Poet Kannadasan recounts an interesting incident on the long hand of Karma that he heard firsthand from a jail inmate due for capital punishment in his Arthamulla Hindu Madham.

A short thread (1/6) For his participation in the Dalmiapuram protests of 1953, Kannadasan was imprisoned for 18 months in Trichy jail, along with Anbil Dharmalingam.

The duo got special permission from the authorities to speak to 7 prisoners who were due for capital punishment the next day.

Is the theory of Karma and Rebirth 'gobbledygook'?
Is it an inhumane act of victim blaming?

Is it God's punishment?
Is it a passive fatalistic way of being?

Why is Tamil literature full of this theory?
Is RW really "defending" this guy who nobody knew before a week? (1/9)

Theory of Karma needs no introduction.
Everybody knows this aphorism:
What you sow, so shall you reap.

Its a belief in boomerangs - What goes around comes around.
Every thought, word and deed you send out, comes back to you - a Newtonian 3rd law of sorts.

If you don't like religion being taught at schools, then you shouldn't be including Thirukural in syllabus because Kural is a Hindu scripture composed by the Rishi Thiruvalluvar.

A thread with the list of Kurals where Rebirth and Karma are mentioned (1/10): Kural 38:

"The good things you do without wasting a single day of your life, is the rock that will block your passage on the path to rebirth."

How can Valluvar be secular/irreligious if he believes in rebirth - a concept alien to the Abrahamic worldview?

Kaala is the most brazen passion project of Ranjith where the ideology is both openly shown and hidden in subtext.

While the core plot is that of land rights for the urban poor living in Dharavi, the film is needlessly H-phobic throughout.

The hidden H-misia of Kaala (1/10) While batting for the land rights of slum dwellers of Dharavi is noble, what Ranjith does is, use this theme to spread his misguided H-ph0bic ideology & politics.

For instance, the film respects that p0rk is haram but normalizes eating beep. See the shop name just opposite to Kaala's house.

Kaala's wife openly states that she'd feed beep to Rajini, but looks down upon his son who is "vigitarian"

When things you don't want to happen, happens, how do you respond?

Do you fatalistically blame it on destiny and accept it, or take initiative to overcome it?

What is the guiding principle in the fate vs free will debate?

What did Sri Rama do in such circumstances? (1/11) In the epic's defining moment, Sri Rama who was about to be crowned as King, was instead sentenced to exile for 14 years.

Lakshmana was outraged by the injustice of this request, but Sri Rama calmly considered the exile as the will of destiny.

Kambar writes - "நதியின் பிழையன்று நறும்புனலின்மை; விதியின் பிழை"
"it is not the fault of river to dry up when rains fail. Similarly, Kaikeyi isn't at fault for fate's doing", says Sri Rama.

Today is Aadi 18, the day Vandhiyathevan commences his journey from Kanchi to Thanjavur, kicking off the proceedings of Ponniyin Selvan!

Come, let us travel along Vandhiyathevan to retrace the hero's journey in modern day Tamilnadu, with google map links and images! (A thread) Vandhiyathevan is on a mission - to deliver two secret messages from Kanchipuram to Thanjavur.

After 175km of travel, both the hero and his horse are tired.
That is when he sees the refreshing visuals of Veeranarayanapura lake. It was Aadi 18, and the Cholas were celebrating.

Book Review of Dushyanth Sridhar's much discussed recent book: 'Ramayanam Vol 1'

In this book review, we'll discuss it all: What was exceptional, what was good, what was okay, what can be improved, and yes, what was controversial. And if this book is recommended or not.
(1/10) This carefully planned volume has 108 chapters - and Dushyanth starts it off by paying obeisance to his Gurus.

The book doesn't start with Bala Kanda as usually narrated, but from a scene in Uttara Kanda & then ties back to Bala Kanda.
It ends with an underrated Pattabhisheka!

What does the strategist and writer Cho have to say about the recent Ramayana dating controversy?

Although Cho isn't alive today, he has shared his opinion on this topic in the preface to his immortal work 'Hindu Maha Samudhram'.

