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Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Pride and prejudice: A Kanyakumari love story:
In 1964, the novel 'Puththam Veedu' sent ripples through Tamil literary circles. First, it was written by a woman; second, it focused on the Nadar community, who were then considered part of the depressed classes; and third, it centred on a love affair that defied social norms. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Written in the distinctive Kanyakumari dialect, a terrain few writers of that time ventured into, the book also questioned patriarchy and raised a voice for women. Those were the times when the Tamil literary world was beginning to draw boundaries between "serious literature" and "commercial writing". While the former found space in niche literary magazines, the latter was nurtured by mainstream publications. Amidst this emerged Hephzibah Jesudasan, an English lecturer at the govt College for Women in Trivandrum. 'Puththam Veedu' was her debut novel, and she wrote it in just 15 days. It was writer Sundara Ramasamy, founder of Kalachuvadu magazine, who recommended the manuscript to Tamil Puthakalayam, which first published it. Since 2009, the book has been published by Nagercoil-based Kalachuvadu Publications. Born on April 9, 1925, at Pulipunam in Kanyakumari district, Hephzibah completed her early education in Burma (now Myanmar). After World War II, her family returned to Tamil Nadu. She began writing poems in English at the age of eight. Later, she married Jesudasan, a Tamil professor who encouraged her to write and translate in Tamil. Though she wrote only four novels in Tamil and 11 books in English, Hephzibah, in her centenary year, is not as recognised as she should be considering her debut book has been in print for more than 70 years. Set in Panaivilai, a fictional village in Nagercoil, Kanyakumari district, the story centres on 'puththam veedu' (new house), once a symbol of wealth and pride. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Over the years, due to poor management of the household, the Nadar Christian family that owned it slipped into poverty. Though no longer affluent, the family still commanded respect in the village because of the palm trees they owned. The head of the household was Kannappachi, an ageing patriarch whose word was law. His elder son was an alcoholic, and the younger one was struggling in business. Despite all the ups and downs, it was Lissy, the only daughter of the elder son, who held everything together. Lissy was not like her grandmother and mother, whose lives were confined to the kitchen, nor was she like her niece Lilly, who completed her SSLC and represented a new generation. She stood between two worlds. When she fell in love with her childhood friend Thangaraj, a Nadar palm climber, it sent shockwaves through the household. The family tried to break the relationship, while Lissy tried to hold on to both her love and her loyalty to family and tradition. Whether she succeeded or failed, and what she gained or lost along the way, forms the heart of the story. 'Puththam Veedu' was, in many ways, a first-of-its-kind Tamil novel. One of its earliest reviews came from C S Chellappa, editor of the literary magazine Ezhuthu and author of the acclaimed novella 'Vadivasal'. Chellappa reviewed the book at the Tamil Writers Association's Novel Festival in Chennai in 1966, and later published his speech in his magazine, calling 'Puththam Veedu' the first Tamil novel to depict the lives of palm climbers, the first to centre on a Christian family and community, and the first to bring the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border region into Tamil literary fiction. The novel also revealed a rarely discussed fault line within the Panayeri Nadar community: while some owned palm trees, others worked as palm climbers. This class divide was the main issue in Lissy and Thangaraj's troubled romance. Peppered with details about the festive Margazhi season (Dec to Jan), which was also the season for toddy-tapping, the prime economic activity here, to how it was often the only time women wore new sarees and cooked kilathi fish (leather jacket fish), the book also highlighted the limited understanding of Christianity among the community, with many churchgoers knowing little beyond the basics — that Christmas marked Christ's birth and Good Friday his death. At a time when Christianity was slowly spreading into southern Tamil Nadu, the novel also served as a social and ethnographic study. "In Kanyakumari district, CSI churches brought women into schools and made education more accessible. It gave them access to jobs, it gave them freedom. The novel details those aspects," says Tamil journalist Arul Ezhilan, who interviewed Hephzibah for a commercial magazine in the 1990s. He just bought his first camera, and Hephzibah was the first person he photographed, one of the few images of her available in Tamil literary circles today. "The novel was published in the 1960s, when education was slowly beginning to reach Nadar Christian women. It captures that shift," says Ezhilan. Hephzibah went on to write two more novels — 'Dr Chellappa' (1967) and 'Anaadhai' (1977). Though these works revisited characters from her debut novel and were also set in the fictional village of Panaivilai, they were not as popular. One reason was that the books were out of print