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The Hindu
08-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Devotees from far and near throng Meenakshi temple to witness celestial wedding
Thousands of devotees from far and near thronged Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai on Thursday to witness the grand 'Thirukalyanam' (celestial wedding) of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar on the 10th day of the annual Chithirai festival. The celestial wedding, the highlight of the festival, took place at the flower-bedecked Thirukalyana Mandapam between 8.30 a.m. and 8.59 a.m.. The 'Thirumangalyam' was placed on Goddess Meenakshi at 8.55 a.m. amid chanting of hymns. Lord Sundareswarar, Goddess Piriyavidai and Goddess Meenakshi were brought to the decorated dais following a procession along the Chithirai streets amid chants from the devotees. The 'wedding guests', Lord Subramaniaswamy, the presiding deity of Subramaniaswamy Temple at Tirupparankundram, His consort Goddess Deivanai and Lord Pavalakkanivai Perumal, arrived at the venue. The deities were dressed up in silk attires and decked up in gold. U. Shunmuga Sundara Bhattar and V. Karthikeya Bhattar performed the holy rituals and exchanged the garlands on behalf of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar. As the 'Thirumangalyam' was placed on Goddess Meenakshi, women devotees replaced their 'Thali' with a new one as per custom. It is believed that the ritual strengthens their marital bond. Rose water and flowers were sprinkled on the deities followed by the 'maha deeparadhana'. Later, the deities were taken to the old 'Thirukkalyana Mandapam' on the temple premises for the devotees to offer their prayers. Outside the temple on the four Chithirai streets, the devotees gathered in large numbers and watched the grand event telecast on huge LED screens. The devotees started pouring into the venue as early as 5 a.m. and stayed till the end of the event. The devotees paid 'moi' outside the temple and were given a receipt and a gift bag containing a mangalsutra, vermilion powder and pictures of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar. Following the celestial wedding, the devotees headed to Sethupathi Higher Secondary School for the Thirukalyana Virundhu (marriage feast). Ministers for Commercial Taxes and Registration P. Moorthy, Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Chairperson of Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple Board of Trustees Rukmini Palanivel Rajan, Madurai Collector M.S. Sangeetha, Corporation Commissioner Chitra Vijayan, Commissioner of Police J. Loganathan, MLAs, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department officials and others were present at the event.
The Hindu
06-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
‘Pattabhishekam' for Goddess Meenakshi performed
Hundreds of devotees on Tuesday witnessed the 'Pattabhishekam' or coronation ceremony of Goddess Meenakshi performed at the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai on the eighth day of the annual Chithirai festival. The ceremony marks the transfer of power to rule Madurai from Lord Sundareswarar to Goddess Meenakshi. Her rule will last from the Tamil month of Chithirai to Avani. The ceremony began with customary rituals, followed by 'abhishekam' and 'deeparadhana' to the diamond-studded 'Rayar' crown. The chairperson of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple Board of Trustees Rukmini Palanivel Rajan received the 'parivattam' from the temple Bhattars. The respect was originally accorded to King Thirumalai Nayak. After receiving the golden sceptre from the temple priest, she took it around the 'praharam' of the Swami Sannithi and then placed it next to Goddess Meenakshi. It is believed that the crown that adorned the Goddess was donated by Appaji Rayar, a Minister in the court of King Krishnadevaraya, and passed on to the presiding deity of the temple during King Thirumalai Nayak rule. The deities mounted on a silver palanquin were taken out on a procession. Devotees gathered in large numbers to catch a glimpse of the deities. Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Collector M.S. Sangeetha, Mayor Indrani Ponvasanth and Corporation Commissioner Chitra Vijayan, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department officials and others were present at the event.
New Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
State plans to set up govt-run cloud exchange hub to position Tamil Nadu at forefront of AI
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu is planning to establish a government-run cloud exchange hub, aiming to position the state at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital innovation. The initiative, part of broader efforts to expand Chennai's data centre ecosystem, is expected to support research, analytics, and technological advancements. Speaking at the 7th ASSOCHAM Conclave on 'Smart Datacenters & Cloud Infrastructure', Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, the state's Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, said that if Chennai captures a significant share of India's growing data infrastructure market, it could provide a 'strong foundation for the AI industry'. Chennai's data centre capacity is projected to increase from 202.43 MW in 2025 to 551.15 MW by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 22.18%, according to PwC. The city's strategic coastal location, infrastructure, and government policies are driving investment. The Tamil Nadu Data Centre Policy 2021 has played a key role, offering tax breaks, land subsidies, and power tariff concessions to attract developers. These measures, Rajan said, are laying the groundwork for both digital infrastructure and broader economic transformation. PwC's report calls for further policy enhancements, including incentives for sustainable and energy-efficient data centres, expanded renewable energy support, and clear public-private partnership (PPP) guidelines. It also recommends streamlined regulatory processes and training programmes to develop a skilled workforce for the sector. With the adoption of hybrid and multi-cloud strategies rising across enterprises, demand for scalable data infrastructure is growing. The spread of AI and big data analytics is also driving increased investment in high-capacity, energy-efficient facilities, the PwC report said. Beyond Chennai, other cities such as Coimbatore and Madurai are also poised to benefit. The PwC report said Coimbatore's strong industrial base and educational ecosystem alongside Madurai's growing IT workforce make them attractive locations for data infrastructure growth. With supportive policies, a skilled workforce, and accelerating investment, TN is positioned to become a national leader in digital infrastructure, paving the way for AI-led innovation.
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Founder's Day celebrated at The Lawrence School
The Lawrence School, Lovedale, held its 167th Founder's Day celebrations from April 30 to May 2, featuring a series of events attended by students, parents, alumni, and dignitaries. The three-day programme included the Parent-Teacher Meeting, a school play, equestrian show, art and craft exhibitions, and the 'Kaleidoscope' entertainment evening. The concluding day featured the ceremonial 'Trooping of the Colour' parade and the 'Beating Retreat'. Tamil Nadu Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, an alumnus of the school, was the chief guest. The event also brought together Old Lawrencians, marking their 25th and 50th-year reunions.
The Hindu
27-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Learning lessons from 2022 stampede incident, policing should be improved during Chithirai festival, says Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan
'As we have already witnessed the obvious fault lines in traffic management and crowd control that caused the death and stampede of devotees during 2022 Chithirai festival, we should be extra cautious during this year's festival arrangements,' Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services PTR Palanivel Thiaga Rajan has said. The remarks came at a Chithirai festival preparatory meeting held here on Sunday. A study conducted following the incident revealed that of the 200 vehicles on Government Rajaji Hospital Road, more than 100 were parked permanently. Hence, in order to prevent such incidents, police should ensure zero parking in crucial areas 24 hours prior to the event, he said. As major construction works were under way at Goripalayam and other areas, they should be tightly secured and all other places posing danger to the public should be barricaded and restricted. Akin to the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) pass system or QR code pass system, which were used during the Tiruvannamalai temple event, a similar pass was to be introduced for the Chithirai festival too, he added. 'The system has been introduced to rule out misuse of pass by the public and VIPs,' he further said. He also directed the district administration to deploy senior revenue officials or senior police officials at VIP and VVIP entrances. 'Senior officials would be more suitable to handle important visitors trying to flout the entry rules. Also, in case of VIPs, the situation should be handled calmly and CCTV recordings can be perused for further action.' Instead of allowing devotees to the last temple point, they should be controlled even before the buffer zone of the temple for better crowd management. Learning from past experiences, police, revenue and temple administration officials should work together for better crowd management, he said. Ruling out Mr. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan's statement that the 2022 fatal stampede was due to police mismanagement, Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration P. Moorthy said the unfortunate event that took place near Thevar statue at Goripalayam had nothing to do with the Vaigai river event. 'The failure of the temple administration to stop Lord Kallazhagar at the 'mandagapadis' caused the devotees to flood the venue to witness the deity,' he said. Madurai City Police Commissioner J. Loganathan said that as a precautionary measure more than 700 police personnel were to be deployed around the temple during the celestial wedding (thirukalyanam) event and 60 teams were to be deployed during Lord Azahagar's entry into the Vaigai. Madurai Lok Sabha MP Su. Venkatesan said that frequently reported issue of the police department and judiciary misusing the event passes should be regulated strictly. On crowd management, he said in addition to deploying police personnel on the left side of Albert Victor bridge, the right side of the bridge, where thousands of people gather to donate hair, should also be monitored and controlled. Also, water facilities should be arranged in all places to prevent devotees from getting dehydrated due to the scorching heat. Officials complained that the State Highways Department was showing slackness in clearing the construction works at the flyover near Goripalayam. The Ministers instructed the district administration to expedite the works and also to clear the water hyacinth in Vaigai River. Collector M.S. Sangeetha, Mayor Indrani Ponvasanth, Corporation Commissioner Chitra Vijayan, Superintendent of Police B.K. Arvind were among those present.
