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Scandalous Video Of Kanyakumari Pastor Goes Viral In Social Media

By
The Commune
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A video of a young priest from Kanya Kumari kissing a woman has shocked people and has gone viral on social media. The alleged priest is associated with various political groups, including Naam Tamilar Katchi Seeman.

Benedict Anto, a 30-year-old Christian priest from Marthandam near Nagercoil, works as a priest in Syro Malankara Catholic church in Kanyakumari West District. It is reported that a few days ago, a group of individuals in a car attacked the priest and stole his personal laptop. However, the priest Benedict Anto did not report the theft to the police.

A video of the pastor Benedict Anto sharing the screen with a woman, kissing her, and singing along with her was posted on social media yesterday by an unidentified handle.

According to reports, the priest has a bad reputation with women, and similar complaints have already been filed against him at various police stations. It is believed that one of his victims might have attacked him, stolen his computer, and released his personal videos.

According to preliminary investigations by the police department, the people who attacked the priest and stole the laptop belonged to Kollankodu.

Pastor Benedict Anto’s Facebook profile revealed that he is an ardent supporter of Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi. He also took a photograph with Seeman in his home. The alleged priest has completed his master’s degree in business administration from Annamalai university.

(With inputs from Dinamalar)

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Dravidianists Spew Venom Over Sridhar Vembu’s Personal Tragedy

By
The Commune
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This morning, a Forbes article was making the rounds in social media alleging that Sridhar Vembu had abandoned his wife and autistic son in the US.

Pramila, the estranged wife of Sridhar Vembu, the co-founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation, a software company that offers cloud-based business applications, has filed a lawsuit against him, claiming that he transferred his ownership of Zoho without telling her. She alleged that he abandoned her and their special needs son and is keeping them from receiving their fair share.

In response to these allegations, Sridhar Vembu shared a tweet thread where he denied all the allegations and says that he never transferred his shares in the company to anyone else. He also said that these allegations were unfounded and that he had been supporting his wife and son financially all the while. The matter is currently before a US court.

In the deeply personal thread he shared on Twitter about his son’s autism and how it affected his marriage and his life, he said that he and his wife fought against autism for over 15 years and that he supported her in her cause of curing their son. He also said that he took some of the treatments that their son underwent to ensure his safety.

However, he said that their marriage collapsed due to their different views on their son’s future and that autism left him suicidally depressed. He also mentioned how his estranged uncle, whom he allowed to stay at his California house on compassionate grounds owing to his terminal cancer, has been the cause for the mess that has unfolded now.

In the meantime, the Dravidianists and DMK functionaries left no stone unturned in demeaning Sridhar Vembu over his personal tragedy.

Tamil Nadu State Deputy Secretary of the DMK IT Wing, Isai shared multiple tweets belittling Vembu.


He shared a screen recording of a Google search of the words Sridhar Vembu Vikatan which brought out many articles on Vembu and claimed that these articles were all planted and propaganda material for him.

He retweeted tweets that intended to humiliate Vembu at such a time.

He shared a tweet that said “Sanghis who speak nationalism” and shared a Sun TV tweet that spoke about the allegations made by Vembu’s wife.


The screen recording video shared by Isai was also shared by senior DMK leader RS Bharathi’s son Sai Lakshmikanth Bharathi who is known for his deep-seated hatred for Brahmins and Hindus.


Sai LakshmiKanth Bharathi also shared tweets which questioned the feminists who did not speak up against Vembu and his “bad deeds”. He tagged popular Twitter personalities who belong to the Brahmin caste.


He then goes on to compare Vembu to Modi and Savukku Shankar.


He also shared a tweet where he attacks Vembu over the alleged abandoning of his wife and special child in the US and that he was preaching to the youth of Tamil Nadu that they must not study and return to their villages in the name of nature and such.


Self-proclaimed social activist Piyush Manush shared a below-the-belt post on the issue.

He called Vembu an RSS stooge and goes on to say that all “Sanghis” are creeps.