for many years. They were recently republished by Chennai-based 'Her Stories', a publication known for publishing women's writings. Her Stories also organised a centenary celebration for Hephzibah. "Panaivilai was her native place Pulipunam. Another reason her later novels didn't grab attention was perhaps the dialect she used," says Nivedita Louis, publisher, Her Stories. "With her first novel, readers were drawn to the dialect. But when she used the same language in later works, the novelty wore off. Also, it's unclear how well those books were promoted. The later novels explored male psychology, and they were ahead of their time, which could be why she was largely unrecognised. " Hephzibah stopped writing Tamil fiction after four novels and shifted her focus to English non-fiction, believing that writing on history was a divine calling. "She was not just a writer," says Niveditha. "She wore many hats of translator, poet, children's author, publisher (she ran Emerald Press), educationist (she founded Thangakan Memorial Ideal English School) and historian (she authored a four-volume history of Tamil literature with her husband)." Hephzibah remained unknown beyond her debut novel because she didn't write in magazines, says R Prema, researcher and former Tamil professor at Ethiraj College, Chennai. "Back then, writers gained recognition mainly through magazines. They published short stories or serialised their novels. Hephzibah entered the literary space directly, which is why there was little awareness about her," says Prema. 'Puththam Veedu' was translated into Malayalam and later into English as 'Lissy's Legacy'. Now, under a collaboration between the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation and Rupa Publications, 'Putham House', a new English translation by G Geetha, has been released. Email your feedback with name and address to
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
When the Nadar women in 19th-century Travancore revolted to reclaim public space
Public space in India has always been an ambiguous concept. While it generally implies an area accessible to all members of a community, the reality is far from it. Lower castes and women, in particular, have historically held the least claim to such space. Any attempt to alter this course has been met with resistance and often, revolt. One such instance was the uprising by the Nadar women in the 19th-century princely state of Travancore Doubly burdened by their caste and gender identity, the Nadar women of Travancore fought for their right to public presence—dignified public presence—in a historic struggle for the freedom to cover their breasts in public. The Nadars were a large subcaste in Travancore whose traditional occupation, according to author John Restakis in his book Civilizing The State: Reclaiming Politics for the Common Good (2002), was climbing trees to harvest coconuts and palm leaves. They would scale anywhere between 30 and 40 metres, often meeting with deadly accidents. Nadar women, however, were targeted for not just their lower-caste identity but also their gender. Like women of other low castes, like the Parayans who are at the bottom of the caste hierarchy in Kerala, they were prohibited from covering their breasts. 'Exposed breasts were a humiliating mark of subservience,' says Restakis. The disgrace did not end with that; Nadar women were also subject to 'Mula karam' or a breast tax. Restakis explains that an official would go from door to door collecting taxes from lower caste women, over the age of puberty, who wished to cover their breasts. The taxes levied, he notes, were determined based on the size of the woman's breast. Unable to put up with such atrocities, several women from the Nadar community converted to Christianity as it allowed them to adorn an upper garment. Having converted, they started covering their bodies with a blouse. This, however, led to severe backlash from upper caste Hindu men. The situation deteriorated, and in 1822, a group of Nadar women were stopped on their way to church and had their blouses ripped. 'Irrespective of the fact that they had converted to another religion, the presence of a Dalit body in a public place…was at once a threat to the Brahminical control over these spaces,' asserts S Harikrishnan in Social Spaces and the Public Sphere: A Spatial History of Modernity in Kerala (2023). This culminated in a series of revolts in several regions of Travancore in 1858, known as the Channar Revolt, the Channar Lahala, or 'Maru Marakkal Samaram'. Not only did the men tear clothes from the women's bodies, there were also instances when they 'attached machetes to long poles and sliced the clothing from the women's bodies while standing at a safe distance,' Restakis notes. Missionary schools were burnt down and their books destroyed. In another incident that took place at the Neyyattinkara market in Travancore in 1859, referred to by Harikrishnan, a Channar woman's breast-cloth was ripped, and she was abused by an upper caste-Hindu. There were also instances where officials stripped and hanged Nadar women from trees. The women responded in similar rage. They attacked upper-caste neighbourhoods and looted their stores. In this, they were also joined by Hindu lower caste women. The movement gained momentum and spread from Kerala to Tamil Nadu. 