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The Hindu

Top News / The Hindu

At least 930 people have died in Congo's Ebola outbreak

Thirty-seven new deaths were recorded in the previous 24 hours in one of the highest single-day totals

20 Jul 2026 4:25 pm
The MGR-Vijay parallel: Jana Nayagan revives a rare moment in Tamil Nadu history

When MGR became Chief Minister, Meenava Nanban followed. Now, history repeats with Vijays Jana Nayagan, releasing on July 23

20 Jul 2026 4:20 pm
Post-mortem report of murdered man confirms multiple deep stab wounds

The report confirmed more than 40 wounds on the victims body which was recovered from a pool of blood on July 19

20 Jul 2026 4:18 pm
India approves first dengue vaccine for individuals aged 4 to 60 years

Takedas two-dose QDENGA vaccine, approved by the Drug Controller General of India, can be administered without prior dengue screening and is designed to protect against all four dengue virus serotypes

20 Jul 2026 4:18 pm
Associations to protest in Chennai on July 22 for unconditional implementation of 33% reservation for women

The protest would demand the implementation of 33% reservation for women without linking it to the Census and delimitation exercise

20 Jul 2026 4:14 pm
Shubman Gill concerned with players reporting unfit after every two to three games

All-rounder Harshit Rana sustained a hamstring tear during the T20I series, ruling him out of the ODIs; In the second ODI, Washington Sundar complained of hamstring injury while Jasprit Bumrah developed an impact injury

20 Jul 2026 4:12 pm
Bhaktavatsalamstake on the destruction of documents relating to anti-Hindi agitation in Tamil Nadu

He said he was advised that papers on politicians against whom detention orders had been served need not be kept so that they would not be availableto the very people who were likely to take charge of the government. When Ministers came to know about officers who had made reports about them, they would get prejudiced, he further said

20 Jul 2026 4:09 pm
Meenambal Sivaraj: a trailblazer for Dalit rightsand women empowerment

MeenambalSivarajwas born on December 12, 1904, in Rangoon, in a family that placed great importance on educationand service. One of her most significant contributions was her work with All India Scheduled Castes Federation founded byAmbedkar

20 Jul 2026 4:09 pm
TheKumbakonamconnection of MGR, M.K.NambyarandM.S.Swaminathan

The families of the iconic film star and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, the distinguished constitutional lawyer, and the celebrated agricultural scientist hailed from Kerala. But they spent a formative part of their lives inKumbakonam, known for its rich cultural heritage, before rising to national prominence in politics, cinema, law, and science

20 Jul 2026 4:08 pm
The 1995 caste reprisals that scarred southern T.N. also touched Communist leader Nallakannus life

On December 3, 1995, Nallakannus 84-year-old father-in-law, A.K. Annasamy, was murdered by a gang while he was asleep at his house in Marudanvalvu village, then part of Chidambaranar district (now Thoothukudi district)

20 Jul 2026 4:08 pm
Kerala power crisis: Regulatory panel urges KSEB to improve electricity demand forecasts

Commission notes that any decision on power purchase based on incorrect demand and supply position is likely to result in operational challenges and financial liability that ultimately gets reflected in retail tariff of consumers

20 Jul 2026 4:07 pm
Dolphin City: Chennais dolphinarium that shaped national debate on marine mammal captivity over 25 years ago

Hosting a dolphinarium in Chennai turned into controversy as all the three dolphins died, setting off one of the countrys earliest debates on the ethics of marine mammal captivity

20 Jul 2026 4:04 pm
When a 16-day strike by transport employees and a bus accident on Deepavali shook Tamil Nadu in 2001

In November 2001, transport corporation employees unions struck work demanding the Tamil Nadu government to increase annual bonus to 20%. During the strike, 28 persons were killed in Thoothukudi district in an accident involving a TNSTC bus allegedly driven by a temporary casual labourer.

