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TN in tension: Sasikala released, Jayalalithaa memorial inaugrated on the same day

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The Commune
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An air of tension prevails over Tamil Nadu, as the memorial dedicated to former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday (January 27). This coincided with the release of V K Sasikala, the former aide to Jayalalithaa and former general secretary of the AIADMK. It is important to note that her release comes just months before the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

Sasikala was formally released from the central jail in Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara after jail officials wearing PPE kits completed the formalities at the hospital. But, she will be spending a few more days at the Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, as she was recently diagnosed with COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the new memorial for Jayalalithaa has been opened to the public by the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister. This memorial has been constructed near the MGR Memorial in the Marina beach and is said to have state of the art amenities.

Since this was scheduled on the same day as the release of Sasikala, there was a looming uncertainty about a potential shift in power dynamics that could happen following her release. While the AIADMK led by CM Palaniswami and Deputy CM O. Panneerselvam have stated that Sasikala’s release would not have any impact on the ground, it is expected that at least a ripple would be created in the party. It is expected that Sasikala will be joining the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), which was founded as a separate party by Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dhinakaran.

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India will be the only major economy to witness a double-digit growth

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The Commune
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Indian Economy In Robust Spot Globally In 2025 With High Frequency Indicators Picking Up Growth

As India celebrated its 72nd Republic Day, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that India’s economic growth will surpass all the major global economies in the next fiscal year, reports Economic Times.

According to the IMF, India is the only country expected to witness a double-digit growth of 11.5 per cent next year. It is projected that India will carry forward the trend in the financial year of 2023 and the Indian economy is expected to witness a 6.8 per cent rise, which will be the highest among all major economies, according to the IMF.

The latest forecast by the IMF is an upward revision on the IMF’s earlier projections that estimated the Indian economy to grow at the rate of 8.8 per cent in FY22.

“Notable revisions to the forecast include the one for India (2.7 percentage points for 2021 [FY22]), reflecting carryover from a stronger-than-expected recovery in 2020 after lockdowns were eased,” the IMF said.

The IMF in its World Economic Outlook (WEO) report has also said that the policy support and vaccines are expected to lift economic activity across the world.

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Microsoft sees growth in Azure cloud computing and xbox

By
The Commune
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Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Microsoft Corp on Tuesday (January 26) reported that its Azure cloud computing services grew 50 per cent. This has been attributed because of the accelerated switch to cloud-based computing, benefiting Microsoft and rivals such as Amazon.com Inc’s cloud unit and Alphabet Inc’s Google Cloud.

The second quarter saw the business grow after the software maker’s investment on working and learning from home, reports Hindustan Times.

The company’s shares rose 5 per cent in extended trading after gaining about 41 per cent in 2020 as COVID-19 shifted computing to areas where the software maker has bet big.

“This was really driven by continued customer demand, with stronger-than-expected consumption as customers have increased their focus on digital transformation,” Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood told Reuters in an interview.

It also saw a surprise recovery and growth in sales on the LinkedIn professional social network and navigated a chip shortage that had threatened to hold back its Xbox business.

In November last year, Microsoft released two new Xbox consoles, but the hardware proved difficult to find due to a global semiconductor shortage contributing to tight stocks. However, Xbox hardware sales were up 86% despite the shortages and, as per analysts, the growth is likely to continue as the older models are also contributing to sales.

“Demand still outpaces supply, and we do expect that to continue,” Hood said. “The team did a nice job of getting consoles, both of this newest generation as well as continuing to sell the older generation, which provides a great value for gamers.”

Microsoft’s overall revenue rose to $43.08 billion in the second quarter ended December 31, from $36.91 billion a year earlier, beating analysts’ estimates of $40.18 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

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Construction of mosque in Ayodhya begins with hoisting of the national flag

By
The Commune
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In Ayodhya, the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation yesterday (January 26) commenced the work for construction of a mosque by hoisting the national flag.

The Supreme Court in November 2019, paved the for the construction of a grand Ram Temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. In the same judgment, it ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to allot five acres of land in Ayodhya to the Sunny Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque.

Subsequently, the government provided five acres of land near Ayodhya. The ‘Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation’ was set up on behalf of the Sunni Waqf Board to build a mosque on this land, the work for which began yesterday.

Zufar Ahmed Farooqi, President of the Islamic Cultural Foundation of India, hoisted the national flag and planted saplings along with the 12 members of the Foundation to commence the beginning of the construction of the mosque.

“Soil testing is going on in the ground and once the test results come out and the map is approved, construction will start. People are already funding the construction of the mosque,” he said. Last month, the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation released a blueprint for the new mosque, which will include a hospital, library, community hall and museum.

