PhD scholar ignores governor, receives certificate from V-C in Tamil Nadu
The scholar, Jean Joseph V, who is the wife of DMK's Nagercoil corporation deputy secretary M Rajan, said she did not want to receive the doctorate from the governor because 'he had not done anything for Tamil and Tamil Nadu'.
The incident took place at the 32nd convocation of MSU in which the Governor, V-C, and Director of the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism AP Dimri, were to confer degrees on 109 graduates and 650 PhD scholars. When her turn came, Jean, who had been given the doctorate certificate in advance, walked past the governor, handed it to Chandrasekar, and posed with him for the photograph.
Later, Jean said 'I believe in the Dravidian model. I thought why should I receive the degree from the governor who is against Tamil and Tamil Nadu. I came to know that Chandrasekar has also achieved a lot. I thought he would be the right person to receive the award from. There is no personal reason behind the refusal.
"I ask our system do we not have the right persons, like the CM or the Minister for Higher Education, to confer the degree? I did not find any achievements of the governor for Tamil when I searched on Google,' she said.
Her husband Rajan said the two decided well in advance not to accept the doctorate from the governor.
Minister for Higher Education and pro-chancellor Govi Chezhiyaan did not attend the event.
Former TN BJP president K Annamalai condemned Jean for her action.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
43 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Governor R N Ravi doing 'cheaper politics' than opposition: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin
DHARMAPURI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday mounted a scathing attack on Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, accusing him of doing "cheap politics" than the opposition and charged him with spreading canards against the ruling DMK and the party-led government. Listing out the various pro-people welfare initiatives of his government, he said Tamil Nadu has become a pioneer for the country in such schemes. The Dravidian model government is the one which shows direction to the country. "Some mischief mongers are unable to stand this and are making baseless allegations," he said. In his address at a government event here to mark the launch of social welfare initiatives, the CM said he was not concerned about what the opposition parties say, since "that is their politics." "There is someone doing cheaper politics than them, you know who it is. It is Governor R N Ravi, appointed by the Union BJP government. You know what he does from the Raj Bhavan--spread canards against the DMK government, against DMK. He will insult Dravidam, won't approve legislations (bills), will disrespect Tamil Thaai Vazhthu (Tamil anthem) and maligns TN students," the CM said. He charged Ravi with making unfounded allegations about TN education, law and order and women's safety, and "creating panic."
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
‘Happy Independence Day: Booked your flight to US yet?' Reddit post questions celebration of India's ‘brain drain'
On the occasion of India's 79th Independence Day, a Reddit user questioned the celebration of India's 'brain drain'. The user wonders why we celebrate people of Indian-origin leading global companies. 'Many Indians take pride in the global achievements of people like Sundar Pichai (Google), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Arvind Krishna (IBM), Ajay Banga (World Bank), Leena Nair (Chanel), or Arvind Srinivasan (Perplexity AI). These names are often cited as proof of 'India's contribution to the world',' says the post. However, the user argues that most are no longer Indian citizens. They hold US or UK passports and their work strengthens those countries, not India. India has hundreds of medical colleges and thousands of graduates, but no Indian citizen has won a Nobel Prize in Medicine. Har Gobind Khorana, often claimed by India, was a US citizen, the user argues. India has only CV Raman in Physics and Rabindranath Tagore in literature. However, both achievements were nearly a century ago. According to the user, this raises the deeper question of why so many educated Indians leave for the West in large numbers. The Reddit user believes it is natural for Indians to feel proud when they see familiar names celebrated abroad. A part of the reason is India's colonial hangover. 'We often confuse 'Indian origin' with 'Indian citizen.' They may share roots, but their allegiance and contributions are tied to the countries they now call home,' the post says. 'Should we criticise these individuals? No. Their choices are personal and often pragmatic. But, should we unquestioningly celebrate their success as 'India's success'? Was leaving India the only choice left to them?' the user adds. The user gives the example of Perplexity's Arvind Srinivasan. The IIT Madras graduate born in Chennai lives in California. He has even said he 'still hasn't gotten' a US green card yet. The post ends on a sarcastic note about patriotism: 'Happy 79th Independence Day to our fellow IIT and AIIMS graduates — have you booked your flight to Britain or the US yet?' Many social media users reacted to the post. One of them believes, 'India doesn't have a merit culture' while another thinks, 'Only about 2% of Indians live abroad, meaning 98% are still here yet we remain incompetent.' 'Because people are fed up with day to day struggles, like scarcity of water, electricity, bribing to get even trivial things done at the offices. Once you land in the foreign countries as you mentioned, these things vanish and life becomes easy,' wrote a user who had been living in the US for the last 40 years.
The Hindu
12 hours ago
- The Hindu
CM condoles death of writer Thiruvarur ARA Thiruvidam
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday condoled the death of writer Thiruvarur ARA Thiruvidam, known for his works on Dravidian movement. 'I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Thiruvarur ARA Thiruvidam, son of Thiruvarur Thandavalam Arangaraj, a disciple of Periyar,' Mr. Stalin said. He recalled that Mr. Thiruvidam ran a weekly magazine in his name from 1972, with the aim of spreading the principles of the Dravidian movement to the masses. He also recalled that Mr. Thiruvidam's book Tiruvallikeni Muthal Tiruvarur Varai was released by the then DMK youth wing secretary and current Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin in 2019. Mr. Thiruvidam was conferred the 'Ilakkiya Mamani Virudhu' during former Chief Minister and DMK leader M. Karunanidhi's centenary year, he said.