20 Jul 2026 4:04 pm
ReassessingPeriyarE.V.Ramasamystake on Tamil, which he called a barbarian language

TheDravidarKazhagamfounder believed that Tamil lacked sufficient literature that would pave the way for human development and cultivation of scientific temper. It is my anguish that Tamil could not become a language of science and rationalism like English, he wrote while defending his characterisation of the language

20 Jul 2026 4:02 pm
J.SivashanmugamPillai: a tall leader of Tamil Nadu belonging to what was once known Depressed Classes

J.SivashanmugamPillaiwas the first Scheduled Caste member to become the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker in 1946.He was known for impartiality, with former CM Kamarajsaying, Though a Congressman, he held the scales even. He demitted the office in 1955 to become Member of theUPSCand was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1962

20 Jul 2026 4:02 pm
Udhagamandalamsown Charing Cross and its London disconnect

It has long been the entrance to Udhagamandalam, the headquarters of TheNilgirisdistrict.It shares its name with a junction in Westminster, London, where six routes meet. Hence, many believe that the Charing Cross inUdhagamandalamis modelled on the one in London

20 Jul 2026 4:02 pm
A Lok Sabha election defeat and dismissal of the MGR Government

Nearly a month later when there were talks in the corridors of power that the Indira Gandhi Government may dismiss governments in opposition-ruled States citing the precedent set in 1977 by the Janata Party Government, MGR described it as speculation

20 Jul 2026 4:01 pm
TVK govt. in Tamil Nadu faces a fiscal test in balancing populism and prudence

We can have a welfare State only if we work for it and step up production, said the then Chief Minister C. Rajagopalachari in June 1952

20 Jul 2026 3:59 pm
Prohibitory orders in Mumbai from July 23 to August 6; cops cite likelihood of public order disturbance

The order will not cover gatherings at courts, government offices and local bodies for official work, academic activities in schools, colleges and educational institutions, and assemblies at factories, shops and establishments for normal trade and business

20 Jul 2026 3:57 pm
How ordinary people of Tamil Nadu participated in the making of the Constitution

A resident of Kattunedungulam village of the Sivaganga district, sent a hand-written note with a demand that members of his community should have freedom of worship and autonomy to manage their own community

20 Jul 2026 3:56 pm
A wildlife association that helped conserve the Nilgiris biodiversity

The NWEA came into existence in colonial India, when British colonists discovered a hunters paradise in the Nilgiris

20 Jul 2026 3:56 pm
M.G. Ramachandrans hospitalisation in the U.S. and homecoming after treatment

MGR was flown to America on November 6, 1984, on a chartered Air India flight and was admitted to the Downstate Medical Centre in Brooklyn, New York. At the time of admission, he was not fully conscious after suffering a stroke. Later, he underwent a kidney transplant surgery at the hospital.

20 Jul 2026 3:56 pm
How Tamil Nadus two-language policy impacted the teachers of other languages in 1968

On January 23, 1968, the firstDMKgovernment, headed byC.N.Annadurai, adopted a resolution in the Madras Assembly scrapping the three-language formulaand mandating the teaching of only Tamil and English. The immediate switchover affected over 4,000 Hindi and Sanskrit teachers at about 2,400 schools in the State

20 Jul 2026 3:55 pm
Documents on anti-Hindi agitation wiped out on order by Tamil Nadus last Congress CM Bhaktavatsalam

On February 24, 1967, a day after the Assembly election results were declared, the outgoing Chief Minister M. Bhaktavatsalam wrote a note to the Public Department. It said, Records connected with the anti-Hindi agitation need not be kept. This may also apply to records maintained by the police.

20 Jul 2026 3:55 pm
Why the Church of Scotland Mission was worried about schools in Madras falling into debt

While notable progress was made in the area of female education, there was also concern over the lack of availability of female teachers to tutor the girls.

20 Jul 2026 3:54 pm
Why Governor K.K. Shah recommended dismissal of DMK government in Tamil Nadu during Emergency in 1976

Not clamping down on anti-Emergency publications too led to the dissolution of Karunanidhi-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu in 1976, when the State was brought under the Presidents rule for the fist time 50 years ago.