“In 2026, BJP will have its CM sitting in Ft. St. George”: BJP TN leader Annamalai

By
The Commune
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Feature Image: Representational Image

BJP Tamil Nadu Vice President K. Annamalai said that in 2026, the party would storm to power and Tamil Nadu would have its Chief Minister from the BJP. 

“In Tamil Nadu, in 2026, a BJP Chief Minister will be at the fort [Ft. St. George]” Annamalai said.

Speaking at the Kumbabhishekam ceremony at the Badreswari Amman Temple in Mallankodu, near Thingalsandhai, Kumari district, he said: “Here, school curriculums are such that Tamil Nadu was formed only after the birth of E.V.R [known as Periyar by his followers]. There is nothing about the Alwars, Nayanmars, Rajaraja Chozha, Pandyas, etc. During the Congress rule, in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra alone, 50,000 farmers committed suicide.”

“In Tamil Nadu, under the DMK regime, in 2009 alone, 1,060 farmers committed suicide. On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is giving dignity to farmers and increasing the standard of their living. PM Modi talks about Thirukkural, Kamba Ramayanam, Kaniyin Poongundran, when he goes to the United Nations and Chinese border.”, he said.

“In the coming elections, more BJP MLAs will go to the Assembly. In 2026, a BJP Chief Minister will be sitting in the fort”. Annamalai said.

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Padma Shri conferred on the man who conquered Computers and Vedas alike

By
The Commune
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Dr RL Kashyap, the man who conquered the extremes of Computers and Vedas as though it were child’s play, has been conferred with Padma Shri by the Central Government.

He has a Masters degree from IISc Bengaluru and a PhD from Harvard. He is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Emeritus at Purdue University, US. He has to his credit a large number of international awards like the King-Sun Fu award, JC Bose Award etc for his contribution to machine intelligence. He has guided over 30 doctoral students at Purdue University. He has published over 250 advanced research papers in international journals. His doctoral work “Ho-Kashyap Algorithms” is studied as text to this day in several universities the world over.

What would a man like him have anything to do with Vedas, which are a world apart? Dr Kashyap is a man who has conquered both ends of the spectrum. He was drawn to the work of Aurobindo and Kapali Sastri, and his translations and interpretations of the Vedas are inspired by their works after a visit by Madhav Pandit while he was in the US, pursuing his masters. He later went on to become the founder of SAKSHI – Sri Aurobindo Kapali Sastry Institute of Vedic Culture, a centre for any enthusiast to learn all about the Vedas.

Dr Kashyap has also translated all the four Vedas – a total of over 25,000 shlokas, into English in over 18 volumes. Along with that he has published over 25 books on various topics, in English and all of them are translated to Kannada, Telugu and Tamil. He has relentlessly carried on the work of Sri Aurobindo and Kapali Sastry.

At 80 years old, Dr Kashyap never ceases to be a source of amazement for the young and old alike, as he is still up and about, researching and writing books. The Central Government has conferred him with the Padma Shri to commend his achievements.

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Who is Pappammal, the centenarian who has been awarded a Padma Shri?

By
Vaibavi Jayakumar
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Feature Image Credits: Fusion WeRIndia

On the list of the Padma Shri awardees was the name Pappammal, a 105-year-old woman who received this prestigious honour for her work in agriculture. This centenarian was a pioneer in the field of agriculture and has lived through two World Wars, and now a global pandemic.

She was born in 1914 in the Devalapuram village of the Mettupalayam district near Coimbatore. She was entirely raised by her paternal grandmother in Thekkampatti, after having lost her parents at a very young age. She started farming when she was an adolescent, on her 10 acres of farmland, which she claimed was ‘everything to her’. She cultivates millets, pulses, vegetables and such in an entirely organic procedure, and runs her own provision store and eatery, where she sells her produce.

In the earlier stages, she used to visit the Tamilnadu Agricultural University to learn about the new agricultural practices and get subsidised pesticides and such. Later, when she realised the harmful effects that it caused, she switched entirely to conventional farming techniques.

She joined the DMK in her thirties, and has been a member of the party for the past 72 years. She has also held various positions. She was elected as the Village Councillor of Thekkampatti after the Tamilnadu Panchayat Act was passed in 1958, and became the first village head after this act in 1959. Despite all of this, it is noteworthy that there were no dirty politics involved by the Central Government run by the NDA while conferring her with the honour, in accordance with the work she has done, and not which party she belongs to.

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‘Shanthi Gears Subramaniam’ gets awarded the Padma Shri posthumously

By
The Commune
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Subramanian, the ‘Gear Man of Coimbatore’ as he was affectionately called, and the founder of Shanthi Gears, and Shanti Social Service, a philanthropic trust engaged in free medical services for the needy, has been posthumously conferred with the Padma Shri. He passed away on December 11 last year.