'The dam of caste privilege was cracking, and the floodwaters of reform were seeping through,' Restakis remarks. On July 26, 1859, the then Travancore king, Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma, issued a decree granting Nadar women the right to cover their breasts. While the decree granted 'complete freedom to wear any cloth of their choice according to their dignity,' cites Harikrishnan, 'they are not to imitate the clothes worn by higher caste women'. In other words, Nadar women were allowed to wear breast cloth but in ways that appeared different from the upper-caste women. As Harikrishnan concludes, it was a demand for equality in letter, not spirit. Further reading: Civilizing The State: Reclaiming Politics for the Common Good by John Restakis Social Spaces and the Public Sphere: A Spatial History of Modernity in Kerala by S Harikrishnan Nikita writes for the Research Section of focusing on the intersections between colonial history and contemporary issues, especially in gender, culture, and sport. For suggestions, feedback, or an insider's guide to exploring Calcutta, feel free to reach out to her at ... Read More
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Tech sector cautiously optimistic; cost pressures may spur opportunities: HCL Group's Roshni Nadar
Live Events Amid the ongoing global trade cross-currents, the tech industry remains "cautiously optimistic" and believes that tariff and inflationary pressures in the US may trigger cost-optimisation moves leading to "opportunities" for Indian IT companies, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCL Group has said. Roshni Nadar Malhotra - ranked fifth among the world's wealthiest women - termed the trade and tariff situation as "a double-edged sword"."We remain cautiously optimistic because we work for customers across these industries which could be impacted by tariffs, not us as an industry directly, especially in the largest markets, which is in the US," she said on the sidelines of an the same time, there is a realisation that the only way to counter tariff pressures, and indeed any rise in inflation, is cost optimisation."That is where technology can help, so it is a bit of a double-edged sword in terms of what is happening, but there are opportunities," she top boss of HCL Technologies , Nadar scripted history when she became the first Indian to step into the top 10 in Hurun Global Rich List 2025 for climb to the coveted spot came after her father Shiv Nadar, the billionaire founder of HCL Technologies , transferred 47 per cent of his stake in HCL Corporation and Vama Sundari Investments (Vama Delhi) to her - a move that made her the largest shareholder of the $12 billion tech comments come at a time when the Indian IT industry's narrative post-Q4 performance has been largely subdued, as macro uncertainties compounded by global trade woes are seen to be eroding sentiments and weighing on business USD 280 billion Indian IT sector is not directly hit by Trump 's tariff order on goods, per se, but it does derive a sizeable chunk of revenue from servicing clients in the US, a market some say is staring at an increased risk of slowdown, or worse -- and the US are meanwhile engaged in talks to hammer out a bilateral trade agreement that would avoid reciprocal tariffs. A 26 per cent 'reciprocal' tariff on Indian exports to the US is currently on a 90-day pause, set to expire on July 8. However, like other countries, India is presently subject to a 10 per cent tariff under the existing this week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that India is likely to be among the first countries to finalise a bilateral trade agreement with America to avert reciprocal tariffs by President Donald such, India's IT services sector has been facing growth headwinds over the past quarters with clients in the US and the EU closely scrutinising tech spends amid economic pressures, while increased AI fascination had compounded fears of reduced job creation globally. Adding to the woes now, prospects of global economic wars, given the US' tariff offensive on trading partners and major allies, has deepened worry lines about slowdown in the United States, and uncertainties this month, HCL Technologies posted an 8.1 per cent increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 4,307 crore for March quarter 2024-25, mainly on account of large deals with a total contract value of about Rs 25,500 had logged a profit of Rs 3,986 crore for the same period a year from operations increased 6.1% to Rs 30,246 crore from Rs 28,499 crore in the March quarter of the year ended March 31, 2025, HCL Technologies posted an increase of about 11 per cent in net profit at Rs 17,390 crore from Rs 15,710 crore in FY24. Revenue from operations rose 6.5 per cent to Rs 1,17,055 crore FY26, the company expects revenue growth of 2-5 per cent on year-on-year basis in constant currency terms and its services revenue growth too is expected to be in the same range which is higher than its major the guidance, HCL Tech CEO and Managing Director C Vijayakumar had recently said that discretionary spending will continue to be subdued in this environment."Geopolitical factors like tariff and deglobalisation are expected to impact IT services. In the coming months, it will be an important topic to observe and monitor the ongoing development."As we look beyond the uncertain short term, I strongly believe there will be strong growth opportunities emerging out of the market uncertainty," he had said.