20 Jul 2026 3:54 pm
Kozhikode DIET launches IntelliTrait to mentor schoolchildren

To develop and promote entrepreneurial skills and job orientation among schoolchildren

20 Jul 2026 3:54 pm
Capturing the cruelty of leprosy in a dark and merciless language

The anguish and alienation associated with leprosy have long made it a potent subject in literature, inspiring some of the modern writing in Tamil

20 Jul 2026 3:54 pm
How a political and legal battle halted efforts to conserve Tiruvannamalai temple 25 years ago

More than two decades ago, the Archaeological Survey of India proposed to declare the Arunachaleswara temple a monument of national importance. The proposal, however, was shelved after a row fomented by vested interests

20 Jul 2026 3:53 pm
Woman arrested for killing newborn granddaughter in Erode

Police said she allegedly strangled the newborn to death at a private hospital in Bhavani because the child was the familys second daughter

20 Jul 2026 3:53 pm
WhenE.V.K.Sampath hit the headlines in Tamil Nadu

Sampath, nephew ofE.V.Ramasamy, enjoyed a special relationship withDMKfounderC.N.Annadurai.Before otherDMKleaders, he realised the futility of pursuing the demand for aDravidaNadu. He quit theDMKin 1961 and founded a party, which he merged with the Congress. Sampathsbirth centenary falls on March 6, 2026.

20 Jul 2026 3:53 pm
Vadaserys temple jewellery: a craft caught between heritage and high gold, silver prices

Temple jewellery continues to survive with its distinctive manufacturing method and rich antiquity.But the artisans of VadaseryinNagercoil, who practise the craft, are buffeted by the drop in demand with gold and silver prices going up

20 Jul 2026 3:53 pm
HowV.O. Chidambaram Pillai earned the title SekkizhuthaChemmal

VOCwas arrested on the charge of sedition on March 12, 1908.A British jailer noticed his hands bleeding from the harsh labour of separatingcoirand spinning rope in theCoimbatoreprison. Hence, he advised him to work at the oil press instead.VOC accepted the suggestion and pulled the oil press himself, a task normally reserved for bulls

20 Jul 2026 3:53 pm
On the approach and outlook of Tamil Nadus Scheduled Caste leaders in late 1940s

In the 1946 elections to various provinces, the Congress demonstrated its superiority over the Scheduled Castes Federation (SCF) founded by B.R. Ambedkar. In the erstwhile Madras Presidency, the party bagged 27 out of 30 seats allotted to SCs.

20 Jul 2026 3:52 pm
170 years ago, a debate in Britain parliament on torture in Madras

Forms of torture in Madras Presidency at the time included tying a man by the hair of his head to the tail of an ass, and parading him though the public market

20 Jul 2026 3:52 pm
Chennais iconic annual fair at Island Grounds turns 50

The 70-day-long India Tourism and Industrial Fair that began at the Island Grounds in the city recently turned 50 this year. The Sutrula Porutkatchi was conceived and named by former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. It began in the city in 1974 as the Pongal Tourist Trade Fair.

20 Jul 2026 3:52 pm
Ram Setu vs. Sethusamudram project: When Tamil Nadu BJP headquarters was attacked by DMK cadres

In response to DMK president M. Karunanidhis remark on Ram Setu, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader and former BJP MP Ram Vilas Vedanti triggered a major controversy in September 2007 by saying that whosoever chopped off the head and tongue of the DMK president would be gifted in gold.

20 Jul 2026 3:51 pm
How the Tamil Nadu legislature, in the late 1940s, viewed the making of the Constitution

In the Constituent Assemblys debates (1946-49), K. Santhanam and N.G. Ranga, both from southern States representing the present Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, had strongly argued against any attempt to make the Central government more powerful under the garb of expanding the Concurrent List

20 Jul 2026 3:51 pm
When eggs, stones were hurled at T.N. Governor Channa Reddys convoy and CM Jayalalithaa sought his recall

The incident occurred in 1995 when hostilities between Jayalalithaa and Reddy were common knowledge. While the Governor sent a report to the Centre against the AIADMK government, the Chief Minister wrote to President Shankar Dayal Sharma and Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao.

