N.

Nandhivarman
General Secretary Dravida Peravai
 N.Nandhivarman

General Secretary Dravida Peravai

1
2
Our Long March

The first step in our march to sow the seeds of Tamil

renaissance begins with saluting Aringnar Anna, founder of
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. DMK is not a mere political
movement. It marks the turning point in Tamil history
during the life time of Aringnar Anna. Later it lost its glory,
is another story.

1967 remains a watershed year when the Indian ruling

party Indian National Congress lost power in many Indian
states. In Bengal, the Bangla Congress led by Ajoy Mukerjee
unseated Congress from citadel of power, but in that
exercise permitted a Trojan horse to be in cabinet. That
Trojan horse brought out the downfall of Bangla Congress
and captured power, to occupy seats of power till date. Yes,
the Communist Party of India [Marxist] led by Comrade
Jyothi Basu, thus punctured the rising Bengali nationalism.

In East Pakistan few years’ later, Bengali nationalism reared

its head under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,
who successfully founded a separate nation called
Bangladesh. Of course India supported the inception of
Bangladesh not out of love for Bengali nationalism, but to
break Pakistan to take revenge for its partition of India.

In Tamilnadu, DMK nurtured Tamil nationalism and

captured power in 1967 dethroning Congress, but Aringnar
Anna, the crusader lived for hardly two years to accomplish
all his dreams.

3
His successor compromised the anti-congress stance of
DMK and aligned with Congress to reap electoral dividends
close on the heels of Bangladesh war. But Congress
engineered a split in the DMK thereby establishing its
presence in Tamilnadu adopting the divide and rule tactics
enunciated by the British. The rootless party sits on the
shoulders of one or other splinter and thrives here. This fact
is yet to open the eyes of the warring parties in Tamilnadu.
Politics apart, the rationalism got diluted by Mr.Marudur
Gopalamenon Ramachandran, an actor who hijacked the
rationalist movement to pass the legacy to the sworn
enemies of the very ideology on which the movement is
built.

Dravidian Movement the first of its kind in Tamil history to

spread rationalism and Tamil togetherness amongst Tamils
across continents and countries originated in India but took
its roots in Ceylon, Singapore and Malaysia. Wherever a
Tamil went he took with him the ideals of Periyar EVR and
Aringnar Anna.

The social reform movement almost brought Tamils together

making them sink the caste and religious divide. After
Aringnar Anna's demise, a drift to retain power for
temporary gains took place with Dravidian movement being
hijacked by money minded political aspirants who sacrificed
everything at the altar of politics of power. Then the splits
based on ego clashes further weakened its base. The
vacuum is there with all caste based unprincipled
politicians trying to grab space and cinema actors entering
the fray to cash in on their screen charisma.

Devoid of ideology and drifting from the clean politics of

Anna's days all those who want to make hay while it shines
are trying to take Tamil Nadu back to divisive and irrational
grounds which will wipe out the gains of a century old
movement.

If 12 disciples of Jesus Christ could build a world religion,

why not Anna's million brothers achieve global Tamil unity?
Anna's death brought teeming millions to the sands of

4
Marina beach at Chennai. Time had come for retrieving and
regaining the spirit of the Dravidian Movement.

We are neither after power nor for comforts or benefits in

life. With handful as torch bearers, sorry as candle bearers,
we will try to keep the flame alive. We will uphold Anna's
legacy at all costs laying our lives.

N.Nandhivarman, General Secretary, Dravida Peravai.

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Index: Page

1. Our march 03
2. Aringnar Anna on Thailand 07
3. Anna dreams of Tamil’s uplift 17
4. People’s Poet: Bharathiar 32
5. Uprooting Tamils 39
6. Genesis of Dravida Peravai 46
7. Ever my leader who never gave my due 48
8. George Fernandes 53
9. Jayalalitha and Tax havens 57
10. Protect Indian lives in Fiji 61
11. Salute to Nethaji and INA 67
12. March towards Universal brotherhood 73
13. Traditional knowledge Theft 79
14. Kumari Kandam needs undersea Research 81
15. Anna DMK Archives 89
16.Poet’s Protest 96
17.Calendar’s Galore 98
18.Inventor of Musical Instrument 102
19.Mayyazhi:French colony 104
20.Murder Mystery 107
21.PIL against Land Grabbing 122
22.Bureaucratic blunders and border wars 134
23.On Nandhivarman 138
24.Power Plants Plunder Nature 145
25.Language Labour 154
26.Wales Connections 157
27.Lessons from London 159
28.Pope and People’s hope 161
29.Hygienic fish markets 164
30.13 year Boy scientist 167

6
ARINGNAR ANNA ON TAMIL NADU

[Dravida Pervai happily reproduces the debate that took place in Rajya
Sabha in May 1963. DMK Founder Aringnar Anna ultimately changed
the name of Madras State as Tamil Nadu and fulfilled the centuries
old desire of the Tamil Nation on his becoming the Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu in 1967. In 1963 he spoke in Parliament on the question
of renaming Tamil Nadu. You can find out the arguments advanced
for and against and also note who opposed the renaming in order to
understand the forces that played for and against Tamil nationalism]

ANNA SPEAKS:
Mr. Vice Chairman, I am rarely in full agreement with my
friend Mr.Bhupesh Gupta, but today I rise to support him
whole-heartedly, fully and sincerely. The only weakness of
the Bill is that it is a non-official one. I would have liked an
official Bill to be brought forward for this very necessary and
very simple thing that would have satisfied millions of
Tamilians in Tamil Nadu. Many arguments that were
advanced against the Bill brought forward are perhaps more
due to the colour of the mover rather than the arguments
advanced for its support. One Honorable Member was
saying that he was not moving a Bill, which the Madras
State has asked him to move. I regret very much that
sometimes it becomes necessary to explain some
rudimentary principles. The Madras Government will never
ask a non-official Bill to be brought forward on its behalf. If
the state government wants the Bill to be brought forward,
there are the state representatives in this Assembly and
they would have brought it forward, and therefore, to say
that the Bill cannot be supported just because the Madras
Government has not asked Mr.Gupta to bring the Bill shows
that their only argument to fight against the Bill is that their
party or their State Government has not instructed them to
act in this way.

I can well understand the political tremor in their hearts,

but that is no argument against this Bill. The arguments
advanced by the sponsors of the Bill for renaming Madras
as Tamil Nadu have not been answered by any one of the
speakers who spoke about it.

Sheel Badra Yajee: I have answered it.

7
Anna: I cannot understand- I very rarely understand- your
language and, therefore, I do not know whether there is
logic or not but I would say that some of the arguments
advanced were not proper. One Honorable Member was
saying that there are Telugu knowing people in Tamil Nadu,
Malayalam and Kanarese speaking people and, therefore, to
name Madras as Tamil Nadu will create a sort of tremor in
their hearts.

May I inform this House, through you, Sir, that all these
arguments were advanced and shattered in my part of the
country. All these arguments did not stand the onslaught of
reason and logic. For the sake of informing this House I may
inform you Sir, that on 24 th February 1961 the Leader of
the House in the state assembly stood up to say that he was
accepting part of the non official resolution brought forward
not by the DMK or any other political party which is
considered to be inimical to Congress, but by a PSP [Praja
Socialist Party] Member. That PSP member brought forward
a non official resolution for renaming Madras as Tamil Nadu
and it was discussed many days and finally the then
Finance Minister and the Leader of the House
Mr.C.Subramaniam, stood up to say that he was accepting
a part or the spirit of the resolution and added that
thereafter all publications of the Madras government would
appear in the name of Tamil Nadu Government.

It is in such a way that all publications in Tamil in the

Tamil Nadu government are being printed and published. As
a matter of fact, after making the historic declaration on the
floor of the Madras assembly on 24 th February, the very
next day the Finance Minister had to present his budget
and in presenting the budget, the opening words of the
Finance Minister were: “In consonance with the declaration
made yesterday, I am now presenting to budget for Tamil
Nadu.” Therefore all the arguments that Telugu speaking,
the Malayalam speaking, and the Kanarese speaking people
will be up against this change in name fall to ground
because part of this has been accepted by the Government.
The part relating to the amendment of Constitution, the

8
word Madras to be deleted and the word Tamil Nadu to be
inserted was not accepted.

Therefore, even the Government much less by the Madras

Congress leaders cannot accommodate the sentimental
arguments advanced. Sir, I am really surprised to see how
ill informed my Hon. Friends are, those who advanced
arguments against the Bill. One Hon. Member stated here
that Kollegal is in Tamil Nadu. That Hon. Member
unfortunately not present in the House at present. I may tell
them and his friends may tell him, that Kollegal today is
part of Mysore. It has been taken away from the composite
State of Madras and after the formation of linguistic states,
has gone to Mysore.

If my Hon. Friend is so ill informed about Kollegal, I am not

surprised at his arguments that nowhere in Tamil literature
does the word Tamil Nadu occur. A politician who cannot
understand that Kollegal does not form part of Tamil Nadu
cannot be expected to be conversant with Tamil literature.
For the edification of the House and for his own edification, I
will point out the names of certain books wherein the word
Tamil Nadu is to be found. These are books written 1800 or
2000 years ago.

I am reading the name in Tamil but the Hon. Member who

made this allegation is a Tamilian Congressman and he can
understand and the Hon. Deputy Minister who will be
making the reply. She being also a Tamilian may tell him.
The names of Paripaadal, Pathitrupathu and more popular
names of Silapathigaram and Manimegalai. These are all
Tamil classics written more than 1000 years ago and in
Paripaadal it is stated “Thandamizh veli Thamizh Naatu
agamellam” which means Tamil Nadu that is surrounded by
sweet Tamil on all three sides.

In Pathitrupathu, a classic written about 1800 years it is

stated “Imizh kadal veli Thamizhagam” meaning Tamil Nadu
which has got sea as boundary. In Silapathigaram it is
stated “ Ten Thamizh nannadu” meaning good Tamil Nadu
and in Manimegalai it is stated“Sambutheevinul Tamizhaga
marungil “ Tamil Nadu which is called Sambutheevu.

9
If my Hon. Members would like to have more popular
illustrations I would like to refer them to the poems of Poet
Kamban and Sekkilar both of whom have definitely used the
word Tamil Nadu. It was only afterwards that there were
three kingdoms, the Cheranadu, The Cholanadu and the
Pandyanadu. Tamil Nadu is to be found in the classics of
Tamil. It is not that there is poverty of ideas in the classics.
It only shows that my Hon. Friend does not spend much
thought or time over the Tamil classics. I may point out for
the edification of this House that when the Congress
government in Tamil Nadu purchased the Jaipur Palace at
Ooty known as Aranmore Palace they immediately renamed
the Palace as Thamizhagam.

I am pointing this out to say that the Congress there is

trying to assuage our feelings, is trying to carry Tamil Nadu
people along with them by saying they have renamed the
Aranmore Palace as Thamizhagam, that they are publishing
all the Tamil manifestos as Tamil Nadu Government
publications, that only for international correspondence
they want the name “Madras”. They are not prepared to
amend the Constitution. If the arguments advanced by some
of the Tamil Nadu Congress people were to be read by the
Chief Minister of Madras, he would turn around and say “
You too Brutus”. All the arguments advanced for not
renaming it falls flat on the ground because even the
Congress Government there does not approve of these
arguments.

Another particular issue was raised here that the Bill is

being brought forward only as a publicity stunt of the
Communist party. Why don’t we appreciate the Communist
Party for its sense of political expediency? Are not all
political parties interested in getting political publicity? Is
publicity a heinous crime? Why do you publish reports and
books on Five-year plans? Is that not publicity done at
public cost? Yet you accuse other political parties saying
that this is publicity. But let me tell this House through
you, that even though you defeat the Bill, he has gained
that publicity. You are not going to rob him anymore of that
publicity. When he comes to Tamil Nadu he can

10
conveniently face Tamilians and say, “I pleaded for you but
it is the ruling party that let you down.” Therefore you have
unawares walked into Mr.Gupta’s snare.

I would have appreciated if the ruling party had approached

Mr.Bhupesh Gupta and stated, “Do not bring in this non-
official Bill, we ourselves are interested in it, we will bring it
forward.”

Then Mr.Santhanam pointed out that we have an uphill

task in retaining Madras, we had to fight with so many
people and we retained Madras. I can claim some amount of
credit in that fight and when I was in the thick of that fight,
I did not find Mr.Santhanam by my side.

Akbar Ali Khan: At the cost of Andhra

Anna: With the consent of the Andhras, I can say that. That
is because the present government there is providing even
today, in the border areas, measures for safeguarding
Telugu culture and for imparting Telugu language.
Therefore though Madras has been taken by Tamilians, we
have no enmity with the Andhras. But my friend
Santhanam was saying that it was such an uphill task,
retaining Madras that we would like to keep Madras. This is
not a question of keeping Madras or giving it up. This is the
question of keeping Madras in Tamilnadu and renaming the
state as Tamil Nadu. Madras, after all is the capital city of
Tamil Nadu, as Ahamadabad happens to be the capital city
of Gujarat, as Chandigrah happens to be the capital city of
Punjab.

If this logic of naming the state after the name of capital city
is to be followed, Kerala should be renamed Trivandrum,
Andhra is to renamed Hyderabad, Punjab is to be renamed
Chandigarh and Gujarat to be renamed Ahamadabad.

Bhubesh Gupta: And Bengal should be renamed Calcutta.

Anna: My government, my Congress government in Madras

is interested in bilingualism. That is because its head
Government is interested to have two names for everything,

11
India that is Bharat, Jana gana mana and Vandhe
Madaram. They always want to keep two blocks. Take
something from here, take something from there. So the
Madras government is having Tamil Nadu for the
consumption of Tamilians and Madras for all India
consumption. It is very awkward word “duplicity”. And that
is why my friend Mr.Bhupesh Gupta was saying that some
of the congress people talk in one way there and talk in
another way here. No Congress can face a Tamilian
audience and say that the name Madras should be retained.
I challenge it.

T.S.Pattabhiraman {Madras}: We have faced it during the

agitation of Tamil arasu Kazhagam and my friend knows it.
What he is saying is complete travesty of facts.

Anna: I know how Pattabhiraman faces agitation. I won’t

say it. Let us not face each other as Congress and DMK. Let
us face the Tamilian public on this single sanctified issue of
renaming the state and if you carry along with you 51
percent of the people I am prepared to bow my head before
you. This is not a party issue at all. The renaming of Madras
as Tamil Nadu has been accepted by the Communist Party,
by the DMK, by the PSP and you will be surprised, by the
Madras branch of Swatantra Party too. Therefore all parties
are one in this issue of renaming Madras as Tamil Nadu.

T.S.Pattabhiraman: None of them put it in their election

manifesto.

Anna: I would present a copy of the DMK election manifesto

to him tomorrow. I am sure Pattabhiraman knows Tamil.
This issue has been an issue for more than 10 to 15 years.
He was saying that only Tamil Arasu Kazhagam was fighting
for it. It is true partially because it was only the Tamil arasu
Kazhagam that started an agitation for it, but all other
political parties were immensely intimately interested in this
issue. They have printed it in their manifestos, in their
political speeches and no District Conference of DMK took
place without passing this resolution of renaming Madras as
Tamil Nadu. Therefore it is not simply on the spur of the
moment that I am pleading for it.

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My sorrow is that my friend Mr.Bhupesh Gupta had stolen
the thunder from me by sponsoring this Bill. But for that, I
would like to present before this House that this has been
an issue all along in Tamil Nadu. And they have not
answered Mr.Bhupesh Gupta: What do you loose by
renaming Madras as Tamil Nadu? Nobody has answered
that.

N.M.Lingam [Madras] Anyway what do you gain by

renaming it as Tamil Nadu?

Anna: What do I gain? What have you gained by renaming

Parliament as Lok Sabha? What have you gained by
renaming Council of States as Rajya Sabha? What have you
gained by renaming President as Rastrapathi? Therefore I
say what do you loose? This is important because if you
were to loose something precious, we would not press for it.
If you do not loose something fundamental, we will press for
it. The other point was raised, what do you gain? We gain
satisfaction sentimentally; we gain satisfaction that an
ancient name is inculcated in the hearts of millions and
scores of millions of people. Is that not enough
compensation for the small trouble of changing the name?
Therefore all the arguments that have been advanced have
been shattered.

They have advanced an apologetic argument saying that if

the State government had come forward with this, we would
have accepted this. And they are perfectly aware of the
composition of the State legislature where the Congress
party is in a majority. Would you ask the Congress member
in Madras State legislature to vote for such a bill if it were to
come there, without party whip? No

T.S.Pattabhiraman: Your party members could have

brought forward a resolution in the House and changed the
name. Why have you not done it for past seven or eight
years?

Anna: I am coming to that. When we present such a bill to

the Madras legislature, they say that if you want to rename,

13
an amendment to the constitution is necessary and an
amendment of the Constitution is possible only when you go
to Parliament.

T.S.Pattabhiraman: I am saying a resolution, not a Bill. A

resolution can be made.

Anna: I may say for the information of the Hon. Member

that we pressed this point during the discussion on the
non-official Bill of PSP. In fact we even staged a walk out.
The DMK and Communist party joined together in the walk
out. That is our numerical position there. When the non-
official resolution was discussed in the Madras assembly we
pressed for the constitutional amendment and the only
explanation offered to us was that it was only possible at the
level of Parliament. And when we come to Parliament we are
asked to go back to the state legislature. We are asked to go
to Parliament because you are entrenched in both places
not because your logic is sound but simply because you are
entrenched in both places.

G.Rajagopalan [Madras] We are entrenched because the

people vote for us. It has been discussed even during
elections. There had been fasts by certain members and one
person even lost his life after fasting. Even after that we won
elections. That shows the people still want as it is- not for
the satisfaction of some politicians who want a slogan.

Anna: Madam Deputy Chairman, I am very glad that the

discussion is becoming very interesting. But I may say for
the information of the House that DMK has nothing to do
with fasting. The fasting was undertaken by a non-party
man, in fact a relative of the Chief Minister of Madras
Mr.Sankaralinga [Nadar}. And to say that in spite of fasting
you have not changed shows how human you are. Therefore
the question was discussed there. We were asked to go to
Parliament. When we come to Parliament we are again sent
back to legislature.

In both places the answer is as my Hon. Friend had stated,

“The people had voted for us”. Well that is a fact, a tragic
fact, and a black fact that ought to be seen.

14
G.Rajagopalan: In spite of you tragedy is still there

T.S.Pattabhiraman: He says tragedy will be permanent. The

tragedy of Congress getting a majority at every election will
be a permanent feature and we are prepared to
accommodate you.

Anna: Madam Deputy Chairman my friend was saying that

this tragedy is going to be permanent. Woe to the country
and to the people. That is all what I can say. But I would
like to press this point that a Constitution amendment can
be thought of and made only through Parliament. That is
why we have approached The Parliament. If any amendment
is brought forward on this or any suggestion is given that it
should be circulated to gather public opinion, we take up
that challenge. I do not ask you to take this as an election
issue. Do not be afraid of that.

[Interruptions]

We are not making it an election issue. This is an issue to

be taken to the people for getting their consent or otherwise.
That is not going to affect your offices. Nobody thinks about
that. You may remain there. This is not a question of
analysis of our different parties. This is a question wherein a
particular issue has to be referred to the public. Are you
prepared for that? That is what we ask. You are not
prepared for that and that is why I say

N.M.Anwar [Madras] Madam on a point of information I

have got the highest respect and regard for my good friend
Mr.Annadurai. But will he kindly explain what there is in
retaining the name Madras that has got such worldwide
publicity? How is he going to meet that point of view? Where
is the difficulty in retaining this worldwide name of Madras?

[Interruptions]

Anna: The only point in answer to the Hon. member

Mr.Anwar is this. What we gain is our sentimental
satisfaction and status of our ancient land.

15
If in Madras we change the name of China Bazaar into
Nethaji Subhas Chandra Road nothing is changed in the
street but something is changed in our thinking, in our
soul, in our fibre. That is why we are pressing for it. Not
because we think that keeping Madras will be wrong.

N.M.Anwar: My question is not that. We agree that there is

something good in calling it Tamil Nadu. But what is your
allergy to Madras, which has got a worldwide publicity.

Anna: My allergy is if Madras is used as name of the state,

you confuse the capital with the state. Madras is the name
of the capital city. Tamil Nadu is the name that ought to be
given to the state. There ought to be a distinction between
the name of the state and its capital, and therefore, I whole-
heartedly support the Bill brought forward and I would
commend it to the House.

Three Tamil Martyrs Chinnasamy,Sivalingam,Aranganathan

who committed self immolation to save Tamil language
cause in 1965 struggle, which culminated in DMK capturing
power in Tamilnadu.

16
 ANNA DREAMS OF TAMILS UPLIFT

Mr. Chancellor, Mr. Pro-Chancellor Mr. Vice- Chancellor,

Graduates of the Year and Friends:

Thankful as I am for the unique honor conferred on me by

this institution, it is not without hesitation as a good deal of
trepidation that I stand before this august assembly to-day
to deliver the Convocation address, for though it is a
pleasure to be present on the happy occasion of greeting the
graduates of the year and wishing them all a bright and
prosperous future, it is not an easy task to place before
them appropriate guidelines-conscious as I am of my own
limitations and aware of the eminence of those who stood at
this rostrum in the past and gave weighty and worthy advice
to the graduates.

Stalwarts in various walks of life, scholars of erudition and

experience, administrators of rare abilities, have all been
here to deliver instructive discourses, and I do not for a
moment imagine that I have the capacity to add any thing
substantial to what has been already said by those who
preceded me.

I am convinced therefore that to be called upon to deliver

this address is not so much an invitation as a command to

17
me bestow the most careful and considered thought on the
role of Universities in general and of the Annamalai
University in particular.

The fact that I am conscious of my own limitations gives me

a sense of relief, for attempt I shall not to offer original ideas
or theories with a special stamp, but only reiterate some of
the cardinal principles enunciated by those who offered
their a advice in past years, perhaps with annotations here
and there, bringing to bear the lay-man’s point of view to
the findings of experts in various fields connected with
education.

This is the age of the common man-whatever the regrets

some might have –and it’s his point of view that matters
most and I do claim to represent him in all his ruggedness.

Systems and schools of thought, whether it is in philosophy

or politics, ethics or economics, are certainly meant for him.
Of course, the interpretation should come from scholars and
experts and the art of translating them into every day
activity is to be undertaken by the administrators.
Universities, as the repositories of knowledge and the
nursing ground for the emissaries of thought wisdom and
service, have got a prominent role to play-and the
prominence is growing every day, as more and more
individuals get themselves equipped for the task of bettering
society in all its age when we have eschewed monarchy and
autocracy and have inaugurated the era of democracy.

During the monarchical or feudal days, Universities had to

train scholars and poets to adorn the chambers of Royalty
or the gilded mansions of Lord and nobles and their wisdom
was meant for the mansion, not for the market place. Those
were days when numbers did not count, nor were eminent
scholars asked to face the problems confronting the masses.

They were content to work in secluded spheres, far from the

din and noise of the common man and weave the costly
fabric of philosophy of poetry which on turn was to be
converted into dazzling garments for the select and the
privileged.

18
The role of the University to-day is not cloistered and
confined as in the past. Its function has been enlarged-not
in its fundamentals but in its domain. It has to take into
account the commonness, but to trim and train, guide and
lead him, for asked to do his duty as the citizen of a
democracy-a task which kindles sweet hopes but which
demands, patience and perseverance, faith and confidence,
faith in himself and in others and confidence in his inherent
ability to shoulder the responsibilities. The common man
has become the birth place of a potential ruler and the duty
today, the responsibility today of the universities is to
fashion out of him as an individual fitted and equipped for
the task of making democracy fruitful and effective.

I said that the duties and responsibilities of Universities

have grown in dimension and scope, but pointed out that
the fundamentals remain unaltered and these fundamentals
are of permanent value and of perennial interest. The
supreme task before the University is to give those who seek
a vision of knowledge in its true proportions and
perspectives, to maintain the sovereignty of ideas and ideals
in the world. A balanced mind, the ability to discriminate
between what is merely trivial and what is important, the
capacity to look at a problem from all its angles without fear
or favour, to be tolerant of the other man’s point of view.
These are fundamentals which are unalterable and it’s only
the universities that can provide society with a continuous
stream of men and women endowed with these qualities.

While addressing the University of Brussels,

Dr.S.Radhakrishnan, our former president, made the
following statement:

“For its proper functioning democracy requires more

qualities than other forms of government. It is in the
universities that we can develop the true spirit of
democracy, appreciation of other points of view and
adjustment of differences through discussions.

It can be kept healthy and strong by the exercise of

individual responsibility and judgment. In universities we
have to re-call the struggles of the past and realize the perils

19
and possibilities, the challenges and opportunities, of the
present.”

Democracy is not a form of government alone –it is an

invitation to a new life-an experiment in the art of sharing
responsibilities and benefits-an attempt to generate the
common task. Hence we cannot afford to waste a single
talent, impoverish a single man or woman or allow a single
individual to be stunted in growth or held under tyranny
and the universities should through the graduates it sends
forth year after year, annihilate the forces that attempt at
aggrandizement and tyranny, fight against caste and
hypocrisy and enthrone human dignity.

Graduates of the year, I wish you all a prosperous future-

for, after all, the immediate concern of every individual,
graduate or no graduate, is to acquire the means for a
decent living. That is the first motivation for all human
activity and no one can ignore it, but that ought not to be
the sole objective. Something higher and nobler than mere
individual material advancement is expected of you – for
remember that this University education is a privilege that
you enjoy, for which you are deeply indebted to the
community of which you are a member. Most of the money
needed for maintaining institutions of higher education
come from the revenues collected from the community
through the State, and a good proportion of that revenue
comes from the tillers and the toilers, men who did not
enjoy this privilege, men who willingly submit themselves to
discomfort, so that they can enable the next generation to
lead a better life. Graduates of the Annamalai University,
may I ask you, how you are going to repay – what is to be
your contribution to the social chest on which you have
drawn so largely.

Unless you replenish it richly, coming generations will find

only an empty coffer. Your superior education increases
your responsibility to society and therefore, apart from or
along with your own individual advancement, society has
got a right to expect an adequate return from you – not so
much in terms of money as in terms of service – in toning
up society, in bringing light into the dark alleys, sunshine

20
into dingy places, solace into the afflicted, hope unto the
despondent and a new life unto every one.

That this is a welcome and worthy ideal none would dispute,

but not every one will come forward to translate that ideal
into action – and yet our ancient as well as modern thinkers
have all stated in unmistakable terms that wisdom is
manifested in action.

Unless service is the outcome, the sermons become sweet

nothings. As Jefferson stated,” We must dream of an
aristocracy of achievements arising out of a democracy of
opportunities”

And when I seek your help and co-operation in the supreme

task of serving society, please do not wink and smile and
say, it is all so easy to say. I am not unaware of the
difficulties in the way, nor am I going to brush aside the
influence of the environment on you. May be, the world in
which you are to begin the journey is one which will dim
your hope, disturb your determination. You may come face
to face with the unpleasant sight of practices widely
differing from the principles inculcated in you. You may find
self-seekers enthroned and the patient worker decried.
Tyranny of all sorts may stare at you and every step you
take will be a struggle. I admit that the environment is such
that even people with robust optimism will be discouraged
and forced to take to the part of ease and comfort.

But, we should also realize that a continuous stream of men

and women endowed with the spirit of service has been
carrying on the crusade successfully and have conferred
rich benefit on humanity.

We, the Tamilians have been holding aloft this ideal for
more than two thousand years and hence we find in pura
nanuru this passage,

"c©lhš m«k ï›îyf« . . . . . . . . . .

.......................................
jk¡bfd Kayh neh‹whŸ
ãw®¡bfd KaYe® c©ik ahnd!"

21
As inheritors of that rich legacy, you are best fitted to
overcome even the environment and serve society to the best
of your abilities.

Anyone, who proposes to do good must not expect people to

roll stones out of his way, but must accept his lot calmly if
they even roll a few more upon it. A strength which becomes
clearer and stronger through its experience of such
obstacles is the only strength that can conquer them – says
Albert Schweitzer.

Though the problems in various countries are of a similar

nature, the peculiarity attached to the problems of our
country is of a pronounced nature.

Ours is not case of starting from scratch-had that been the

case the only thing needed would have been the intensity of
effort to be put forth. Ours is a case of erosion of the mind –
we are not in search of fields, but have to engage in the task
of fertilizing it, irrigating it, we are not in search of ideals,
but are engaged in the more intricate task of classifying,
codifying and verifying layers of ideals. We are not wanting
in culture-but have to cleanse it from the cob-web of time
and de-adulterate it. In short, we have to re-discover
ourselves, and re-construct our entire thought. Once task
to-day is to allow fresh air and sunshine and regain the
original shape and stature – that which made us well

Known is distant lands and climes. Our literature, art and

architecture are fine specimens of human intelligence – but
they bear the ravages of time and also the effect of currents
and cross currents so that to-day we have to listen to the
foreign historian or scholar in order to realize the “glory and
grandeur” of our own country.

Age commands veneration –but unless it is recuperated,

decay sets in. our culture and civilization are hoary, but we
have allowed scars and wrinkles to disfigure them. It is our
duty therefore to re-discover and re-construct what is ours
and enrich it by drawing liberally upon the achievements of
other countries.

22
Our problem is not want of a system –in any branch of
knowledge. We have fine specimens in all spheres. We claim
also –and that rightly –immortality for our systems, but we
have not succeeded in keeping them fresh and young,
effective and energetic, for we have allowed them to decay.

If a system has to endure, says, Dr.Radhakrishnan, it must

be perpetually young and ready to change. In other words, it
must be capable of accepting new ideas, have the resilience
of mind which the young have, have the openness, flexibility
and spirit of adventure by which they accept what is given
to them and transform it out of recognition.

Eos, a goddess falling in love with a mortal, prayed to god to

grant immortality to the lover-‘yes’, said god, and the mortal
gained immortality. But he grew old, infirm, senile, decayed
–and what was a feast once to the eyes of Eos became a
sight to shun and grieve over –and he who gained
immortality longed for death – for what is life if it becomes a
prey to decay? Then Eos sighed and said, “I prayed for
immortality for my lover, forgetting to pray for perpetual
youth.”

