIE
Stalin also raises Katchatheevu issue, urges Prez assent to NEET exemption bill, asks Union govt to pay up GST dues, make Tamil official language.
#Stalin
#ModiInTN
Sources in the BJP said that
#KhushbuSundar
will join the saffron party on Monday in New Delhi. The actor-turned-politician joined the DMK in 2010 and the Congress in 2014. A natl spokesperson of the Congress, she has been very critical of BJP & PM Modi
Dear
@chennaicorp
, kindly explain what is going on: man tests positive, admitted to RGH. Wife, daughters, SIL tested. Yday, Corp tells wife, SIL, daughter 1 they are positive and takes in ambulance. Daughter 2 told she’s negative. Trio taken to Valliammal college for blood test
Best movie promotion idea ever
#PariyerumPerumalPET
❤️❤️❤️ Here are my girls. Freya: bossy, belly-rub enthusiast, convinced all food is her food; Marble: parkour-expert, blanket-connoisseur, neurotic, obsessed with Freya; Rosa: tripawd, testy, cuddlesome, knows she owns us
Second, in schemes where beneficiaries have to contribute to costs, when they are unable to do so, they turn to the State for help. In such cases, the Union govt must join with State in helping them: Stalin
If you're in India & feeling smug that abortion is legal, remember there are women here still putting their lives at risk, going to quacks & illegal clinics, cos of barriers to accessing safe abortions & there are States where you can't even easily get a morning after pill
Sir, if ppl have lost wages/jobs, can't afford food due to State action, it is the State's responsibility to ensure they don't starve. The State can't hand over this responsibility to the benevolence of individuals and hope for the best.
Whoever has the capability, take the pledge to take care of 9 families for 21 days, it will be a true 'Navratri'. Due to the lockdown, animals are also facing trouble. I appeal to people to take care of the animals around them: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
It appears
#Rajinikanth
might quit politics without ever formally taking the plunge. Functionaries of
#RajiniMakkalMandram
told
@Kumaresan_TNIE
that the question is whether he will make the announcement before or after Deepavali
If we're going to cover
#Vairamuthu
& ask him questions on issues of national import, should we also not ask him abt multiple accusations of sexual harassment against him? Or mention he is facing such accusations?
#Metoo
@GunasekaranMu
@News18TamilNadu
Someone recently asked me about how I cope with depression and anxiety -- how do I manage to work with it... I wish I had better answer for this than "I just work till I simply cannot."
"You cant see the roots that reach deep into the soil by flying overhead in a plane. Likewise, the true culture of this soil cant be written by people who are placed at the top of the caste hierarchy. So I submit that this committee be dissolved."
(Full trans in the thread)
"Biased & pre-judged reporting may adversely affect the ongoing investigation," say the folks who gave us: We Killed Him Cos He Tried to Kill Us, We Shot Him in Knee As He Escaped, He Broke Arm & Leg When He Slipped in the Loo & He Died of Stomachache While In Our Custody
IPS officers association comes out in support of
#BalveerSinghIPS
Releases a statement saying pre-judged reporting may adversely affect the ongoing investigation.
Read this statement and also do read this story-
The video of Tirupur police ‘teaching some boys a lesson’ for not wearing masks by ‘exposing’ them to a fake
#COVID19
patient could be quite stigmatizing. You simply cannot use ‘patients’ - human beings - as a boogeymen!
@Vijaykarthikeyn
@DrBeelaIAS
@Vijayabaskarofl
@netshrink
TN stopped announcing board exam toppers to reduce stress on school kids which seems to have helped. I think Dr Lakshmi Vijayakumar has written about how allowing supplementary exams to be taken in the same year has also helped
@Indumakalktchi
If you feel someone is stalking,
Be Brave!
1. Inform Police .
a. Call 100 on emergency.
b. Use "Kaaval Uthavi" app to inform Police on emergency.
c. Helpline Numbers: 181, 1091
d. Inform Patrol vehicle nearby
A day before he died, his father, who spent lakhs on his coaching, bought Vignesh new clothes to wear for the exam...
I can imagine the distress this youth felt that day, cos I have been there. I really wish help was accessible to everyone who needs it
You do realise it was the DMK govt that formed Thiruppugazh committee to look into ways to mitigate floods, right? The report was written at behest of DMK govt. Why ask for report if you aren't going to implement?
Better to have a peanut-sized brain, than no brain at all.
@ranjim
is a journalist. She has braved clinical depression & suicidal ideation in. Ranjita is a role model of
#IndiaMeTooMentallyIll
whose story of resilience is chronicled in the Book The Other Identity published by Other Identity Foundation
#CMStalin
says two types of terracota board game pieces have been found in
#Keezhadi
and may have been used to play a game like Chess. Says TN has 1000 years of tradition in Chess, a game of strategy and intelligence. Once a royal pasttime, now it is a game of the people, he says
தமிழோடு புதுமையையும் அறிவியலையும் சேர்த்து, சிறந்து விளங்கும் கவிதைகளை- திரைப்படப் பாடல்களை தேனருவியெனக் கொட்டி, தமிழால் நம்மை நனைக்கும் கவிப்பேரரசு
@Vairamuthu
அவர்களது எழுத்துப் பணியின் பொன்விழா இலச்சினையை வெளியிட்டேன்.