Sun News, the mouthpiece of the DMK government also shared a post about the allegations.


The DMK IT wing Tanjore Zonal Incharge, Mayiladuthurai District Coordinator, P.M. Sridhar shared a disgraceful meme in the lines of the “Paridhabangal” video on migrant workers and accuses Vembu of abandoning his family “similar to his Guru”, taking a jibe at PM Narendra Modi who is incorrectly alleged to have abandoned his wife.

It is pertinent to note that Sridhar Vembu has faced criticism from Dravidian activists in the recent past for his endeavours in the Tenkasi region, his association with the BJP, vocal support for PM Modi’s schemes and initiatives, as well as speaking up for the Hindu cause. They also resent his success as a Tamil Brahmin entrepreneur despite the high reservation quota in Tamil Nadu.

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My Festivals Are Not Occasions For Your Virtue-Signalling

By
Anand Krishna
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The attack on Hindu belief system via unethical advertisements has become a common occurrence. Here is a look at instances from the past.

Recently Bharat Matrimony came under fire after their recent advertisement on Holi and International Women’s Day courted controversy over religious sentiments. The advertisement shows a woman washing off the Holi colours from her face and once the colours start to fade, there appear bruises on her skin. And the captions read: “Some colours don’t wash away easy.” Even though the advertisement is thought-provoking, it takes rather an extraordinary route of correlating the Hindu belief system with abuse suffered by women. The violence faced by women in this country is indeed an important issue that needs to be addressed by any means, but, oddly, such a social message is pushed by donning the colours of the Hindu religion; as if it is only during Holi that women are abused. It seems that Hindu festivals like Diwali, Holi, etc are under constant attack, be it in the form of giving Hindu colour to social issues or deliberate attempts to mock the Hindu belief system. These recent events thus give us an impetus to look into instances in the past that have demonstrated offensive attitudes towards the Hindu religion in form of advertisements.

“Idea of secularism should be ‘equality for all and appeasement for none’ and in case of Indian ad industry we can see a constant appeasement of minority and ignorance of the feelings of majority. By propagating pseudo-secularism, the ‘Left-Liberal’ ad agencies and brands conveniently places burden of secularism on already burdened shoulders of poor Hindu community without any obligations from the part of minority communities.”

Wild Stone Advertisement Featuring Bengali Women (2007)


Deodorant ads often use sexual imagery and degrade women to extreme levels. Women, for years, have been protesting such obscene portrayals of their sexuality. Wild Stone deodorant was promoted in an advertisement that caused some controversy. Set amidst the backdrop of Durga Puja, it showed a married woman in traditional Bengali attire being drawn to fantasize about having intercourse with another man right after she bumps into him accidentally, courtesy of the “wild” fragrance. The Bengali community got deeply offended by such blasphemy and protested the defamation of their holy celebrations. 

Manforce Advertisement Featuring Sunny Leone (2017)

A Manforce advertisement featuring Sunny Leone on its poster was released during Navratri to promote condom sales in Gujarat. Later, due to public outrage, the company was forced to withdraw the ad following public outcry. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) urged the then Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan to act against Mankind Pharma and its brand ambassador for misleading consumers. 

“Though they have not used the word condom in their banner but the intention is very clear as the combination of words like ‘play’, ‘love’ and ‘Navratri’ are coined above the large logo of Manforce“, CAIT National Secretary Praveen Khandelwal wrote in the letter. The hoarding showed Leone on one side staring at the text written in Gujarati, “Ya Navratriyon Ramo Parantu Prem Thi”- which translates to, “Play during Navratri but with love”, between two dandiya sticks and above the Manforce logo. “Their large banners in cities across Gujarat are shouting out to encourage youths to use Manforce condoms in the name of Navratri festival,” Khandelwal said. Terming the advertisement as “derogatory”, he further said: “This is a clearly irresponsible and immature attempt to boost sales by putting our cultural value system at stake.”