We in this country are facing some such situation – and we

are in charge of the task of rejuvenating our culture and
civilization – our entire thought, instead of attempting that,
we have been, for too long a period, doting upon the decayed
forms attempting to defend them from critics and currents
of new thought. And while other parts of the world, after
persistent and patient search after truth, have arrived at
new conclusions and are scaling new heights, we are
content to sit near the shattered rampart and narrate past
glory.

Our religion has degenerated into rituals, our society which

was once classless and casteless has degenerated into water
–tight compartments of caste and creed and all the while, we
have kept either silent or have been supplying defense to
superstition and orthodoxy by offering liberal allowing this
state of affairs to exist, despite condemnation and protest,
and, more than that, whenever a doughty warrior comes
forth to fight against the evils prevalent, we decry and

23
denounce him as an annihilator of noble values and hoary
systems. Periyar Ramasami represents and symbolizes the
fury and frustration in a sizable section of society at this
state of affairs. To allow systems to degenerate and at the
same time denounce those who champion the cause of
rationalism is but to perpetuate superstition and orthodoxy
and allow this society of ours to get decomposed.

Universities offer the proper forum for a free and full

discussion of these intricate problems and graduates
trained here are to go forth as emissaries of that social
reconstruction which is long over due. The country looks to
centers of learning like this

Universities to enable the people to pursue the path of

progress, braving difficulties and if need be, courting
danger.

Graduates of the Annamalai University, let me call upon you

to carry on the crusade against caste which cannot co-exist
with democracy, against superstition which cannot co-exist
with science and against tyranny of various dimensions
which cannot co-exist with liberty, equality and fraternity.

Pursuing vocations for your and your families’ well being,

you have to perform your duty towards society. You are to
become torch – bearers of rationalism – and rationalism
does not mean repudiation of basic and fundamental truths
and maxims, but the annihilation of dubious modes of
thought and action. You have to work hard and with daring
and dash, for we have to clear cob-webs which are centuries
old and let reason reign supreme.

Another peculiar feature of our times is the fact that we are

a nation in the making, and if in their anxiety to forge
integration, some confuse unity with uniformity, it is the
duty of men trained here to clearly enunciate the principle
and see to it that, in the name of unity, no part of the
country is made to become the vassal of another part-
knowingly or unknowingly. We cannot be a party to foul
play, however worthy the goal. Just on the eve of
independence Rajaji stated with an acumen all his own,

24
“our political experiment is really like melting iron and
metals and pouring them in to a crucible and making an
alloy, an alloy which can stand wear and tear . It is not like
the chinaware that other people have turned out in their
countries. Their democracies were easy to make – like
plastics. But we are dealing with metals.” National
integration is a goal, worthy and much – sought after, but
neither in the field of language nor in the economic sphere,
could we tolerate injustice and domination. That is exactly
why this government was brought into existence – it
represents the determination of the people to be coerced
into accepting Hindi as the official language.

When we plead for the continuance of English as the link

language, some people do misrepresent us and misinterpret
our motive. They trot out untenable arguments and
disputable statistics, bring in the bogey of disintegration
and want to silence people by threats and troops. Problems
were never solved by autocratic methods – and this problem
of language is intimately connected with our way of life, not
for the present alone but for the future as well.

The government of Tamilnadu has stated in unmistakable

terms that Tamil and English can serve all our purposes,
the former as the official language of this state and the
latter as the link language. If it is accepted and the most
emphatic of Hindi protagonists do accept that - if it is
accepted that English can serve admirably as a link between
our state and the outside world, why plead for Hindi to be
the link language here? What serves to link us with the
outside world is certainly capable of rendering the same
service inside India as well. To plead for two link languages
is like boring a smaller hole in a wall for the kitten while
there is a bigger one for the cat. What suits the cat will suit
the kitten as well

English is foreign, some argue, as if we were out to destroy

or give up everything foreign. We bring foreign wear in
foreign ships. We seek foreign aid not only in the shape of
money bur also in the from of technical know-how and not a
week passes without one or other leader undertaking a
journey to the west or east to secure whatever aid is

25
possible to secure. And on top of all these things, we have
given up so many systems peculiarly our own.

We are not content with rural economy, we want Trombays

and Ennores. And we are not conscious of their being
foreign; only in the matter of language we pose as being
ultra –nationalists and dub the English language as foreign.

Shelly and Byron, Keats and Coleridge, Emerson and

Bacon-they are not foreign to us in the strict sense of the
term. Is Tiruvalluvar a mere Tamilian? They are all world
citizens – world teachers. And the language enshrining their
thoughts is not to be discarded just because it comes from
another country. That we are not going to accord a higher
status to English is borne out by the fact that we have
accepted and are implementing with due caution the
principle of making Tamil the medium of instruction in
colleges –progressively.

University education is an epitome of all that is best in

thought cultivated in various countries, and from you
should radiate universal thought and cosmopolitan ideas.

And if we are to get all these and more from out of the
graduates of the University we have to re-examine the
methods in vogue in universities, in teaching and in
administration, and so perfect them that every student feels
that he is a co-sharer of the pleasure and privilege of
knowledge along with his professors. I shall not dabble in
methods of teaching or administration-experts in that field
are the natural custodians-my plea is only as regards the
necessity for a re-examination.

While the functions assigned to universities are mostly of

the same type, the Annamalai University, by its structure
and spirit, has got a special function of its own. The great
founder’s nobility and generosity has made this institution
gain the esteem of eminent men here and elsewhere; but if
we analyze the thought and motive force of Rajah Sir
Annamalai Chettiar, we will find that he wanted this place
to be not only a seat of learning and research of Tamil
Culture and Tamil polity. He had the foresight to realize that

26
Tamilians were going to cultivate their special talents and
that was exactly why he started and made a success of the
Tamil Isai Movement. Rajah Sir was never a man of tall talk-
he believed in solid work and he knew the time was bound
to come for us to delve deep into our annals and literature,
culture and civilization and succeed in getting due and
adequate recognition in the world forum.

Truly great has been our achievement in the field of

literature, to be able to announce to the world that we the
Tamilians do progress.

“e‰¿id ešy FWªbjhid I§FWü

bwh¤j gâ‰W¥g¤ njh§F gÇghlš
f‰w¿ªnjh® V¤J« fÈnah lf«òwbk‹
¿¤âw¤j v£L¤ bjhif”

And to present to the world the great Tirukkural which is a

Code of Conduct for the entire humanity are something
about which we can have pardonable pride and pleasure.

And yet, are we devoting enough attention to these Tamil

Classics? Addressing the Convocation here in 1943, the late
lamented Sir R.K. Shanmukham Chetty had the following to
say:-

“I graduated with a complete ignorance of Tamil Culture and

History: in fact with a great deal of contempt for these. I
attained a fair degree of proficiency in English literature and
the history of European culture. I acquired some knowledge
of even Anglo- Saxon and Gothic. I read the translation of
the Bible in the Gothic language, but I had not read the
Kural of Valluvar. I could understand Chaucer, but the
name of Ilango was nothing but a name. Even after leaving
College, I kept alive my interest in these studies and built
up a Library in which there was not a single Tamil book.

In my early youth when I lived in a world of my own with no

sense of responsibility, all this made no difference to me and
I was proud of my learning. Soon when manhood came with
its cares and problems, I found myself a stranger in my own
home…….Gradually I began to realize the incongruity of my

27
scheme of life and for some time now I have been
endeavoring to rectify the balance. It was only a few years
ago that I seriously attempted to study some of the Tamil
Classics. I find that they are fit to rank among the immortal
works of the world. I now bitterly regret my neglect of the
treasures of my own land.”

It was not an apologia, but the expression of a new

determination and Sir R.K.Shanmukaham lived to establish
the truth that he had mastered not only the Tamil language
but Tamil literature as well. Had he lived for some more
years, he would traveled many a land carrying the message
of the Tamil Classics, which spoke at such a hoary past
about

“x‹nw FyK« xUtnd njtD«”

“ahJ« Cnu ahtU« nfË®”

“Éidna Mlt®¡F cÆnu”

“ešyJ brŒjš M‰Ö uhÆD«

mšyJ brŒjš X«òÄ‹”

“v›tÊ ešyt® Mlt®

m›tÊ mšy thÊa Ãynd”

“bršt¤J¥ gand <jš”

“ÔJ« e‹W« ãw® ju thuh”

“gF¤J©L gšYÆ® X«òjš ünyh®

bjhF¤jt‰WŸ všyh« jiy”

Thoughts now placed before the world as blossoms of the

modern age.

You, graduates of the Annamalai University, have got

undertake the special task of carrying the message that our
classics contain to the entire world and declare that what
was the most ancient here is what is being introduced to-
day as the most modern.

28
South India is the home of the most ancient culture Though
for a fairly long period there was the mist of ignorance, thick
and widespread, it has now been acknowledge by all that
Dravidian Civilization of a highly developed character can be
traced back to the second and third millennia before Christ.
Many a Foreign scholar has borne testimony to the
perfection with which Tamil language has been developed
into an instrument of precise and subtle thought and to the
beauty and richness of the literature – which is contained in
it. Dravidian literature, philosophy, art and architecture
offer therefore a rich and fruitful field for exploration and
critical investigation.

Not for more glorification but for a just appreciation of all

that is of real value and beauty in our past heritage. We
need this research and investigation.

I do not propose to talk about your responsibility in the

political arena. Suffice it to say that you should make
democracy safe and sound, salubrious and fruitful.

Carry the message that this Universities has given to you

wherever you go, whatever the station you find yourselves in
and elevate the common man- the average man-

“He seems incredible but represents two –thirds of mankind.

He lives in hut. He cannot read or write. His energy is
sapped by disease. He labours up to 15hours a day. He
works on land he does not own. He and his family are family
are usually hungry. He will die young. But he still has hopes
for his children; that they will be strong and healthy; will be
able to read and write, will know individual freedom in a
peaceful world. This is the world’s average Man.”

And the world over, this average Man has become conscious
of the injustice done to him and as a consequence we find
agitations and marches, struggles and clashes. In many a
country, measures to raise his level have been undertaken.
Take a pledge, here and now, that we will not lag behind
and leave our average man in the lurch. For if the base is
weak, the dome is doomed. Inheritors as you are of a noble

29
heritage, you are eminently fitted for this noble task, and on
its success depends the future of this nation as of others.

Let us remember what Woodrow Wilson said,

“Nations are renewed from the bottom not from the top . . .
real wisdom of human life is compounded out of the
experiences of ordinary men. The utility, the vitality, the
fruitage of life comes like the natural growth of a great tree,
from the soil, up through the trunk into the branches to the
foliage and the fruit. The great struggling unknown masses
of the men who are not the base of everything are the
dynamic force that is lifting the level of society. A nation is
as great and only as great as her rank and file.”

May I submit my plea to you, youths blossoming forth from

this institution, be firm but not obstinate, let here be a
blending of ideas, but never cheap imitation and injurious
adulteration, beware of mistaking obsessions for principles
and fads for facts, strike at a synthesis and avoid
subservience, view as the final on to protest against
injustice but project not your own view as the final one,
forget not the ancient saying

“f‰wJif« k©zsî fšyh Jyfsî”

And father not when you practice what you profess.

University education gives you the basic needs for this

stupendous task, but that is not enough. Say along

I read, I study
I examine, I listen
I reflect, and out of
All this, I try to form
An idea in which I can put as
Much of commonsense
As I can.
And remember the longest journey is the journey inward,
and since graduation is but the starting point of that
journey, I wish you success-reach the goal yourselves-teach
others to march towards the goal and let that goal be,

30
A world without the beggar’s out-stretched palm,
the miser’s heartless, stony stare, the piteous wail of want,
the pallid face of crime,
the livid lips of lies,
the cruel eyes of scorn,
A race without disease of flesh or brain, shapely and fair,
the married harmony of form and use-
Where life lengthens, fear dies, joy deepens, love intensifies,
and
Man regains his Dignity.

And to get these things realized, let us one and all strive
towards the ideal enunciated by Thiruvalluvar,

“cWgáí« Xth¥ ãÂí« brWgifí«

nruh âaštJ ehL”

I am confident that you are being sent into the wide world
by the Annamalai University with this objective-you are
bound to win, for you are adequately equipped with the
spirit supplied by this great institution. May your life be a
bright one, and may its luster brighten the entire land!
Accept my congratulations and march onwards, towards the
land of smiles.

[Annamalai University Convocation Address of Tamilnadu Chief

Minister C.N.Annadurai on 18.11.1967]

31
People’s poet:
ARINGNAR ANNA ON BHARATHIAR
[Anna taught us to respect men of eminence from opposing streams of thought,
and having been groomed by such noble leader, we see the greatness of
Bharathiar though he flip flopped between Tamil and Sanskrit….. N.N]

Charming and significant as the term is, it is a warm tribute

not only to the poet but also to the people for the people had
had their monarchs and ministers, their warriors and
saviors, their seers and saints, miracle - mongers and
priests, but had no poets and from ages past there were
poets in abundance, poets who supplemented the scriptures
or who polished the palaces by their poetry, but poets who
sang for and about the people in the people’s tongue were
very rare.

The poets’ voice did the function of the temple bell or the
palace drum but rarely did that voice represent the
innermost thoughts of the people and when at times poets
spoke about the people, it was to point out to them how
greedy and worldly they have become, how impermanent
and illusory this world is, how sinful is silver and how
ungodly is gold, and such like sermons that supplemented
the royal rod and the whip of the aristocrat. Poets became in
due course one more important item in the Royal
paraphernalia, one more policeman who filed the case here
and asked the high heavens to deliver the judgment later
on.

These poets spoke in a different tongue altogether and were

far from the people. They despised the crowd from where
they rose and used their poetic genius to gain admission to
the royal palace, and when once there, they went on
weaving wordy wreathes for monarchs of all sorts, provided
his gold was pure. The poets of the Sangam period are noble
exceptions to this sorry rule and they are the poets least
known to the people of our days.

Poets either became vendors of virtue in verses or became

pleasure merchants, and they found it hard and
unprofitable to become the People’s Poets. That is the

32
reason why we find no outstanding people’s poet after the
Sangam Age in Tamil Nadu.

Virtue itself came to be considered an investment for a

happy life in another world. Hence, poets who came after
the advent of this false and pernicious theory began to extol
the particular bank of dispensation for which they were the
self appointed agents. Like the clever banker, or the active
insurance agent, these poets began to pour forth rhymes in
abundance, about the soundness of their Bank, about the
delightful dividends and the bright prospects. If one poet
gave the people a sweet song about the powers of Garuda of
Maha Vishnu, up raised another to supply us with a sacred
sonnet about the stately bull of Siva, or the beautiful
peacock of Muruga or even the ugly buffalo of the all
powerful god of death, Yama.

All these poems were of the highest order, looked at from

the artist’s point of view. There was rhythm, diction, similes,
metaphors, parables all in abundance except reason. These
poets thought that the temple bell did not work well and
thought it their duty to lend their poetic strength to
supplement the sound duty or no duty, it was such a paying
job that there was a rush in that direction. Poets assumed
an attitude of superiority they enjoyed the common men’s
confusion, they tried to compromise contradictions and
beautify absurdities, they were loud in their denunciation of
things worldly; the worthlessness of human life, the
littleness of mankind and they presented a poetic picture of
the unknown world heaven up above the clouds, and the
hell underneath the earth.

The telescope was in the womb of science. Hence, heaven

existed, and the poets entertained the people with imaginary
descriptions about the theological worlds! The ignorant
stood amazed and the intelligent adored the art and not the
thought.

Role of a People’s Poet

It is not easy to take up the role of a people’s poet. Bharati

rose equal to this stupendous task. It is easy to become the

33
poet of the classes. Some sweet sonnets about the silvery
moon swimming in a sea of blue. some poems about the
twinkle of the stars, fine poems about the fragrance of the
flower, the rhythm in rivers, lyrics about the love and verses
about valour, these are enough to secure a place of honour
in the poet’s gallery. But to discharge the duties of a
people’s poet, one has to cross hurdles of hatred, take many
a dive into dangers and should not think about patronage
and popularity. Though a select circle of friends knew and
spoke about the poetic genius of Subramania Bharati, the
people as a whole were almost unaware of their poet till at a
later stage, and then too it was the poems of a political
colour that was presented to the people, and not the poems
which a people’s poet alone can conceive and deliver.

We had poets in abundance. The shepherd sleeping inside a

temple forgetful of his home and vocation, the goddess
returning after her midnight supervision, the smile on her
lips on seeing the simpleton, her curious idea to make him a
poet, the gentle pat and the touch of the divine rod, the
wonderful results these were known to the people. One
becomes a poet, because of the divine touch, and it is his
duty to sing devotional songs to a particular deity or to all.
This theory held the ground so strongly that the people were
not prepared to meet the people’s poet, even when one came
forward. The people will cast a look of contempt and
suspicion on one who says boldly. “I am the people’s poet. I
sing for them and about them because I am one of them”.
There would be no recognition and the more radical his
poems are, the more vehement will be the opposition. And in
this dangerous ground, we find Subramania Bharati, taking
steady steps victoriously.

The State of Affairs when the Poet was born

Bharati was born on the frontier of two eras; the feudal

order was in full force in his homeland. Ettayapuram had a
palace surrounded by huts. Age old castes were still in
power. He himself was a Brahmin by birth but side by side
with feudalism and Sanathanic order of Society, modernism
was peeping in. Industrial revolution was dawning, the old
order met the new with sorrowful eyes, and there was a

34
challenge in the look of the new era. Bharati was born
during that period and none could have imagined that he
will become the warrior in the duel between the old order
and the new; for in the old order of things his was a
comfortable place.

He was born, moreover, in this land of paradoxes, a land

where arrogance and humility, cruelty and kindness march
together, where there is energy in abundance and absurd
contemplation strong enough to dissipate the energy, a land
of some dazzling ideas and millions of mute people, a land
where there is apoplexy at the center and anemia at the
extremes, the land of courage as well as fear, the land of
faith as well as despair. Byron and Burke landed here just
then, only to meet Bharatam and Bagavatham. The booming
of the gun became familiar to the ears of the people and the
age long temple drum was not silent in such a land of
paradoxes and perplexities.

Bharati was born, and in such a land history moves but

slowly and it needs a strong push if it should move at all.
Bharati’s claim to greatness rests chiefly on this: he gave
the push as the people’s poet.

Morning Star of Reformation

Bharati was not merely the bard of Nationalism. He was

certainly the morning star of reformation only because he
was the people’s poet. He was angry with the foreigner, and
wanted his country to become free but that was not his goal
that was not to be his end. It was but the beginning. He
wanted to free his country men from all shackles, wanted
them to rise up in the estimation of the world, wanted to see
a new land peopled by men and women of a new type
altogether. He found the people enveloped in fear. Fear was
written on their very faces.

They were afraid of anything and everything. Not only did

they fear the foreigner and his gun but their own brethren
chanting some slogans. They were afraid of ghosts and
phantoms.

35
Eradication of Superstition

Such a people cannot become the standard bearers of

freedom and a land peopled by such nature cannot lift its
head high, and look straight at the world, even if the foreign
power is driven out. Hence Bharati wanted his countrymen,
to drive out fear from their mind to shed off inferiority
complex. He instilled into their minds hope and courage, he
placed before them their own hidden powers and pointed
out to them, how that innate power is being wasted, the
slumber of the masses, their gross ignorance, and
superstition, their inferiority complex and their caste
prejudices. Bharathi saw clearly and he determined to root
out these evils and none but a people’s poet could have been
so deeply interested in these problems.

World Freedom Movements and India

But Bharati knew fully well, that it was the age of the
common man, the era of democracy and he wanted the
people to fight for freedom. He did not deliver mere
devotional hymns to the divinities nor did he send poetic
appeals to the princes of the land. He addressed the man
with the plough, the woman at the cradle and even the
children at the play grounds. He did not, like the poets of a
bygone age, point out ancient scripts in support of freedom,
but placed before the masses, the world events of
importance, and the freedom movements of distant lands.
He announced to the people, the dawn of freedom in Italy
through the marvelous resurrection of the masses, thanks
to Mazzini the patriot.

He painted in glowing colours, the picture of France after

the revolution, and placed a brand new picture about
Russia, free from the shackles of Czardom, free Belgium,
free France, Red Russia these were the pictures that he
placed not the theological land of Indra or Brahma and
having placed these pictures, he also presented them with a
pen picture of country men at Fiji islands, and like
Shakespeare he asked, “Look at this picture and at that!”
That is the people’s poet. One who is not afraid of pointing
out the follies and foibles of his own people, one who is not

36
afraid of showing to his own people, how slow they are in
thought and action whereas peoples of other lands were
moving fast and faster to a nobler sphere of activity and life.
He was not afraid of the privileged class, and did not falter
to place the full facts before the people.

Projecting a new vision altogether

As the People’s poet it was his duty to unmask cant and

hypocrisy wherever it was to be found, and he did that with
remarkable courage and enthusiasm.

There is an attempt by interested parties to enlarge the

portrait of Bharati, the national bard, not entirely because
they love that portrait but because they think that portrait’s
immensity will conceal from the public eye, the other
portrait, the portrait of Bharati, the people’s poet.

Bharati’s poems are no mere hornets. The people’s poet was

not afraid to lay bare the absurdities of ancient systems and
thoughts, and in almost infuriated tone, he asks those who
champion the cause of conservatism in very strong words,
“Fools! Do you argue, that things ancient ought, on that
account, to be true and noble! Fallacies and Falsehoods
there were from time immemorial, and dare you argue that
because these are ancient these should prevail?”

“In ancient times, do you think that there was not the
ignorant, and the shallow minded? And why after all should
you embrace so fondly a carcass of dead thoughts. Live in
the present and shape the future, do not be casting
lingering looks to the distant past for the past has passed
away, never again to return, “so says Bharati and therein we
meet.

He gave a moral code for the masses, not unrelated to life,

as some of the ancient codes, were. He boldly differed from
the ancient codes and placed before the people, a new vision
altogether. He refused to allow the thought of Maya
philosophy to have a hold on the people. He ridiculed that
theory strongly and infuriated the Ashramites, but he was
not afraid of the consequences. “A people immersed in such

37
a thought,” Bharati said, “will become inactive,
unprogressive and such a people will become worthless”.

Service to Humanity

Hunger and poverty and ignorance, he will not tolerate, and

he raises his powerful voice against the tyranny of the rich,
and threatens the whole world with dire consequences even
if a single individual is made to starve. He wants the people
to lead a full life, develop their faculties, improve their
commerce, industrialize their land and enjoy all the benefits
of the new era. His religion is not to be priest craft and
slogan shouting: his religion is service to humanity and
brotherhood in the broadest sense.

The Task of the people’s Poet

The task that lies before the people’s poet is a mighty one. It
is his task to make the people realize new truth, take a new
path, and get a new process of valuation altogether. It is his
task to release the people from the clutches of the
Astrologer, and place before them the Astronomer. His is the
task to drive out the Alchemist from the people’s mind so
that the chemist can come in. His is the task to push aside
the priest so that the teacher can get a place.

The people’s poet has the mighty task of driving out the
influence of the Miracle monger so that the Medical man
can find a place in the order of things. Superstition is to be
fought out so that science can flourish. In short, the
people’s poet has the task of a revolutionary and more
difficult than that of the revolutionary for the people are apt
to mistake the tyrant for the saviour and the saviour for the
tyrant.

He fought with courage and though the battle is not over

yet, and though he is no more alive he has given an
armoury of thought enough for the successful termination of
the fight and the best and lasting tributes that one can pay
to this people’s poet, is to continue the fight, the fight for
freedom of the people, in its fullest and noblest sense. And
there are men for the job and it will be finished.

38
UPROOTING MILLIONS OF TAMILS AND
THE OPINION MAKERS OF TAMILNADU
.
[People from Europe went to America and they are citizens of America
today. People from India went to Ceylon, Burma and other colonies of
British and French. Naturally they should have become citizens of the
soil where they toiled for few centuries. But it is not so. The
bureaucracy in India, especially in foreign office has neither vision nor
brains. By their foolishness they created Stateless citizens especially in
Ceylon. Anna in his speech made in December 1964 at Rajya Sabha
[Upper House of Indian Parliament] questions the negation of human
dignity which involved uprooting 3 lakhs of people irrespective of their
wishes, people to whom Ceylon was homeland for generations. We
reproduce his speech to provoke fresh thinking on past blunders......
N.Nandhivarman]

ANNA's SPEECH

Mr.Vice Chairman, the Minister of External Affairs has given

us a fairly full picture of the present international situation.
I have the fullest sympathy towards the Minister for
External Affairs when he is called upon to solve problems
bristling with difficulties and confounding the best brains of
the present day world. Though the field is very alluring, I do
not propose, due to embarrassing time factor, to enter into
the very alluring grounds covered by the Minister for
External Affairs.

I propose to be nearer home and deal with only one

problem, the so called Indo-Ceylon pact. In dealing with that
problem I may request the Minister for External Affairs to
take my speech to convey the feeling of remorse and agony
by millions of people over this Indo-Ceylon pact.

The Minister has been telling us how politicians and

statesmen all over the world are trying to enthrone justice
and equity, are trying to find out how best human dignity
can be safeguarded. I am going to measure the Indo-Ceylon
Pact by that rod of human dignity, international justice and
common sense. Measuring it with such a rod, I find that
this pact means a gross betrayal of millions of people whose
one sin has been looking towards this country and this
government for solace.

39
The Indo-Ceylon Pact, the very name I would say Mr. Vice
Chairman, the very name is a misnomer. There is no
problem at all between two sovereign countries like India
and Ceylon. The main problem is between millions of people
settled for generations together in Ceylon and the Ceylonese
government in matter of treatment meted out to them. The
only part that we could have played and the legitimate part
we should have played is by stressing the human aspect of
the problem.

All along, it has been stated that we are not going to look at
this problem as other than a problem of human interest.
The persistent, the consistent and the logical policy being
followed by the previous government, to be more correct, by
the late lamented Prime Minister of this country has been
given a go by, without an iota of remorse. He has been
stressing that the problems of millions of people who have
been unfortunately termed as stateless is a problem that
has to be tackled mainly and solely by the Ceylonese
Government. The Indian Government enters the picture only
to guide the Ceylonese government when it needs guidance.

A point has been raised in this House, whether the

sovereignty of one country can be abridged by the actions
and consultations of another country. Various views on
sovereignty there have been, and the present trend is that
even sovereignty is to come under the aegis and under the
guidance of the eternal principles of justice and fairplay.

If this is merely the sovereign right of the Ceylon

Government, Mr.Kotewala, Mr.Dudley Senanayake, after
that Mr.Bandaranaike and now Srimavo Bandaranaike need
not have, and would not have, and could not have, come to
this country for consultations.

The very fact that successive Prime Ministers of Ceylon have

come to this country for consultations on this problem
means that this not purely a problem wherein the
sovereignty of a country is at issue. This is a problem
wherein the whole world has an interest. The fact of the
matter is that millions of people who are called people of

40
Indian origin are settled in Ceylon, not for a decade or two
decades, but centuries together.

It has been stated that only the Indians there are people of
Indian origin. May I ask the Minister of External Affairs to
delve deep into the annals of Ceylon? It may give him an
insight into the fact that the so called Sinhalese are people
of Indian origin who went to Ceylon during the reign of King
Vijaya and the millions of people who were now dubbed as
people of Indian origin have gone there later. Therefore to
call the people of Indian origin aliens to Ceylon is a travesty
of fact. The Government ought to have countenanced such
barefaced injustice. The main burden ought to have been on
the Ceylon government to come to this country or before the
bar of the world and they ought to have stated in what way
they are treating, they have been treating and they are going
to treat people who have settled there permanently.

Most of the people today who are called men of Indian origin
have no connection, no hovels, no homes, no relations in
this unfortunate part of our country, Tamil Nadu. The only
affinity between those people and people of Tamil Nadu is
the affinity of language. If the Ceylon government turns
around and says this is your problem, what prompted the
Government of India to accept that version of the Ceylon
Government's proposals? What is that they have
surrendered to? Is it to temptation? Is it to pressure? Is it to
various other extraneous circumstances? Why they have
surrendered to the temptation of taking this problem as
their problem? Even after taking that false stand, did the
Government of India or the present Ministry follow the best
tenets of democratic principles? What did that Prime
Ministers of Ceylon do? When Dr.Dudley Senanayake came
here, when Mr. Kotelawala came here and when
Mrs.Bandaranaike came here, they took into their
confidence; they consulted the important leaders of the
opposition in their own country?

I remember when Mr.Dudley Senanaike as Prime Minister

came to this country, he brought along with him as one of
the members of the delegation, and the late lamented
Mr.Bandaranaike. Why is that when a small country like

41
Ceylon maintains and works along the best democratic
tenets, you have not taken care to consult the opinion of
any opposition parties? Why is it that the Ceylon
government when it came here came fully armed with the
unanimity of opinion of all political parties functioning in
Ceylon and even of the Communist party which is called the
Lanka Sama samaj Party. Why you are presenting to this
House and to this country, a fait accompli. Why has the
Minister stated in the other House that he was constantly in
consultation with the leaders of opinion in Tamil Nadu ?

May I ask the Minister of External affairs to inform this

House if he has taken to care to consult any one of the
leaders of major political parties in Tamil nadu ? No. He can
turn around and say that the Chief Minister of Madras has
given his blessings or consent and another Minister who
was deputed here- Hon.Ramiah- had given the consent.
What else can they do? Can they expose the Government of
India? They cannot. Their loyalty to the party and to the
Government stands in the way of opening their hearts to say
what they feel. Even after accepting the Indo-Ceylon Pact,
speaking if I remember correctly at Baroda, the Chief
Minister of Madras stated that he would have been happier
if a smaller number of people had been asked to come. What
does it mean?

It means there is a volcanic eruption though in mild form, in

the mind of the Chief Minister of Madras. He is not happy
over this Pact though he cannot, as a loyal congressman, as
a loyal state Chief Minister, question the propriety of the
Central Government. Therefore to cite the support given by
the Chief Minister of Madras or his Deputy is merely
burking the issue. Why have you deviated from the path
followed by the late lamented Prime Minister? What did he
say on the floor of this house, on the floor of the other
house, on many occasions? He had very correctly stated
that he would take any number of people coming to this
country, if they come voluntarily.