20 Jul 2026 3:50 pm
Tamil Nadus link to a key amendment to the Constitution on freedom of press, expression

On March 1, 1950, the Madras government banned Cross Roads, a Left-leaning journal. A month later, the Supreme Courts full Bench, by five to one, quashed the order. The Constitution had to be amended in the light of the landmark judgment. Parliament adopted the amendment Bill, with 246 members voting in favour and 14 against

20 Jul 2026 3:50 pm
Six decades of Blue Cross: from humble beginnings to setting the standard for animal welfare

In 1959, Captain V. Sundaram brought home two stranded puppies he found on a flooded streetnear his house at T. Nagar. He built makeshift kennels at home for injured and abandoned animals. This organisation was registered as theBCIin 1964

20 Jul 2026 3:49 pm
An idol found nearGangaikondaCholapuramconfirms the Thiruvarasu ofNathamunigal

Near theGangaikondaCholapuram-KumbakonamRoad is a place calledSorgapallamorSembodaiwhere an idol ofSrinivasaPerumalas once foundhalf-buried under a tree. In the year 2000, another idol was found buried in a field. It was that of the first of the Sri Vaishnava Acharyas, who was said to have been at the place in his final hours

20 Jul 2026 3:49 pm
ThanjavurBig Temple inscriptions bring alive the fierce fight between Shivaji andAfzal Khan

The inscriptions, written in Marathi on the south-western walls near theVinayagarTemple, also describe the history of the Maratha kingsand praise Danish missionary Rev. Friedrich Christian Schwartz. They also highlight howSerfojisent his army and offered financial assistance to the British during the war against theMarudubrothers

20 Jul 2026 3:42 pm
Salem C. Vijiaraghavachariar, the freedom fighter who fought againstKalaPaani

Salem C.Vijiaraghavachariar, one of the doyens of the national movement during the pre-Gandhi eraand the first Tamil to become the All India Congress Committee president, was ordered to be transported toAndamansto serve a 10-year imprisonment. He appealed to the High Court of Madras and got his conviction quashed on January 9, 1883

20 Jul 2026 3:42 pm
How Scheduled Castes in Tirunelveli empowered themselves by establishing schools

The community established schools not only inTirunelvelidistrict but also in other parts of Tamil Nadu.Now, there are 28 schools originally established by the community that are functioning as government-aided primary schools inTirunelveli

20 Jul 2026 3:41 pm
India records 78 doping cases till July 15; Uttar Pradesh, Punjab top list: Sports Minister Mandaviya

Manuskh Mandaviya, in a written response, said 78 Adverse Analytical Findings have been recorded so far in 2026

20 Jul 2026 3:41 pm
Acts committed as juvenile cannot justify preventive detention after attaining majority: J&K High Court

Detenue could not have been detained under preventive laws for the activities alleged committed by him at the time when he was a juvenile, the court says

20 Jul 2026 3:41 pm
S. Chellapandian: a Speaker with sound knowledge of British parliamentary practices

S.Chellapandiantried to follow British parliamentary practices.In the opinion of former President R.Venkataraman, he knew legislative procedures so thoroughly that he would not only enforce them but would also guide new members to learn the art

20 Jul 2026 3:39 pm
J.C. Daniel, a Tamil dentist and martial artist, who became the father of Malayalam cinema

Driven by his passion for cinema, Daniel sold his share of family property inKanniyakumaridistrict and borrowed money from friends and relatives to producethe first Malayalam silent filmVigathakumaran(The Lost Child). The film told the story of a child kidnapped by a plantation worker from Sri Lanka and later reunited with his family

20 Jul 2026 3:38 pm
A Supreme Court of Judicature functioned for over 60 years at Madras during British rule

A charter, issued in 1687, empowered the Mayor and three of the eldest Aldermen to form a court of record.King George III issued a charter in 1798 for constituting of the Court of the Recorder of Madras that replaced the Mayors Court. Yet another charter, issued in 1800, abolished this court and put in place the Supreme Court of Judicature at Madras

20 Jul 2026 3:36 pm