Jawed Habib’s Ad Featuring Durga (2017)

Habib’s ad featuring the Hindu Goddess Durga and her four children in their salon enjoying a spa day did not settle well with the audience. The advertisement provoked the anger of the Hindu community, who felt that their Gods and Goddesses were always ridiculed in such campaigns. Some people even alleged that Jawed Habib had deliberately insulted Hindu sentiments and called him a Rohingya Muslim on social media. He apologized to the community while assuring them that he had no intention of hurting the sentiments of any community.

Surf Excel’s #RangLaayeSang (2019)

Unilever has faced backlash for its ads that portray Hindu-Muslim harmony during festivals. One ad for Surf Excel detergent showed a Hindu girl protecting a Muslim boy from Holi colours so he could go to the mosque. Another ad for Red Label tea showed a Hindu boy invoking Allah to please his Muslim friend. People accused the company of promoting ‘love jihad’ and insulting Hindu sentiments. They also questioned why Hindus were always shown as needing to be ‘reformed’ by Muslims in such ads.

Red Label Tea Advertisement Of Ganesh Chaturthi (2019)

Red Label tea has been criticised for its ad that shows a Hindu man reluctant to buy a Ganesh idol from a Muslim craftsman during Ganesh Chaturthi. The ad is part of the brand’s campaign to promote ‘togetherness’ and ‘harmony’ among different communities6. However, some people have accused the brand of portraying Hindus as bigots who need to be ‘reformed’ by Muslims and tea. They have also questioned why the brand does not show any other religious groups in a negative light. This is not the first time that Red Label has faced backlash for its ads that depict Hindu-Muslim relations.

Tanishq Advertisement Promoting ‘Love Jihad’ (2020)

 

 A Tanishq ad featuring an interfaith baby shower was pulled off air after a social media backlash. The ad showed a Hindu woman married to a Muslim man and her mother-in-law organising a god-bharai, a Hindu ceremony for her. The ad and the brand were called out for promoting ‘love jihad’ and hurting Hindu sentiments. Social media users cited cases of Hindu women being forced to convert to Islam by their Muslim partners. They also quoted brutal hacking instances where Hindu boys or girls were hacked to death by their Muslim lovers/families. There have also been innumerable instances where Hindu women were forced to convert to Islam and marry Muslim men.

After receiving severe backlash, Tanishq had to pull down the advertisement. In an official statement, the Tanishq spokesperson said, “We are deeply saddened with the inadvertent stirring of emotions and withdraw this film keeping in mind the hurt sentiments and wellbeing of our employees, partners, and store staff.”

Fab India Diwali Advertisement Campaign (2021)

Fabindia faced online outrage over its Diwali ad that used an Urdu phrase. The clothing brand tweeted an ad for its festive collection, calling it ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ (celebration of customs). Several social media users called out the brand for hurting the Hindu community’s sentiments and demanded a boycott of Fabindia. The brand later deleted the tweet 

Advertisement by AU Small Finance Bank (2022)

 

AU Bank faced criticism for its ad featuring Aamir Khan and Kiara Advani. Director Vivek Agnihotri took to Twitter to question the ad rolled out by the bank featuring actors Aamir Khan and Kiara Advani. Agnihotri tweeted, “I just fail to understand since when banks have become responsible for changing social and religious traditions?” The ad showed a Hindu wedding where the groom, played by Khan, moved into his bride’s house after Vidaai. The ad claimed to promote change and gender equality. However, it only came off as if the bank was disrespecting Hindu traditions. AU Bank later withdrew the ad from Twitter.