What is this Pact? This is not voluntary repatriation. You

have assured the Sinhalese that you would take 5 lakhs or
more that will be coming and you have persuaded after

42
much difficulty- I can understand the difficulties-Ceylon to
retain 3 lakhs of people. You have left without taking into
consideration, for the present only I hope, 1, 50.000 people.
Well. When a similar problem confronted Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru and Mr.Kotelawala, what were the terms?

What were the terms of the Indo-Ceylon Pact of 1953-54?

The main terms, the soul of the Pact, was that repatriation
of the people ought to be voluntary. The people in Ceylon
should be given the option to opt for India or remain in
Ceylon and the Ceylonese Government at that time went a
step further and said that it was working upon a scheme of
inducement, that they are going to induce the Indian
residents there, as they called them, to go to India by
offering temptation of cash bonus. Even that has been given
up or given a go-by in this Pact.

After the 1954 Pact did the Minister of External Affairs or

even the Prime Minister look into the aspect of how that
Pact has worked? It has been stated and it has not been
repudiated by the Ceylonese Government, that when more
than 8 lakhs of people applied for registration of citizenship
in Ceylon, merely 1, 25,000 people were registered. It has
been said by Senators and Members of the House of
Representatives in Ceylon itself that the 1953-54 Pact was
not implemented in just manner. Even the present Cabinet
Minister there, who has now resigned Mr.Felix
Bandaranaike, stated on the floor of the House of
Parliament in Ceylon, that the Pact has not been worked out
equitably and justly.

When a Government, after having entered into a Pact with

this Government has not worked the Pact correctly and
justly, why you have walked into that parlour and signed on
the dotted line? That is why millions of people today think
that the so called Indo-Ceylon Pact is a betrayal of the
interests of millions of people. Hon. Members here have
stated and particularly Mr.Chengalvaroyan has said “What
alternative is there?” Well what alternative is there when
you sit tight over the fate of our country and these people?
When you do not mete out justice what alternative is there?
That alternative will be found out by the people at large. If

43
you are going to solve every problem with this condition"
what alternative ", we can solve the Chinese problem very
easily. Already I find a trend from the speech of the
Hon.Mr.Sapru and another Hon.member that they are
thinking along the line of “what alternative “What
alternative?” should not or ought not to be the argument of
a potent Government. What alternative has the Ceylonese
Government if we refuse to sign this Pact?

If we refuse to take those 5 lakhs into this country, what is

the alternative open to the Ceylon Government? Have they
got the guts to keep these millions of people in a Belsen
camp? Have they the power to defy world opinion by
shooting them down? No. Even the Ceylon Government
cannot go so far. When many Hon. Members addressed the
Minister of External affairs as the Foreign Minister, I at first
was irritated and then I thought he is really a Foreign
Minister and that is why he has left it to the discretion of a
foreign government to settle the fate of millions of people.
Mr.G.G.Ponnambalam, who held the Ministry of industry in
Ceylonese Government said when resigning his post on the
floor of the House of the Representative:

" The Indian and Ceylonese citizenship Act as enforced and

implemented, as to render it utterly oppressive with the
deliberate objective of denying to several hundreds of
thousands of Tamils who call no country other than Ceylon
their own and owe no allegiance to any other country, their
inalienable right to be part of the permanent population of
this country "

Ceylon has not implemented the Citizenship Act of 1953-54.

When the Ceylon Government has not implemented the
Indo-Ceylon Pact of 1953-54, how can we believe that this
Pact is going to solve the problem? and when a Member of
my party in the Loksabha put a very pertinent question to
the Minister of External affairs, he wanted a definite,
categorical answer from the External affairs Minister, my
friend there, Mr.Sezhiyan wanted a clarification from the
Minister, as to whether this repatriation will be voluntary or
compulsory, The Minister of External affairs- I have come to
realize that he is adept in the art of by-passing straight

44
questions-said, " why should we take a hypothetical stand?”
Two labour organizations of Ceylon one led by Mr.Aziz and
other by Mr.Thondaiman, both have declared their
repudiation of this Pact. They have said that they are not
going to opt for India. Therefore this is not a hypothetical
question. When the people of Ceylon refuse to opt for India,
what are you going to do? Are you going to take them in
shifts and get the 5 lakhs of people here, whether they are
willing or not and dump them on India?

Another member said that we have no jurisdiction. I find

from reports that a Professor of Delhi university- I do not
remember his name at the moment- has stated, in one
seminars conducted by Delhi university, that the Ceylon
government has got an obligation, according to the United
Nations charter on Human rights, to confer citizenship on
those lakhs of people there. Instead of taking into
consideration all these aspects, The External affairs
Minister, good man that he is, has signed this Pact, or is it
the Prime Minister ? I do not know-which is a betrayal of the
human dignity of lakhs of stateless people there. It is only to
register my protest against this attitude, that I have taken
part in today’s discussions.

ANNA's SPEECH GIVES AN INSIGHT OF THE BETRAYAL

OF MALAYAGA THAMIZHARGAL BY THE GOVERNMENT
OF INDIA.

[Sinhalese imagine them to be Aryans and the North Indians

who also imagine them to be Aryans forgetting they too are
of Dravidian stock are extending support to Sinhalese at the
cost of Tamils. In Chennai media so-called opinion makers
with leanings towards a dead language Sanskrit are anti-
Tamil for centuries and they use any opportunity to betray
Tamils be it Ealam or Malayagam or even in Tamil Nadu and
their games stands exposed even in those days by few lines
of Anna's speech...... N.N]

45
GENESIS: DRAVIDA PERAVAI

DRAVIDA PERAVAI, the offshoot of DRAVIDA

MUNNETRAKAZHAGAM is born out of historical necessity to
mould the policies in tune with the changing needs of times
and to catch the imagination of the Tamil people in the
dawn of the next millennium. Nowhere in human society
people were compartmentalized into castes in the name of
religion by the invaders and kept under captivity for
centuries together. The archaeological excavations at
Mohenjadaro and Harappa by Sir.John Marshall brought to
the fore the rich civilization of Dravidians. Dr.Caldwell's
Comparative Grammar of Dravidian Languages highlighted
that Tamil is the Mother of Dravidian language school and a
primary classical language of the world. At the same time
the oppressed sections of society revolted against caste
tyranny. In such a compelling historical moment Advocate
JOHN RATHINAM, a leader of dalits founded Dravida
Kazhagam in 1892. With an interval of some years after that
first abortive attempt, the South Indian Welfare and Rights
Movement otherwise known as Justice Party emerged in the
scene in 1916. As moderates in Justice Party were applying
brakes for the onward march of the social revolution
initiated by PERIYAR E.V.RAMASAMY, a new
transformation was carried forward by DRAVIDA
KAZHAGAM.

The realization that social revolution sans power will not

deliver goods led to the birth of DRAVIDA MUNNETRA
KAZHAGAM in September 17/1949. ARINGNAR ANNA led
the party to citadels of power in 1967 but his demise
orphaned the movement. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam led
by Aringnar Anna's successor Dr. KALAIGNAR M.
KARUNANITHI became a victim of the evil designs of Indian

46
National Congress, the power crazy fascist party, which
engineered splits in opposition parties to enable it to remain
in the saddle at the Central Government of India. A matinee
idol became a convenient tool to reverse the march of the
rationalist movement and the historical resurgence of the
Dravidian Peoples. ANNA DRAVIDA MUNNETRA
KAZHAGAM came into existence in October 1972. Once
again DRAVIDA MUNNETRA KAZHAGAM split and
MARUMALARCHI DRAVIDA MUNNETRA KAZHGAM was
formed due to personality clashes. Aghast at the division
after division that buried all the achievement of century old
Dravidian movement an outfit DRAVIDA ILAIGNAR PERVAI
aimed at unifying the youth divided between the three
Dravidian parties emerged on 25th January 1994 in front of
the statue of Student leader Rajendran of Annamalai
University who lost his life to the bullets of police during
Anti-Hindi agitation of 1965. N. Nandhivarman who led this
organization felt the need to fill the vacuum for a Greens
party in Tamilnadu and registered DRAVIDA PERAVAI as a
party with the ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA with
effect from 30.10.96

The ideology of the Party: Socialism called as Annaism

Dravida Peravai is a socialist party, which it describes as

Annaism. "A world without beggar's outstretched palm, the
miser's heartless stony stare, the piteous wail of want, the
pallid face of crime, the livid lips of lies, the cruel eyes of
scorn, a race without disease of flesh or brain, A land where
life lengthens, fear dies, joy deepens, love intensifies and
man regains his dignity, is what Aringnar Anna dreamt of
and Annaism stands for" says the party manifesto. Aringnar
Anna, the founder of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, parent
party of Dravida Peravai, spoke about the ideals while
delivering the convocation address in Annamalai University.
Those words were chosen to describe Annaism, as a
socialist ideology suitable to Indian soil. [Date of Formation:
15.02.1996. Registration with Election Commission of India
25.10.1996.]

47
Ever my leader who never gave my due

After I was suspended by Mr.M.G.Ramachandran "for

attending to my personal work", the very first suspension of
the Anna DMK came in for media criticism. "Navasakthi",
the Tamil daily of the Congress [O] led by Thiru.K.Kamaraj
condemned my suspension from the Pondicherry State
Anna DMK Convenership in its editorial. The Statesman
wrote a center page article. I will deal them in another
occasion.

After my suspension from Anna DMK on the advice of

Thiru.Murasoli Maran, I met Dr.Kalaignar in his
Gopalapuram residence. It was decided that myself and my
followers should return to DMK. I sought one month's time.
When we rejoined DMK, the official organ of DMK, Murasoli
Tamil daily said: Pondy ADMK merges with DMK. After
throwing me out, Mr.M.G.Ramachandran could not
nominate a State Convener for one year. Immediately he
sent a Cinema Director Gopala krishnan as Convener on
deputation from Chennai. For another six months
Anagaputhur Ramalingam was sent from Tamil Nadu on
deputation to lead the party in Pondicherry. I returned to
DMK much before Dindigul bye election. Since I walked out
of MGR and never went back to him, in spite of his

48
repenting my suspension and extending invitation,
Dr.Kalaignar has unique regard for me.

Then Pondicherry faced Assembly polls in 1974.

Mr.M.O.H.Farook Maricar was the State Convener of DMK. I
was made Propaganda Secretary for those polls. Panruti
S.Ramachandran, a Minister under Kalaignar's cabinet was
sent by high command to coordinate election work. In the
selection of candidates I had a big say. Mr.D.Ramachandran
who defected from DMK just 2 months before polls had to
face my nominee K.Rajaram. In Tirumalairayanpattinam
constituency V.M.C.Shivashanmuganathan, my class mate
was chosen to contest. During election campaign
Dr.Kalaignar came to a dinner hosted by me. The picture
taken with my cousin sisters was after the dinner past

49
midnight, when he came from Lawspet public meeting. In
that election I was told by Mr.M.O.H.Farook to file
nomination for Parliament seat. I filed. Meanwhile
PTR.Palanivelrajan who was practicing politics from
Cosmopolitan club in Chennai came with a new proposal to
Kalaignar. The Reddiars association had at that time
decided not to contest against their own caste men.
Madurapakkam Lakshminarayanan, Congress M.P from
Tindivanam through PTR Palanivelrajan offered to sponsor
his relative Kodathur Rajaram for Pondicherry Parliament
seat. It was told that pitted against Congress Reddiar, a
DMK Reddiar candidate will break the caste unity of
Reddiars association. Dr.Kalaignar summoned me to
Legislative Party office of the DMK in Government estate of
Chennai.

Yenya, nee entha vaguppu? is the question that came

from Kalaignar.In DMK one never ask the other partymen's
caste, right from Anna's days we were all moving as one
family and no one knew the caste of the other. This question
I described as "en nenjil thaitha nerunji mull" in later
days in one journal ‘April’. But I have to answer, but answer
without directly mentioning caste. “Naan sathi enral
ennevendre teri yadavan”, was my reply. He understood. He
held my hand and told, you withdraw from contest, and I
will give you Rajyasabha seat.

Navalar Nedunchezhian, Professor K.Anbazhagan, Minister

P.U.Shanmugam, Minister Panruti S.Ramachandran,
Propaganda Secretary S.Kandappan M.P, Pondicherry Chief
Minister M.O.H.Farook Maricar, Professor M.Elango,
Kavignar Karunanandam, Devaraj and Shanmugam the
party office staff, and many others were present when
Kalaignar made this promise.

DMK lost 1974 polls. Only 2 candidates Mr. M.O.H.Farook

and my friend Soundararangan won. My friend
S.Ramasamy who went to the Anna DMK before polls
formed the ministry which was toppled in 21 days. Soon
after the electoral defeat I met the press.

50
PONDY DMK UNIT PLANNING NEW MORAL CAMPAIGN

Pondicherry April 12:1974 : Mr.N.Nandhivarman

Propaganda Secretary of the DMK here told newsmen
yesterday that unless the intelligentsia started molding
public opinion so as to cleanse the present eroded political
and electoral systems there was no way out of the moral
crisis that is facing the nation.

He said most political leaders have lost the moral fiber to

undertake this task. The nefarious practice of personal
aggrandizement among politicians has resulted in the
people losing faith in political units. Mr.Nandhivarman felt
that people had to be made politically conscious and
political leaders need be moralized.

He said DMK would embark upon such a campaign for the

first time in Pondicherry and hoped before long Pondicherry
would become a model state to others in this respect.

Referring to electoral reforms, Mr.Nandhivarman said

common platforms had to be provided by the Election

51
Commission for all contesting candidates. He wanted
personal attacks on platforms to be put to an end and
instead criticism leveled against only political principles or
policies.

He was optimistic that DMK would be a moral force in

Pondicherry irrespective of its poll achievements. [Courtesy:
THE MAIL, evening daily from Chennai]

On defeat that is what I told to media. Promise made in

1974 was never kept and I have no regrets. History will
evaluate me.

N.Nandhivarman

52
GEORGE FERNANDES
AND DRAVIDA PERAVAI

The picture above taken at Socialist Conference held at

Tuticurin reminds me of his greatness. I went as observer to
the conference. George Fernandes called me to stage and
asked me to translate his speech. In that speech he
announced the launch of Sethu Samudram project, a dream
of 138 years unrealized till that date. At the concluding
time, he started introducing me to the audience saying my
friend Comrade Nandhivarman who translated my speech is
running a progressive political party in Pondicherry and
showered praise for 5 minutes. I stopped translating his
speech and told since it is praises on me I find it difficult to
translate. His replies to all my letters will be published in
the proposed book which is being planned to commemorate
the 10th anniversary of the launch of Dravida Peravai since
30.10.1996. All our work during this decade will be
recorded in two books titled “Arikaigal Aiyiram Arasiyal
Payiram" and "Puthuvai Varalatrin Pugazh Mighu
suvadugal". [Not yet published-2009]

Now looking down the memory lane, I wrote a letter to

George Fernandes on 27 th September 1984. For which
George Fernandes replied on 19 th October 1984. The
reason to reproduce few lines from that letter is to record
the regard George Fernandes had and has for DMK

53
President Dr.Kalaignar M.Karunanithi. In that letter George
Fernandes states “I can never forget the help and support
given to me by Mr.Karunanithi during the dark days of
Emergency. Our friendship had survived all the vicissitudes
of political turns and twists".

In 25th January 1985 he was admitted in a hospital in

Bombay. From there he replied to my letter. “Dear
Nandhivarman... Thank you for your beautiful letter. With
men like you around, we shall win our struggle, no matter
what price we have to pay.

India sent IPKF to Srilanka. I wrote a letter condemning

Rajiv Gandhi. In that letter I wrote “The curse of our race
will see the dawn of your doom". A copy of the letter sent to
Rajiv Gandhi was sent to George Fernandes. He replied "It is
a shame for India that Mr. Gandhi should have chosen to do
the dirty job for the President of Srilanka. That he is doing
this at the behest of America makes it all the more dirty."
This is George Fernandes comment on IPKF episode.

Dravida Peravai was publishing a news letter titled Green

Politics. George Fernandes reproduced one interview which
came in our news letter in THE OTHERSIDE [1.10.1997]
issue. The Other Side was edited by George Fernandes. He
wrote an introductory note for the interview titled
'AUROBINDO ASHRAM TAKE OVER BY CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT DEMANDED....... Dravida Peravai General
Secretary N.Nandhivarman speaks"

He wrote “There has been a persistent demand for the

takeover of the Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry by various
individuals and institutions. In the forefront of this
campaign is the general secretary of the Dravida Peravai
N.Nandhivarman. Nandhivarman has over years been
exposing for public view the unsavory goings in the Ashram,
which has brought this once hallowed place into disrepute.
We are publishing hereby a question-answer report which is
an interview with Nandhivarman. We hope the authorities
will take note of this report and take action in the matter
before it is too late to stem the rot."

54
On 1998 25 th September Union Defence Minister George
Fernandes wrote an official letter to Home Minister
L.K.Advani seeking protection for me when I was heading a
15 party struggle committee against land house grabbing in
Pondicherry. He could have just sought protection. But his
affection for me comes to the fore when he uses extra lines
to introduce me. “I have known Mr.Nandhivarman as an
indefatigable fighter against corruption in all its
manifestations. He has been engaged in a long standing
campaign against corruption at various levels of
administration in Pondicherry" so goes on his letter.

In Union Territory of Pondicherry three nominated MLA's

could be nominated. Usually men of letters and scholars
alone could be nominated. But in practice party men were
filling these posts. Opposing this I wrote to Attorney
General, President of India, and Prime Minister etc. I
suggested Former Chennai High Court Justice David
Annousamy, Tamil scholar Dr.Era.Thirumurugan and
Vasudevaraju I.A.S [retd]. Forwarding my letter to Union
Home Minister L.K.Advani, Comrade George Saab wrote
“Mr.Nandhivarman is the General Secretary of the Dravida
Peravai and in the many years I have known him, he has
been a selfless public worker taking up public issues, apart
from fighting corruption in Pondicherry. The names he had
suggested in his letter to Attorney General provide proof of
his public concerns"

55
Well all these are recorded here not for self boast. I do not
belong to his party. Lifelong I am a DMK follower. Even DP
though a splinter of DMK is run as true DMK. I had fought
emergency with my pen. But all these years not even once
my leader Dr.Kalaignar acknowledged me or gave me my
due recognition. If Aringnar Anna would have been alive my
position within DMK would have been different. By
monetary yardstick a man will not be evaluated by Anna. In
George Fernandes I saw the nobility of Aringnar Anna.
Nearly four decades we had been friends. I never joined his
party. But for his Samata Party, I was a special invitee to its
National Executive. Could you imagine this in Indian
politics? Another party invited to National Executive. George
Fernandes in public and private acknowledged me. I am
ever grateful to him. In my life George Fernandes has a
unique position equal to that of Aringnar Anna.

N.Nandhivarman General Secretary Dravida Peravai

Pondicherry 605001 India

56
JAYALALITHA AND TAX HAVENS
"The Cayman Islands are an overseas territory of the United
Kingdom in the western Caribbean Sea comprising the
islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little
Cayman. It is known as one of the largest tax havens in the
world." Wikipedia describes Cayman Islands in the above
manner. DMK Government led by Dr.Kalaignar
M.Karunanithi must keep an eye on this island because of
its JJ connections.

Dravida Peravai directly met the Chief Vigilance

Commissioner Mr.N.Vittal I.A.S at New Delhi in the Office of
the Central Vigilance Commission. On 26.08.1999 Dravida
Peravai sought a probe into the undisclosed/hidden assets
of J.Jayalalitha and confiscation of movable/immovable
assets created by their lucrative practice in graftology. The
complaint gave all evidences to show that J.Jayalalitha's
portfolio managers are Shaw Murphy Private Limited
situated at the town of Roseau in Cayman
islands.Mr.M.Natarajan had gone to the island with a letter
from his chief sponsor. The evidence provided is a letter
dated 15 th November 1995 which clearly said that
Mr.M.Natarajan will be coming with a letter of his chief
sponsor.

M.Natarajan in his introductory note says he is M.N.Rajaan

and his activities as Government liasoning/formerly
government service/presently NGO/Society service and
political manager.M.N.Rajaan, the principal introducer had
recommended Ms.S.Kala, Mr.V.D.Karan, Ms.S.D.Devy.

Mr.M.Natarajan had visited and stayed in Cayman Islands

for 3 days enroute to Florida-Australia-India. This could be
easily verified by cross checking passport entries.

The portfolio managers while telling about their services

state that they have served valuable clients from southern
India through our investment services to 11 countries over
last 25 months. There are more than 20 clients from South
India.

57
Among the papers we gave to CBI there are papers in which
it seems some legal tussle with FBI resulting in Rs 37 crores
connected allegedly to M.Natarajan being held up?

CENTRAL VIGILANCE COMMISSION FORWARDS TO

CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS

Central Vigilance Commission found some substance in our

complaint and forwarded to Central Bureau of
Investigations Chennai. One Superintendent of Police
Kathiresan telephonically informed me whenever I come to
Chennai to meet him at CBI headquarters to give further
evidence if any, with regards to this case.

He said “You have to prove that 1000 crores or so were

taken from Chennai to Caymans Island, then only we have
jurisdiction to probe this case. Otherwise enforcement
directorate will handle this case" I told I am neither a state
agency nor a private detective, but only a political party. If I
had been In Parliament I would have placed all evidences in
open house and debated face to face with JJ's party. I only
hope CBI will take the case to its logical conclusion" But
nothing came out. CBI had put this in cold storage.

The 40 members of Parliament and Union Ministers must

realize that the money power at play by corrupt forces must
be contained and these dark forces driven out of politics.

JAYALALITHA PLANS TO TAKE REVENGE ON ME

One day when I came back home from my morning walk in

the beach, I was told Tamil Nadu Police came in search of
me. I had no complaints against me in any of the police
stations of the country. I suspected some foul play, may be
ganja case or kidnapping me to Tamil Nadu territory to foist
false case.

I rushed to my friend The Superintendent of Police-

Pondicherry North Mr.Shanmugasundaram and asked him,
why Tamil Nadu police wants me. We ourselves are in dark,
and it is better till air is cleared, you go underground, he

58
told. From that time for few days my underground days
started.

I went straight to Journalists Colony at Kotivakkam,

Chennai particularly to my friend and Chief of the Bureau of
Deccan Chronicle and Asian Age, Mr.R.Bhagwan Singh.
From there I spoke to Comrade George Fernandes and as
advised sent him a telegram narrating my situation.

GEORGE FERNANDES SEEKS PROTECTION FOR ME

In an official letter DM/No.6065/RM/2001 dated 9 th

November 2001, Comrade George Fernandes wrote as
follows:

Dear Dr.Rajini Rai Please find enclosed copy of a

telegram that I received from Shri Nandhivarman
apprehending his arrest by the Tamil Nadu policemen as a
part of larger conspiracy. I shall be grateful if you could
kindly ensure the safety of Shri.Nandhivarman and
protection to his life. With warm regards, Yours sincerely,
George Fernandes.

LT.GOVERNOR PROVIDES PROTECTION

Dr.Rajini Rai, Lt.Governor of Pondicherry in her letter

D.O.F.No170-LG/2001 dated November 30, 2001 replied:

Dear Shri George Fernandesji Please refer to my letter

dated November 20, 2001 regarding the telegram sent by
Thiru.Nandhivarman apprehending his arrest by the Tamil
Nadu police.

In this connection I have asked the Inspector General of

Police Pondicherry to enquire into the matter. The Inspector
General of Police had the matter enquired into and a report
was submitted to me.

As per the report, Thiru.Nandhivarman is apprehensive that

Tamil Nadu Police may foist a false case against him in
order to take revenge on him as he had filed some
complaints against the AIADMK leader Jayalalitha. As per

59
his version, during his absence three persons posing them
as Tamil Nadu police men had come to his residence and
had enquired about him.

During the enquiry, Pondicherry Police were informed by the

police establishments of the neighboring districts of Tamil
Nadu, that no case has been registered against
Mr.Nandhivarman. Further the Tamil Nadu police had not
sought any assistance from the local police in this
connection.

However Special Branch of the Pondicherry Police is

maintaining keen surveillance at the residence of
Mr.Nandhivarman to watch the visits of strangers under the
guise of Tamil Nadu police. Police beats have also been
reworked to cover his residence. Mr.Nandhivarman has
refused personal police security at his residence. This is for
your kind information. With Regards, Yours sincerely
Rajani Rai.

Thamizhar Dravidar Kazhagam in a press statement

thanked Pondicherry Police for the actions taken.

I was not afraid of being arrested, but if they kidnap me to

Tamil Nadu area and foist ganja case on me, I was worried
about my moral standing getting a beating in public eye.
The then Special Branch Superintendent of Police
Mr.Chandiran, then Inspector and now Superintendent of
Police Mr.Ramesh Kandan deserve thanks for the protection
they gave. Of course from Comrade George to Dr.Rajini Rai,
my thanks are due. They helped Dravida Peravai defeat
Jayalalitha's act of vengeance.

N.Nandhivarman

60
PROTECT INDIAN LIVES AND
DEMOCRACY IN FIJI
In front of the Mahakavi Bharathiar Memorial Museum a
group of volunteers of Dravida Peravai after garlanding the
great bard who immortalized the sufferings of Indian labour
in the sugarcane fields of Fiji, started a state wide campaign
to draw the attention of the Indian Government towards the
safety of Indian lives and democracy in Fiji. The General
Secretary of Dravida Peravai presided over the campaign
initiated on 1 st June 2000 and it was flagged off by the
Pondicherry State MDMK [in-charge] S.Muthu Ex M.L.A.
The Janata Dal [Secular] State President M.Elango Ex M.L.A
and Uru.Gopalakrishnan, General Secretary of Tamizhaga
Rajiv Congress felicitated the campaign. The news appeared
in Daily Thanthi, Malai Malar.

INDIA SHOULD SEEK UNITED NATIONS INTERVENTION

TO SEND PEACE KEEPING FORCE TO FIJI TO PROTECT
INDIAN LIVES, PROPERTY AND TO RESTORE
DEMOCRACY

Dravida Peravai wrote a letter to the Union External Affairs

Minister Jaswant Singh on 2.06.2000. The letter states:

Our party yesterday organized a state level campaign in

Pondicherry enclave of the Union territory of Pondicherry to
draw the attention on the urgent need to exert diplomatic
and other pressure on the current, illegal and
unconstitutional government coup and coup within coup to
secure the release of the duly elected Prime Minister of Fiji
Mr.Mahendra Pal Choudry and his fellow parliamentarians
and to ensure proper protection to the properties and lives
of the people of Indian origin, whom it seems are fleeing to
Australia and New Zealand as they did when the first coups
of Col.Rabuka in 1987. Our party through these 10 public
meetings addressed yesterday among others by the
undersigned had demanded India to take up the issue to
United Nations, an institution created at the collective will of
the nations of the democratic era, which cannot remain a
silent spectator to the hijacking of democracy by gun

61
trotting groups. Poet Mahakavi Bharathiar, the only poet
who penned a poem on the plight of Indian women in Fiji in
the year 1916-17 had narrated how on promising jobs
British took Indians as contract labour to Fiji and treated
them worse than the animals. They were slaves working in
sugarcane gardens, the poet laments. As a befitting tribute
to this poet, our campaign to highlight Fiji crisis, started
from his memorial.

We have to note that certain vested interests here are trying

to twist this as a fight between indigenous communities and
Indian settlers, who have usurped power. According to
Mr.S.K.Bhutani, a retired Indian diplomat the land titles are
coming up for review and renewal very soon and the
indigenous Fijians who own the land want to ensure a
better deal for themselves. THE LANDS ARE OWNED BY
THE FIJIANS, WHILE THOSE OF INDIAN ORIGIN
CULTIVATE THEM. Vast tracts are under sugarcane and
with Indian hands. [The Hindu Report of 1.6.2000 page 14].
This makes the position clear. From the time Bharathi
penned his poem, people of Indian origin by sheer hard
work without ownership, yet remaining as tenants in the
lands belonging to Fiji’s indigenous people, have risen in life
economically. As per the Constitution of Fiji article 51, the
House of Representatives have proportionate electoral
representation for Fijians, Indians and Rotumans. English,
Fijian and Indians have equal status as per article 4[1]. So
as per a fair constitution Mr.Mahendra Pal Choudry was
chosen by the people to be the Prime Minister. The Indian
stand calling for restoration of this duly elected government
is the right step. We should also use diplomatic pressure to
ensure that another, which may disenfranchise people of
Indian origin and upset the equilibrium, should not replace
1997-98 constitutions. We are not as one or two critics of
our party say protecting Indian interests instead of
indigenous peoples. We want Indian origin people to be
equal citizens and not made second-class citizens in the
land of their living.

While Burma refugees came India helplessly has to bear

them. When plantation labour was driven out of Ceylon, our
Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Sastri went out of his way to

62
accept them as stateless people by signing a pact with
Srimavo Bandaranaike. Both morally and politically India
buckled under during Kenyan [1968], Ugandan [1972] and
other crisis [including human rights violations by
Americans] to convey the impression that Indian can be
badly treated anywhere by anyone in the world with
impunity and without remorse writes political commentator
Rajiv Dhavan [The Hindu 2.06.200]. In our campaign
yesterday much before we could read Dhavan’s article, we
took the same stand. We know that when Ugandan Chief Idi
Amin wanted to marry a rich Gujarat girl, her family had to
abandon all properties and run back to India. In
Pondicherry also we have a sugar mill, which was shifted
from Uganda, due to these anti-Indian tirades.

