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“God of Hair Cutting” And “Begged” Awards: Dravidian Model TNPSC Exam Papers Riddled With Errors, Careless Translations

By
The Commune
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The Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) is facing criticism once again over questions in the Junior Assistant Draftsman exam that contained allegedly erroneous English translations, sparking controversy among candidates and the wider public.

One question concerned Ayya Vaikundar, also known as Mudichoodum Perumal, a revered spiritual figure. In the English translation of the question paper, he was referred to as “the god of hair cutting,” which critics described as careless and disrespectful.

Another question about the People’s Health Care Scheme reportedly mistranslated the scheme’s achievements. A statement originally noting that the scheme received recognition from the United Nations in 2024 was translated as “It begged the United Nations Interagency Task Force Awards in the year 2024,” drawing further criticism.

Tamil Nadu BJP leader Annamalai condemned the errors on his social media account, saying that they reflect a lack of seriousness in preparing questions for government exams and undermine the aspirations of youth preparing for TNPSC jobs. He wrote, “It is the dream of millions of youth to crack the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) exam and get a government job. Since the DMK came to power, the government job dream of the youth of Tamil Nadu has been shattered due to many irregularities and irregularities, such as not conducting the TNPSC exams on time, not publishing the exam results properly, and due to many irregularities and irregularities. Yesterday, in the TNPSC exam held for the post of Junior Assistant Draftsman, in the English translation of the question about Ayya Vaikundar, the name of Ayya Vaikundar, known as Mudichoodu Perumal, was translated as “the god of hair cutting”. It is strongly condemned that another name of Ayya Vaikundar, who is worshipped by crores of people, was translated so carelessly and irresponsibly in the Tamil Nadu government exam. In addition, in another question, to find out the correct claims of the medical scheme by searching for people, the phrase ‘It received an award from the United Nations in 2024’ has been translated as “It Begged the United Nations award” – begging. Since DMK leaders have been claiming to have received non-existent awards for a long time, and have been misleading people by falsely claiming that everything they bought with money, such as an Austrian stamp and an Oxford photograph, is an award, it is understandable that those who prepared this question may have been confused. However, such carelessness when preparing questions for government service exams shows how much the DMK government thinks about the future of the youth of Tamil Nadu. Not all youth, like the Gopalapuram family, want to come to the top without any qualifications. The DMK government should stop humiliating the youth who work hard for government service exams.”

A Pattern of Politicization

This is not an isolated incident. Over the past year, TNPSC exams have repeatedly included politically loaded questions that critics say promote DMK’s agenda:

TNPSC Exam Paper Mirrors DMK’s Political Narrative

In August 2025, a controversy stemmed from a question in the Technical Services Examination (Non-Interview Post) held on 17 August 2025, which directly blamed the Union Government for withholding funds from Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme (SSS), a politically charged framing that aligns with the DMK’s rhetoric against the Centre. The question in the Reason and Assertion section read:

Assertion [A]: Tamil Nadu has long resisted the imposition of Hindi in government schools and hence refused to join the Prime Minister Schools for Rising India (PMSRI). Therefore, the Union Government has withheld funds under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme (SSS).

Reason [R]: Though the Union government acknowledged Tamil Nadu’s two-language policy, it seeks to influence subjects in the Concurrent List through the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which the Tamil Nadu government opposes as an attack on federalism.

Critics argued that the question frames the Centre as the villain while uncritically endorsing the DMK’s stance, raising concerns over whether TNPSC is functioning as an extension of the ruling party’s propaganda machinery.

“Thayumanavar” Controversy (Group 2A Exam, 2025)

A question asked which scheme made people call the Chief Minister “Thayumanavar“, with options listing DMK welfare schemes like Makkaludan Mudhalvar and School Breakfast Program.

Critics slammed it as sycophantic, arguing that exams should test governance knowledge, not propaganda.

Freedom Fighter Vilified (Group 1 Exam, July 2024)

A question labeled Vanchinathan, a Tamil freedom fighter who assassinated British official Robert Ashe, as a “first accused” in a murder case, echoing colonial-era rhetoric rather than honoring his role in the independence struggle.

UNESCO’s “Socrates of South Asia” Myth (Group 1 Exam, 2024)

A question falsely claimed E.V. Ramasamy (Periyar) was certified by UNESCO as the “Socrates of South Asia”, despite UNESCO denying ever giving such a title.

The DMK has long pushed this debunked claim, and TNPSC’s inclusion of it raised eyebrows.

Selective Erasure of Caste Surnames (Group 1 Exam, 2025)

While DMK leaders like Annadurai and Periyar were mentioned without caste surnames, others including Subbarayalu Reddiar, V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, and Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy were explicitly identified by caste.

This hypocrisy contradicts the DMK’s claim of abolishing caste identities, exposing its political opportunism.

The present controversy has reignited debates over the DMK’s influence on autonomous bodies, with many questioning whether Tamil Nadu’s administrative institutions are now extensions of the ruling party.

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