Dabur ‘Lesbian Karwa Chauth’ Advertisement (2021)

 

Another advertisement by Dabur that showed a lesbian couple celebrating Karwa Chauth landed the brand in trouble. Dabur’s new ad for its bleaching product featured a lesbian couple preparing for their first Karwa Chauth. The ad aimed to normalise same-sex relationships, but it backfired. The LGBTQ community slammed the ad for endorsing a “regressive” festival and a fair-skin obsession. The ad offended both the supporters and the critics of Karwa Chauth. The former disliked the brand’s promotion of fair skin, while the latter denounced the festival as a backward practice. Karwa Chauth has often faced scorn and ridicule from the liberals. Karwa Chauth has often been criticised by the left-liberals as a festival that promotes patriarchy. By contrast, they maintain a deafening silence when it comes to calling out traditions of other religions that are patently racist, misogynistic, and regressive.

The idea of secularism should be ‘equality for all and appeasement for none’ and in the case of the Indian ad industry we can see constant minority appeasement and ignorance of the feelings of majority. By propagating pseudo-secularism, the ‘Left-Liberal’ ad agencies and brands conveniently place the burden of secularism on already burdened shoulders of the poor Hindu community without any obligations from the part of minority communities.

The idea of secularism should be ‘equality for all and appeasement for none’ and in the case of the Indian ad industry we can see constant minority appeasement and ignorance of the feelings of majority. By propagating pseudo-secularism, the ‘Left-Liberal’ ad agencies and brands conveniently place the burden of secularism on already burdened shoulders of the poor Hindu community without any obligations from the part of minority communities.

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MM Keeravani: A RRRaga Unto Himself And His Different Sagas

By
Shivani
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From the Telugu MM Keeravani to the Tamil Maragathamani and the Hindi M M Kreem, to the world-renowned Golden Globe and the Oscars. It has been an arduous, stressful yet artistically satisfying journey for the music director of the now globally known “Naatu, Naatu” song from SS Rajamouli’s mega global celluloid showpiece, RRR.

Koduri MarakathaMani Keeravani (MM Keeravani) was born on the 4th of July, 1961, in Kovvur, near Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh’s Godavari district. 

Humble Beginnings

MM Keeravani’s journey to success began when he was just 10 years old, playing the violin for the Pranalingam Accordion Party, a travelling band from Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. His musical talent drew crowds, and he often performed a solo version of “Ek Pyaar ka Nagma hai,” impressing audiences with his skills. However, it was a case of misheard lyrics that helped him perfect the song – he thought the second line went ‘Maujo keeravani hai’ instead of ‘Maujo ki ravaani hai’, a common mistake among those growing up on Hindi film music.

His Artistic Family

MM Keeravani comes from a family with a variety of artistic passions – music, painting, storytelling, song lyrics, script writing, and film direction!! However, all his talented family members have had to work hard, withstand financial pressures, persevere with their creative pursuits, and overcome several technical and economic hurdles before their talents finally got recognition, appreciation, and reward. Keeravani’s father and the now well-known film director, SS Rajamouli’s (Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli) father are brothers, artists in their own right, and certainly, appear to have passed on their creative passions to their respective sons. 

Keeravani’s father is Koduri Siva Shakthi Datta (birth name: Koduri Subba Rao) a lyricist, screenwriter, and painter who works in Telugu cinema. In Telugu films, the lyrics he wrote were commonly based on Sanskrit. Inclined towards the arts from an early age, he ran away from his landlord father’s home in Andhra and joined Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai, from where he graduated with a diploma two years later. His passion for films led him to move to Madras/Chennai when the Telugu film industry still operated from there before its move to Hyderabad. Keeravani’s father found recognition and reward late in life and as the future would have it, Keeravani also had his share of struggles before his hard-earned break in 1990. 

From Maragathamani To Kreem And Finally Keeravani: A Composer With Multiple Names And Talents

M M Keeravani was how he was known in the Telugu film industry. He called himself Maragathamani in the Tamil film industry and was known as MM Kreem in Bollywood. Some of his well-known compositions in Telugu, Tamil, or Hindi have been enjoyed by millions in India as brooding, melodious tunes, with total absorption in the tune, leaving the music composer in near obscurity!