When globe had shrunk into a village, while settlers from

Europe and Africa get amalgamated and are rulers of their
destiny in USA, if people of Indian origin could be made
second class citizens and driven back by a tiny island of Fiji,
what is the use in India being a nuclear super power, if it
cannot even verbally threaten Fiji. From May 19 till
yesterday, the day when India dispatched an emissary the
delayed response and silence of all with the exception of
Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, is
condemnable. Let Government hereafter be quick to defend
people of Indian origin. N...Nandhivarman, General
Secretary Dravida Peravai

[The Ministry of External affairs T.C.A.Raghavan, Director

in the External Minister’s office replied to our Letter to the
MEA. In that letter No.532/EAM/r/00dated 7 th June 2000,
it is said, “This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter of
June 2 to the External Affairs Minister regarding the current
situation in Fiji. We have noted the points raised in your
letter]

OUR FAILURE TO PROJECT TAMIL CAUSE

IN INDIAN POLITICS

Dravida Peravai has a historical role to play as a catalyst

for change. If only DMK and its offshoots had sent good
orators with political acumen to Parliament, as was the

63
practice in the days of Aringnar Anna, there will be no
necessity for our tiny party to exist. The practice to send
remote controlled robots to perform only specific duties and
to add only to the numbers in coalition arithmetic had led to
many wrong policies taken by various ministries which are
against the interests of Tamils all over the world. Here the
champions of Ealam cause, if they had confined only to the
espousal of that noble cause, their credibility will be rated
high from Indian viewpoint. But for cheap publicity if they
adopt forest brigands as liberators of Tamil Nadu, the public
opinion here swings against them. Time is neither ripe nor
the men who voice separatist demands in Tamil soil have
enough numbers to sway public opinion for a separate state
here. Knowing fully the futility of separatist struggle here
Anna had abandoned separatist plank. By raising that
bogey these men with miniscule following are of nuisance
value jeopardizing the legitimate interests of Ealam Tamils.
It is not a political murder, but the shrill voices here and
there which enables government agencies and media to
create a ghost of LTTE type liberation struggle being
imported here. By such false propaganda the correct line
India was adopting in the time of Indira Gandhi stands
blocked. Our shadow warriors are to be blamed for not
projecting Tamil viewpoint in Indian politics.

64
65
66
SALUTING INDIA's MARTYRS and NETHAJI
TEAR DROPS TO NETHAJI AND INDIAN NATIONAL ARMY

Sunlit sky wears the garb of night

To bid adieu to imperialism freedom sneaked
Era of colonialism-ended divide to rule failed
As Indians woke to hail the rays of light

Partition uproot millions, casteism divide trillions

Poverty haunts villages, floods cause ravages
Diseases stalk our land, yet we love our Homeland
To overcome division and unify our kinsmen
Lives of millions lost and Nethaji is a hero lost

Nethaji's eyes filled with tender light

To see eyes dimmed with tears emit delight
Teardrops ignite historical change
Fearless leader could clearly gauge
Narrow selfish German nationalism and trace
Its philosophy of supremacy of race
Stands for glorification of white race
Yet for tact sought Hitler's embrace.
Charles de Gaulle too faced humiliation
But victory graced his coalition
Bose met tragic end because axis lost War
Otherwise both leaders were at par.

Synthesis of National Socialism and communism

Thus spoke Bose on the tenets of his Socialism
At Tokyo University foresaw conflict between theses
And anti thesis resolving in higher synthesis.
Millions fought amidst infinite sacrifice
And Subhas Bose became living edifice.

10 th June 1943

Charles de Gaulle crossed the channel of English

To unfurl Free French flag with help of British
Bose in submarine reached Japan's shores
To enlist Tojo's support became his chores
Before Tokyo press he thus thundered
"Enemy with drawn sword be fought with sword

67
Non violence with armed struggle be replaced
Only by baptism of fire Indians can displace
Enemy and shall qualify for freedom on Earth".
Support to Indian cause was in no dearth.

2 nd July 1943

Two thousands thronged at Singapore

To glimpse Nethaji of many a lore
Liberation movement came under his charge,
Renamed Indian National army looms large
Azad Hind Fauj Free Indian army marches
Its heroic men upholding liberation torches
Crowds greeting Bose everywhere is countless
At Singapore support came from 6 lakh fearless
Thirty million dollars and three lakh men he need
But to arm only thirty thousand Japanese agreed
The title Nethaji earned him heroic adoration
Bose toured Bangkok, Saigon, and Rangoon for mobilization
At Rangoon gather a lakh to hear his speech
Thai Premier Luant Pibulsongram within his reach
Burmese Government of Ba Maw also backs his goals
All these infused courage to suppressed Indian souls.

21 st October 1943

Bose chosen Prime Minister and Head of state

War and Foreign affairs problems galore in spate
Close on heels of government proclamation
Japan's recognition came the same day
By 19 November Germany, China, Italy
Hanchuo, Burma, Croatia, Philippines and Thailand
Recognize government in exile of our motherland
Bose wrested by talks Andaman and Nicobar Island
To have it as base to redeem the main hinterland.

Japan's Imperial General headquarters orders

To capture strategic areas of the borders
Near Imphal and parts of India's North East
For defense of Burma involving INA the least

Burmese cabinet receives Bose at Rangoon

68
South Asia recognizes new head of state soon,
Port Blair became part of Nethaji's raj
Andaman and Nicobar renamed as Shahid and Swaraj
First Chief Commissioner Lt.Col.Loganathan anointed
And Tamilians happy on seeing their men appointed
Their tireless service found recognition
To liberate homeland hardening their resolution

Subhas brigade of fourteen thousand men

Fought pitched battles bare footed in British den
Amidst gunshots Indian administration's blueprint
Was ready bearing Nethaji's imprint?
After marathon discussions breaking resistance
National Bank of Azad Hind came into existence
Capital of 5 million rupees from Indians raised
As founder of first shipping company VOC is praised
In banking for pioneering role Bose is hailed
His independence and intense sense of equality
Made him vehemently argue against inequality
And encroachments on Indian rights
Of future governance he had foresights
This led to Reconstruction College to bloom
Alas! The abortive struggle is cause of gloom

A.N.Sircar made to draft India's Unification plan

Bose aimed to attain social justice by state plan
Bose said “If situation leads to inflation
Adopt additional measures to effect deflation
Withdrawal of market surplus currency
Is the panacea to such an emergency?
To remove country's ills printing of notes
Is not the remedy states Aringnar Anna's quote?
Bose at the rock bottom of his heart felt the same
Underlines his mastery over economical game.

Lt.Col.Chatterji designated Chief Administrator

Of occupied territories in the Indian sector
Amidst military campaign that failed miserably
Bose planned all these meticulous steps ably
His greatness and uniqueness outshines others
His khaki cap bore many such feathers
No one else with exception to Comrade Lenin

69
Charles de Gaulle and Ho Chi Minh
Equaled him in clarity of vision
Before accomplishment of his mission.

Even in death Nethaji haunted the British

Wavell wondered Japanese announcement rubbish
Subhas Bose death by air crash is untruth
And suspected gone underground hence forth

Second World War clouds disappeared in horizon

Twenty five thousand INA heroes sent to garrison
But vengeful to punish yet fearful of upsurge
British classified into three to effect purge
INA with intention of rejoining as whites
And those misled by Japanese and Bose as greys
Fervent believers of freedom cause as blacks
Prisoners of War classified thus by British quacks
Whites restored to their position in army
Grays were tried dismissed and released awry
Blacks were made to bear the full brunt
Power mongers thus executed their witch-hunt
Red Fort housed the INA captives
Aliens ruled the roost enslaving natives.

5 th November 1945

The trio symbolizing unity amidst diversity

Brothers of Muslim, Hindu, Sikh fraternity
Shawnawaz Khan, Premkumar Sejgal, Gurubakshsingh
Dhillon
Were put to trial for treason for various reason
Charged as having waged War against Emperor
To tame others Britishers let loose reign of terror
Trial and tribulations dragged till December end
Silent majority's feelings it did strongly offend
Nine months after War during British victory parade
Indians unfurled fury-feeling aversion to charade
Old Delhi town hall gutted, parading troops booed
Indians wearing British attire attacked, ire echoed
Police opened fire to quell crescendo of freedom
Dreaming forever India will remain their serfdom
To treat INA prisoners with leniency Jinnah urged

70
His appeal evoked no response, all three sentenced
To life fuelling the peoples explosive ire
Opening day of trial at Madurai police had to fire
As trial proceeded at Red Fort millions beseeched
More than hundred men killed or maimed
Calcutta was strike bound
Hindu Muslim unity was abound
Congress and Muslim league flags fluttered
American and British establishments attacked
Forty-nine military vehicles destroyed
Ninety-seven damaged and two hundred military injured
Thirty two Indians lost lives and two hundred wounded
Patna, Allahabad, Beneras, Bombay, Karachi were in flames
Burning passion for liberation drove British to Thames

Joint secretary of war department Mr.Mason

Understood patriotic motives and boiling passion
Climbed down to treat as prisoners of war INA heroes
Auchenlik set the three men free ending their sorrows

By selective trials British continued their intention

Captain Abdul Rashid sentenced to 7-year detention
Bombay and Delhi rocked by Muslim Leagues agitation
In Calcutta strict martial law left fifty for cremation
Royal Indian air Force striking men of five thousand
In HMS TALWAR led the navy revolt soon 70 ships abound
Of Karachi Madras Visakapattinam Calcutta Cochin
Andamans Bombay

Hauling Union Jack down kept the enemy at the bay

Only two shore establishment and ten ships were left
To side with British, rest of navy completely swept
In Madras Bombay and Jabalpur Royal Indian Air Force
Strike
Karachi witnessed gun battles for two days full of strife
Bombay mass uprisings in sympathy of the mutiny
Said Times of India as unparallel in city's history.

Left called for textile workers strike of six lakhs

People waged three days of fight while death stalks.
Two hundred seventy left dead, two thousand three hundred
injured

71
But never the will of people was conquered.

British Premier Atlee promised transfer of power

To Indians, if necessary of two nations, not later
Than June nineteen hundred forty eight
Vanishing was British might in front of peoples fight.
Nethaji Subhas Bose's words ring in ears to embolden
The march ahead of other nations in jubilee that is golden
To pay for our liberty with our own blood, the freedom
We shall win through our sacrifices and martyrdom
We shall be able to preserve with our strength
INA and NETHAJI electrified country's breadth and length
Let this echo every day in our hearts to infuse
Courage, conviction, clarity of vision and enthuse
In defense of Motherland and its march to prosperity
Liberating millions from clutches of poverty
As Aringnar Anna dreamt to strive for the smiles
In the faces of the poor let us dedicate our lives.

N.Nandhivarman General Secretary Dravida Peravai

[This is not poetry; it imitates poetic form in order to record history. DMK
President Kalaignar M.Karunanithi writes history in verse-poems. His
current efforts make me recall my attempt to make history simple,
readable and understandable. On the role of INA and Nethaji Subhas
Chandra Bose before few years I recited this so called poem in a Poets
Symposium organized by Department of Arts and Culture ,Government
of Puducherry]]

72
MANKINDS MARCH TOWARDS UNIVERSAL
BROTHERHOOD

N.Nandhivarman General Secretary Dravida Peravai

Mankind is marching towards human immortality. This is

neither prophecy nor astrological prediction. It is the aim of
science to attain the goal of immortality. How this goal could
be achieved? You must know that in spite of much talk
about our era of information technology; in fact we have
crossed that era. Already we are in nano-technology era.
Nano-technology era had dawned. In another 30 years of
research we can be near to inserting tiny machines called
intelligent nanobots into our bodies which will eradicate
ravages of illness and age and help us live indefinitely.
Where humanity is heading for?

Towards Immortality: Nanobots

Ray Kurzwell wrote a book “Fantastic Voyage: Live long

enough to live Forever.” In that book he wrote, “Millions of
blood cell sized robots which he called nanobots will be
swarming through our body repairing bones, muscles,
arteries and brain cells.” Yes like the anti virus programmes
in our computers we will be having nanobots, as tiny as one
out of 1000 th size of our hair which will eradicate disease
at the time of the start itself.

lf.Ray Kurzwell foresees human intelligence not only

conquering its biological limits including death but
completely mastering the natural world. He is a recipient of
$500000 Lemelson_MIT prize from that Academy Award for
Inventors. In USA he had won 1999 National Medal for
Technology Award.

His publications had appeared in Wired to Time magazines.

Christian Science Monitor had called him” Modern Edison”.
He was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame in 2002.
This is the man representing the march of science.

73
Downloading Brain

The Observer newspaper from London on May 22-2005 said

Death could become a thing of the past by middle of 21 st
century as computer technology becomes sophisticated
enough for contents of the brain to be downloaded onto a
supercomputer according to Ian Pearson Head of the
Futurology unit at British telecommunications giant BT.

Making Life longer Scottish Daily Scotsman in March 28-

2005 says that a pill had been invented by Aberdeen
University Professor John Speakman if taken once a day will
keep a person healthier and able to work longer and would
extend his lifespan by 30 years.

Injecting life into nerve cells

The team at Boston’s Children hospital and Harvard

University had identified a molecule that is helping injured
nerve cells regenerate and it might be used to develop new
treatments for spinal chord injuries, brain diseases and
stroke damage. The molecule called inosine acts as a master

74
switch to turn on a number of genes involved in the growth
of nerve cells.

Designer gene Cure

The journal of American Heart Association “Circulation” in a

study states “It might be possible to design and construct
genetically engineered designer gene therapy for selectively
delivering genes to any part of the body. We can’t do it now
because much of what is injected would be sequestered by
liver said AndrewH.Baker, Reader in Molecular Medicine at
University of Glasgow in Scotland.

New form of Matter

Deborah Jin a physicist at the National Institute of

Standards and Technology’s joint lab with the University of
Colorado had announced that they have found new form of
matter called fermionic condensate and it is sixth known
form of matter after gases, solids, liquids, plasma and a Bio-
Einstein condensate created only in 1995. It is not a
superconductor but it is really something in between these
two that may help us in science to link these two interesting
behaviors. Her team’s new form of matter uses fermions the
building blocks of matter that include protons, electrons
and neutrons. Fermions are your independent thinkers;
they don’t copy your neighbors.

Nano-Drugs

Smart drugs that can travel through your body, diagnose

the problem and deliver nano-doses straight to the diseased
cells is possible within 5 years in India, if Governments act
fast in helping research. Dr.B.M.Choudry Deputy Director of
the Inorganic and Physical Chemistry division of Indian
Institute of Technology Hyderabad on July 24-2004 had told
that targeted drug delivery would be more efficient in
fighting diseases with fewer side effects. A patient suffering
from throat cancer could be given a nano drug that can kill
cancer cells. A single nano capsule injected into the
subcutaneous tissue lungs or stomach is enough to cure

75
some of the ailments, which might normally take dozens of
pills in conventional treatment.

Pulsating Pants to pump blood to Heart If you have heart

problem go to the ready-made shop and buy a pulsating
pant. These vibrating trousers work like a pump to increase
blood flow to the heart. The vibrating leg wear meant to be
worn for an hour a day over seven weeks have in built
inflatable cuffs around the calves, thighs and buttocks
which inflate and deflate with each heart beat, thus pushing
the blood up the leg towards the heart. The garments are
part of new non-invasive heart treatment technique called
External Enhanced Counter pulsation. Unlike procedures
like by pass surgery, angioplasty; EECP involves no surgery,
drugs or needles.

Well all these may indicate the march of our science let us
also take a look back at wherefrom we came from? Where
we came from?

Panspermia: Seeds Everywhere

NASA and European and Italian Space Agency spacecraft

Cassini is beaming telemetry and images back from Titan
the massive planet sized moon of Saturn. The conditions in
Titan resemble our earth millions of years before life
ultimately evolved. It has an environment rich in carbon
based molecules that are capable of spawning self
replicating DNA.

Panspermia literally means seeds everywhere. It is a theory,

which maintains that life bearing proto spores is prevalent
throughout the Universe. Life on Earth originated when
some of them landed on its surface and propagated. It also
suggests that life could have existed in another planet and
moved to Earth.

Humanity is one: All languages came from one

Humanity is one, yet we notice divisive tendencies.

Dr.Russel Grey an evolutionary biologist at the University of
Auckland in New Zealand published his results in Nature

76
magazine co-authoring with his colleague Quentin Atkinson.
In his submission he expressed confidence that a family tree
of human languages could be constructed and its branching
points dated. If this happens a wonderful new window will
be opened into human past.

As biologists had drawn the family tree of genes and species,

linguists too have started to use same mathematical tools to
build a tree, which traces to the only one language spoken
once upon a time which now had divided into 6000 and
more languages.

Dr.R.Madhivanan, a great Tamil scholar is emphasizing the

need for language archaeology to dig at the roots of the first
human language

77
Ultimate Universal Theories

Times of India in its editorial on 12 th October 2004 titled

“Ends and Means” explain how Universal theories are
coming to the fore in the following words. Quote: “Einstein
wanted to end it all, scientifically speaking. After his special
and general theories of relativity earlier in the last century
had revolutionized physics, he spent his last 30 years of life
till his death in 1955 trying to find an even more generalized
concept that would unite all the forces of Nature. Called the
unified theory it was an attempt to understand every
physical interaction and present it in as simple a form as e=
mc2. He was only partially successful. Since then, though
researchers around the world have striven hard in their
efforts to lay their hands on what has come to be known as
theory of everything-something that would comprehensively
explain the entire universe from the smallest subatomic
particles to the most massive galactic structures.

OUR FUTURE IS BRIGHT

Well the future is full of hope. Human Race is marching

ahead of other species. It is scientific temper and
rationalism that is motivating mankind to scale greater
heights in understanding our existence better.Univeral
brotherhood had always been the goal of Tamil civilization.

Poet Kaniyan Poongunran wrote 2000 years ago that every

country is my country, all kumans are my kinsmen. Let us
walk towards a new dawn. Fundamentalism must be laid in
its catacomb.

[Paper presented at the National Seminar on the Concept of Scientific

Temper organized by True Rationalistic Union of Samaj-seva Trainers
(TRUST) led by Nihar Acharya at Jayadev Bhavan Bhubaneswar on 18
th December 2005]

78
INDIAN TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE THEFT
by dravidaperavai @ 2006-01-09 – 11:21:23 Blog Post
BUREAUCRACY SLEEPS JUSTICE WEEPS

Indian government inherited a bureaucracy from the

colonial legacy. Other countries are marching ahead in the
road to progress whereas in India every initiative to help
people is curbed, twisted to benefit bureaucracy which aims
of making hay while it shines. They teach politicians the
game of graft and create a regime of corrupt for the corrupt.
Instead of encouraging Indian knowledge the bureaucracy
drives best brains out of the country. Brain drain becomes a
topic of lament to journalists. Innovators never get
encouragement, and we all know out of frustration the Late
G.D.Naidu broke to pieces all his discoveries.

Our NEEM is spreading in China, which encourages Neem

based products, whereas we use neem to drive ghosts and
had given it as a weapon to priests. Now it is the case of our
wheat for which United Kingdom had obtained patent.
Union Government is responsible for this grave mistake. The
Supreme Court of India expressing worry on patent over
wheat had sought Governments status report on Preventive
Measures.

A report in The Times of India: January 8-2006

“Is India Government doing enough to protect Indian

products like neem, haldi and basmati rice, strains of which
have been patented in foreign countries?

Observing that it could have serious repercussions for India

a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat
and S.H.Kapadia made the inquiry from Additional Solicitor
General Gopal Subramanyam on Friday during the hearing
of a Public Interested Litigation.

The PIL had sought a direction to the Center for taking steps
to revoke the patent granted on the naphal variety of wheat
commonly used in India.

79
The Court sought a status report on the efforts made so far
by the Government in this regard as well as the preventive
measures it intended to take. The Department of
Agricultural Research and Education made light of the
patent on "nap hal" taken by a UK firm from the US saying
it pertained to soft milling variety. The variety used in India
is hard variety suitable for making chapathis, it said.

“Since new varieties of soft milling wheat can be developed

in India as and when required, contesting the case in UK
will not be any benefit to India in the present
circumstances, it said.

However it appeared that the prohibitive cost of challenging

the patent has played a major role in the decision of the
Government. Moreover the patent is only till 2010, said the
ASG. There is little merit in seeking revocation of the patent
as it would cost $3-5 million dollars or even more to contest
the case in the US, DARC said.

As for preventive measures DARC said “Government has

already taken adequate measures and put legislative
instruments in place to prevent piracy of biological material
from India, through the National Bio-Diversity Authority
established under Biological Diversity Act 2002.

Justice Kapadia had come prepared and handed over to

Subramanyam an article painting a gloomy picture about
the efforts made by the Government in protecting
geographical products.

It gives a complete break up of Indian products being lost

due to the inaction of Indian government, especially basmati
rice, he said.

80
KUMARI KANDAM NEEDS UNDERSEA
RESEARCH TO ESTABLISH TAMILS PAST
by Annaist @ 2006-09-17 – 12:49:03

TIGER PHOBIA AND TAMIL PHOBIA

HAUNTS INDIAN HISTORIANS

The word Tiger is allergic to Indian masters of North India. It

is in their subconscious and tiger-phobia translates into
spitting venom at the freedom fighters of Tamil Eelam.I was
deeply pondering how India sidelined the freedom struggle
led by Nethaji and India’s reluctance to resurrect the
historical role played by Nethaji, made me arrive at a
conclusion that India prefers to have doctored history.
Asoka, Harsha and Chandragupta are well known
throughout India but how come Chola, Chera. Pandya Kings
are kept under veil in history books? I pondered.

There is something wrong at mental plane with the

descendents of invaders or the mixed race of the invaders,
whose subconscious tells truth about their past and
resultant inferiority complex makes them purposely work
overtime to suppress the true history of Tamil greatness. I
would appeal to those with such complexes to shed their
hatred towards Tamils, Tamil Music, Tamil scriptures, and
Tamil history since they too belong to our common hoary
past.

Let me request them to view the World Map published by

Reader’s Digest. In page 71 a mountain range between
Sikkim and Tibet is mentioned as Chola Pass. Unless Chola
armies have crossed that pass or Cholas had trade links
with China, either way the Pass in Himalayan ranges would
not have been named as Chola Pass. Tamil Nadu
government and its historians must update the history
books with more inputs about the Chola Pass.

Dr.S.Padmanabhan of Kanyakumari Historical and Cultural

Research Center in a paper presented in the 57 th Session
of Indian History Congress held on December 1996 in the
University of Madras states that “a hill near the Kargil is

81
known as Tiger Hill which reminds us the insignia of
Karikala Chola. A waterfall in the District of Cholakumbha
in Nepal is called Chola Khola. This needs further research”
the scholar opines. It is nothing new. Deputy Election
Commissioner of Election Commission of India
Mr.Balakrishnan had done extensive research on names of
places all over India with Tamil as prefix.

The highest peak in Himalayas is called Mount Everest, but

quoting scholars, I have written in my blog clearly
establishing that Mr.George Everest never set his foot on
Mount Everest. An engineer from Ambur Mohammed
Mohsin alone manufactured the survey instruments with
precision and carried the task. I had even urged that Mount
Everest be renamed as Mount Mohammed Mohsin.This is to
make clear whatever Tamils do, be it Cholas or Mohsins, it
is being suppressed in history.

Great epics like Iliad and Odyssey speak about Tyre, Byblos
and Troy. Nobody brushed aside what epics said. Oceanic
explorations brought to light the greatness of those cities.
Yes literary evidences were corroborated by under water
research. To establish that Mahabharata is not fiction
National Institute of Oceanography, Chennai undertook
underwater research in Gulf of Cambay near Gujarat and its
findings said an old city of 7500 years existed there. It hit
the front pages of India Today. We all know that Kannan is
a Tamil king with only one wife Nappinnai, and since he was
black was called “Krish” na, which meant a black
man.”Vembai” a land ruled by Tamil Velir with “Vembu”
[neem] as Tree of Protection got its corrupted version
Bombay and Mumbai according to Deveneya Paavanar.

In another book a scholar wrote that "Kambanna Gounder

of a village near Kanchipuram was the mastermind who
planned Bangalore city [Vengalur became Bangalore] and in
remembrance of our Kambanna Gounder there is Kempe
Gowda circle in Bangalore".

This may be a matter of rejoice to Dr.S.Ramdass led

PMK.Kalikottam, a place where Temple for Kali existed
became Calcutta and now Kolkatta.

82
Same period when Gulf of Cambay was explored researches
took place near Poompuhar too and its findings appeared in
Dinamani. Unfortunately the exhibition of the unearthed
artifacts under the sea had to be exhibited in Bangalore and
not in Chennai due to lack of patronage here by then
Government. Poompuhar was established to be a city older
by 9500 years in a scientific scrutiny. Yet India Today did
not come out with a cover story. Sun TV did not highlight
these achievements in spite of its mentor Dr.Kalaignar
M.Karunanithi scripting Poompuhar film to propagate the
greatness of Tamils apart from erecting a statue to Kannagi
in Chennai and constructing a Museum at Poompuhar.

There is a need to engage in under water research on

Kumari Kandam.

In act Dravida Peravai wrote to the then Chief Minister

J.Jayalalitha who forwarded our request to Archaeological
Department, which replied that the matter was under
consideration. Nothing happened. Now in Tamil Aaraichi E-
group with more than 4000 members I posted the following
message, which got response. One such letter mentions how
this dream of Father Thaninayagam did not materialize
since Nehruvian days.

MY POST IN TAMIL AARAICHI EGROUP:

KUMARIKANDAM RESEARCH

National Institute of Oceanography for 10 days searched

near Poompuhar and found 2000 pieces of ancient artifacts
and it hit headlines in Dinamani that Poompuhar is 9500
years old. It is a scientific discovery. Yet our Tamil poets
who never read new inputs or who fail to upgrade their
knowledge will be speaking about 2000 years old civilization
of ours. I have criticized in many articles and speeches
about this attitude.

We all know about three Tamil Sangams and our literature

gives enough hints about lost continent and submerged
civilization. Yet we do not undertake scientific research to
prove our past. This has led to a situation wherein " avaal"
have started writing books denying the Kumari Kandam's

83
existence or it being the cradle of Tamils. One such book
about which in my blog you can read my condemnation,
made me think about demanding Under Water
Archaeological Search in Indian Ocean close to
Kanyakumari.Fabulous Geographies and Catastrophic
Histories by Sumathi Ramasamy, assistant Professor in
Michigan University says Kumari Kandam is not the
homeland of Tamils. The author finds fault with Late
M.G.Ramachandran for his efforts in financing and
producing a film on Kumari Kandam in 1981 at the time of
World Tamil Conference. We know Deveneya Paavanar was
behind the idea and enrichment of that documentary. This
film helped Tamil place seekers to fit a theory about Tamils
homeland, the book ridicules Tamils and assaults their
history.

To press for Government of India and Government of Tamil

Nadu to engage in Underwater Research on Kumari Kandam
and to press Tamil Nadu Government to allot more funds for
doing research on Kumari Kandam, we urge all Tamils and
Tamil associations across the world to post demands to
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.

Since 1 crore allotted for Poompuhar Research went waste

with 10 lakhs spent daily on ship and other needs, very
little went to research. It is amazing that with little funds so
much had been found in Poompuhar mid seas.

I posted message in Tamil AAraichi Egroup to ponder over

and to suggest any fresh idea in this connection.

RESPONSE FROM A TAMIL FROM COLOMBO

I agree with Nandhivarman that we do little regarding

history. Way back in 1964 I was just a school teacher when
I alerted the scholars about marine archaelogy relating to
Silappadikaram period. It was when Fr. X. A. Thaninayagam
held a meeting to introduce the concept of IATR at
Bambalapitiya Saraswathy Hall in Colombo.

I had earlier written to Mr. Rodney Jonklaas, an expert

diver, and got him interested in a project to explore the

84
shores of Poompuhar. On and off some artifact is recovered
by fishermen and a scientific study of the areas is a must, I
told then. Jonklaas is an expert in the field and a co worker
along with Sir Arthur C. Clarke who had explored
Trincomalee Swamy Rock area.

I was inspired by a letter written by Dr. Manawala

Ramanujam in the "Tamil Culture" in the early fifties. He
had then written to Prime Minister Pandit Nehru asking for
Indian Naval research vessels for the purpose. There was no
reply forthcoming. Later around 1968 I wrote to the then
Chief Minister of Tamilnadu Mr. C.N. Annadurai as well as
then Home Minister Mr. M. Karunanidhi and got no
response from them.Fr. Thaninayagam came to stay in
Colombo in 1972 after his tenure at Kuala Lampur
University and I approached him with all the papers. He too
tried to get the Indian government interested in this and
everything failed. Every now and then I hear of some odd
findings in the area and I cannot but recollect all these
efforts that proved nothing. At that time, Mr.Jonklaas
wanted no money for his efforts but only the transport cost
of his diving equipment assessed by government authorities.
Now, turning 62, I look back at the lack of interest of a
people about their past. Will somebody take over from me?
S. Devotta

IS IT NOT OUR DUTY TO DEMAND PROPER RESEARCH

ON KUMARIKANDAM?

In my article in Thelitamizh current issue I had urged upon

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to ask his policemen to find out
and recover the short film on Kumarikandam produced
during Maruthur Gopalamenon Ramachandrans' regime. I
have requested him even to update this film by his script, if
necessary.

N.Nandhivarman, General Secretary, Dravida Peravai

85
86
87
88
ANNA DMK ARCHIVES: HIDDEN FILES
Miss.J.Jayalalitha had not founded Anna DMK nor is she
one of the founding members of Anna DMK. She joined the
party nearly a decade after its formation. Then who
announced the formation of Anna DMK? Dinamani Tamil
daily dated October 17 th of 1972 in its front-page top news
states “In Tamil nadu and Pondicherry the followers of
M.G.R had formed a new party” the headline said. It detailed
various moves in many places of Tamil nadu but declared
that Anagapathur Ramalingam from Chennai and
N.Nandhivarman and his friends in Pondicherry had
announced the name Anna DMK for the new yet to be
formed party. Dinamani, Indian Express and all newspapers
of the day had reported this event. Mr.M.G.Ramachandran
later accepted it. Actually Anna DMK name was announced
in Pondicherry two days earlier. Along with news from
Chennai it was clubbed together and the new party came
into existence.