தன் தமிழால் கவிப்பேரரசு நூறாண்டு கடந்தும் நம்மை ஆளட்டும்!
On one side, there's AIADMK & NDA thinking about welfare of the poor while DMK & Congress on the other end are corrupt & follow politics of divide & rule. Sonia ji is worried about making Rahul baba PM & Stalin is concerned about making Udhayanidhi the CM: Home Minister Amit Shah
Arresting and imprisoning a person for a critical social media post can only be considered draconian… we may well live in a police state where free speech may live or die depending on who is in power and how thick their skin is.
#TamilNadu
#FreeSpeech
The New Indian Express is hiring sub-editors with at least two years experience in copy-editing and page-making for the Tamil Nadu news desk in Chennai. If interested, please mail CVs to ranjitha
@newindianexpress
.com
#journalismjobs
Can you imagine Sathankulam reportage without newspaper journalists, especially newspapers like
@NewIndianXpress
which have a full-time reporter posted in the district?
This is very important. Journalists losing jobs in newspapers is bad news for all of us. Can you imagine the reportage on the India-China border standoff in the absence of newspapers, for instance? Or even how your city is dealing with COVID?
That’s not what Thirumavalavan says. He says even if there is lit/evidence to show Murugan as a Tamil deity he has been appropriated and made part of a larger Hindu (“sanatana”) tradition. This argument has been made by academics wrt other ‘folk’/indigenous deities. It’s not new
Tamil Nadu Govt to constitute Economic Advisory council to the CM with leading Economic experts including Raghuram Rajan, Esther Duflo & Dr Arvind Subramaniam
Some of my best childhood memories are of doing "skin treatments" and "hair styling" for my dad. I wish all parents were as comfortable in their skin, as patient & with access to leisure time to play with their kids like this ❤️
Seriously
@chennaicorp
???
1. You'll frighten off anyone wanting a test --- is that the goal?
2. Ppl who can't sit at home, w/o homes, whose homes have no space -- you have beds for govt quarantine or food kits?
3. Frontline staff/officials will sit home for 2 wks post test?
In Chennai Corporation limit, any person who takes PCR test, should undergo quarantine for 14 days.
Family members of the person will also put under quarantine for Same amount of days.
#IndiaFightsCorona
@TNGOVDIPR
@chennaicorp
It’s been 10 years since Sparky’s Diner closed. There are so many more restaurants in Chennai now, but I can think of none that offer what Sparky’s did. I still miss the etouffe and chilli :/ Thank you Thom Petty and RIP
Mother’s Day: thinking of mom, who died in 2002. She had nerves of steel, sharpest of tongues, zero tolerance for my BS yet indulged me at unexpected moments. She could be petty bt generous, cold bt humble. She cackled unapologetically— something I hope I’ve learnt to do like her
Balveer Singh, a 2020-batch IPS officer, allegedly subjected accused to horrific custodial torture, including pulling out teeth of accused with cutting pliers.
@thinak_
spoke to victims and police personnel for this story.
#TamilNadu
#CustodialTorture
.
@maiamofficial
's 9-page manifesto, in parts, is like a Shankar-Murugadoss fantasy. In five years, they will give tap water to every household, eradicate malnutrion and anemia among women and children... and wipe out poverty from Tamil Nadu 🧐
#MNM
Really love when men say something sexist and then accuse their critics (women) of lacking a "sense of humour" ha ha. I mean it's basically a page out of the patriarchal playbook, yaaawwwnnn
Very sweet of kids to donate savings but I'm feeling bit ouch that even *children* have better money management skills than me. At age 13, something I wrote came in Young World. They paid me, so I gave treat and bill was more than what YW paid me which is basically my life story
These guys are amazing. This is a group of 20 students, half of them women, continuing their protest behind locked gates of the university, with cops standing guard, in the dark, chewed by mosquitoes...
#MadrasUniversity
#CAAProtests
#universityofMadras
#StudentsProtest
entered day 3 on Wednesday. About 20 students who staged a sit-in over Tuesday night continue to stay on campus. No student has been allowed to join the protest on Wednesday.
Senior cop
#RajeshDas
allegedly had an SP engage hundreds of cops to intercept a young IPS officer on her way to Chennai to file a
#sexualharassment
plaint against him. The SP told
@NovinstonLobo
that the order to stop the woman came from Das
There is only one spot on Pachamalai hill where these kids can access the Internet. So everyday they have to trek up the hill for about 1km and then struggle to download video lessons on SLOW internet. Story by
@ezhil_jkm
#TamilNadu
#digitaldivide
My story on how
#mentalillness
illness is portrayed in Tamil films in context of
#nerkondapaarvai
. As Saravana Raja asks: "How can a movie like
#NKP
that is so progressive about violence against women be so regressive with regard to mental illness?"