In Tamil, the song “Sangeetha Swarangal Ezhezhu Kanakka” from the K Balachander movie, Azhagan, is a MM Keeravani super hit song. In fact, the same film was a musical chartbuster – other songs such as ‘Saathi Malli Poocharame’ and the Thathithom song from the same film are still popular among the people. In Hindi, the mellifluous “Tum Mile Dil Khile” from the Mahesh Bhat-directed movie “Criminal” is another chart-busting, pan-Indian super hit song composed by MM Keeravani, whose name remained unknown but his songs earned a place in the hearts of music aficionados. 

For die-hard music lovers in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and the Telugu states, the heavenly notes he struck with songs in the Sridevi-Arvind Swamy starrer ‘Devaraagam’ are all-time favourites – Ya Ya, Yadava, Devaraagam, Sisirakaala Meghamidhuna.

Unforgettable tunes for Telugu audiences range from his path-breaking music for Kshana Kshanam, Pelli Sandadi, Seetharamayya Gari Manavaralu, Garana Mogudu, Sundarakanda, Rakshana, Student No 1, Vikramudu, Yamadonga, Magadheera, and numerous others to the divine ragas in the biopics of the Hindu saints, Sri Annamayya, and Sri Ramadasu. 

One interesting anecdote about how his names caused confusion – MM Keeravani, who composed for several films produced by media baron Ramoji Rao, reportedly had a disagreement with one of the directors and expressed his desire to opt out of the project. This did not sit well with Rao, who may have viewed it as unprofessional. In a conversation with his associates, Rao expressed his intention to replace Keeravani with a new composer who had caught his attention – a certain MM Kreem. However, one of Rao’s associates revealed to Keeravani that MM Kreem was, in fact, Keeravani himself!

How Keeravani Became Kreem

His career took a dramatic turn when he was 33 and his wife was expecting their child. His guru advised him to live like a hermit for 18 months to avoid a fatal danger. A devout follower of Shiva, he obeyed his guru and gave up his worldly possessions and pleasures, he even lived away from his wife. During this period, he met Kumar Sanu, a popular singer, and collaborated with him on the song “Tu Mile Dil Khile”. The song became a huge hit and marked the debut of MM Kreem, an alias suggested by his guru. Keeravani is said to have been inspired by Stephen King, who also wrote under two names.

Keeravani And Rajamouli

Bahubali and RRR movie Director SS Rajamouli’s father is Koduri Viswa Vijayendra Prasad, a screenwriter and film director who predominantly works in the Telugu film industry. He has worked as a screenwriter for more than 25 films, most of which were commercial successes. His notable work as a screenwriter includes films like Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), Manikarnika (2019) in Hindi, and the original Baahubali series and RRR in Telugu. 

The rest of Keeravani’s family’s artistic talents have been recognized too. Music composer and singer Kalyani Malik is his brother and M M Srilekha, the music composer, is his cousin. Keeravani’s older son, Kaala Bhairava is a music director and playback singer. 

Underrated In The Hindi Film Industry

Despite being underrated, Keeravani’s work in Hindi films has endured, with songs that stand the test of time. His later work on films such as Special 26 continued to showcase his exceptional talent. However, it was the success of the two-part epic film series Bahubali that truly changed Keeravani’s fortunes. The film’s grandeur, featuring a confluence of folk, military music, shlokas, and sweet melodies mounted on a symphony structure, was a historic success that made Keeravani and his entire family household names.

How Bahubali Brought Him Back

Keeravani decided to retire in 2014 after being dissatisfied with the quality of his projects. He poured his heart and soul into Bahubali, a two-part epic that he considered his masterpiece and his final work. 

Bahubali, which was supposed to be Keeravani’s swan song, turned out to be the biggest success, and the acclaim the film received made him change his mind. This led him to abandon his retirement plans, and he continues to create incredible music to this day.

Awards And Accolades

M M Keeravani’s awards and accolades are an impressive list and include both national and international ones: 

Indian: a National Film award, 8 Filmfare awards, 11 Nandi awards (Tollywood – Andhra and Telangana state awards), a Padmashree.