Much before Mr.M.G.Ramachandiran raised the question at

Thirukazhukundram meeting about all branch secretaries of
DMK showing accounts Pondicherry DMK State Committee

89
representatives were deliberating to form a new party. There
was resentment in DMK that a Congressman had been
imported into DMK to head the DMK-CPI coalition ministry
formed in 1969.N.Nandhivarman, State Convener of
Students DMK and the DMK”mavatta prinithigal” were for
15 days discussing the new party formation. The then
Lt.Governor of Pondicherry Mr.B.D.Jatti, who later became
Acting President of India, told Nandhivarman that DMK is
going to split and a new party will be born soon. Since this
indicated that Central Government is engineering a split in
DMK, to be first in race N.Nandhivarman and his friends
announced the birth of Anna DMK, more or less few days
ahead of Tamilnadu. But media reported both in one day.

Anna DMK Convener meets Pondy Congress [O] leader:

Indian Express 24.10.1972

There was flurry of activity here today involving

representatives of Anna DMK started by expelled DMK
Treasurer M.G.Ramachandiran, the Old Congress and
former Mayor Edward Goubert. Their parleys are considered
significant in the wake of the split in the DMK, which rules
the Union Territory in coalition with CPI. Two ADMK
representatives also met Lt.Governor Jatti and Pondicherry
assembly speaker Selvaraju to demand an immediate
session of the assembly.

Mr.N.Nandhivarman, Convener of Tamil Nadu Students

ADMK federation who met Mr.Selvaraju with P.Sivalingam
Convener of the Pondicherry ADMK, told ENS the assembly
speaker promised to examine their demand.

Mr.N.Nandhivarman had a meeting with Old Congress

leader of the Opposition, Mr.P.Shanmugam lasting nearly
an hour. He and Mr.Sivalingam had met Mr.Goubert
yesterday to discuss the political situation in Pondicherry.
Mr.Goubert, a former Chief Minister broke away from the
DMK during 1969 elections.

Mr.Sivalingam alleged that supporters of ADMK were lath

charged on Sunday near the venue of DMK public meeting
called to explain the action taken against MGR. At the

90
Sunday meeting Chief Minister Farooq Maricar asserted that
the split in the DMK would not affect his ministry. Eight of
the 15 DMK MLA’s attended the meeting. [Express News
Service]

Well to report all press stories of the day will be taken up

when a book is written. Now after having stated how Anna
DMK is formed it will be appropriate what differenced
cropped between Pondicherry Anna DMK and its high
command especially Thiru.M.G.Ramachandiran.
Communist Party of India was opposing DMK in Tamil Nadu
at the same time remaining with DMK in a coalition
ministry in Pondicherry. In the newly formed Anna DMK
nearly six legislative members were willing to join. Congress
Opposition leader P.Shanmugam with 1o M.L.A’s was ready
to support ADMK –Congress coalition. The strength thus
was 16 in the 30-member assembly. If the CPI with three
members were ready to toe the Tamil Nadu line in opposing
DMK, within few weeks of party formation Anna DMK would
have formed its ministry in Pondicherry.

These double standards of CPI invited criticisms from all

quarters. Tamil nadu Congress Committee [O] President

91
Mr.P.Ramachandiran addressing a Congress [O] workers
meeting in Pondicherry on December 17 of 1972 deplored
the CPI’s double standards in fighting the DMK in
Tamilnadu and continuing in the alliance government in
Pondicherry with the DMK. He said the CPI was always an
opportunist party. {The Hindu Dec 23/1972]

Mr.M.Kalyanasundaram, General Secretary of Tamil nadu

unit of the Communist party of India today justified the
continuance of the DMK-CPI coalition ministry in
Pondicherry and said no corruption charges had been
leveled against any Minister in the cabinet there. Mr.Farook
Maricar, the Chief Minister of Pondicherry, he added had
given the assurance that if there was any charge of
corruption he [Mr.Maraicar] would place the concerned files
before him [M.Kalyanasundaram] and abide by his verdict.

Mr.Kalyanasundaram said that the DMK party in Madras

had decided to treat its Pondicherry unit as a separate one
and added “we are dealing with Farook Maricar and not
either with Mr.M.Karunanithi or Mr.N.V.Natarajan. The
political situation in Pondicherry he said was complicated
and it would not be in the interests of CPI to fall a prey to
the combined campaign by the Congress, Congress [O] and
Anna DMK is that state. There was no better alternative to
the Maraicar ministry, he said {Courtesy: Indian Express
December 18 of 1972 with Madras dateline]

ANTICS OF CPI IN PONDICHERRY

Pondicherry Anna DMK convener N.Nandhivarman said on

Tuesday that” there is a difference of opinion between
Pondicherry CPI Health Minister V.Subbiah and
M.Kalyanasundaram, general secretary of Tamil Nadu CPI,
on corruption charges against DMK-CPI alliance government
here.”

Mr.N.Nandhivarman said while Mr.Subbiah challenged

opposition parties to place corruption charges in the
assembly, Mr.Kalyanasundaram had said Chief Minister
Farrook Maricar had assured him of prompt action if

92
corruption charges against any Minister were brought to his
notice.

Agreeing with Mr.Kalyanasundaram’s contention that DMK

in Pondicherry is a separate entity and that it could adopt a
different stand Mr.Nandhivarman said “It is however
meaningless and undesirable on the part of the CPI unit
here to continue its alliance with DMK, because the
Pondicherry CPI unit is only a district unit which cannot
but toe the line of Tamilnadu State unit of CPI.

Mr.P.Shanmugam, Leader of the opposition in Pondicherry

assembly and Mr.Dayanand general secretary of
Pondicherry Territorial Congress in a joint statement
reminded Mr.Kalyanasundaram that the Chief Minister of
Pondicherry was one of the 36 signatories to the
memorandum seeking removal of MGR from DMK.

The Pondicherry unit of DMK was part and parcel of the

Tamilnadu DMK and Party President M.Karunanithi himself
had declared so on Tuesday, they said. “Then we do not
understand how Mr.Kalyanasundaram could be satisfied
with Maricar’s assurance that he would take prompt action
if any corruption charges were brought to his notice. “ These
antics of CPI present a humorous spectacle for the public,”
they said [Courtesy December 20 of 1972 Indian Express]

NANDHIVARMAN EXPELLED FOR PERSONAL WORK.

Pondicherry Anna DMK convener wanted to install Anna

DMK in power, while he worked towards this goal CPI was
adopting double standards of opposing DMK in Tamilnadu
but being in DMK coalition in Pondicherry. Since this was
exposed in media, Communists went to MGR and told that
Nandhivarman is an American spy. They should pictures of
foreigners and Nandhivarman and poisoned MGR’s mind.
The grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and Rajaji, Mr.Rajmohan
Gandhi was running a social service organization called
Moral Re-Armament. The foreigners seen with
Nandhivarman belong to that association; But MGR trusted
the communists and issued the first expulsion order from
State Convener ship. In that order MGR stated that

93
Pondicherry State Anna DMK convener Nandhivarman is
suspended to attend to personal work. The Tamil daily
Navasakthi in its editorial criticized the “Progressive
Suspension” within three months of party formation.
Malaimani, DMK organ too wrote editorial.

The Statesman of April 10 of 1973 in a central page article

by V.S.Maniam titled “Towards a grouping of Political forces
“wrote: The Anna DMK in Pondicherry was being organized
by a young politician who once belonged to a faction within
DMK whose leader was considered anti-communist. It also
seemed as if the entire faction has been brought into the
new party. The convener of the Anna DMK began attacking
the CPI for its ambivalent policy of opposing the DMK in
Tamilnadu and supporting it in Pondicherry.

He also made independent approaches to the Congress [O]

for support and met Mr.Kamaraj in Madras at least once.
This was not welcomed by the party, which removed him
from office. He is now back in the DMK and reports suggest
that he has been welcomed with open arms. His exit has
however left the Anna DMK in Pondicherry without a leader”
[courtesy; The Statesman]

94
Having founded Anna DMK and having worked hard to
install Anna DMK in power N.Nandhivarman was expelled
on false charges. Nandhivarman rejoined DMK. But Anna
DMK had to bring leaders on deputation from Tamilnadu.

Mr.Gopalakrishnan, a cine director and Anagaputhr

Ramalingam were sent from Madras to lead Anna DMK in
Pondicherry. Till date Anna DMK which comes to power in
Tamil Nadu is not a major player in politics in Pondicherry.
It is history.

95
POETS MEET TO AWAKEN MEMBERS OF
PARLIAMENT FROM SLUMBER
A novel kind of protest by the Poets and Tamil scholars of
Pondicherry disturbed the lethargy of our political class and
it left an imprint on Tami lhistory pointing an accusing
finger at the Parliament Members of Tamil Nadu, with an
exception of a few, for their utter failure to stand united on
the issues pertaining to Tamil Nadu in the floor of the
Parliament. This protest also charged the political parties for
not giving a free hand to the members of parliament to raise
issues of concern to Tamil Nadu and also had a dig at the
parties for not choosing competent persons to represent
their constituencies.

The poets of Pondicherry were brought under an umbrella to

air their poems in a THERU MUNAITHIRUPALLI EZHUCCHI
organized jointly by a political party Dravida Peravai and a
Tamil association namely Senthamizhar Iyakkam.

Thirupalli Ezhucchi , in Tamil is a poetic form which was

used by devout followers to awaken their favorite god or
goddess from slumber. Saint Andal's Thiruppavai falls
under this category. Today poet after poet used this form to
awaken the parliamentarians and political parties and urged
them to stand united on issues like Cauvery waters to Tamil
Nadu. Poets in their poems condemned the saffronization of
the education and the deletion of the word "Dravida" from
the text books published by NCERT and also the
suppression of the history of Chera, Chola, Pandian and
Sathavahana rule. The poets also condemned the attempt in
these text books to describe the Bolshevik revolution as a
"Coup led by Lenin". The poets also condemned the
downsizing of the Sethu Canal project, which according to
the Union Minister for Shipping Ved Prakash Goel is going
to be a mini-canal at a cost of 200 croes and completable in
a year’s time.

The uncertainty of the lives of plantation labour in Srilanka,

whose fate remains still unsettled decades after Srimavo-
Sastri pact was signed also found mention in these poems.

96
Dravida Peravai General Secretary N.Nandhivarman, Tamil Valarchi
Nadavadikkai Kuzhu President Dr.Era.Tirumurugan,Bi- Lingual Poet
Professor M.Lenin Tangappa,

Senthamizhar Iyakkam President N.M.Tamizhmani, Poets Pugazenthi,

Ramakrishna Bharathi, Poongunran, Janakiraman,
PattaringnarIlakkiyan, Thamiziyakkan, Veera.Madurakavi,
ProfessorSambandam, Reader of the International School of
Economics Pondicherry University etc were the notable poets who
participated in this STREET CORNER POETS MEET (Therumunai
Pattarangu) which is for

TAMIZHAR KATCHIGALUKKU TIRUPALLI EZHUCCHI.

Speaking at the meet N.Nandhivarman said that Pondicherry

assembly in order to fulfill the legal requirements had met for two
days and had deliberated for 3 hours and 6 minutes in these two
days. It is high time that hourly pay is fixed for our legislators, and
compulsory attendance insisted for our parliamentarians to get their
salary. Otherwise they have no right to claim salary while they commit
dereliction of duty by not attending sessions and not airing peoples
concerns. In a joking manner he said that if he is made ORU NAAL
MUDALVAR AS IN CINEMA MUDALVAN, his first order will be
cancellation of the order that waived 60 crores to two distilleries. His
next order will be to arrest the 26 absconders who had taken 487
crores from various financial institutions in Pondicherry and had
vanished. By these two orders all monetary demands of various people
agitating for various reasons could be met. This novel protest is a
warning to all Parliamentarians in this country. People may demand
right to recall as the last option, if such protests fail to awaken the
political class.

97
CALENDARS GALORE

[Nandhivarman, though is in the field which is the last resort of the

scoundrel, in spite of being a politician he continues to write in Tamil
and English. His articles started to appear in Tamil from 1962. In
English from 1966 he left his imprint .He served as Associate Editor of
New Times Observer during 1994-1995.He regularly writes a column in
The New Indian Express, Week End pages for the Pondicherry,
Cuddalore, Vellore, Chingelpet region. The collections of articles here
have appeared in The New Indian Express. ]

Happy New Year2005 has begun with tears in every eye.

Greetings were not exchanged by the grief stricken Asians.
Prayers and mourning marked the mute celebrations. But if
Chithirai 1st day comes in middle of April, Tamils will again
celebrate Tamil New Year’s Day. Among the Tamils there are
scholars who prefer January 15 th as beginning of
Thiruvalluvar Aaandu 2036. Telugus celebrate Ugadhi, their
New Year. So it becomes evident that various calendars and
New Years exist for various cultures.

There were two Mayan Calendars. One had 260 days and
was a sacred calendar used for worship. The other one
consisted of 365 days and was a seasonal calendar used for
farming and normal daily life. The year was made up of 18
months of 20 days each with five additional days to bring
the total to 365. This calendar defines a year of 18 months,
each of 20 days, and five extra days, 365 days in total.
These extra days were considered unlucky and so very little
was done on them. Each year had a name and number
combination as did the days in the The Tzolkin (Mayan
sacred calendar) but this time there were only 52 such
combinations before repeating. This series was known as a
'bundle' or a 'Calendar Round'.

The two calendars of 260 days and 365 days run

simultaneously and after a period of 52 years they will once
more start on the same day. This is one of many cycles,
which the Mayans kept track of. They were great
astronomers and recorded the sunspot cycle and various
planetary cycles. The longest cycle they discovered was the
orbit of our solar system around Pleiades, a cycle of 26,000
years.

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 Most of the recorded dates, which have been found, begin
with ‘9’, which means between (9 x 144000) days and (10 x
144000) days since the start of the long count, which would
equate to 436 AD to 829 AD. It is thought that when the
long count reaches 13.0.0.0.0 it is reset to 0.0.0.0.0 thus
giving a period of 5125.37 years. This brings us to 22 Dec
2012 AD when either time ends or we start a new Maya Era.
By combining the long count and the Tzolkiun and Haab
dates it is possible to quote a date, which will be unique for
a period of 374,152 years, or 73 Maya Eras. So perhaps we
will be safe after 2012 AD after all.

An information leaflet from the Royal Greenwich

Observatory details the history of the calendar as a method
for keeping track of the passage of time. L. E. Doggett
speaks about the history of various calendars, including the
Gregorian, Julian, Hebrew, Islamic, Indian, Chinese and
explains the astronomical bases of calendars, calendar
reform movements, and historical eras and chronologies.
Chinese calendar states 1996 as the Year of the Rat and
1997as the Year of the Ox. Christian calendars calculate
when Easter and its attendant Christian holidays (Ash
Wednesday, Good Friday, and others) will fall in a particular
year and also when other feast days in the Roman Catholic
tradition will occur. Various algorithms used to calculate
Easter's date, discuss when certain cultures adopted the
Western method for determining the Easter date, and even
posits that current formulas for determining the Easter date
might not be valid in the far future.

Another 13-month calendar propositions are 13 months of

four weeks and 28 days. In this way, January 1 falls on the
same weekday, year after year, unlike the current calendar,
in which January 1 falls on a different day from one year to
the next.

In “The Triple Triumph of the Moon,” Isaac Asimov’s second

triumph spoke about how Neolithic man might have come
up with calendars and how this necessitated the gradual
increase in mathematical and intellectual ability. Having
grasped the concept of the lunar month, it is easy to see
that twelve months roughly correspond to one cycle of

99
seasonal changes. This is a lot easier than counting 365
days. Such knowledge is important in calculating the time
one has till winter or a dry/rainy season. Such knowledge is
essential to the development of agriculture. Realizing that
this system of time keeping becomes less accurate over
time, more complicated methods are developed e.g. leap-
months. A connection between the study of such celestial
patterns and the fortunes of mankind is established. Hence,
the rise of New Moon and Harvest Moon religious festivals
followed in time by the flowering of astronomy and
astrology.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express-weekend-8.01.2005

100
INVENTOR OF NEW MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

Music through ages has seen many ups and downs. Many
instruments faded away and new ones invented. “During the
Sangam age and in 3 rd century A.D the lifetime of Karaikal
Ammaiyar we learn through her poems that there existed 21
musical instruments in Tamil Nadu.”Yazh" the prime
musical instrument was prominent till 7 th century A.D
while Veena slowly captured its prime place. The Veena first
found its mention in the Mootha Thirupathigam of Karaikal
Ammaiyar and Thirugnanasambandar’s Thevaram. "Yazh”
type of musical instruments still exists having emanated
during the time of old Greek, Egyptian and Sumerian
civilizations. Whereas in Tamil Nadu Yazh disappeared.
Vipulananda Adigal who wrote Yazh Nool and Abraham
Pandithar who wrote Karunamirtha Sagaram much before
him have written how Yazh vanished from circulation but
they have not stated why it disappeared and have not cited
reasons." Laments Professor A.S.Gnanasambandan, a great
Tamil researcher.

But P.T.R.Kamala Thigarajan in his book Isai thamizhin

Unmai Varalaru had explained valid reasons.” The
biography of Thirugnanasambandar marks an important
stage in the development of the concept of gamaka and
incidentally of the fretted veena. The strings of the yazh
were tuned to the shruthi of the notes of suddha scales.
Since it was plain instrument there were no provision to
manipulate the grace and quarter tones figuring in
megharaga kurinchi" explains Dr.Premalatha in her
Doctoral thesis Music through Ages. These observations of
researchers in music give us a clear picture with valid
reasons for the disappearance of Yazh as prime instrument
in Tamil musical world.

On how Veena developed and gained prominence,

Dr.V.Premalatha says “From the description it is evident
that Veena that was common during the time of King
Harsha was an instrument with open strings like the bow-
shaped harp. Therefore in the technique of Veena playing in
the early stage the plectral technique was developed. This

101
plectral technique by fingers of one or two hands continued
till the time of Sarangadeva of 13 th century. It was only
after Ramamatya of 16 th century constructed the modern
Veena that Veena playing involved both plectral technique
as well as manipulation of the strings by the fingers of the
left hand". So researchers have explanations on how certain
instruments disappear and how new instruments make its
appearance and undergo changes during passage of times.

In our time we have an innovator in Pondicherry

S.Gopakumar who had invented a percussion instrument
and named it as Arumughanam. Arumughanam is more or
less an Mrudangam but of six individual pieces, assembled
together in half circled frame. It is easy to fix or unfix these
heads. Out of these six faces one serves as Toppi. In the
ancient Tamil musical treatise Koothanool the great scholar
of those ages have mentioned about 9 faced Muzhavu. From
one to nine faces they had musical instruments, but all lost
in ravages of time. And our Gopakumar, on whom the
Government of Pondicherry had conferred the prestigious
Kalaimamani award for 2003-2004, had invented
Arumughanam earning the praise of scholars.

Padma Vibushan Dr.M.Balamuralikrishna in his tribute to

the innovator says as follows tracing his ancestry to
achievements." It is well known to all musicians of South
India that Mullamoodu Bhagavatas were musicians,
hereditarily attached to the Royal court of Maharaja Swathi
Thiunaal of Travancore, a king among composers. Members
of this Mullamoodu family like Thiru Manikutti Bhagavata
and Thiru Pichandi Bhagavata continued music as their
career, both performing and teaching, they being vocalists,
violinists or mrudangists. The latter’s grandson Thiru.
S.Gopakumar working as Mrudangam Lecturer in
Bharathiar Palkalaikoodam Pondicherry is a good
mrudangam player and teacher but also an innovator. I
witnessed his recent innovation, a new percussive
instrument named as Arumughanam and appreciate his
skills, noteworthy," says Dr.Balamurali Krishna.

“This is a percussive instrument with six faces placed on a

seat of semi circle resembling the rising sun wit its rays

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surging upward. On the players left side is the first face,
which will be in low pitch. It is being called dommugham
because it produces rhythmic syllable "dom". The second
face, which produces the syllable "tha", is called
thamugham, which raises a high pitch. The musical note
madhyama sounded in third face and it is called
madhyamam. Fourth face is Tara shadjam, which is known
as Dheemmugham because the rhythmic syllable "dheem" is
produced. The musical note panchama, the perfect fifth is
produced in pamugham, which is the fifth face known as
panchamam. Madya sthayi shadja comes out of 6 th face
called as samugham. This percussion instrument can be
used for solo or can be played with thalavathiyam, classical
music and folk music. For both classical and folk dance this
can be played with western instruments" says Kalaimamani
Gopakumar. Innovations are welcome at all times and
innovators need recognition in their lifetime. Thiru.
Gopakumar is lucky with Government of Pondicherry Arts
and Culture Department Director Miss N.Sumathy
encouraging his performances through various programmes
in and around Pondicherry while Kalaimamani title
conferred recently proves his achievement.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express-weekend-6.11.2004

103
MAYYAZHI: THE FRENCH COLONY
The French wanted a foothold in the Arabian Coast. Pepper
and cardamom were their main attractions. In order to be
closer to sources of these spices French obtained permission
from the Prince of Badagara to set up their establishment in
Mahe by a treaty signed on 2 nd April 1721.

Mahe is a word derived from “Mayyazhi” a river in which

small boats could navigate up to 3 kilometers inland from
the estuary. The possession of Mahe does not come easy to
the French. The French had to face the fury of the British
and hostility of the Iruvalinad Nambiars. Rulers of Badagara
drove French out soon after giving it to French. But in
December 1721, Marquis of Paradillan recovered Mahe for
the French. Again in 1726 another peace treaty was signed
between French and Molladin, the ruler of Badagara with 16
articles. In spite of the treaty the Nayar Chiefs especially
the ruler of Badagara seems not to have been happy with
the French. It reached a culminating point when the ruler of
Badagara blockaded Mahe for 18 months. The French fleet
under Mahe de Labourdonnais recovered Mahe and a peace
treaty of 24 th January 1742 was inked.

Earlier on December 1741 a peace treaty was signed with

the four Nambiars (Local chiefs) who ruled over the
territories on the right of the Mayyazhi River. Kunhi Nayar
gave the small territory of Kallayi to the French in the same
year. The Nayar of Kurungod became an ally of the French
and with his help French were able to defeat all the
neighboring Nayar and Nambiar chiefs. British captured
Mahe and Pondicherry in 1761. Mahe was razed to ground
and when recovered in 1765 French had to rebuild. Hyder
Ali visited Mahe in 1766 April and ten years later he gifted
villages of Pallur, Pandakkal and Nallathura and adjoining
areas.

This is how Mayyazhi came under French colonial rule

explains J.B.P.More in his recent book on Mahe. And still
Mahe fails to regain its old name and remains content with

104
being Mahe, a version corroborating the name of French
Chief Mahe de Labourdonnais.

Numerous books on freedom struggle in French India are

Pondicherry centric, and the struggles of enclave territories
have missed their due place in history. To fill up this
vacuum Dr.J.B.P.More had brought out a beautiful book
FREEDOM MOVEMENT IN FRENCH INDIA, which speaks
about the enclave in the Arabian coast namely Mahe.
Dr.J.B.P.More the historian and social scientist is a
Tamilian living in France who obtained his Doctorate degree
from Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris.
His book places on record the Mahe Revolt of 1948 against
the French regime under Governor Baron. “The role of
nationalist leaders of Mahe like I.K.Kumaran and
P.K.Usman stands testimony to the fact that ideals and
principles rather than power and profit can be great
motivating factors in the struggle for freedom and the
manifestation of nationalism” opines JBP.More.

J.B.P.More specializes on Muslims and Dravidian inter

cultural actions. His book “Muslim Identity, Print Culture
and the Dravidian Factor in Tamil Nadu” focuses on
“Muslim Politics in Tamil Nadu in the context of Colonialism
and their response to modernity in the two decades before
India’s freedom. In this book the author recapitulates some
of the themes and information but expands upon them in
the backdrop of print in Tamil Nadu and in relation to Tamil
identity politics as championed by the Dravidian movement
under Periyar E.V.Ramasamy and Anna” opines
A.R.Venkatachalapathy in a review of this book in the
columns of The Hindu dated 12 th October 2004. His first
book “Political Evolution of the Muslims of Tamil Nadu and
Madras 1930-1947” published by Orient Longman Limited
in 1997 won the prestigious Book Room International Award
for the year 1998.

In view of his French nationality and permanent residence

at France, though yearly visits to his home next to Raj
Niwas in Ponduicherry keeps his contacts with his roots
alive, JBP More has the opportunity to frequent the libraries
of Paris. In the “Bibliotheque Nationale” of Paris he found a

105
book on Bhagawatha Purana written by Maridas Poulle in
1769. More was astonished to find the first Indologist’s
book. Maridas Poulle is the first translator of a Tamil classic
into French. Maridas Poulle (1721-1796) is a name
unknown till J.B.P More unearthed his manuscripts from
the Paris library. It must be noted that J.B.P.More is not a
blood relative of Maridas Poulle. More reedited this book in
2004 and published in Pondicherry, which was widely
distributed in France. J.B.P.More also proposes to publish
further works of Maridas Poulle including his essays on
Indian history.

J.B.P.More translated 40 poems of Mahakavi Bharathiar

into French and brought out a full-scale book in French
“L’Inde face a’ Bharati, Le Poet Rebelle” This book speaks
about Bharathis life, his literary activities with a special
emphasize on the French influence in his writings. The
writings of Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Proudan, and age of
enlightenment had left a deep imprint in the poet’s vision.
J.B.P.More traces these influences from Bharathiar’s works.
One of the illustrious sons of Pondicherry’s soil had earnt
recognition with his books. The book speak will place his
name on high pedestal among social scientists and
historians of Pondicherry.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express-weekend 18.12.2004

106
HIDDEN MASTERMINDS WITHIN CONGRESS:
RAJIV GANDHI MURDER MYSTERY

The spokesperson of the Congress party in charge of

Tamilnadu affairs had sought Srilanka to hand over LTTE
supremo Mr.Velupillai Prabakaran which is the top story in
Deccan Chronicle on 4th January 2009.So the cat is out of
the bag. All these days the United Progressive Alliance
government headed by Mr.Manmohan Singh had been
pretending to be heeding to the unanimous resolution
passed by the Tamilnadu assembly to stop the genocidal
war and also making false promises to depute the Minister
of External Affairs Mr.Pranab Mukherjee to advice Srilankan
government to halt the war. Its real motive is revenge, and
nothing else. It wants millions of Tamils to be annihilated to
avenge the death of a Former Indian Prime Minister. It has
neither humanitarian concern to intervene to stop the
genocide nor it has geo-political interests to uphold Indian
interests in the region.

China which has no access to Indian Ocean, has got that

access with the help of Srilanka by firmly entrenching its
foot in Hampanthotta harbor it builds in Southern tip of
Srilanka to watch the sea routes of the Indian Ocean.
Actually by building harbors for Mynmar, Bangladesh,
Maldives and Pakistan, China had encircled India. China
has foothold in Bay of Bengal, thanks to the red carpet
welcome of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Srilanka had tied its
fate to Chinese designs by offering on platter Hampanthotta
to have total control of the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean.
Maldives and Pakistan had provided a foothold for China in
Arabian Sea. China arms the Srilankan government in its
genocidal war. India too strangely is an accomplice of China
and Pakistan in the war theatre of the killing fields of Tamil
Eelam. The hatred towards LTTE had even blinded India
about the harm it inflicts on its own geo-political interests.

The Rajiv Gandhi murder mystery needs to be solved, if at

all for present government or any future government in
India to come out of a phobia and to arrive at a balanced
mind. It is high time to recall that in the aftermath of

107
Mrs.Indira Gandhi’s murder by misguided Sikhs, Congress
leaders and cadres went on for teaching Sikhs a lesson, and
that ended the lives of few thousand Sikhs. The needle of
suspicion pointed out leading Congress leaders as
responsible for those killings.

Sikhs did not demand that Congress party as an

organization is guilty of those revenge killings. Neither the
Congress condemned Sikhs as criminal race as it treats
Tamils in Eelam. Congress in fact has its government
headed by a Sikh. The reasonable logic that is applied with
regard to Sikhs goes on missing eaten by some sudden
invasion of hate virus in the minds of the Congressmen that
looses its mental equilibrium on handling Tamil affairs.
Hence a national debate on Mr.Rajiv Gandhi’s murder
becomes necessary. It is not a new wine but in fact an old
wine served in new bottle. Yes, the national debate of past is
brought out again. OUTLOOK, India’s News magazine in its
24th November 1997 issue has the wrapper story titled:
THE MISSING FILES, on crucial files concerning the Rajiv
Gandhi assassination case have either been lost or
suppressed. Outlook investigated that mystery. In the
lengthy story within the magazine the title is: THE DEADLY
DUO.

It would be historically important to tell who the Deadly Duo

is? They are not in LTTE, the banned organization but they
belong to the Congress, which had not been banned nor
initiated action even posthumously on the key beneficiary of
the Rajiv Gandhi assassination. We reproduce the Outlook
story here, as it appeared. We urge the world community to
carefully read in between the lines the role of the real
murderers of Rajiv Gandhi. We urge for the awakening of
the conscience among the Congressmen, and if that hate
virus infected Congress brains have to be formatted before
installing the Anti-Tamil virus programme, let it be done.
The curse India casts on all Tamils as criminal race and
need to be done to death by genocidal Sinhalese army is a
historical blunder. The Nazi Hitler was taught a befitting
lesson by USA, USSR, GB and other democratic forces of the
world, but the Neo-Nazi Hitler Rajapakhshe thrives on the
support of extreme opposite poles in geo-politics, namely

108
India and Pakistan, India and China. Also the man who
invaded Iraq in search of Chemical weapons, which were not
found till date, but only shoes are found at the fag end of
his time, Mr. George Bush is forcing India to repeat his Iraqi
mistake in Srilanka, at least in the limited context of
blaming LTTE and TAMILS for Rajiv Gandhi murder, to use
it as reason to turn blind eye to genocide.

N.Nandhivarman, General Secretary, Dravida Peravai.

OUT LOOK STORY: THE DEADLY DUO

Crucial evidence linking Chandraswami to the Rajiv case
went missing from Rao’s PMO, OUTLOOK investigates.