The Print
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
As 2 ministers resign, Stalin applies poll arithmetic in Tamil Nadu cabinet reshuffle ahead of 2026
The Nadar community is dominant in the southern districts, a region where the ruling DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and Opposition AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) are fighting to widen their support base. The region has previously been a stronghold of the AIADMK. Thangaraj is the ruling party's MLA from Padmanabhapuram and, according to government sources, is likely to be given the milk and dairy development ministry that he held between 2023 and 2024. Chennai: With Tamil Nadu headed for assembly elections next year, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has rejigged his cabinet, keeping political considerations in mind. Following the resignation of K. Ponmudi and V. Senthil Balaji as ministers Sunday, Stalin Monday reinducted former minister Mano Thangaraj from the Christian Nadar community, increasing the count of Nadars in the cabinet to four. The incumbent cabinet has three ministers from the backward Nadar community, as well as the assembly speaker. The milk and dairy development ministry is currently held by R.S. Raja Kannappan, who is likely to be allotted the forest and khadi departments that were held by Ponmudi. Raja Kannappan hails from the backward Tamil Yadavar community—another group dominant in the southern districts. The Tamil Nadu cabinet reshuffle had been necessitated after Balaji and Ponmudi resigned in the wake of adverse comments made by courts against them this month. Balaji held the electricity, prohibition and excise departments. Ponmudi and Balaji have been facing allegations of graft, while four other DMK ministers face charges of having disproportionate assets. Government sources said that state transport minister S.S. Sivasankar, from the Vanniyar community, is likely to be given the additional charge of electricity, while minister for housing and urban development S. Muthusamy, from Kongu Vellalar community, is to be given prohibition and excise as an additional department. The swearing-in ceremony of the new ministers will take place Monday evening at Raj Bhavan. According to political analysts, the reinduction of Thangaraj, from southern Kanyakumari district, and reshuffle of prominent departments to Raja Kannappan ahead of the election points to the DMK's desperation to retain its southern support base won over in the previous state election. Political analyst Raveendran Duraisamy told ThePrint that DMK leader Stalin's move was meant to appease voters in the southern districts in the wake of the AIADMK making efforts to win back its lost fort in Tamil Nadu's south. 'The 10.5% (internal) reservation (among the Most Backward Classes) for the Vanniyars (given by the AIADMK and later struck down by court), and breakaway of TTV Dhinakaran from the AIADMK had cost the party dearly in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. Thus, its performance in the 2021 assembly election and 2024 Lok Sabha election was poor in the southern region,' he explained. 'But now, they are slowly regaining their lost support as they have formed a strong alliance, which includes Dhinakaran. Hence, the DMK is also giving prominence to leaders in the southern district,' he added. Also Read: DMK minister Ponmudi removed from party post amid row over vulgar remarks on Shaivism & Vaishnavism Fight for southern Tamil Nadu According to political analysts, the southern districts of Tamil Nadu have favoured AIADMK since the 1970s, and this support increased in the late 1990s. Raveendran said the support of Thevars (an Other Backward Class community dominant in the southern districts) dwindled after the demise of AIADMK supremo and former CM J. Jayalalithaa in 2016, and was gained by the DMK in the 2021 election. Out of 60 seats contested in the southern districts, the AIADMK that year managed to win only 16. Raveendran asserted that the DMK's move to bring in a Nadar community member (Thangaraj) into the cabinet, and give prominent departments to another minister from the southern parts (Raja Kannappan) was meant to consolidate its support base. 'AIADMK's Thevar vote bank is now split into multiple parties and the only way to gain majority in the state is with the help of other communities in the region. The move to give additional importance to Nadar and Yadavar will help the DMK ahead of the 2026 polls,' he told ThePrint. According to political analyst Arun, it all started with former CM M.G. Ramachandran, who had first made Thevar Jayanthi a government-sponsored event in 1979. He was the first CM to participate in the event, largely celebrated by the people of the Thevar community. 'Although electoral politics is based on caste calculations, M.G.R.'s move to celebrate Thevar Jayanthi as a government-sponsored event got him more support from the community. Subsequently, the support increased in the late 1990s, after the DMK government took some serious action against caste violence in the southern districts,' Arun told ThePrint. (Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui) Also Read: With statue of 'genius' Karl Marx in Chennai, Stalin looks to nurture Dravidian-Left movement link
Scotsman
22-04-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Earth Day 2025: Scottish businesses offering sustainable spirits and drinks