Western/global: Critics Choice Movie award, Los Angeles Film Critics Association award, a Golden Globe award, and the most internationally coveted Oscar “Academy” award. 

Here is a complete list of M M Keeravani’s music compositions. 

Keeravani: A RRRaga to riches tale of a musical genius

Keeravani’s story is one of perseverance, passion, and talent. Rising from humble beginnings as a child violinist to become one of the most celebrated composers in India, he faced many challenges and hardships in his career, but he never gave up on his musical dreams. He created songs in different languages and genres and won the hearts of millions of listeners. He reached the pinnacle of his success with Bahubali, a historic film that showcased his musical genius and now his work has got international recognition through the Oscar award for Naatu Naatu. He is a living legend and an inspiration for many aspiring musicians.

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Minors At Orphanage In Nagapattinam Sexually Abused, Home Sealed But Accused Gets Bail

By
The Commune
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Owner of a Christian missionary-funded home in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu Karibeeran Parameswaran,  who has been accused of sexual abuse of inmates and facing POCSO charges, got anticipatory bail along with his wife, her brother, and two others.

Following a complaint of sexual harassment and abuse at the Nagai Christian Home, 30 children in the Children Home were moved to another Home.

Nambikkai (Hands of Hope) Home for the Orphans of Tsunami, run by Parameswaran and his wife Choodamani, has been functioning on New Beach Road, Kadambadi in Nagapattinam. There were 15 girls and 15 boys under the age of 18 living in the home.

A girl who left the home lodged a complaint at the Nagapattinam All Women Police Station on February 23. In her complaint, she said that the children in the shelter are being sexually harassed and tortured. The All Women Police Station registered a case in this regard and investigated the matter.

After getting the necessary orders from the court, Revenue Department officials headed by Assistant Collector and Child Protection Officer Uma Maheshwari went to the orphanage, examined the children there, and learnt that the complaint was true.

Following this, the children from the orphanage were transferred to Annai Satya Illam, a government children’s home. After questioning the employees, authorities sealed the Christian orphanage. Police are looking for the owners Parameshwaran and Choodamani, who were absconding.

According to reports, all of the accused in the case were government employees, which allowed them to prosper without getting caught while getting corporate social responsibility funds from Central government institutions and through through Lion Club, Rotary Club etc.

Though Parameswaran was getting funds from corporate companies, he avoided getting funds directly and routed them through the Christian orphanage. It is alleged that a ruling party MLA, who is a Christian and stirred controversy by garlanding the prime accused in the Thirukattupalli suicide case, is extending his support and protection to the accused.

According to a local BJP leader, the wife of Dharmalingam (Nambikkai Home’s secretary), who works as a lab technician in the district medical college hospital where the victims were medically tested, is attempting to manipulate the lab results in favor of the accused. He continued by saying that Parameswaran’s brother-in-law, who works in the district collector’s office in Nagapattinam, is allegedly using his connections to ensure the case is weakened. He further added that Parameswaran ‘s political, social and other connections helped him in this case.

It is reported that the Nagai court granted anticipatory bail to all of the accused in the case.

(with inputs from Dinamani)

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Tenkasi: Board Of Street Named After PM Modi Removed

By
The Commune
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It is pretty common to name streets and roads after freedom fighters, politicians, and even our colonisers. Some time ago, a street in Tenkasi that was named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi went viral on social media.

Over the weekend, Tamil Nadu BJP Secretary SG Suryah shared a photo of himself standing next to the name board of this street in Tenkasi on Twitter.

This seems to have been noticed by the administration and by the next morning, it was noted that corporation staff was seen uprooting the board. It is not known who named the street so and exactly when it happened.

This comes as an irony because there are plenty of such streets and localities named after M Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister of the state, even when he was in power. The East Coast Road was renamed “Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar Karunanidhi Salai” last year by the current Chief Minister, MK Stalin.

