GENRE: Features

Sitting AIADMK MLA Dr R Nataraj is all set to contest again from the Mylapore constituency. A retired Indian Police Service officer, Nataraj had served as chairman of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) and is best known for bringing transparency in the conduct of government examinations. He joined AIADMK in 2014 and first won the Mylapore assembly seat in 2016. How has his experience as a bureaucrat helped him? What plans does he have for the constituency? We catch up with the 70-year-old legislator. Excerpts from the interview: What is your vision for Mylapore constituency? My vision is…

R Murthy, popularly known as Idream R Murthy is contesting his first election from Royapuram constituency. The proprietor of Idream cinemas in Royapuram, Murthy has been associated with the DMK for many decades now.  Projecting himself as a change-maker, Murthy has charted plans for Royapuram, the constituency that has historically been an AIADMK stronghold, voting D Jayakumar to power five times. A successful businessman, Murthy is optimistic of winning the seat, as he says, “People in Royapuram deserve the best. They want to see the change.”  R Murthy has been campaigning for more than 10 hours a day, reaching out…

DMK's promise: A one-time financial assistance of Rs 4000 for all ration card holdersAIADMK's offer: Free washing machines to all citizens of Tamil Nadu.  This at a time when the state's debt is 4.85 lakh crore, according to deputy chief minister O Pannerselvam’s budget speech. No details are available on where the money for these giveaways will come from. Welfare measures or freebies? The debate over how to distinguish welfare policies from freebies is an old one. Especially in Tamil Nadu, where the Dravidian parties pioneered many popular schemes over the decades that they have been in power. Among the…

Doctor-turned-IAS Santhosh Babu has always been an active bureaucrat and is known for his technical innovations. He held seven positions at one point of time when he was in office. In 2020, he took voluntary retirement from administrative service and shortly after, forayed into politics. He joined Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) late last year as General Secretary (Headquarters), also in charge of IT, data, policy, manifesto, special projects etc.  Contesting from Velachery constituency, Santhosh will be fighting AIADMK’s M K Ashok and Tamil Nadu Youth Congress president JMH Hassan. A few days ago, he tested positive for Coronavirus and was…

Sarathbabu Elumalai is contesting his third election over the last decade. Having cut his teeth in the food business as an entrepreneur, his interest in politics came from a realisation that systemic changes can only be effected through political power and engagement.  He is contesting from the Alandur constituency as a candidate of Makkal Needhi Maiam. MNM is one of the newer political parties in the fray, having been founded by actor-politician Kamal Haasan in 2018. The party’s anti-corruption stance is its key plank, promising to provide an alternative to the major Dravidian parties which have been in power in…

T M Anbarasan’s social media accounts are abuzz with accounts of people recollecting the MLA’s deeds. New roads, restoration of water bodies and improvising the infrastructure in government schools are being hailed as his accomplishments.  Anbarasan, MLA of Alandur, has been vigorously campaigning across the constituency, aiming to win the seat for the third time. Contesting on a DMK ticket every time, Anbarasan was elected as an MLA from Alandur in 2006 and 2016. We caught up with him recently to know his thoughts on his five-year tenure and also his plans for the constituency, which has a huge share…

A Ponnusamy is articulate and expressive. Representing the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), he appears to be very clear about what he wants and has concrete plans to develop his constituency and help dairy farmers in Tamil Nadu. He is also the President of TN Milk Dealers' Employees' Association. Contesting from Perambur constituency, where he has been a resident since 1997, he feels that he has a better understanding of the problems faced by the people of the constituency. The northern part of the city has been a DMK bastion for a long time now, and Ponnusamy will be facing off…

The economic slump from the lockdown threw many businesses into a tizz. But a few enterprising women in Ahmedabad decided to convert the lemons life threw at them into not just lemonade, but also profit from it.   “For me it was a golden opportunity,” said Beenoo Mukhi, Corporate Trainer, Founder of Eternal Quest, a company that specializes in sales and corporate training. “Lockdown meant meetings and sales were happening online. There was a felt need for trainers like me. Moreover, sitting in Ahmedabad, I could train people anywhere. The good thing was internet connectivity and infrastructure for online training was…

Chennai is one among the many urban civic bodies in Tamil Nadu that has not had local body elections in the last 10 years. The state government has been administering the cities and towns by appointing special officers in place of the Mayor and councillors. There has been a lot of hue and cry over the absence of an elected local government, but with little effect. Now with the State Assembly elections around the corner, will it pave the way for conduct of municipal elections? Can we expect to see concrete reforms in urban governance? Will Chennai and other cities in…

Raging through 2020 and continuing in the new year as well, the COVID-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus the state of health infrastructure in the country. The scramble for hospital beds across cities, oxygen scarcity and medicine shortage, the helplessness of patients suffering from other chronic or terminal illnesses highlighted the wide gaps in our public healthcare system. But apart from that, another issue that came into sharp public focus, after years of neglect, is the plight of senior citizens in our urban settlements. Unable to step out of the house as they came under the vulnerable category, and often…