And he does take a clear side. A thread (1/8)

Cho starts his 6 volume compendium of Hindu Maha Samudhram with the traditional mantra for Sankalpa, & proceeds to explain the math behind Brahma's 1 day equaling 4.32 lakh human years.

He contrasts the western date 14/1/2005 with the Sankalpa date as per Sveta Varaha Kalpa.

Did Rama live in Treta Yuga lakhs of years ago, or in 5114 BCE?

Is there an element of truth in the astro-logical/nomical analysis that date Ramayana to our history?

Is there merit to this intellectual exercise of chronologizing an Itihasa or is it pointless?

A thread (1/8)

Every book must first know its audience and their intellectual context.

There's an Indic mind that's capable of visualizing one Brahma's day as 4.32 billion human years.

There's also a western educated skeptic mind that relies on scientific method to comprehend the world.

Might be hard to believe today, but once upon a time, in 1971, Tamilnadu was one of the two states within the country, to have total prohibition of alcohol in force. Along with Gujarat.

This is the story of who implemented Prohibition in TN and who lifted it, and why : (1/8) Again, it might be hard to believe today, but TN was once the bastion of Congress.

In the 1st Madras legislative assembly election in 1937, Congress won 159/215 seats - its most impressive electoral performance across all provinces.

Led by Satyamurthy and Kamaraj initially.

According to sources, Film Companion is shutting down, as Anupama Chopra is moving on to Hollywood Reporter.

For those who don't know, what TNM is for "journalism", FC is for film reviews.

You couldn't find a more w0ke, biased film site even if you tried. A 🧵of their reviews: FC Review#1:

The Kerala Story is not even a film since it is all propaganda based on "Whatsapp Forwards"

The film featured interviews of real victims of radicalization, grooming and LJ, and who were jailed in Afghanistan.

Today is Thirunaaraiyoor Nambiyaandar Nambi's guru poojai (Vaikasi Punarapoosam).

The story of how Nambi was asked by Rajaraja to discover and compile the Shaivite Thirumurais is fascinating.

A thread on this miraculous Sthala Puranam (1/9): Thirunaaraiyoor, a small village 20 km Southwest to Chidambaram houses a Paadal Petra Sthalam, Soundareswarar Temple.

In this temple, the son is more famous than his father – and goes by the name Pollaa Pillayaar.

It is not பொல்லாப் பிள்ளையார் as is commonly misspelt, but பொள்ளாப் பிள்ளையார் meaning “unsculpted”. This is because this Pillayar murthy here is believed to be a swayambhu murthy.

How on earth did the educated, civilized and God fearing people of Tamilnadu allow this malicious, unfair harassment of TBs to continue for a century now?

Nobody desires evil Thanos, yet this vicious harassment has not gone away for generations, so what gives?

A thread (1/9)

Because this targetted harassment has an utility, it has a benefit for the society at large.

For as long as this one community remains the punching bag, the spotlight is taken away from all other communities and they are shielded.

The Great Indian Democratic Festival starts today.

At its core lies Electronic Voting Machines designed by BEL.

Are EVMs tamper proof? Since when is it used?
Why should India use it even when Western superpowers don't?

Writer Sujatha, whose team at BEL designed it, answers:

EVMs were used for the first time in the general election in Kerala in 1982.

An LDF candidate filed a petition to stop EVM use. After Sujatha's demo in judge's chambers, EVM was permitted .
The same candidate who filed a complaint had won.

"Electronics won" wrote Sujatha!

On the subject of Kamalhassan, his hypocrisy and double standards and misinformation have been documented by Tamil Labs over the past 1.5 years.

A thread compiling all such posts for your reading pleasure, Kamal fans are welcome to give a factual rebuttal: 2020 Kamal criticizing ADMK for rain-flood mismanagement, and 2023 Kamal blaming the force of nature instead of DMK:

https://x.com/labstamil/status/1731673497087209865

One of the most engaging but dishonest film is Jana Gana Mana, from Commiewood.