There was also an attempt to name Manakkalam Street in Karur (Ward 36) after Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of the current Chief Minister but was later withdrawn by the corporation.

The DMK government tried renaming ‘South Car Street’ in Thiruvarur after late former CM Karunanidhi but withdrew after severe resistance from public.

It is to be noted that removing name boards and renaming streets and localities is not happening for the first time by the DMK government. As soon as they came to power, the DMK ensured that welfare schemes started by the previous AIADMK government under J Jayalalithaa, such as Amma Unavagam (canteens) formulated by her in 2013, were shut down and stripped of their name. There was a buzz that it would be renamed Kalaignar Unavagam canteen but it did not happen so far. Many Amma canteens and Amma clinic were shut down after the DMK government came to power.

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BBC Asks Gary Lineker To “Stay Away” After He Tweets Against Govt

By
The Commune
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Gary Lineker, football fans might recognise, is one of the most popular and respected sports broadcasters in the UK. He has been presenting the BBC’s Match of the Day, a football highlights show, since 1999. However, he recently announced that he would “step back” from the role until an agreement is reached on his social media use.

The reason for this decision was an impartiality row that erupted over his tweets criticising the UK government’s new asylum policy.

The policy, which was unveiled in March 2023 by Suella Braverman, aims to deter illegal crossings and make it harder for people to claim asylum in the UK.

Lineker, who has been vocal about his support for refugees and migrants, tweeted that “There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?”

The BBC, which claims to have strict guidelines on impartiality and social media use for its staff and contributors, said that it considered Lineker’s tweets to be a breach of its rules. It said that it had discussions with Lineker and his team in recent days, and decided that he would step back from presenting Match of the Day until a clear position on his social media use was agreed upon.

The decision sparked a backlash from football fans and celebrities who expressed their support for Lineker and his views. Some fans threatened to boycott the show, while others praised Lineker for speaking his mind.

The controversy also had an impact on the BBC’s weekend football coverage, as some pundits and commentators pulled out of their roles in protest. Jason Mohammad and Alex Scott, who were supposed to host Final Score and Football Focus respectively, refused to appear on air. The BBC said that it respected their decision.

The BBC also released a statement saying that it valued Lineker’s contribution to its football coverage and hoped to resolve the issue soon. It said that it recognised that social media was an important platform for its presenters and contributors to engage with audiences, but that it also expected them to uphold its editorial standards.

The case of Gary Lineker raises questions about how much freedom of expression/freedom of speech one is allowed to exercise. A few months back when BBC tried to release a biased documentary on Modi and the Godhra riots and it met with opposition, it gave long sermons on media freedom and the like, but like a true soldier of the British government, it did not stop and apply those principles of media freedom to its own staff.

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Startup Tenkasi: 3 Small Town Startups Get Wings To Fly High

By
The Commune
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Featured Image Courtesy: SG Suryah Twitter

BJP TamilNadu Overseas Tamil Cell’s #StartupTenkasi Programme concluded at Essaki Mahal, Tenkasi on March 12, 2022.

200 startup ideas were pitched at the event, which was a first-of-its-kind initiative by BJP Tamil Nadu. Twelve finalists were selected after rigorous evaluations.

The event on Sunday was attended by Padmashri Sridhar Vembu, founder of Zoho, and other members of the BJP, including Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship of India, Rajeev Chandrasekar (who attended virtually). During his address, Rajeev Chandrasekhar discussed India’s Startup India initiatives. Sridhar Vembu, founder of Zoho, praised the quality of the startup ideas. Aside from motivating the crowd of youngsters and students, he urged them to be endlessly curious.

Winners of the competition were awarded cash prizes, and Mr. Vembu hosted a dinner for the finalists.

PM Narendra Modi’s pathbreaking initiatives to encourage startups in India were highlighted by the speakers at the event. Since 2016, 80,152 startups have been launched in India, providing jobs to lakhs of people. Currently, India ranks third in the number of unicorns, second in the number of startups, and first in the number of startups emerging every day. Among 23 companies, 13 became unicorns in 2022, by becoming profitable.