Subramanian, or P Subramani, was a diploma graduate from PSG Polytechnic in the 1960s. He had then joined PSG Polytechnic as a lecturer in the late 1960s. While working there, he started a workshop to pursue his interest in machines. This pushed him to establish Shanthi Engineering and Trading Co in Coimbatore to manufacture small gears in 1969, as the machinery piqued his interest. In 1972, Subramanian converted it into a private company by name of Shanthi Gear Products (Private) Limited, which focussed on manufacturing gears to serve the textile sector. He grew the company into the largest in the gears sector by the 200os. This company went on to produce gears for industries such as power steel, and aviation. It was later acquired by the Murugappa group in 2012.

Following this, Subramanian shifted all of his energy into running Shanthi Social Service, a non-profit, charity trust that he cofounded in 1996. This trust helped in providing quality healthcare services free of cost to those in need, along with medicines, ambulance services and such. Lakhs of people have been benefited by this initiative, and a lot more still are reaping the fruits of this endeavour.

In addition to this, the foundation also runs a canteen which served free food to 300 senior citizens every day, apart from selling food for a nominal price for others. The foundation also runs a diagnostic centre, a blood bank, an eye-care centre, and an LPG crematorium. Subramanian worked tirelessly to keep the ‘gears’ running for this charity organisation, till his last breath in December.

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Noted Tamil scholar and beloved debate moderator Solomon Pappaiah conferred with Padma Shri

By
The Commune
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Solomon Pappaiah, television’s most belove debate moderator, has been enlisted for the prestigious Padma Shri award. The 84-year-old Tamil Scholar was awarded under the Literature and Education (Journalism) field and is a household name for being the moderator of patti mandrams, or Tamil debates, that have been aired in Tamil channels for the past two decades. He has earned a great amount of praise for lacing his observations on patriarchy and equality with humour, so as to deliver a healthy message without provoking offence or hate.

Pappaiah comes from a very humble economic background, where completing graduation in itself was a challenge. But, he was determined to study further, and joined Madurai’s Thiagarajar College to pursue a Post-Graduation in Tamil and became the first batch of M.A Tamil students. He rose to the position of Head of Department for Tamil in American college and extended his Tamil literature knowledge to all people through various forums. Eventually, he created a social awakening in the evolution of Patti Mandrams. He has also written and directed plays at college.

Pappaiah, who is a native of Tirunelveli, is an eminent Tamil scholar and has been known for being a prolific writer. He has written and published several books, and articles in Tamil. He has been serving as a professor of Tamil literature for more than two decades, and is an accomplished orator, in addition to being a moderator. In addition to being a constant presence in Tamil Television debates, he has also been seen in a few Tamil movies and has done quite a few radio shows.

He was awarded the Kalaimamani by the Tamilnadu government, and the Mutthamizh Perarignar award by the Annamalai University in Karaikudi, amongst others.

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Chennai’s famous ‘2 rupees doctor’ gets conferred with Padma Shri posthumously

By
The Commune
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Anyone who is from Chennai would easily recognise the name Thiruvengadam Veeraraghavan, or the ‘2 rupees doctor’ as he is affectionately referred to as. He died in August 2020 at the age of 70, catered to patients from north Chennai, has been. Born to Veeraraghavan, a farmer, and Radhabai, he did his schooling in Thyagaraya School and medicine from the Government Stanley Medical College. Hailing from a humble background, he was committed to helping the poor and downtrodden.

A resident of Vyasarpadi in Chennai, he had pursued medicine from a government medical college free of cost and hence intended to serve the poor for free in Vyasarpadi and Erukkancheri areas initially for ₹2 and for ₹5 after many years until his last breath. Every day, from 8 pm to 10 pm, he attended to patients in Erukancherry area, and from 10 pm to beyond midnight in Vyasarpadi area in the city.

Because of his low fees, he soon became very popular. But, this was met with backlash from his peers in the neighbourhood, who got together and protested, demanding he take at least Rs 100 as consultation fee. But, he was unfazed by it, and continued his service. In fact, he stopped accepting a fee from his patients after this incident. They could pay him just about anything — small sums they could afford, eatables, or nothing at all.

His wife Saraswathi worked as a railway officer and retired from service a few years ago. His son T Deepak and daughter T Preethi studied medicine in a college in Mauritius. Veeraraghavan hoped to get all his family members to work with him and fulfil his dream to build a hospital in Vyasarpadi and serve its residents. Unfortunately, he passed away before the realization of his dream last year. He has now been posthumously awarded the Padma Shri by the Central Government.

(Source: YourStory)

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TheCommune
The Commune is a news and views portal focusing on social and political issues of the southern part of India with a focus on Tamil Nadu.
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