• File No: 8-1-WR/JSS/90/Vol III – containing notings of

bureaucrats regarding security arrangements for Rajiv
Gandhi from November 1989 was lost from the Prime
Ministers Office in 1991. Later, it was doctored and re-
constructed by the Narasimha Rao Government before it
was submitted to Jain Commission.
• File No: 1/12014/5/91-IAS/DIII reported missing
since 1995.It pertained to the terms of reference of the
Verma and Jain Commissions of Inquiry.
• File containing intercepted messages from foreign
intelligence agencies, said to be addressed to Chandraswami
and Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy, destroyed
by senior officials in the PMO.
• File on IB’s assessment of the role played by Zail Singh
and Chandraswami in 1987 to topple Rajiv Gandhi missing.
• File with records of official briefings by intelligence
agencies on the assassination to Rao’s Home Minister
S.B.Chavan missing. The former Minister confirms he was
briefed orally.
• The April 20, 1991 wireless intercept with the leading
question, should Rajiv be killed in Delhi or Madras? Missing
• File relating to the Rao governments attempt to wind
up the Jain commission is still withheld from the panel.
Do these files/messages and other sensitive information-
categorized as untraceable , missing, destroyed or cannot be
revealed due to security reasons- hold the key to the
mystery that shrouds Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination ? The

109
Jain Commission thinks so. The AICC [All India Congress
Committee] has been pressing for these files and
documents. And intelligence officials admit in private that
vital evidence seems to have been suppressed to ensure that
the largest conspiracy behind the May 21, 1991
assassination does not come to light.

It is these missing files, documents and intercepts that have

kept alive the basic question – Who killed Rajiv Gandhi?
Who participated, plotted or silently abetted in the act?
Right through his 5 year term, Narasimha Rao fuelled the
intrigue by losing, misplacing, reconstructing, denying the
existence and even allegedly destroying key files. His
government did everything it could do to place stumbling
blocks and even allegedly tried to wind up the Jain
Commission inquiring into the conspiracy.

After interviewing serving and retired IB ,RAW, CBI and

Home Ministry officials Outlook has learned that the Rao’s
government’s extreme reluctance to part with crucial files
and wireless intercepts seems to have been aimed at
protecting god-man Chandraswami, whose links with
international arms traders is an open secret. Whenever the
trial led to him, every effort was made by the government
not to cooperate with the Jain Commission. Accordingly, the
file on Chandraswami’s links with the LTTE prior to the
assassination was never made available to the commission.
Says AICC appointed lawyer R.N.Mittal, closely associated
with the Jain Commission’s proceedings “At every stage, we
have been denied documents. Our investigations have been
like a personal effort against all odds.”

Political circles are well aware of the reason why

Chandraswami was being protected. The god-man has close
links with Rao-the two have been friends for 25 years. It’s
common knowledge that the tantrik was treated as a VIP
when Rao was Prime Minister and had special access to
Rao’s official residence, 7, Race Course Road.

Reliable sources say, when the Commission, in face of

resistance from the Government, insisted that it be provided
with certain documents, Rao ordered a sorting operation. A

110
top Cabinet Secretariat official was asked to divide the
documents into three categories :innocuous ones which
could be passed on to the commission ,documents on which
privilege could be claimed before handing them over, and
highly sensitive intelligence reports, wireless intercepts and
other documents which could not be given to the
commission at any cost.

The crucial third category, says sources, contained wireless

intercepts of messages between foreign intelligence agencies
to Chandraswami and Subramaniam Swamy. They were
passed on by the RAW to the Cabinet Secretariat. A RAW
official confirmed to the Jain Commission that the
transcripts had indeed been passed on by the intelligence
agency.

What did some of these missing files have? Intelligence

sources say one file contained intercepted messages as well
as details of the movements of Subramaniam swamy and
Chandra swami on assassination day. It also contains a
crucial intercept from Jaffna to LTTE operatives saying that
funds have been provided for carrying out the assassination.
It refers to god-man having made the payment.

Interestingly the fact that the Rao government had actually

doctored a file came to light when Vinod Pande , who was
the Cabinet Secretary in V.P.Singh’s government, deposed
before the Jain Commission that file No.8-1-
WR/JSS/90/Vol III in which he had made notings on Rajiv
Gandhi’s security – had been tampered with. “The file which
has been placed in my hands does not contain an official
copy of my note dated January 30, 1990.The first few paras
of the draft are not mine.” Pande told the commission.

Hard pressed, the Rao government had to give an

explanation. It told the commission that the file had been
missing since 1991.It had been sent to the PMO on July 27,
1991 and had since disappeared. P.Chidambaram, the
Minister in charge of the assassination investigation and the
probes, told the commission that despite “going over a
toothcomb” in the PMO, Home Ministry as well as Prime
Minister’s residence, the file had not been located and

111
therefore had to be reconstructed. Strangely, it took the
government 4 years time to own it up that it had submitted
a file which was not the original.

Clearly, had the Jain Commission not demanded these files

and documents, it would have been given a free run by Rao
to continue with its slow, meandering enquiry. Indeed, with
the Special Investigation Team of the CBI restricted to
inquiring into the actual killing and the larger conspiracy
left to the Jain Commission, nothing much was expected to
emerge. But it was Jain’s insistence that the commission be
given access to the suppressed files that made Rao panic
and provoked the subsequent cover-up operation.

Details available with Outlook suggest there were enough

intercepts with Indian intelligence agencies that a hit on
Rajiv was imminent. On April 20, 1991 RAW intercepted a
message from Jaffna with the leading question, should Rajiv
be killed in Delhi or Madras? Four days before Rajiv was
killed, the same intelligence agency intercepted what is
regarded as the LTTE’s final okay to its team led by
Sivarasan or the one-eyed Jack. The message came in an
eight line Tamil doggerel identifying the place and timing of
the assault. The message was conveyed to the IB head
quarters in Delhi, but unfortunately for Rajiv, it was a week
end and the doggerel was decoded much after the damage
was done.

But there had been enough warnings that there was a larger
plot to kill Rajiv. Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestine
Liberation Organization had warned Rajiv of an
international plot to assassinate him. He had conveyed this
information to then Prime Minister Chandrasekar. But no
follow up investigation was ever carried out.

According to PLO spokesperson contacted by Outlook,

Arafat had concrete information about the plot. His source
“people in Lebanon and Europe “Arafat, through his
Ambassador in Delhi, Khalid El Sheikh told me that LTTE
and Sikh organizations are planning to kill Rajiv Gandhi
during his election campaign on May. Sheikh had met Rajiv
on March 13, 1991. A week later he called on the Congress

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President with a letter from Arafat. And a fortnight before
the assassination, he called on Rajiv yet again.

Arafat provided details of the conspiracy to Chandrasekar

when he attended Rajiv’s funeral. The Indian Ambassador to
one of the North African countries was asked to contact
Arafat. Then Foreign Secretary Muchkund Dubey was also
sent to see Arafat separately. In this June 1991 meeting
Arafat confirmed the international conspiracy. Dubey and
the Ambassador then filed a report on their meetings with
the PLO Chairman. But again, no action was taken on this
lead. When asked about the files by Justice Jain, Rao
feigned ignorance. “I don’t remember about it. The matter
was not brought to my notice.”

Meanwhile the Report of William Carry, who headed a US

Senate Sub-Committee to probe into the BCCI bank scam,
confirms that the bank had accounts of arms dealers Adnan
Khashoggi and Ernie Miller. Both are known disciples of
Chandraswam. Crucially, the Carry report also notes that $
84 million was transferred to the LTTE from their accounts.
Carry says the money was used for the Rajiv Gandhi
assassination. Senate investigations also revealed that
Mossad, CIA and LTTE had accounts in the BCCI.

Interestingly in a statement before the Commission

R.Velusamy, then President of Tamilnadu Janata Party
contended that Subramanian swamy had checked into
Trident Hotel in Madras while Chandrswami was lodged at
Sindoor Hotels owned by Apollo Hospitals on May 21, the
day Rajiv was assassinated. Both left for Bangalore by car
through Sriperumbudur before reaching Delhi on a special
flight.

He told Outlook: “May I also state that Dr.Swamy went via

Sriperumbudur and stopped at the venue of the meeting,
ostensibly to look at the role of Maragatham Chandrasekar,
Congress candidate in the Parliamentary polls, for whom
Rajiv went to campaign in Sriperumbudur- in selecting the
site. I declare that Swamy told me about the role played by
one JP Builders in persuading Maragatham Chandrasekar
in selecting the site for Rajiv’s meeting.”

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Veluswamy claims he called Swamy’s residence in Delhi at
10.45 AM on May 21 and Swamy’s wife told him that he was
indeed in Madras. Recalls Veluswamy, “My efforts to reach
him proved futile. According to senior party colleagues,
Dr.Swamy had an hour long meeting with
S.C.Chandrahasan, a Srilankan Tamil ideologue, at Hotel
Trident before he vacated the room and proceeded to meet
Chandraswamy at Hotel Sindoori owned by Chandraswami’s
disciple Dr.Pratap Reddy. While I could confirm that a room
was booked for Dr.Swamy on May 21st at Trident, I could
not get any details about Chandraswami’s stay. Sindoori
never maintains any documents to show Chandraswami’s
visits and he stays there as a personal guest of Pratap
Reddy.”

Swamy has been denying that he was in Madras on May 21.

But his Tamilnadu unit Chief has given details of his
itinerary. Stated Veluswamy before the Jain Commission.
“Dr.Swamy admits arriving at Madras on 19.5.1991.He
admits traveling with me by my car and he admits that we
had a halt at Kanchipuram and that I was his translator. He
admits that I was with him at Salem at 8.30 PM in the
evening on 20.5.1991 and I am his translator in the Salem
Town meeting. He admits that he was to return to Madras
on May 22 and then fly to Madurai via Trichy and that I was
to join him at Trichy. He is however silent on where he
stayed in Madras on the morning of May 21 and how long
he stayed there. But in the next paragraph of the affidavit,
Swamy does a volte face.” On 21.5.1991, I was not in
Madras at all or in Bangalore or indeed in South India but I
was in Delhi”

He continues “The issue is, while Swamy contends he gave a

statement to the Delhi PTI on May 21, he is very vague
about his time of arrival at Delhi. The facts are very clear
from even available documents. He was with me well past
midnight on the 20th, which is actually the wee hour of the
21st. It takes 6 hours to reach Madras by road. If he had
reached Delhi by any morning flight, there would be any
number of records to show the flight and its time of
departure. I have already given proof that a room was
booked in Dr.Swamy’s name in Trident.”

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It’s is significant that there were several attempts to keep
the conspiracy angle out of the ambit of a probe into the
assassination. When the Chandra sekar regime, in which
Swamy was Law Minister, appointed the Verma Commission
of inquiry, its scope was limited to investigating security
lapses.

The more closely one examines the Rajiv assassination case,

the curiouser it becomes. For instance the most significant
evidence with the SIT linking the LTTE to the assassination
is photographs clicked by Haribabu, the photographer who
also died in the blast. The first pictures released by the SIT
to the media showed three women-Kokila, a 15year old who
went to recite a Hindi poem to Rajiv, her mother and
Dhanu, later identified as human bomb. It was only after
the DMK organ Murasoli reproduced with a caption “where
is the missing man?’’ – that the SIT reproduced the full
frame. The missing man turned out to be Sivarasan. No
explanations were offered as to why the SIT masked part of
the frame.

Even more intriguing is the role played by SIT, DIG

Srikumar, who had gone to London to collect additional
information on the witnesses as well as the background of
some of the accused. He not only failed to make any
progress, but also had his briefcase snatched. The case
contained vital information about LTTE’s arms procurement
and delivery routes, their points-men in Europe and their
nexus with global arms dealers.

When the SIT arrested key witness Mirasdar Shanmugam

on July 17- 1991, it chanced upon messages and
transcripts of some coded messages. Shanmugam,
according to the charge-sheet received Sivarasan and his
killer squad on the TN coast on May 1-1991.The coded
messages not only spoke about the assassination, but also
about the high level people connected with the plot.
Shanmugam escaped from SIT custody and hung himself
from a tree under mysterious circumstances. K.Mohandass,
a former DGP of Tamilnadu, says Shanmugam’s case was
clear murder and the CBI had done a clumsy cover up job.
“Shanmugam was wearing a white dhothi when he was

115
taken for interrogation. How come when his body was
found, he was wearing a lungi?” he asks.

The circumstances leading to the suicide of the main

accused Sivarasan or one-eyed Jack-for whom a high
pitched manhunt had been launched across Tamilnadu and
Karnataka on the outskirts of Bangalore, are equally
mysterious. While the other accused Shobha, and Sivarasan
both reportedly consumed cyanide, in classic LTTE manner,
Sivarasan also seemed to have shot himself. But according
to state intelligence sources, Sivarasan knew too much and
there is a possibility that the bullet wounds were not self
inflicted. The case gets curiouser –Sivarasan’s body was
immediately cremated, while Shobha’s was preserved as an
exhibit.

It becomes clear from this sequence of events that most of

the key players in actual plotting and execution of the
killing have died under mysterious circumstances. And with
the main accused LTTE chief Prabakaran still ensconced in
LTTE strongholds in northern Lanka, the SIT has none of
the crucial players in the case in custody.

Adding to this mess is the cover up orchestrated by Rao’s

regime. Rao’s persistent amnesia before the Jain
Commission on the question of taking action on the Verma
panel’s observation on official lapses makes interesting
reading. “I would not be able to say off hand what all
happened in connection with the steps taken for the
implementation of the action taken report. The job was
entrusted to a group of Ministers, I expected them to do the
needful. I do not remember whether there was any
timeframe for the group of ministers. As per reports, there
was a stalemate. So the matter came up before the cabinet.
What decision the cabinet took; it is a matter of record. I do
not remember.”

Interestingly, a PIL was filed in the Delhi High Court by a

little known lawyer, Mustaq Ahamed, demanding the
scrapping of the Jain Commission. After this was turned
down, the central government approached the Supreme
Court with a Special Leave Petition. When questioned about

116
this by the commission, Rao said “The PIL initiated in the
Delhi High Court did not come to my knowledge. The
question must have been looked into by P.Chidambaram
and therefore SLP’s were filed. If Chidambaram wanted to
consult me, he could have, but Chidambaram did not
consult me. “However it is well known that P.Chidambaram
who was made Minister in charge of the Rajiv Gandhi
assassination probe, was acting on Rao’s instructions.
Ahmed’s PIL, according to political circles, also had the
blessings of the then Prime Minister.

An important missing link is the file containing records of

the official briefings to the then Home Minister S.B.Chavan,
when he talked about the involvement of CIA in the
assassination. Not surprisingly Chavan’s stand on the
subject was in complete variance with what Rao had to say.
Said Chavan in his affidavit before the Jain Commission:
The LTTE was just an instrument in the hands of some
foreign powers.” Then reacting to the charge made by former
Congress Minister K.K.Tiwari, who has been meticulously
following the Jain Commission’s proceedings, Chavan said
“The general impression which K.K.Tiwari gave is not
altogether wrong because there are forces who are trying to
create destabilizing conditions.”

In the ongoing snafu, the Ministry of External Affairs chose

to deny the Home Minister’s statement that the Americans
were involved in the killing. Chavan told the commission: “It
is correct that the very day the American Ambassador in
India met the Indian Prime Minister, the foreign minister,
foreign secretary and the spokesperson of MEA held a press
conference and contradicted the statement regarding the
involvement of a super power. It is abnormal that a
spokesperson of the MEA held the press conference
contradicting my statement.” Then again “I am still of the
view that some foreign power is involved. It is not the job of
LTTE. The general impression is that some other powers
may be involved.”

Whether the LTTE acted on its own or whether there was an

international conspiracy is still a grey area- Justice Jain
had not been able to make any definite conclusions about

117
this aspect. But the manner in which Rao sought to hold
back information from the Jain Commission, coupled with
the shoddy investigation indicates there was a concerted
attempt to protect key players. Evidence is absent, but joins
up the blank spaces and a pattern emerges.

Courtesy: OUTLOOK magazine dated 24th November 1997.

CONCLUDING THE STORY:

BUT LET YOUR CONSCIENCE AWAKEN

Those who read the OUTLOOK’s investigative story

published a decade ago must be baffled at the outburst of
the spokesperson of Congress party Mr.Veerappa Moily
asking Srilanka to hand over LTTE leader Prabakaran, if
caught.

Why it is Congress wants Prabakaran? Is it to unearth the

mystery behind Rajiv’s murder? The role of Chandraswami
and Narasimha Rao dubbed as deadly duo by OUTLOOK
has not come to the minds of Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and Chairperson of the United
Progressive Alliance Madam Sonia Gandhi.

The then Indian Home Minister S.B.Chavan’s statement

before Jain Commission pointing accusing fingers at foreign
powers did not awaken Madam Sonia Gandhi’s conscience.
Mrs.Priyanka Gandhi visited Vellore prison to know the
truth. Recent report in Junior Vikatan states that
Bengaluru Ranganath asserts that the killing squad was
blessed in a pooja by Chandraswami. Yet none from
Congress party wants to unearth the truth, to find out if any
black sheep existed in its ranks. It is understandable that
the black sheep of those days want to bury truth. The fate of
mysterious dead caught for the crime is to bury evidences.
Now the demand to fix Prabakaran is also to put the blame
on his shoulders and crucify him.

There is no real attempt to find truth even under the

Government remote controlled by Rajiv’s widow. It would be
left to western authors to investigate and write books on the
Rajiv Gandhi murder mystery.

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Even if some LTTE cadres are involved, in what way it is
morally correct to blame one organization of a crime. The
same OUTLOOK before one general election brought out a
list of 72 Parliament Members involved in crimes, cutting
across party divide. Is it justifiable to ban those political
parties that had nourished criminals?

Organizations banned for the murder of the Father of the

Nation, are freed from bondage, and such bans are only for
limited periods. Lifelong Tamils have to be enslaved, no
organization should exist to give protection to Tamils, and
this sadistic resolve of the Government headed by
Manmohan Singh and the political party that props him, is
a curse for a noble land like India.

In every metropolis, be it Mumbai or Chennai, kangaroo

courts exist, instant justice is delivered not by the law of the
land but by the unlawful mafia, not even underground but
openly paraded by all political parties shielding that party
interests. This is legal but for Tamils facing genocide if brave
youth sacrifice their lives, those martyrs have to be
exterminated.

After Negroes attained liberation from slavery, right before

our eyes Tamils of Eelam are forced to become slaves. If
even that could be forgotten, how about Tamils of Colombo,
who are not separatist but subscribe to one nation concept,
are asked to register, as reported by Deccan Chronicle dated
5th January 2009. Mr.R.Bhagwan Singh, the descendent of
the illustrious Raja Desingh who ruled Gingee writes with
tears the woes of Tamils under Rajapakshe’s regime, in its
own capital.

Indian ruling party will ignore the resolution of the

Tamilnadu Assembly, just because it remains blind to truth
in the Rajiv Gandhi’s murder. Indian ruling party still
believes that George Bush will search and find chemical
weapons in Iraq before he steps down this month and prove
to the world that USA invaded Iraq on justifiable grounds.
Like Bush, the Rao loyalists, Trojan horses within Congress,
hope after hope that LTTE should be finished and its leader
exterminated, so that posthumously Rao’s ghost or foreign

119
hands in Rajiv Gandhi’s murder will remain unexposed
before world history.

N.Nandhivarman General Secretary Dravida Peravai5.1.2009

120
121
Public Interest Litigation
Against Land Grab

[The fight against land house grabbing in Puducherry where I led a 15

party struggle committee, in midway got truncated into 8 party
committee initially succeeded in bringing India’s Central Bureau of
Investigation to probe the crime. But the probe went to cold storage. So
once again to activate the probe, I thought of drafting a Public Interest
Litigation petition. This is not actually the word by word of the petition
filed by our advocate. It is my rough draft. Instead of a story, I thought
readers will understand the sequence of the events better, if they read
this draft petition… N.N]

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

Civil Original Jurisdiction

Writ Petition © No: of 2004

In The Matter

N.Nandhivarman
General Secretary
Dravida Peravai
Having its office
28 Romain Rolland Street
Pondicherry 605001
…Petitioner

VS

1.The Union of India

Service through the Cabinet Secretary to
Government of India Ministry of Home Affairs
New Delhi

2. The Government of Pondicherry

Represented by its Chief Secretary to Government
Pondicherry 605001

3.The Director of Central Bureau of Investigations

New Delhi .Contesting Respondents

122
 A PETITION FILED UNDER ARTICLE 32 OF THE
CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
To

THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA AND HIS COMPANION

HON’BLE JUSTICES OF SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

Most Respectfully Sheweth :

1. The petitioner is a citizen of India by birth and resides

permanently in Pondicherry. He is the General Secretary of
Dravida Peravai, a political party, registered a regional
political party with the Election Commission of India.

2. This writ petition is being filed in public interest to

invoke the extraordinary jurisdiction of this Hon'ble Court
for the protection of the civil rights and property rights of
the Indian citizens born in Pondicherry and Pondicherry
born French nationals to preserve the quality of life
guaranteed to every citizen under Article 21 of the
Constitution. The facts leading to the filing of this Writ
Petition are as follows:

3. The petitioner humbly states National media apart from

regional dailies and weeklies brought to light a massive land
house grabbing scandal in Pondicherry The petitioner
humbly states that the leaders of political parties cutting
across party lines including BJP, AIADMK, PMK, MDMK,
DRAVIDA PERAVAI, SAMATA, LOK SAKTHI, TAMIZHAGA
RAJIV CONGRESS, CPI (ML), CPI (ML led by Kathir Su
Mani)GKNC, DK, DK(R), RJD Janatha and PUCL jointly
presented a memorandum to the LT.GOVERNOR OF
PONDICHERRY Mrs.RAJANI RAI on 2.12.1998. These
parties jointly organized a one-day token hunger strike on
1.12.1998 demanding CBI probe into the land house
grabbing that has taken place in Pondicherry. (Annexure
1.News Clippings of fast and Annexure 2.Joint
memorandum given to the Lt.Governor) Subsequently the
Lt.Governor recommended for a probe by Central Bureau of
Investigations.

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4. The petitioner further states that leaders of various
parties with the petitioner as Coordinator called on the
Prime Minister 17.12.1998 and handed over a
memorandum (Annexure 3. Memorandum to Prime
Minister). The delegation met the Union Home Minister and
Union Defence Minister, Leader of the Opposition and
presented their case.

5. The petitioner states meanwhile in French Parliament

by way of Call Attention Motion No: 12957 dated 17.12.1998
French Senator Mrs. Monique Cerisier ben Guiga drew the
attention of the French government over the massive land,
house grabbing’s of French citizens living in Pondicherry (
Annexure 4. Xerox copy of the Call Attention Motion ).In
that call attention motion Mrs. Monique Cerisier ben guiga
drew the attention of the Minister for foreign affairs (France)
on the spoliation of the immovable belongings for which
French in Pondicherry are the victims. Profiting of the
vacancy of the French citizens residences during their stay
in France, grabbers install themselves and then, it seems
with the support of local Indian authorities continue to stay
on those sites and appropriate themselves that residences.
She asks him to make representations to the Government of
Pondicherry State to redeem those houses to the legal
owners and such things should not occur again, the call
attention motion in French Parliament thus said.

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6. The petitioner states that in the Union Territory of
Pondicherry, an erstwhile French colony survey records
were maintained by the French regime even from the end of
19 th century. They were maintained till 1922, when a
resurvey was made and cadastre plan was prepared by the
French regime. They were in force at the time of dejure
transfer that took place. Under the Pondicherry Settlement
Act 1970 as well as Pondicherry Survey and Boundaries Act
1967 during the year 1972 resurvey was done and fresh
records given.

7. The petitioner states that by 1998 accidentally

through a senior lawyer he came to know that erstwhile
revenue officials had stolen these records known as
baimash and cadastre records while resurvey was completed
in 1972, and thereafter from their houses were
manufacturing false and fraudulent documents on the basis
of this stolen documents. The petitioner humbly submits
that on coming to know of this, he wrote to the Defence
Minister Comrade George Fernandes on 15.12 1998.
(Annexure 5) The petitioner further states that the political
party he heads is the associate party of Samata party and in
view of this he wrote to the Defence Minister for immediate
action. The petitioner further states that a leading bi weekly
in Tamil Junior Vikatan in its issue dated 10.10.1998
exposed this racket. The petitioner further states that by
December 1998, the Superintendent of Vigilance and Anti
Corruption caught the culprits exactly 5 in number who
were fabricating land records. The petitioner further states
that the matter is exposed in various papers. For sample
(Annexure 6 The Asian Age clippings) (Annexure 7 The
Hindu and Dinamani clippings)) (Annexure 8 Junior Vikatan
report)

8. The petitioner further states till date this case is in

cold storage and the honest Police official who caught the
racketeers red handed had been shunted out of the state.
The petitioner further states that in the wake of massive
cheating going on by way of manufacture of bogus records
the Government of Pondicherry promised to computerize the
land records and amend registration rules, which till date
remains unfulfilled. (Annexure 9)The Treaty of session of the

125
French establishments of Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe and
Yenam signed between India and France on May 28 th 1956
says a copy of records is preserved in France. The
Government of Pondicherry could very well have sought a
copy from the French Archives and while computerizing
verified all records and could have traced the missing links.
The petitioner states that Pondicherry is a tiny state with
less than 10, 00,000 population and to cross check the
property records of such a small area would not have been a
tedious, laborious and un attainable target.

9. The petitioner further states that the promised CBI

enquiry did not take off and hence 8 political parties of
Pondicherry went to Chennai and agitated before the office
of Joint Director of Central Bureau of Investigation
(Annexure 9 Dinamalar Daily news report). The agitating
leaders also met the Joint Director CBI on 3.5.1999 and
presented him a copy of the memorandum urging immediate
launching of the CBI probe. (Annexure 10. Memorandum to
CBI)

10. The petitioner further states that the CBI did depute a
team headed by one Inspector and the probe did start. The
petitioner states that the Government of Pondicherry issued
a public notice by its Chief Secretary inviting complaints
against land house grabbing and had received more than
106 complaints of land and house grabbing and the CBI
was asked to probe these cases. Further people thronged to
the CBI and lodged fresh complaints. The petitioner states
after this eyewash visit no follow up action was taken and
the CBI had put all these in cold storage. Meanwhile many
citizens of France who could not get justice or fight
protracted legal battles here went for an out of court
settlement with the grabbers themselves and parted their
properties for a paltry pittance. (Annexure 11. Malai Malar
daily on arrival of CBI team)

11. The petitioner further states that in all cases of

trespassing a private property police stations did not take it
as criminal offence but taking sides with the grabbers asked
the losers and real owners to take recourse to local courts.
This caused immense delays running into years and peace

126
loving citizens after having lost their properties had to shed
tears and blood to recover them legally. The petitioner
wishes to state the case of a property of a former Late DMK
Rajya Sabha member’s daughter which had been grabbed
by the sons of the then Chief Minister. The petitioner
brought this to the notice of the Union Government through
Union Defence Minister George Fernandes. (Annexure 12.
Fernandes letter to L.K.Advaniji ) )

12. The victim, a lady had been engaged in an unwinnable

battle against the might of the grabbers cum political mafia
leaders. The local courts had dismissed her plea on the
ground that her property is situated in a different survey
number and the grabbers are in different survey number.
The petitioner states that the victim Mrs.Poungody
Parangusam approached the authorities umpteen number
of times to come and survey the area so that she can claim
her property. The lady approached the High Court of
Madras that directed the Land and Survey authorities to
survey and show which property exists in which survey
number. The failure of the Land Survey department to just
measure and says which survey number ends and begins
where, the lady could not get her property back. Meanwhile
the grabber had constructed a multi storied building in her
plot, and here too her petitions in the High Court against
Town Planning Authorities and electricity department for
giving approval in unauthorized area to unauthorized
persons did not get her property as the officials are floating
the orders of the judiciary bending rules to please the
grabbers. The petitioner had brought this to the notice of
the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India by way of forwarding the
memorandum of the victim through George Fernandes
(Annexure 13; Poungody Parangusams file and letter)

13. The petitioner wishes to state that while very few

Indian citizens are fighting to recover their properties most
of them had given up their fight having lost faith in our
system. The petitioner in order to bring pressure on the
authorities at least with regard to the properties of the
Indian born French nationals presented detailed
memorandum to French Senator Jean Pierre Cantegrit.
Nothing was done to get justice and many have parted

127
crores worth properties to political mafias .The media too
had expressed its anguish as nothing came out of the cases
caught by Vigilance and anti Corruption S.P (Annexure 14
New Indian Express story)

14. The petitioner further states that for years since CBI
and all authorities did not come to their rescue the peaceful
possessors of properties and peace loving citizens of
Pondicherry were at the receiving end. A fresh spurt of land
grabbing is reported from December 2003. The political
leaders including the current Rajya Sabha member and
Pradesh Congress Committee President V.Narayanasamy ,
Former Rajya sabha member and Vice President of
Pondicherry DMK Senior Advocate C.P.Thirunavukkarasu,
and the petitioner had stated that the high level police
officials with the connivance of two media men are engaged
in house grabbing. (Annexure 17 Dinakaran report). The
government of Pondicherry had ordered into an inquiry by
revenue officials in one case, but everyday number of cases
is being reported. The needle of suspicion in investigative
media is against the Senior Superintendent of Police (Law
and Order) who had been accused in media as heading a
land mafia. Though this has to be proven, the Government
of Pondicherry is currently letting the main accused himself
to handle these cases. In certain cases the High Court of
Madras had given directions to file FIR, since local police
refuse to file FIR at the instance of the SSP (Law and
Order).The petitioner states that even after filing F.I.R at the
directives of the High Court of Chennai, Pondicherry police
had refused to arrest the criminals bringing the law
enforcement in Pondicherry to become a laughing stock
giving a free hand and field day to criminals. Being
aggrieved by and dissatisfied with the actions as well as
inactions of the Public Servants and authorities the
petitioner is moving this petition on the following grounds.

a. The right to property and peaceful living and

possession of properties belonging to Indian nationals must
not be disturbed in illegal manner by organized land
grabbing’s with the help and active assistance of authorities
b. The Indian born French nationals do have special
rights to be treated on par with Indian nationals in the

128
Union Territory of Pondicherry with regard to possession of
properties and its peaceful possession and that should not
be hindered anyway by organized crime syndicate.
c. The law enforcement authorities in Union Territory of
Pondicherry must file F.I.R once a trespass is committed
and should not push it to become a civil suit delaying
deliverance of justice and to bring the law enforcement
agencies compulsion to arrest the criminals named in F.I.R’s
filed after the High Court of Madras had ordered to file
d. The Survey department of Union Territory of
Pondicherry to be made to survey areas in dispute without
fear or favour in order to establish the authenticity of the
area in possession by claimants to that property
e. The Central Bureau of Investigations to complete a
probe undertaken after a mass upheaval and cross country
debate and media exposure
f. To computerize after verifying all original records, by
bringing a copy from France and to set at rest the missing
documents and end the era of bogus land records behind
land house grabbing
g. To probe the Police connection to the Grabbing
episode to restore the confidence of the people in our system
and life assured under our Constitution.