This year sees the 55th Earth Day, which was established in1970, and there are different ways to mark it, including buying sustainable spirits and from B-Cop businesses. What is Earth Day? Earth Day was founded to raise awareness and bring people together for environmental awareness. Since then, the Earth Day organisation has led various fundraising campaigns, awareness events, and more. Many Scottish food and drink businesses are striving to be more environmentally-friendly, from reducing plastic packaging, cutting down on emissions, changing and adapting growing practises to applying to become B-Corp certified. What is B-Corp? B Corporation is a private certification of for-profit companies that takes into account their"social and environmental performance". The official description reads: "B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials." Here we take a look at some of the best businesses in Scotland who are striving to be greener, and what products you can buy to support this. Dear Green Picture: Dear Green Glasgow-based Dear Green coffee roasters gained B Corp status in 2021, with founder Lisa Lawson saying: "Gaining B Corp certification is one of our proudest moments at Dear Green. "To have the ethical standards which are intrinsically in the culture of the company audited and verified to be of the highest standard is incredible." The coffee roasters joined internationally renowned brands including Innocent, Patagonia and The Body Shop in earning the B Corp accolade. The company was founded by Lisa when she became frustrated by how staff, producers, customers and the environment were treated by the industry. Dear Green has been dedicated to putting social and environmental responsibility, sustainability and purpose ahead of profit ever since. Arbikie Disitllery This family-run farm-to-bottle distillery in Lunan Bay has been working tirelessly to reduce its carbon emissions and offer customers a truly field to bottle range of spirits. In 2020 they launched their first climate positive gin, Nadar, which was followed by a vodka. Nàdar, which means nature in Gaelic, is thought to be the world's first climate positive gin made from peas. A revolutionary spirit for the drinks industry, with a carbon footprint of -1.54 kg CO 2 e per 700ml bottle, it is at the forefront of the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss - the biggest challenges humankind has ever faced. Nadar is the result of five years of research, through Master Distiller, Kirsty Black's, PhD studentship between Abertay University and The James Hutton Institute. Arbikie also gained planning permission to build a 1 MW Wind Turbine on its farm at Lunan Bay in 2022, which will allow the production of green hydrogen. Arbikie believes it will be the first distillery in the world to be powered with green hydrogen, another major milestone on their journey to becoming one of the world's most sustainable distilleries. Bruichladdich Bruichladdich became B-Corp certified in 2020. Of this, the team at Bruichladdich said: "Highlights that helped us to achieve our original certification included our benefits package to staff. "These include Living Wage employment, a 5-10% bonus scheme shared for 100% of our staff, annual cost of living adjustments as well we private healthcare, life assurance provisions and 34 days paid annual leave as standard. We're also a diverse employer with a sound training and development program. Our team in 2020 had 50%+ female senior management and an age range of staff spanning from 19 to 75 years of age. "Our progressive attitude towards our community and sustainability also helped us qualify. We circulate the wastewater from our stills to heat our offices, bottling hall and visitor centre. We switched to 100% green electricity, sourced within the UK. We have ambitious plans for the future, and we can confidently say we are on our way." Nc'Nean Nc'Nean was named a 2022 Best for the World B Corp in recognition of exceptional positive impact for its environmental stewardship, ranking in the top 5% of all B Corps for that category in their corresponding size group. Best for the World is a distinction granted by B Lab to Certified B Corporations (B Corps) whose verified B Impact Scores in the five impact areas evaluated in the B Impact Assessment — community, customers, environment, governance, and workers — hit that top percentage category. Nc'nean earned this accolade based on initiatives such as powering the distillery with 100% renewable energy, using organic barley sourced exclusively from Scotland and bottling its whisky in a 100% recycled clear glass bottle – a UK first for a premium spirit. Rigorous in its approach to sustainable production, in 2021 it became the first whisky distillery in the UK to be verified as net zero for its own operations. Nc'nean founder Annabel Thomas said of this: 'As a small, passionate team we are incredibly proud to have achieved this accolade, which reflects our deep-rooted commitment to championing the most sustainable production processes. "We are extremely pleased with our very high score of 73.3 under the environmental stewardship section and being championed as one of the top 5% of B Corps in our size group for that category worldwide is a fantastic achievement. "We are not afraid to challenge perceptions of the way things should be done in the whisky industry and will continue to pioneer best practice with our ongoing environmental initiatives.' Brewgooder Picture: Brewgooder Twitter Another Scottish drinks brand that has been named Best for the World B Corp in recognition is Brewgooder. The firm achieved this in 2021. The team said of the accolade: "The 'Best for the World' are B Corps whose scores in one or more of the five impact areas assessed towards the certification, reach the top 5% of all B Corps worldwide. At Brewgooder, we have been recognised for our clean water efforts in the Community area. "As all B Corps are already businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose — this is a recognition that makes us incredibly proud. "And we're just getting started… We will continue collaborating with the global B Corp community to improve and positively impact through the power of great craft beer."