The event featured the growth story of Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership. Several young entrepreneurs from different parts of India attended the event to showcase their innovative ideas and gain recognition.

Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai was unable to attend the event owing to illness, he shared a tweet regretting his inability to participate.

The top 3 winners were Jeeva Fabtech, Five Max, and Microzoom zones, and were awarded a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, ₹50,000, and ₹25,000 respectively.

Startup Tenkasi is an initiative aimed at making Tenkasi the Estonia of India. Located in northern Europe, Estonia is one of the most technologically advanced countries. A number of innovative educational models, virtual businesses, and digital citizenship are the hallmarks of the country. Tallinn, the capital, has a vibrant start-up ecosystem. Video service Skype was created in Estonia, revolutionizing the way the world communicates, similarly, Tenkasi is the home of Zoho Desk, a successful software product of Zoho Corporation.

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Kerala’s Communist CM Hails Chinese President Xi Jinping On His Re-election

By
The Commune
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Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala’s Chief Minister, member of the Politburo of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) showered praises on Chinese President Xi Jinping on his re-election.

In a tweet, Pinarayi wished his comrade across the border saying “Revolutionary greetings to President Xi Jinping on his re-election as the President of the People’s Republic of China.”

He also implied that under Xi Jinping’s leadership, “China has emerged as a prominent voice in global politics”.

“Best wishes for the continued efforts to achieve a more prosperous China.”, Pinarayi Vijayan wrote in his tweet.

Earlier on 27 August 2021 the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Tamil Nadu sent out a tweet applauding the Chinese government for administering 200 million doses while looking the other way when India achieved several milestones in the vaccination drive. This came at a time when India and China were at loggerheads over the border in Eastern Ladakh.

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DMK Councillor’s Goons Stone Man To Death

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The Commune
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Featured Image Credits: OpIndia

A property dispute in Tiruvallur ended with one of the men involved being killed. It is alleged that aides of a DMK councillor Elango who was involved in the property dispute pelted a man named Balamurugan with stones ultimately killing him.

This gruesome act was caught on CCTV camera and seems to show the councillor also in the midst.

The DMK councillor in question, Elango of Ward No. 17 in Ponneri, Tiruvallur district, was related to the person who was killed. Two women, Gayatri and Nandini, were involved in the dispute and are also related. Nandhini, the owner of an ancestral house, allegedly attacked her tenant who is also her niece, Gayathri, with a knife. Gayathri had earlier lodged a police complaint against Nandhini for evicting her from the house over some disagreement.

The property dispute escalated when Nandhini locked the house and refused to let Gayathri in. Nandhini was backed by local DMK councilor Elango and his associates, including Ernavur Hariharan. They allegedly assaulted Gayathri and her sister Keerthi outside the house. Gayathri’s relatives Robert and Balamurugan came to her rescue and helped her file a police complaint, as reported by Polimer News.

Balamurugan had helped his friend Gayathri file a complaint with the Ponneri police against DMK councillor Elango and his aides for threatening her over her ancestral property. The police had reportedly dismissed the complaint as a civil matter and ignored the CCTV footage submitted by Gayathri. Enraged by this, Elango and his aides Vinod Kumar, Rajkiran, and Dilip Kumar confronted Balamurugan and his friend Robert and pelted stones at them.  Robert managed to escape with injuries but Balamurugan succumbed to his wounds. While the police have arrested the aides Vinod Kumar and Rajkiran, Dilip Kumar is still at large.

Another such “family dispute” occurred in February this year, when Army Jawan Lance Naik M Prabhu was killed by another DMK councillor Chinnaswamy after an argument at Velampatti near Pochampally because Prabhu washed clothes near the panchayat water tank.

While Chinnaswamy was arrested and a case filed against him for murder, the DMK councillor Elango involved in this killing is still free and no action has been taken yet.

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