Lovely story by
@NirupamaViswa
about a family running a grocery store that recovered from
#COVID19
& found neighbours & customers welcomed them back with love. They also feed local doggos & one chased after the ambulance taking them to hosps 😭❤️
If you are in distress following helplines are available:
Sneha - 04424640050 iCall - 02225521111, Mon to Sat 8 am to 10 pm
TN health helpline - 104
If none works, my DMs are open. If you are in TN & in distress, I will try & find you professional support
#Live
| PM
@NarendraModi
addresses the nation. 'We should emphasise on buying things made in India, made by the hard work of Indians. We must be 'vocal for local'.
I just booked a Covid19 home test from a private lab and it says cost is Rs 4,500, despite TN govt capping the charges. Waiting to see if they simply haven't updated online or they are overcharging since payment is in cash on collection of sample.
A miracle: Ruby is back with
@deepu__jain
's family today😍😊 after an ordeal that took her all the way to Mayiladuthurai (~300 km from Chennai)
🙏 to
@VinodhrajShruti
,
@AntonyRubin
, Saravanan,
@DrMRaviIPS1
A minister's focus must be Policy & Execution
But humanity comes first
PSA for everyone demanding justice for child raped and murdered in Pudukkottai: Naming the child is a POCSO violation. Supreme Court has also said victims cannot be named, even after their death.
(Accused has been arrested btw)
Shanthoshini, who aims to become a doctor, scored 488 in Class 10 while helping her sister manage the house. Their father had polio & is a tailor, operating a machine with one foot. Their mother has a serious mental illness.
@NirupamaViswa
@chennaicorp
ICYMI:
Murmurs in
#DMK
against influence of party chief's son:
“Udhayanidhi is enjoying the privileges of being the son of the party president. Even MK Stalin did not enjoy such privileges in his early days,” a first-time MLA told
@Kumaresan_TNIE
Many dismiss Govt schemes as “freebies”. But S Harikrishna from Poovalur in Tiruchy, who got a seat in Stanley, lists the all
#freebies
that helped him: free books, free laptop, free cycle and free
#NEET
coaching.
His father works at a provision shop.
.
@WriterRavikumar
is also co-founder of Navayana and a writer who has critiqued Periyar in the past.
@meenakandasamy
, aside from being a novelist, poet and translator, is also an academic with PhD. Political affiliations are mentioned in copy. Don't get why some so upset by it
Been quiet about this. Ravikumar is an MP, in case you forgot. Meena is an accomplished poet and writer. Salma is a politician, a feminist and a poet. So I didn't understand why they cannot be quoted.
It was a BIG day for my colleague (and friend)
@cshivakumar
because 12 years after the CUMTA Act was passed (and after his reporting on it for 12 years), the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority actually held its FIRST meeting today!
#Chennai
#publictransport
I feel really bad for these kids who've taken NEET and have been waiting for result whole effing day cos NTA can't give a date/time for results and stick to it. Sheesh.
This is very upsetting.
If you are in distress following helplines are available:
Sneha - 04424640050 iCall - 02225521111, Mon to Sat 8 am to 10 pm
TN health helpline - 104
If none works, my DMs are open. If you are in TN & in distress, I will try & find you professional support
Another
#NEET
aspirant M Adithya (20) from
#Dharmapuri
dies by suicide on Saturday, a day before the exam.
The second death of a NEET aspirant in a day, after a 19-year-old girl from
#Madurai
ended her life earlier in the day.
@xpresstn
@NewIndianXpress
Nothing exposes the hollowness of the Dravidian model (to which I would otherwise credit much of Tamil Nadu's progress) than how evictions have been treated by both Dravidian parties. Yet, just a month ago, I thought there might be hope for change.
The New Indian Express is hiring:
* sub-editors with 2-5 yrs exp in print production to join the desk in Chennai
* reporter with 0-2 yrs exp, who can read & speak Tamil, to cover Vellore
Write to me at ranjitha
@newindianexpress
.com
#journalismjobs
@NewIndianXpress
@xpresstn
மாற்றுத் திறனாளிகள் பயன்படுத்துவதற்கு ஏதுவாக பிரத்யேகமாக வடிவமைக்கப்பட்ட கழிப்பறைகள் கட்டிக்கொடுக்கும் "உதயம் திட்டம்"
Youtube Video :
@jmeghanathreddy
The joy on faces of ppl who got to wet their feet in sea for the first time (2016 pix in thread)... Accessibility is not a favour. It is a right. Disabled ppl should be able to visit beach as often & easily as non-disabled. Hope 2022 brings permanent, CRZ-compliant beach access
On November 29th 2016, the first visit to Marina Beach to check where Ramps can be set to reach the shoreline. This was for an event scheduled on December 3rd 2016 which is International Disabilities day (1/3)
In pictures -
@SmithaSadasiva5
@vjayakumar
@DisabilityIndia