Infact the movie clearly states its political ideology and bigotry very clearly, including its emotional manipulation technique.

But alas, we were hooked to cinema and missed it all.

A thread. Spoilers Ahead.

The film was good only no? Why are you calling it called dishonest, you ask? Good question.

The film states one thing and does exactly its opposite - isn't this dishonest?

Take this scene for example - it hates discriminating people by color. A school textbook that calls people fair and ugly is criticized. Valid point.

But what does the film do?

The Srirangam Files:

In 1323 CE, just like today, crowds had thronged to Srirangam Temple for the Panguni festivities.

Mohammed Bin Thuqlaq was camping at what is Samayapuram today, near Trichy. He wasn't coronated as the "Mad Delhi Sultan" yet, and went by his real name Ulugh Khan.

It was a sacred temple festival for the locals, but for the Sultan-to-be, it was an expedition - a chance to loot and ransack the huge temple and strike fear at the hearts of idol worshipping Kh@firs.

Sensing that Khan might attack, the temple Archakar Vaduladesikar had made arrangements for the Murti to be saved.

Wrath had filled the Mad Tyrant Ulugh Khan and he screamed his orders. Trained army men behe*ded 12,000 unarmed devotees making the Kaveri river turn red with civilian blood.

It took weeks before all the bodies could be disposed. This bloody history, this "Srirangam files" won't be found in most history books.
But the Srirangam temple's own record book 'Koil Ozhugu' documents this incident as 'பன்னீராயிரம் திருமுடி திருத்திய கலகம்’.

We must consciously recall and respect the sacrifices of our ancestors. Otherwise, those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.
Sri Vedanta Desika who played a crucial role in saving the Murthi, had composed a stotra 'Abeedhi Sthavam' asking Ranganathar to remove the fear instiled in people by Turks and Yavanas (Greeks).

Compiling all threads and posts from the past few days, on the TM Krishna- Music Academy saga, EVR's problematic statements cited from primary sources, at a single place.

Bookmark this for quick reference. RT this to spread the word. (1/11) Many were asking for sources on whether EVR really called for a genozide.

In this Srirangam speech, he himself takes credit for asking people to st@b any and all TB men and women, keeping fire to their agr@harams and it resulting in a policy change:

https://x.com/labstamil/status/1771222508798193953?s=20

Challenge Accepted. Thread (1/5)

Instances of EVR profanity against women

1: 1971 EVR (age 92) speech at a wedding at Madurai:

"Why do women spend so much time in makeup?

The only reason is to make others (men) take a look at them.

They dress provocatively such that their body parts are visible rousing emotions in men.

The makeup and the dress they wear is what arouses emotions (lust) in men" 2. EVR, of age 94 says in his Irudhi Perurai (Final Great Speech) in 1973:
"Why are temples still alive?

Because only in a temple's festive crowd, will a husband get the pleasure of seeing his wife being groped.

He is habituated to this because everyone else's wife is also subject to the same.

Women could also get such a chance to graze multiple men only within temple premises. If we make different arrangements for this, women would not go to temples"

One of the most misinterpreted story is "Scorpion and the Saint", where a saint keeps saving a scorpion from drowning, despite it stinging him every time.

This is our version of "If someone slaps your cheek, show them the other"

But this story has a better interpretation (1/7) When the saint saves the scorpion from drowning, despite it stinging him many times, somebody asks him why.

He says:
"It is the nature of the scorpion to sting, it is my nature to save;
When the scorpion isn't giving up on its nature, why should I give up on my Sva-Dharma?"

Oppenheimer wins the Oscar for the Best Picture, and Nolan wins the Best Director award.

Nolan thoroughly deserves it for his ambitious filmmaking and storytelling.

We all know that Oppenheimer quoted from the Gita after the Trinity test, but do you know why he did so?

(1/7) Oppenheimer, after he witnessed the Trinity Test, the first detonation ever of a nuclear weapon, opines with glistening moist eyes:

"We knew the world would not be the same.
A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent.
I remembered the line from the Gita."