PRAYER

In the premises, the petitioner most humbly prays that Your

Lordships may graciously be pleased to

a) issue a writ of or in the nature of mandamus directing

the Union Home Ministry under whose control the Union
Territory is being administered to complete the probe by
Central Bureau of Investigation and to probe all land
grabbing cases reported till date in media or pending as civil
suits in local courts and to bring the culprits to book
irrespective of their political or official connections

b) issue a writ of or in nature of mandamus directing the

Government of Pondicherry to call for original records from
French Archives and to compare it with whatever un-stolen
records we have to trace the missing links to fill the gaps
and to restore proper land survey and property records in a

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computerized manner ensuring clean records for the holders
of title thereby ending the circulation of bogus and
manufactured documents in circulation and the
unnecessary civil suits caused by clashes over title by legal
and illegal owners of properties

c) issue a direction to the Union Home Ministry to probe

into the massive wealth amassed by Senior Superintendent
of Police and his gang of grabbers and to bring all culprits
to book by sending a special team to take immediate action
on errant officials involved in aiding abetting promoting and
shielding land grab/house grab in Pondicherry

d) pass any other order and orders as Your Lordships

may deem fit and proper Drawn on 14.01.2004 Filed on
01.2004 Vinai Singh A.O.R for petitioner

Operation Land Grab Phase I 1970-1997

The manufacture of bogus land records by retired officials of

Revenue Department marks the Phase I of the “operation
land/house grab”. My complaint to then Defence Minister
George Fernandes is the first exposure. The then
Superintendent of Police Vigilance and Anti Corruption
caught red handed the 5 criminals, erstwhile revenue
officials who were manufacturing bogus land documents.
My complaint stood proven by this raid. That is the end of
the matter. The criminals escaped law by getting acquittal in
local courts against which Pondicherry Government did not
go for an appeal; the reasons of politics behind land
grabbing could thus be understood.

Operation Land Grab Phase II 1998-2001

This land grabbing issue ignited a massive public agitation.

15 political parties sat for one day hunger strike before
RajNiwas demanding CBI probe. 12 political leaders led by
me called on the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
then Home Minister L.K.Advani on 17.12.1998 and
19.12.1998 and handed over memorandum running into
many pages. Pondicherry Administration sought complaints
by gazette notification.

130
More than 108 complaints were received. The investigative
journals Out Look and The Week did investigative stories.
CBI inquiry came which is sent to cold storage. Most
complainants had to settle with the grabbers, thereby
absolving criminals from their guilt. In one case High Court
of Madras directed Pondicherry Land Survey Department to
do the needful to measure and mark the area of dispute, so
that which area belongs to original owner and which to
grabber could be known. More than 7 directions, I hear,
were ignored.

Operation Land Grab Phase III. 2004-2006

Various news organs have carried out in detail about this

phase involving senior police official and was brought to
Central Vigilance Commission’s notice. Now too the end will
be closing the file or sending to cold storage. Our faith in
investigation and punishments stands totally eroded, due to
system failure. Dravida Peravai approached the Supreme
Court through W.P. no 70 of 2004 seeking time bound CBI
inquiry into the Land grab matter but our writ was
dismissed with the observation that we should go to High
Court under 226 instead of coming to Supreme Court. A
public spirited person can fight a public cause only up to
certain limit. When my property is not involved when I have
no personal enmity against anyone, I have fought till last, I
believe. That is the end.

131
132
133
BUREAUCRATIC BLUNDERS
AND BORDER WARS
India had spent crores of public money to safeguard our
borders; thousands of our brave men have given their lives
to secure our borders. The War with our neighbour is not a
footnote in history, but a chapter of sacrifice made by our
army men. The cat on the wall Maharaja Harisingh’s clan till
today enjoys patronage from the ruling establishment as
reward for bartering their loyalty to India. The Indian Army
only needed a nod from Indian Prime Minister at a crucial
period of Indian history to drive Pakistan out of Kashmir.

The Indian Home Minister Sardar Vallabai Patel was urging

Indian Prime Minister to give green signal to our Army Chief
Major General Kariappa to secure Hyderabad and Kashmir
at one go. While Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru consented for
army intervention in Hyderabad, which fell for Indian arm in
a day, hesitated to give his consent with regard to Kashmir.
This indecision resulted in ever bleeding never-ending
Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. It is not
treason to look back at history.

Similarly it is not a sin to pin point the blunders committed

by our bureaucrats. Only politicians are portrayed as
villains but bureaucrats enjoy immunity. This is bad
practice. While workforce of the country, the real masters in
a democracy are subjected a hire and fire policy, why not
hire and fire policy be framed for bureaucrats and only such
a whip will make them deliver goods without delay to the
people.

We reproduce a letter addressed to then Indian Prime

Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 5.1.2004.

His government did not act nor do I hope any government

by bureaucrats and for bureaucrats will punish the guilty.

But people of the country, the supreme power in a

democracy have the right to know where and how it went
wrong.

134
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India
Thiru.Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Respected Atalji

Subject: A white paper sought on the Kashmir issue to

evolve national consensus and fix responsibility for faulty
maps

All Indians will echo your feelings with regards to the

Pakistan’s bartering away of Kashmiri territory to China,
our neighbour. At the moment out of the total area of
222.336 square kilometers of Kashmiri state the possession
is as follows:
Area of Jammu and Kashmir in possession of India: 101,387
square kilometers.
Illegally occupied by Pakistan: 78,114
square kilometers
Illegally handed over to China by Pakistan: 42,735
square kilometers
Illegal occupation of China and Pakistan: 120,849
square kilometers

All this is shown as total area of Jammu and Kashmir

222,336 square kilometers. This figure is shown from
1988/89 to 1999 in all manuals brought out by the Ministry
of information and Broadcasting.

So while with spirit of nationalism and patriotism we are

ready to share your feeling of hurt for Pakistan’s handing
over an area of 42,735 square kilometers to China. But let
me request your office to trace out my letter-dated
24.8.1999 in which I had complained first about the
following grave mistake.

I humbly submit that from the Source of INDIA: A

REFERENCE MANUAL 1953 brought out by the
Publications Division of the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting in page 1…. “THE AREA OF JAMMU AND
KASHMIR STATE WAS GIVEN AS 92,780 square miles this
is equivalent to 240,300.20 square kilometers.

How could this become 222.336 square kilometers in 1988?

135
Pakistan holds 78,114 square kilometers. China owns
42,735 square kilometers. India owns 101,387 square
kilometers. By mistakes committed by our bureaucracy in
preparing faulty maps, we have lost 18,036.20 square
kilometers.

Are we to take it for granted that 18.036.20 square

kilometers vanished into thin air? Like Bermuda’s triangle
in our earth’s oceans do we have a Bermuda’s triangle in
our Ministries, which had swallowed 18,036.20 square
kilometers? Who is responsible for this? Who is going to be
held accountable for this? Are we going to find scapegoats?
Or whether The National Democratic Alliance Government
has the moral guts to fix the responsibility on the Congress
governments that caused this national loss to our country?

While 1953 Manual says 92,780 square miles equivalent to

240.300.20 square kilometers, in 1960 Edition the area
becomes 86,024 square miles equivalent to 222.802.16
square kilometers.

Official reference journal published by a Ministry of the

Government of India in 1960 at page 24-25, a district wise
break up of the area of Jammu And Kashmir State is given.
The total of this area arrives at a figure of 84,476 square
miles, which is equivalent to 218,792.84 square kilometers.

In 1964 Edition page 7 has a different story to tell. It

contains two different figures. In the column area figure a)
shows 86,023 square miles equivalent to 222.799.57 square
kilometers. Figure (b) shows 56665 square miles, which is
under Indian possession. This amounts to 146,762.25
square kilometers? In 1965 Edition page 7 changes over to
222.896.78 square kilometers? In 1966 Edition page 7 Area
of Jammu and Kashmir once again changed to 222,800
square kilometers? In 1968 Edition page 8 area of Jammu
and Kashmir once again changed to 222,870 square
kilometers .In 1988-89 edition the area of Jammu and
Kashmir was shown as 222.236 square kilometers. In the
very same edition in a different page693, the area of Jammu
and Kashmir was shown as 222.236 square kilometers and

136
a note inserted which stated “That this area includes 78,114
square kilometers under illegal occupation of Pakistan,
5280 square kilometers illegally handed over by Pakistan to
China and 37,555 square kilometers illegally occupied by
China “

N.Nandhivarman General Secretary 5.1.2004

137
NANDHIVARMAN
Founder of DRAVIDA PERAVAI
General Secretary of Dravida Peravai N.Nandhivarman runs
an experimental political party. Dravida Peravai was
registered with Election Commission of India from
25.10.1996.It completes a decade of service on 25.10.2006.

Code of Conduct for Party men

The rules and regulations of Dravida Peravai registered with

Election Commission of India contain a code of conduct for
party functionaries.

a] A party functionary must be proficient in Thirukural and

must be secular in outlook.

b] A party functionary must consider “Every country is my

country; everyone is my kinsmen" as Poet Kaniyan
Poongundranaar says. In short gal axial thinking pushing
the borders of human consciousness is the single most
important duty of the party functionary.

c] A party functionary must not fall at the feet of the

leaders, must not indulge in flattery, and must not add
suffixes or prefixes to original names.

d] A party functionary must identify him with the common

man and hence adopt simple living and should not even
publicize educational qualifications, honorary doctorates, or
titles before or after the name, as such high sounding titles
degrees and suffixes distances the common man for whose
sake party is founded

e] A party functionary must disclose his assets and

liabilities before public and take an oath that any property
in excess of the declared assets is established to be in his
possession after his term in the various forums of
democracy expires such assets will be transferred to the
party trust, which will be floated simultaneously on floating
of this party. Such Trust known as Annaist Trust will work

138
for unifying Tamil brethren and educate rationalism and
proletarian internationalism to the common man.

f] Anyone who is an eve-teaser, womanizer or has more

than one wife or anyone connected with the crime against
woman shall not be admitted into the party. If anyone after
becoming a member raises enough suspicion in the minds
of the governing committee shall be dismissed from the
party immediately.

g] Anyone connected with Cofeposa, FERA etc or has

criminal records or is known to be a goonda and rowdy in
the locality he lives, will not be admitted into the party. Any
party functionary availing the services of anti-social
elements during public agitations or elections shall be
suspended by the General Secretary pending an inquiry by
a committee constituted by the governing body. Once that
committee confirms the allegation, the suspension will
automatically become dismissal.

h] To enforce strict adherence to moral, ethical and rational

standards a National Disciplinary Committee will be chosen
by the General Council. Such a committee of three will
decide on all matters of inner party discipline and external
social behaviour of a party functionary.

i] Any functionary who tries to dilute the rational and

scientific temper built by the Dravidian Movement and its
leaders like Periyar E.V.R, Aringnar Anna and anyone who
espouses religious fundamentalism or embraces castiest
outfits or platforms will not be eligible to get party tickets for
any elections be it for party posts or for
Parliamentary/assembly/Municipality/ Panchayats or
whatever posts party has to make a choice..

With such strict code of conduct it is but natural that the

usual party seekers have not joined the party. Undeterred
by the slow growth in numbers, Dravida Peravai had been in
limelight in this decade.

139
EARLIER WRITINGS LAID IDEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION

Editorials in New Times Observer

1. Farmer's Plight [16.09.1994]
2. Heed to the Engel's Word of Caution [21.11.1994]
3. Indianomics for Emancipation [12.12.1994]
4. English is the Lingua Franca Nature offers [06.03.1995]
5. Workers of the World Unite [01.05.1995]
6. The Impersonal God of Evolution [25.05.1995]
7. Cultivate Galaxy-al Thinking [05.06.1995]
8. Exploitation is the Capitalist Creed [19.06.1995]
9. Panchayat Raj will not succeed in post-Rajiv era [26.06.1995]
10. Religion is Power Mongers Paradise [10.07.1995]
11. Law with Lacunae and Loopholes [07.08.1995]
12. Statehood is for people's good [21.08.1995]
13. Avoid Election Year Gimmicks [04.08.1995]
14. Time for Gandhian Renaissance [25.09.1995]
15. Simple living for Global Justice [16.10.1995]
16. Economic Sovereignty is in grave danger [30.10.1995]
17. Panchayat Raj Beginning of India's Revolution? 06.11.1995]
18. Cooperative Socialism [20.11.1995]
19. Finance Ministry's faux pas [27.11.1995]
20. Pondicherry’s Geo fracture: A warning of Nature [16.12.1995]

Articles in New Times Observer

1. Language Adulteration [18.9.1972]

2. We stand for Scientific Socialism [13.11.1972]
3. For a Fair Deal [25.12.1972]
4. Capitalism will give way to [26.07.1993]
5. Link All Rivers [02.08.1993]
6. Let India guide the World [11.10.1993]
7. Protest without causing hardship to people [01.11.1993]
8. Towards a better tomorrow [06.12.1993]
9. Preserve Nature's Treasure Trove [10.1.1994]
10. Global Market Culture [24.01.1994]
11. Few count millions while millions suffer silently [14.01.1994]
12. Law Makers versus Law Breakers [25.04.1994]
13. Is it our fate to be late? [16.05.1994]
14. Umbrella against American Imperialism [18.07.1994]
15. Reservation is no answer to Unemployment [25.07.1994]
16. Vulture Culture [08.08.1994]
17. Science A prisoner of Super powers [15.08.1994]
18. Social Justice or Partial Justice [29.08.1994]
19. Looting Lobbies and helpless have-nots [05.09.1994]
20. Share prosperity and care for tribes [03.10.1994]
21. Classless Casteless Society [10.10.1994]
22. Beware of Graft Craftsmen [17.10.1994]
23. Brain Drain [07.11.1994]

140
24. Plague of Corruption [14.11.1994]
25. Global village with nuclear garbage [28.11.1994]
26. Live in Harmony with Nature [05.12.1994]
27. Economics without Ethics [19.12.1994]
28. One God One Creed [26.12.1994]
29. Let Have-nots Have Smile-lit faces [02.01.1995]
30. Politics of Pollution [23.01.1995]
31. The irreversible Reform-raj [06.02.1995]
32. To redeem Humanity from poverty [13.02.1995]
33. Build on Gandhian Lines [27.02.1995]
34. Dialectics of Technology [13.03.1995]
35. American Spider's Web [13.03.1995]
36. Frozen and Flying Foreign Exchange [20.03.1995]
37. A concept: An Alternate Society for Global Peace [03.04.1995]
38. New Times for Global Peace [10.04.1995]
39. What is Truth? [17.04.1995]
40. Tamil script Reform [24.04.1995]
41. Economic programme to make all people happy [24.04.1995]
42. Evolve single Global currency [29.05.1995]
43. Rational Research on Religions [19.06.1995]
44. Apostles of Change Evolve Cosmic culture [03.06.1995]
45. Emerging Enviro-Consciousness [10.07.1995]
46. Inner party democracy absent in our days [28.08.1995]
47. Stop Boasts: Feed empty stomachs first [23.10.1995]
48. Plans needed for Water Resources Management [20.11.1995]
49 Manmohanomics: Everyone is welcome to exploit [11.12.1995]
50. Economic barbarity [25.12.1995]
51. Mr.Le Batonnier Gnanou Diagou-a Profile [15.11.1996]
52 The Enviro History of Pondicherry [24.01.2000]
53. Pondicherry Port: A Boon to boost our economy [28.08.2000]

54. Is Indus Valley the cradle or catacomb of Dravidian

Civilization-I [20.10.2004?]
55. Is Indus Valley the cradle or catacomb of Dravidian
Civilization-II [24.11.2004?]
56. Is Indus Valley the cradle or catacomb of Dravidian
Civilization-III [12.01.2004?]

[List incomplete and not updated please note.]

NEW INDIAN EXPRESS Articles

1. Home Away from Home: Re Union Tamils [13.04.2004]

2. Man of Letters: Great Litterateur Gnanou Diagou [14.08.2004]
3. Art of Dance [21.08.2004]
4. A Lesson in hygiene [29.08.2004]
5. The Glory of Arikamedu [04.09.2004]
6. A Poet and A musician [11.09.2004]
7. Setting an Example [18.09.2004]
8. The Gingee Fort: A story of Valour [25.09.2004]

141
9. A Slice of Paris in Pondicherry [02.10.2004]
10. Romain Rolland Library: 177 year old Treasure Trove [9.10.2004]
11. Multi Faceted Scholar Chevalier Madana Kalyani [30.10.2004]
12. Inventor of New Musical Instruments [6.11.2004]
13. All Roads go Dutch [13.11.2004]
14. The citadel of Ceylonese scholars [27.11.2004]
15. An artist's aspiration [20.11.2004]
16. Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Continental drifts [01.01.2005]
17. Tamil music through ages [.........2005]
18. Calenders galore [08.01.2005]
19. Universal festival of Harvest [22.1.2005]
20. The Welsh Connection [29.01.2005]
21. Lessons from London [.................]
22. A Life almost forgotten [19.02.2005]
23. French citizens of Pondicherry and their rights [19.03.2005]
24. Saving the Coast [04.06.2005]
25. Brothers in Bondage [11.06.2005]
26. Toponymical Probe Tracing oneness of Humanity [18.06.2005]
25. Language Labour [17.06.2005]
26. Drama on Extinction route [21.06.2005]
27. Mystics and Men of Medicine [28.06.2005]
28. Pope keeps People's Hopes alive
29. Studying Pal lava iconology [02.07.2005]
30. Pondicherry Quake prone says experts [09.07.2005]
31. Historic Atlas of South India [16.07.2005]
32. The Dancing Peacock of Switzerland [23.07.2005]
33. A hero from Pondicherry [06.08.2005]
34. Narayana Guru and Tamil Soil [13.08.2005]
35. Treasure Trove of History [20.08.2005]
36. Poongodi following in her father's footsteps [27.08.2005]
37. Marching Ahead in Tamil based computing [03.09.2005]
38. A journey in rhythm [10.09.2005]
39. Singapore surges Ahead [17.09.2005]
40. Priyan’s Paintings [24.09.2005]
41. An opera of Life [8.10.2005]
42. Log in, to be prepared [15.10.2005]

Blog Posts: Few Titles as sample

Dravida Peravai on International Politics:

Incomplete list starts from
17. Appeal to America to release Iraqi women prisoners [22.1.2006]
18. Holy war versus Humanist cause [24.1.2006]
19. Lady of the 20 th century: Aung San Sui Kui [25.1.2006]
20. Employment-Empowerment and Equal Treatment [26.1.2006]
21.Save East Africa from Hunger [1.2.2006]
22.Right to question scriptures and Gods [6.2.2006]
23.Nobel Laurette becomes Noble President of Costa Rica [8.2.2006]

142
24.Defeat terrorism through neo-opium War [8.2.2006]
25. Hapless women and Heartless men [10.2.2006]
26. Unpardonable violations of child abuse [11.2.2006]
27. United Nations must deliver justice to East Timor [14.2.2006]
28. New Zealand's Last colony on Road to Freedom [15.2.2006]
29. Religion is the real problem [19.2.2006]
30. Turkey must be admitted in European Union [21.2.2006]
31. Microsofts book sized personal computer [12.3.2006]
32. The Final Theory: Theory of Everything [30.4.2006]
33. Chinese lessons to India and Tamils [7.5.2006]
34. Ways to combat Terrorism [8.5.2006]
35. Double standards of Global capitalism [17.5.2006]
36. Voice of World Socialism [23.5.2006]

THE ANNAIST: Voice of the followers of Aringnar Anna

Blog: http://annaist.blogs.dk

1.Martyrs Day [25.1.2006

2. The Battle for Tamil Nadu [26.1.2006]
3. Anna and Tamil Nationalism [26.1.2006]
4. Stateless Tamils and Betrayal of Ceylon [28.1.2006]
5. A Moon astrologers don't know [6.5.2006]
6. Capitalist cronies curse Socialism [7.5.2006]
7. Fresh Free thinking on Christianity [29.5.2006]
8. Socialist thought [1.6.2006]
9. Dravida Peravai and National leaders [10.6.2006]

Blog writings in:

http//uk.360.yahoo.com/dravidaperavai

1. Grateful India Thanks Green Peace [24.02.2006]

2. Killing Swadeshi spirit and selling India to Videshi [25.02.2006]
3. Tamil and French Connections [10.3.2006]
4. Poetry in 5000 languages of Africa [12.3.2006]
5. Abdul Kalam's three visions [12.3.2006]
6. Madras still not Chennai syndrome [14.3.2006]
7. Indus Script Dravidian [16.3.2006]
8. Brahma’s Face and Black Race [19.3.2006]
9. Donkeys protest march planned [7.4.2006]
10. Dravida Peravai not contesting polls 2006 [20.4.2006]
11. Bureaucrats put spokes in the wheel [25.4.2006]
12. Let us debate God concept: Come on [25.4.2006]
13. Every human in world must fight Taliban [1.5.2006]
14. Fury of Fire and Floods [3.5.2006]
15. Unicode and Tamil [3.5.2006]
16. Let other nations follow Sweden [4.5.2006]
17. Dravidian civilization: New Evidence [6.5.2006]
18. True color of Earth [10.5.2006]

143
19. Search of Submerged Lands [13.5.2006]
20. Bold Experiments in Bolivia [15.5.2006]
21. All Muslims are not terrorists [16.5.2006]
22. Arguing for Atheism [22.5.2006]
23. Interesting quotes from other side [29.5.2006]
24. Amnesty Appeal for Journalist Shi Tao release [30.5.2006]
25. Tamil epics are first in time: History books [2.6.2006]
26. Tracing roots of one Human language [11.6.2006]

Blog writings in: http//360.yahoo.com/nnandhivarman

1. Dravida Peravai General Secretary [18.5.2006]

2. Tamil spread in net-world [22.5.2006]
3. Freedom of Freethinkers at Peril [23.5.2006]
4. New thinking among Indian socialists [23.5.2006]
5. Tallest Woman Leader in our times [28.5.2006]
6. Trace the roots of all Christian myths [29.5.2006]
7. Amnesty against online censorship [30.5.2006]
8. Three religions and three messiahs [31.5.2006]
9. Imprisoned Egyptian bogs on Democracy [31.5.2006]
10. Sexologists exploit Indians [2.6.2006]
11.Pondicherry Burial ground for corruption probes [11.6.2006]
12. Tamil Unicode Alternative [18.6.2006]

144
Plundering ECR environment
For Power Plants
Written by Nandhivarman

The need for power should not be met at the cost of

plundering our environment in East Coast Road. During the
visit of Union Power Minister Shusil Kumar Shinde it was
announced that 2 power plants would be set up closer to
East Coast Road. Immediately Dravida Peravai sent a
detailed memorandum to the Union Minister for Power.
Later Dr.S.Ramdass, founder of PMK protested. Thereafter
the Tamil Nadu Power Minister Arcot N.Veerasamy had gone
on record that Cheyyur Thermal power plant will be dropped
but Marakanam project will take off. In this background to
awaken the Union Government to evolve a Power Policy
keeping in mind of global initiatives in renewable energy
quest, Dravida Peravai memorandum dated 10 th
September 2007 is given below in verbatim.

0ur objections to the proposed

Mega Thermal Power Projects off East Coast Road

During your recent visit you had announced that the Union
Government will be sending an official team to Tamilnadu to
study the possibility of setting up one more ultra mega
power project, as reported in the media. Though we agree on
the need to enhance our power capacity it should not be at
the cost of great human sufferings uprooting people
practicising traditional professions practiced beyond 2000
years. In your interview you had mentioned that Tamilnadu
Power Minister Thiru.Arcot N.Veerasamy had suggested
Marakanam for setting up of 4000 MW capacity ultra mega
power project. The Tamilnadu Power Minister had stated
that Center had already finalized Cheyyur as the site of one
mega power project. We are here opposing the 2-mega power
projects and our views are submitted for your perusal.

An attempt was made by National Thermal Power

Corporation in 1999 to set up a power plant in Cheyyur
when Thiru.Rangarajan Kumaramangalam was Union

145
Minister of Power. The Hindu, a national daily with concern
for people alerted people and rulers on Sunday March 21,
1999 issue in a front page story by Thiru.Mukund
Padmanabhan under the heading: Proposed Power Plant will
be in a Lagoon. “The 3000 acres to be made available to
NPTC in five villages in the Cheyyur area lie in low lying
area into which there is copious flow of rainwater from the
surrounding uplands and a little seawater ingress. The
picturesque water body which attracts a large number of
birds and is used for fishing acts as storm water run off for
an estimated 42 villages in Cheyyur area” wrote Thiru
Mukund Padmanabhan a senior journalist in The Hindu.

Dravida Peravai heeded to the warning signals unleashed by

Thiru.Mukund Padmanabhan and wrote to the Indian Prime
Minister Thiru.Atal Bihari Vajpayee on April 2 of
1999.Dravida Peravai having been admitted as associate
party of Samata party and which remained a special invitee
to its National Executive ever since 1997 December, had the
moral support of Comrade George Fernandes. Hence our
memorandum did in fact act as an eye opener. In our
memorandum dated April 2 of 1999, we had urged upon the
Union Government to adopt the internationally practiced
precautionary principle in preventing pollution.” The term
precautionary principle was raised by the German
delegation at first North Sea Conference in 1984 when faced
with the problem of dealing with one of the world’s most
contaminated seas. Since then the approach had been
adopted by a number of regulatory regimes including Oslo
and Paris Commissions (1989), The UNEP Governing
Council (1989), Nordic Council (1989), The Bergen
Declaration (1990), The London Convention (1991), The
Bamako Convention (1991) The Barcelona Convention
(1991) and The UNEP Rio UNCED Declaration (1992).

On September 8, 2007-Asia-Pacific leaders agreed and

adopted a "long-term aspirational goal" to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions in the region in support of the
U.N global efforts, announced Australian Prime Minister
John Howard. Under the Sydney Declaration on Climate
Change, Energy Security and Clean Development, the goals
are to reduce energy intensity by at least 25 percent by

146
2030 from the 2005 level, and to increase forest cover in the
region by at least 20 million hectares of all types of forests
by 2020. The non-binding numerical targets indicate that
APEC leaders wish to throw their political muscle behind an
international push to avert the worst consequences of a
warming planet. This is the first year that leaders from the
21 APEC member economies have included climate change
discussions in their annual summit.

While other countries follow precautionary principle in India

we neither have the intention nor the political will to arrest
pollution of our seas, rivers and water bodies. While Salman
Khan’s are arrested for single killings, in Cheyyur and
Marakanam all the migratory birds to these water bodies
have to loose their natural habitat and the offenders will go
scot-free.

LET US HAVE A LOOK AT THE PROBLEMS FACED BY

OTHER COUNTRIES THAT HAVE OPTED FOR THERMAL
POWER PLANTS:

Quoting China Daily news [Sept 9-2007] “ China’s

environmental watchdog warned in Beijing that booming
thermal power plants may worsen China's acid rain
pollution if their sulfur dioxide emission is not well
controlled. Pan Yue, vice-director of the State Environmental
Protection Administration (SEPA), made the remark when
reporting to the press the crackdown against the Guiyang
thermal power plant in the southwestern province of
Guizhou, which had put the newly built power set into use
without the desulphurization equipment.

"Thermal power plants discharge a large proportion of the

country's total sulfur dioxide emission. If their emissions are
not well controlled, the acid rain pollution will probably
worsen, “Pan said. Although China's power production and
generation capacity reached the second place of the world
by the end of 2003, they still cannot satisfy the soaring
economy's appetite for energy. Reportedly China will suffer
from severe power shortage this summer. There are already
24 provinces and municipalities, which set limits on
industrial and civil use of electricity. Thermal power plants,

147
accounting for 74 percent of total power supply, spring up
to fill the gap.

Exhaust gas discharged by thermal power plants, which are

based on coal burning, contains abundant sulfur dioxide a
chemical causing acid rain. Statistics show that China's
annual sulfur dioxide emission, of which thermal power
emission makes up 34.6 percent, exceeds the maximum of
environmental capacity by 80 percent. The resulting acid
rain costs annual loss of 110 billion Yuan (US$13.3 billion),
two or three percent of the annual Gross Domestic
Production. China's laws and regulations state that the
desulphurization equipment must be designed, built, and
put into operation simultaneously with the power sets.
Unfortunately, most investors are too eager for instant
profits to stick to the rule, according to Pan. SEPA updated
the environmental standards for thermal power plants in
March, which tightens their sulfur dioxide emission. SEPA
also demands all plants install an exhaust gas monitoring
system, which could be connected to SEPA's central server.
To reduce the thermal power sulfur dioxide emission to 7.84
billion tons in 2020, 80 percent of thermal power plants
have to set up the desulphurization equipment before 2005.
Besides, SEPA will enforce economic policies including
implementing an emission licensing system, add
desulphurization cost to the power price and raise the
sulfur dioxide emission fee.

CHINA FACES A PROBLEM AND IT HAS ACTED TO

CONTAIN POLLUTION DO WE IN INDIA, OR DO OUR
COMMUNIST COMRADES DO NECESSARY HOMEWORK
TO OPPOSE THERMAL POWER PLANTS?

After all China shows the way and it is not America, hence
they need not feel embarrassed to oppose thermal power
plants and the pollution unleashed by such plants. In 1997
the E.U.-15 member states set themselves the task of
doubling Europe’s renewable energy sources from 6 percent
to 12 percent by 2010. A decade later, even though the
contribution from renewable sources had increased in
absolute terms by 55 percent, the E.U.’s new Renewable
Energy Roadmap admitted that not only was 12 percent

148
unfeasible, but a figure well below 10 percent was more
realistic. By January 2007, the original E.U.-15 member
states (the E.U. had expanded to 27 states by then) had
actually achieved a figure of only 6.4 percent from
renewable sources. So when the E.U. summit in March
2007 upped the renewable energy sources target to 20
percent by 2020, its acknowledgment that the target would
prove “challenging” was viewed by most energy insiders as
something of a gross understatement. The Roadmap stated
that Europe’s renewable share was growing too slowly. To
speed things up, a plan was devised for the main sectors:
electricity bio-fuels for transport, and heating and cooling.
The Roadmap sees electricity as the key sector for producing
genuine progress. It argues that if all of the 27 E.U. member
states made their national quotas on renewable for 2010 in
this sector, the proportion of electricity consumption from
renewable would be 21 percent.

But only nine E.U. member states – Denmark, Germany,

Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden,
and the Netherlands – are in fact on track. The reality is
that unless the present trends change, the E.U. will achieve
a target approaching at best 19 percent. IN INDIA: “In
Jharkhand about 9,000 tones of fly ash is being generated
everyday from the coal based thermal power plants with
present generation of about 1500 MW. Fortunately, the
state is utilizing over fifty present of the fly ash through
environmentally sound techniques such as abandoned mine
reclamation, Cement Manufacturing, Brick manufacturing
etc. Damodar valley Corporation is reclaiming Central
Coalfield Limited (CCL) abandoned mine using its pond ash,
Tata Power at Jhamshedpur is feeding all its fly ash to
Lafarge Cement, ACC and other cement plants. Jharkhand
State Pollution Control Board has taken a lead in the
utilization of fly ash in the Sate with the co-operation of
Thermal Power Plants, Mining Industries, Cement
Industries, Brick manufacture etc” If in 1500 MW Thermal
power plant 9000 tones of fly ash is generated in Jharkand
as per Jharkand Pollution Control Board’s statistics, In
Cheyyur 4000 MW mega power plant will generate 36,000
tones of fly ash polluting the entire ECR road, about which
Deepa H.Ramakrishnan of The Hindu wrote as The Road

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Beckons [Metro plus Sept 8 of 2007]. The Road Stinks may
be her article if she travels next year in same ECR Road.

The Swedish Energy System: Role Model for India Electricity

production in Sweden is basically fossil-free. Approximately
half of the electricity production comes from hydropower
and the remainder is provided by nuclear power. Swedish
scientists were among the first to discover the effects of acid
rain; this was a focal point in the first UN Environmental
Conference in Stockholm in 1972, twenty years before the
following conference in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Swedish
industry was also among early world pioneers in
demonstrating the first technological solutions for flue gas
desulphurization.

We live in a world which is known now as global village. If

we fail to follow the footsteps of pioneers and opt for
outdated un clean technologies, it is a national shame to the
genius of India. Our Planning Commission will have
hundreds of committee reports arguing all good things on
earth but all remain in paper and only lip service is
rendered. Sweden shows the way and our planners will have
all blueprints for future ready in their shelves but our
Ministers opt for unclean technologies, may be because of
other considerations.

DROP CHEYYUR –MARAKANAM

THERMAL POWER PROJECTS

Dravida Peravai urges the Government of India to have a

rethink on starting many more thermal power plants, and
we oppose the proposed Cheyyur and Marakanam power
projects on the following grounds.· The formal classification
in the land registry-adangal records declare that the
2888.06 acres meant for the project is an area comprising
salt puramboke and grazing land. In reality it is a
waterbody.Survey number 352 at Mudaliarkuppam [274.12
acres] and Survey number 359[ 103.32 acres] under
Panaiyur villages where National Thermal Power
Corporation plans to have the fly ash disposal plant and
main site are in fact are water bodies. We are aware of how
fly ash is disposed in Ennore Thermal Power Plant and how

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Pulicut Lake has become dead lake with pollution and waste
dumping. Similar fate will befall Kaluveli Tank.· National
Thermal Power Corporation in 1999 short listed 4 sites
Kovalam near Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Cheyyur and a site
beyond Cuddalore. Two days ago a private company which
was planning to set up a Power Project near Cuddalore had
to face the people’s anger when the District Collector of
Cuddalore convened a consultative meeting. Police lathi
charged and arrested many villagers of Thiagavalli near
Cuddalore in September 2007.TamilNadu electricity
Minister Arcot Veerasamy is uprooting people when their
traditional dwellings in order to fill his personal overflowing
coffers, people have started to gossip about the fortunes
made.Kovalam is a Beach, Mahabalipuram a tourist spot of
historical antiquity.Cheyyur where NPTC took the first step,
they were halted by our agitations. Now Cheyyur has
become once again the target of evil eyes which want to
spoil the natural beauty of our coast. Marakanam, an
ancient Port known then as Eyilpattinam is the centre of
salt pans providing livelihood for thousands for
centuries.Dravida Peravai does not see any valid argument
for shifting the focus from tourism promotion exploiting the
nature’s bounty of our beaches to thermal power generation
and converting water bodies as dumping grounds of waste
and polluting the air apart from driving salt pan workers out
of jobs.

The argument advanced by Tamilnadu Electricity Minister

to bring coal from Orissa by ships, Marakanam harbour will
be of use, is just wishful thinking. Apart from 12 major
ports which are governed by Major Port Trusts Act, none of
the 138 minor or intermediary ports under the control of
various governments are functioning ports. Neither they are
economical, viable, profitable for public utility. All minor
ports with the exception of minor ports under Gujarat
Maritime Board remain monuments of wasteful expenditure.

On the way to Chennai in ECR Road we can see Cyclone

Shelters in depilated conditions, which are another
monument of wasteful expenditure. There had been no plan
on how to use these shelters apart from cyclone times;
hence they remain without maintenance and use. To

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develop Marakanam as Port just to bring coal will also meet
the same fate. All moneys pumped into development of
minor ports by various state governments have led to
criminal and wasteful expenditure.

This is because the Union Government has no national

policy to reduce the traffic congestion in our surface
transport. We have the longest coast in east and west of our
peninsula. If only the Union Government had heeded to
various memorandums/press statements/port trust
minutes, wherein Dravida Peravai had mentioned and
argued the need to create a National Seaway Authority and
frame policies for cargo/passenger ferries interconnecting
these minor ports, travel in roads would be eased in
congestion. Only on the event of shifting focus from lorry
and rail cargo carrying to carrying cargo by ships and only
when inducing people to travel by ships with well connected
chain between all minor ports of the country, then ventures
like developing Marakanam Port will become profitable.
Focus on utilizing our ports for people’s usage is missing
but focus is on wasting money on port development.

Can Government of India order a study on the investments

made by various State Governments in the name of
developing minor ports and the yields from such
investments? If such a probe is made you can find all
moneys have created assets which yield nothing draining
the public exchequer. · We understand that there prevails a
policy wherein the power generating project need not be
situated in states where power is consumed but states can
set up power projects near coal mines and the power can be
routed through the national grid to reach the beneficiary
state.

Puducherry Government on August 15 th media release had

announced about a coal block allotted in Orissa.We
presume Puducherry Government will put up the project in
Orissa as per this new policy of the Center. Our question is
while Puducherry can set precedent why should not
Tamilnadu follow that instead of ferrying coal from Orissa to
Marakanam and setting up power projects off ECR road
which was meant to promote tourism and not pollution.

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Dravida Peravai has reservations about Puducherry
Government not selecting big industrial houses in India or
going for cleaner technologies in alliance with
multinationals but opting for Dr.Jagathratchagan’s
enterprise which has no expertise in power sector as its
partner in the Rs7500 crore mega power project, and we will
come out in detail soon on this.

Throwing dalits and fishermen out of their traditional homes

and professions in Marakanam_Cheyyur belt by mega
projects which have become outmoded in western countries,
is a crime against fellow human beings, the citizens of India,
who are the real masters as per the lexicon of democracy.

N.Nandhivarman General Secretary Dravida Peravai

This blog post in India Interacts.com was read by 3588 viewers

till 25th April 2009.

153
LANGUAGE LABOUR
Pondicherry University, a Central University established
the Department of Tamil in 1986, and later upgraded to a
School of Tamil. Yes, thus came the Subramania Bharathi
School of Tamil Language and Literature. “This school had
produced 60 scholars who have done their Ph.D’s and 28
are currently striving to become Doctors of Literature. 181
scholars obtained M.Phil degrees and currently 34 are
studying. The research culminates in presentation of
scholarly thesis” states Dean of the School Dr.
A.Arivunambi. Dr.Arivunambi also functions as Acting Vice
Chancellor during the absence of the regular Vice
Chancellor. As the leading beacon of Tamil Development he
states with pride that Pondicherry University is the first and
only one to have got grants for 5 years under Special
Assistance Scheme from the University Grants Commission.
This recent achievement gives impetus to draw plans for the
development of Classical Tamil.

“If you want to know about the Tamil computing

researchers, www. tamilsoftware.biz lists out only 2 people
from the Union territory of Pondicherry. They are Professor
Kuppusamy, who heads the Computer Sciences Department
of Pondicherry University and Prasanna Venkatesan,
Lecturer of same faculty. At one faculty two researchers
exist to give impetus for promoting Tamil in the world of
web, and the other side we have a Tamil Department which
had yet to avail this talent within the campus to equip Tamil
scholars and students with adequate knowledge to handle
computers and to elevate Tamil to the reach of netizens.”
opined a Tamil scholar with anguish. There seems to be
fresh plans for inter departmental coordination after such
criticisms were aired in scholarly circles.

The western experiments to open knowledge to one and all

by creating Open Access Online Libraries, from where all
scholarly research papers could be availed by anyone
interested from any part of the globe is slowly spreading its
influence over Tamil scholars. Tamil lovers of Pondicherry
are keen to know the subjects of the research undertaken
by various scholars in the Pondichery University. “The

154
practice to upload all research materials into Internet is a
must and web publishing must be given top priority so that
what a researcher in Pondicherry University does becomes
known to other researchers all over the world,” said
C.P.Thirunavukkarasu, President of Anna Foundation.
Though members of the faculty have brought out many
books and students too have many books and articles to
their credit, in these days of globalization, they have to
market their achievements, publicize them and bring it to
public notice.

A report of the expert committee headed by

Va.Suba.Maniccam Former Vice Chancellor of Madurai
Kamaraj University had in the initial years suggested for
creation of separate faculties for Tamil Studies, Linguistic
Studies, Fine Arts and Overseas studies. It had mooted the
suggestion that under the faculty of Tamil Studies
departments of Tamil Literature, Cultural studies, Religious
and Mythological Studies, Comparative literature and Indian
folklore could be set up. The committee also had suggested
separate department for Bharathiar and Bharathidasan
Studies.

The Faculty of Linguistic Studies with separate departments

of Indian Grammatical Studies, Linguistics, Translation,
Dialectology and Tribal languages and The Faculty of Fine
Arts with Department of Music, dance, Drama and Painting
must have been set up, if the recommendations of the
expert committee had been taken into consideration. Much
time is lost and because these faculties and departments
were not created in spite of the First Central university
being started in a Tamil language speaking region.

Dr.R.Kothandaraman of Tholkaapiyar Centre for

Fundamental Research says that “sixteen years had passed
and lots of opportunities are lost. There is a need to review
the expert committee’s suggestions and to have an update
on its recommendations so that fresh initiatives to develop
Tamil studies could be explored”. Incidentally he was one of
the members of that Expert committee. Due to non
allocation of funds where our representatives failed, all such
new departments could not come up till 2007, the time

155
when next five year plan launches. As a prelude for opening
Departments of Modern Literature and Religious Literature,
two new M.Phil courses have started, thanks to the
initiatives of Dr.Ilamathi Janakiraman.

This unique Central University must be made into a global

meeting place for promoting Tamil as an international
language with state-of-the-art technology to connect to the
global Tamil community via the Information Highway feel
the foreign scholars doing research in Tamil.

“To help Tamil communities living abroad to establish a

digital network for promoting the study of Tamil language
and literature, to establish a grid of learning so that Tamil
communities worldwide may exchange Web-based
resources, to develop and promote Tamil in electronic form
to enable Tamil learners to experience the glory of Tamil
language and culture, to promote a sense of Tamil identity
both in nations having large Tamil populations and all
former French colonies with which still sizeable
Pondicherrians are culturally and professionally interlinked,
Pondicherry University had lot to do” opines Mannar
Mannan, President of Puthuvai Tamil Sangam.

“These former French colonies have large population of

Tamils who are on the verge of forgetting their mother
tongues. Hence online courses to impart Tamil learning to
geographically separate Tamil communities becomes the
historical mission of Pondicherry University and it is time it
reaches out to those who need its help” said Professor
M.Lenin Thangappa.

But all scholars are hoping that Subramania Bharathiar

School of Tamil studies will surge ahead and scale great
heights in glory, since the very name of the school will be a
source of inspiration for all knowledgeable Tamils to pool
their goodwill to make this School known internationally.

Courtesy: New Indian Express-weekend: 7.05 2005

156
THE WALES CONNECTION
Pondicherry is a place, which attracts peoples of various
cultures and from Pondicherry a bright student, went to
Wales for higher studies in law. He came back deeply
impressed by the Welsh culture. Everyone thinks that
English is spoken all over England, yet there remains Wales,
where people are proud of their regional culture. Cardiff is
the capitol of Wales since 1955 and a place of government
from 1999 with the opening of the devolved Welsh assembly
government.

It has a population of 3, 25,000. And out of this 5% speak

Welsh one of the oldest languages in Europe. Cardiff
University where the Pondicherrian Michael.M.Antony went
to study his LL.M has given due place to welsh tongue too,
thus bilingual publications are common sight there. And
Cardiff University is a place that promotes research. Among
the 106 universities and colleges of United Kingdom, Cardiff
was placed 7 th by a study.

To protect its regional culture the Museum of Welsh life

was opened on 7 th July 1948. It is one of the Europe’s
foremost open-air museums. The last 500-year history of
Wales is depicted in all its facets at the St.Fagans Castle, a
16 th century fort. The statues of wax will make us believe
that we are in the presence of the Late Personalities, as
could be seen in pictures where Antony will be with Queen
Elizabeth, Princess Diana and Mahatma Gandhi.

“This museum teaches us on how our Arikamedu museum

in Pondicherry should be constructed to be a living
demonstration of the bygone centuries.

As you all know people who have read about Arikamedu and
its archaeological excavations of a hoary past go
disillusioned after their visit to that site, since a damaged
building and some shrubs and bushes alone remain to be
seen. The model of National museum of Wales if emulated
and an open air museum is set up it will promote our
tourism,” opines M.M.Antony.

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The present government has acquired land to set up a site
museum. The dynamic Minister for Tourism of Government
of Pondicherry K.Lakshminarayanan is determined to make
Arikamedu Museum a memorable experience for tourists
who throng to Pondicherry. And in this hour comes this
suggestion from a student of Pondicherry.

M.M.Antony during his studies at Cardiff University brought

out a beautiful book titled “Environmental Liability: The
stretch of company director’s accountability in the United
Kingdom”. He became interested in the subject inspired by
the words of a British Minister. “It is not acceptable for a
company to make highly priced goods for highly paid
consumers in the developed world by ruining the health of
the children in the sweatshops of the developing world. It is
not acceptable for a company to make beautiful furniture for
the homes of rich families in the west but leave a devastated
forest landscape in Brazil” said then Minister for Corporate
Social Responsibility and Member of Parliament Douglas
Alexander.

Since India is facing lot of environmental problems

M.M.Antony applied his mind on researching in
environmental law. His forays into the subject made him
analyze the impact of European Community’s environmental
laws and that of the USA and UK.

With such rich experience gained at Cardiff University, he

could have opted for a good job overseas, yet he chose to be
in India. As only son born after 16 years of wed lock he is
even now mummy’s child deeply attached to his mother
Mercy and a possessive father K.M.S.Devadasan eager to
groom his son in his mould as a fire brand journalist editing
the only bi lingual weekly of Pondicherry appearing since
1966.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express-week end 29.01.2005

158
LESSONS FROM LONDON
The British people who once claimed that sun never sets in
their kingdom have seen that their glory never faces dusk.
The way followed by those who ruled India once must
awaken our spirits to preserve our past as they do. London
founded by Romans in 43 A.D had been the home of
monarchs and governments since 1066. Of many places of
tourist interest in London the Westminster Abbey is where
for nearly 900 years every King or Queen of England had
been crowned and many monarchs are buried there.

Britain for centuries was a sea power and in Greenwich,

which is 8 kilometers downstream from London Bridge,
there is a National Maritime Museum wherein history and
relics of the 500-year maritime history is kept preserved.
Indians were early sea- farers and centuries before others
they navigated around the globe. Yet in India we never
preserve our maritime records and history. In fact at 12
major ports at least our country must have maritime
museums. Greenwich is famous for being the time-keeper of
the globe. The prime meridian of zero longitude, the
imaginary line which links the north and south poles was
fixed at Greenwich in 1844 and is marked by a plate on the
path. A visitor can claim to be straddling the two halves of
the globe by placing a foot on either side of the line. We
know laksman reka but we are not aware of Greenwich
reka.

The White Tower of London built by William the Conqueror

(1066-1087) has served as royal palace, fortress, prison and
place of execution. It also houses the world famous British
crown jewels. The Imperial State Crown made for the
coronation of George VI in 1937 was altered for Queen
Elizabeth II in 1953. It is set with 2868 diamonds, 17
sapphires, 11 emeralds, 5 rubies and 273 pearls. The
famous Koh-i-noor diamond from India adorns the British
crown.

The tower bridge is a miracle of hydraulic engineering. Sir

Horace Jones designed it along with Sir John Wolfe Barry.

159
The 1000 tonne drawbridges are raised to allow tall ships to
pass between its twin gothic style towers. The construction
started in 1886 and completed in 1894 at a cost of 800,000
pounds. The towers are connected by a 142 feet walkway.
Such landmarks are necessary to make any Indian town or
city as exciting as London. The River Thames of London
stands in contrast with River Coovum of Chennai as
extreme poles, the former with its scenic beauty and latter
with its stinking nasty.

The name London itself was derived from a Celtic word

Llyn-din which means river place. In India we call rivers
holy yet we fail to keep them clean. Civilizations grew in
riverbanks all over the world. We have our Indus valley
civilization with sanitation and planned cities 2000 years
ago. Yet now if we look at our cities and its garbage
mountains, we have to think to stem the rot before it is too
late. The lessons from a London walk are many.

The 18 th century Prime Minister William Pitt described the

capitals parks as lungs of London. Saint James Park, Green
Park, Hyde Park, Regents Park, Battersea Park, Greenwich
Park are some of the lungs that purify the air of London but
also remain everlasting attraction to tourists. With much
fanfare about tourism promotion except in Delhi and
Bangalore we cannot boast of Parks and Chennai remains
pathetic in this regard. The amusement parks at east coast
road may have tried to attract tourists, but what about
corporation parks and spaces left for parks for various
colonies, one must ponder over. The exciting London visit
must educate our planners to make our cities as excitable;
otherwise we will not become one among the developed
world.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express weekend 5.02.2005

160
POPE AND PEOPLES HOPE
The new Pope blesses the people. All eyes are on his
blessing hand. The people see a golden ring, which carries
the picture of fishermen spreading his net to catch. This is
one of the two symbols of papacy. To the tsunami struck
fishermen, this symbol reminds that all Popes care for
fishermen. But it draws a biblical reference too.

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gen-nes-

‘a-ret, he saw two boats and fishermen washing their nets
because they did not get good catches on that day. Jesus
gets into the boat and tells to Simon “Put out into the deep
water and let down your nets for a catch”. He obeys and
nets good catch may be by divine blessing. But this biblical
story also stresses the scientific invention of good catches in
deep waters. Simon, the fishermen became the first disciple
of Jesus assuming the name Saint Peter. In remembrance of
that it is customary to give a fishermen ring to the new
Pope.

A pallium made out of white wool would also be presented

to the newly chosen. That symbolizes the shepherd’s
treading the footsteps of Jesus, who is also known as Good
Shepherd. When Joseph Ratzinger, a 78-year-old German is
chosen to lead the 1.1 billion-member Church these two
gifts symbolizes the early composition of the followers of
Christianity. The new Pope is aware of the challenges in
the developing world to declining religious faith in the West.
“So many currents, ideologies and different ways of
thinking” had shaken the faith of many Christians and the
Catholic Church faced an uncertain future threatened by
the rise of Christian sects around the world, Ratzinger said
in a homily.

"Having a clear faith according to the creed of the Church is

often labeled as fundamentalism," he said, adding that the
Church had to reject "a dictatorship of relativism" that
denied the existence of absolute truths. "An adult faith is
not one that follows tides of trends and the latest novelties.
To be adult and mature the faith must be deeply rooted in
friendship with Christ," he said. If we go back to the pages

161
of the past, the first person to study the conditions of the
origins of Christianity was Frederick Engels. He pointed out
that the “most important condition was the formation of the
Roman Empire.

The creation of a world monarchy paved the way for a

leveling cult. The Roman conquest brought with it the defeat
of the individual states. Its despotic and violent regime,
oppression of the provinces, high taxes and general absence
of civil rights led to apathy and demoralization among the
broad masses, not only the slaves, but also the free
population”. It was the background that remained
conducive for the inception of a global religion. Old religions
were tribal and national, hence could not go beyond limited
boundaries. To fulfill this vacuum, the rulers of Roman
Empire made some attempts to create a world religion.
Roman government attempted to create the cult of the
emperor’s genius, cult of the guardian of the city of Rome
namely goddess Roma, and the cult of Jupiter Capitolius.
All these failed.

A religion of the slaves and oppressed based on the arrival

of a redeemer from their sufferings emerged as many sects.
In the Koran the followers of Jesus Christ are constantly
referred to as Nazarenes. That was probably the original
name given to the sect of Jesus’ followers. Most often his
followers called themselves simply believers, brethren etc, in
the beginning only their opponents referred to them as
Christians. Now that global religion faces challenges, which
the new Pope underlines as splitting into many sects, as in
the beginning.

The father of Christianity, a Jewish philosopher Philo of

Alexandria believed that there was a holy mediator between
the God and the material world, the Divine Logos (Word).
This was common idea in Greek idealist philosophy. The
divine Logos, Son of God, became the central figure in
Christianity namely Jesus Christ, says Fredrick Engels. In
Hindu religion, the word “OM” resembles the divine logos
and the son of Shiva called Muruga, fits into the Greek
concept. These similarities strengthen the truth that all
religions have universal concepts and beliefs.

162
But Pope must be perturbed over the religious intolerance
that has brought terrorism to the forefront. The twin towers
of America brought down by fundamentalists is the warning
signal that cannot be ignored anymore. Clash of religions,
cultures ignited by Osama Bin Ladens and men of his ilk, is
unnecessary, unwarranted and rests on imaginary and false
foundations. All religions emerged to unite people, to offer
solace to the oppressed and to bring love and Peace on
earth. Standing at the cross roads of history, the new Pope
outlines his duties in the first words spoken, which admits
the challenges ahead. In Pope, people hope, movements to
global peace and equanimity eschewing enmity among fellow
human beings will find support and leadership.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express: 2005

163
Hygienic Fish Markets: Fashion of the Day

The wind of globalization is introducing new concepts like

air-conditioned vegetable and fish markets by private
parties providing jobs to entrepreneurial youth. At the same
time we have Pondicherry’s over crowded

Main market, a place you have to plough your way in a

stream of sweat and foul smell. Ever increasing garbage
accumulation poses problems for municipal sanitary
workers who toil tirelessly to keep market surroundings
clean. The Lorries that bring the daily requirements for
market and small vehicles that bring fish struggle to catch
space with consumers who in a haste to park as they please
in the entrances of the market.

This is a scene of chaos with increase in population. In

Pondicherry region we have fish markets in Pondicherry,
Muthialpet, Ariyankuppam, Nellithoppu, Madukarai and
Villiyanur and temporary markets have sprung up in
roadsides at many sub urban places. Nowadays people are
looking for hygiene in every aspect of life and consumer
awareness is at its peak. Further the perishable products
must be sold in haste thereby fish vendors loose their
revenue. The setting up of cost price shops by private
parties and cooperative institutions too jumping into that
bandwagon not to be left behind is a telling tale of our
times. Vegetable stalls that offer fresh vegetables in air-
conditioned surroundings have cropped up. Chickens and
Mutton are sold in shops making it easy for people to buy at
various places.

But in spite of all this the fish market, vegetable market,

flower market and small shops that sell from provisions to
brooms are within a limited space of the main market
restricted by various constraints making it impossible to
expand.

In such scenario a new Air Conditioned Fish for You shop

set by an enterprising young educated youth
K.Ponnambalam of Vanarapet, that has come up at the

164
beginning of the Mahatma Gandhi Road near Railway
station is refreshing experiment breaking from past.

A student from nearby Veerampattinam fisher-men village of

Pondicherry, P.Saravanane who is the 4 th son of a
traditional fisherman, doing his second year in doctorate in
fish pathology at the Stirling University of Scotland U.K
having completed his M.FSc. (Master of Fisheries Science) at
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute Cochin on his
visit to his home felt that fish markets here must be
improved to make it places of hygiene in order to attract
better prices for fish apart from consumer convenience and
comfort of buying in a cleaner environment.

To wash sands and filth in the fish catches that comes to

market, P.Saravanane suggests setting up of a one-ton
capacity of filtering steel tank at the entrance of the market.
Immediately after washing fresh icing must be done for the
preservation. The fish market should be completely closed
and centrally air conditioned for maintaining low
temperature, which can reduce the quick spoilage of fish.
Hygienic and decent dressing for the fish vendors
encouraged. Separate cabins with a washable fish-
displaying table should be constructed for selling the fish
and be provided with a clear drainage channel, which
eventually leads to a common drainage canal. Display table
must have fiberglass doors so that fishes can be displayed
on an ice layer in the glass cabinet. Each cabin must be
given separate pipe connections for easy and quick washing
of cabin before and after selling. A hygienic and eco-friendly
bag for packing the fish is introduced. There should be a
high capacity and quality flake ice machine inside the
market for preserving the fish and also for the display unit.
Definite control measures should be taken for fly and other
insects. It’s also wise to have a cold storage room with two
different temperatures like 4°c and -20°c with clear racks
and boxes for short time and long time storage of fish
respectively. The market should also be provided with two
doors each one for entry and exit. A separate fish cleaning
room should be constructed with same facility like fish
selling area with a washable table with the provision of tap
water pipe connection for each fish dresser. Use of clean

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stainless steel knife and other fish cutting instruments is
encouraged. There should be an exit in the fish dressing
room so that the customers can directly exit the market,
says P.Saravanane who wants to see his hometown and its
markets improve to reach the western standards at least
stage by stage.

Fish lovers are braving all ordeals in fish markets to buy

their choice and scared housewives wait for street vendors
to bring fish to their doors. Let us make their life not only
less miserable but make it pleasant to both sellers and
buyers. Let Fish woman who carry head-loads of fish and
are frowned upon regain their self respect and dignity in
pursuing their marketing with changing needs of our times.
Fish is wealth and not filth that comes to markets. Let
planners plan ultra modern fish markets, while private
stalls come up every where to cater the needs of growing
population conscious of cleaner environment.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express 28.08.2004

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13 YEAR EXTRAORDINARY INDIAN BOY
SCIENTIST FINDS CANCER CURE -WORLD'S
SMARTEST BOY
(Tuesday, 04 July 2006)
-
It is difficult, if not impossible, to comprehend his beautiful
mind. Akrit Pran Jaswal started reading Shakespeare when
he was five, conducted a surgery when he was seven and
passed his 10 plus 2 examination at 12. Today at 13, he has
cleared his BSc exams with 73 percent marks, astounding
both teachers and fellow students alike. And to top it all, the
Teenager, a resident of Himachal Pradesh, has acquired the
title of the world's smartest boy.

In the documentary telecast on Discovery Channel recently,

Akrit was heralded as the smartest boy on Earth. Akrit says
He has found cure for cancer, but is waiting to be 17 when
he can be formally allowed into a medical college. But Akrit
has a grouse. Opening up after lot of persuasion, he has
been keeping to himself and is most reluctant to come
before the media.

“I want that my talent should be recognized. I have research

potential. I should be allowed to conduct it." he insists. “I
want access to CCMB Hyderabad, CRI Mumbai and CBRI
Lucknow. I should at least be allowed to enroll in a research
training programme so that I can start work” he says. It was
only for a month, that I was allowed to be at Tata Institute
of Cancer Research.

Though they were impressed by my skills, they gave a report

to the Directorate of Science and Technology that I should
first go to school. Now that I have been to school and am in
college, when they will allow me access to research labs,
questions Akrit.

His mother Anju Raksha too is unhappy." We have met

many Ministers and even gave a representation to the
President when he visited Palampur but no one
understands our anxiety. I came to know about his talent
when he mastered V class books in II nd class, she said,

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adding that Akrits IQ was pegged at 162 after prolonged
tests by the US based Gifted Development Center. He was 7
then.

THE TIMES OF INDIA HAD REPORTED.

DISCOVERY CHANNEL HAD SHOWN

Tamil women who watch tele serials are doing great

injustice to the intellectual growth of future citizens.
Mothers spoil their children to be addicts to television
serials, cinema masalas and vulgar songs. If only parents
allow Tamil children to watch Geography Channel, History
Channel or Discovery Channel, their intellect could be
kindled. These channels are dubbed in Hindi, and Hindi
people are having better scientific outlook than us. Awake
Tamils! Become one among Extraordinary People...
... N.Nandhivarman
The Times of India [July 2-2006] Mumbai edition with
Chandigarh dateline: Report by Shruti Setia

Aringnar Anna groomed a 15 year school boy who grew in stature to

shoulder Anna’s responsibilities after Anna’s demise and proved his
leadership blooming into a Kalaingnar. Anna did not nip him in bud ,
hence encourage talent and follow Anna’s noble path.

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