Latest news with #Viswanathan
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Slow and steady on final journey, VS Achuthanandan's 150-km funeral procession sees massive crowds lining streets in Kerala
Kerala has a history of momentous funeral processions for former chief ministers, and V S Achuthanandan's carried forward that tradition. The fiery Communist leader died in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday at the age of 101. On Tuesday, his funeral procession from the state capital to his home district of Alappuzha saw an outpouring of emotion by people who thronged the streets to witness it. With crowds lining up on both sides of the road, the low-floor bus carrying his body, decorated with flowers, moved slowly along. The procession began from the state Secretariat at around 2.30 am, and was scheduled to arrive in Alappuzha by 9 pm. However, by that time, it had only reached Mangalapuram — about 22 km from the starting point. It took over six hours for the procession to cross the city limits of Thiruvananthapuram. The destination was more than 150 km to the north. At Kayamkulam, the land of Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC) — a theatrical movement that helped popularise the Communist ideology in the state — people eagerly waited for the cortege from late evening. Viswanathan, an 80-year-old member of the CPI, said, 'VS always stood for the people. That is why we are seeing this outpouring of emotion. He was arrested during the Emergency. He had strong connections to Kayamkulam. If I remember correctly, for a brief time, he went underground and took shelter in Kayamkulam.' 'VS was a crowd puller. I attended several election rallies where he would come and people would turn up from faraway places to just hear him talk,' Viswanathan recalled. Johnson, 50, a Gospel preacher, came from Adoor, 30 km away. He said he has no political affiliation, but he respected Achuthanandan for his 'compassion and humanity'. 'He never took the side of the wealthy and powerful, but always argued for the causes of the marginalised. Such politicians are rare these days. We may never see another VS amongst us,' said Johnson. For Kalesh, a CPI leader and KPAC office-bearer in his 30s, Achuthanadan was the inspiration to enter politics. 'He was a fighter for the causes of farmers and the downtrodden. He was a leader of the masses, and he was also an able administrator. The first agitation I participated in was when I was in Class 9, during a strike for the rights of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) employees. The principles that VS espoused invoked the sense of justice in a generation like us and prompted us to fight for the people around us,' he said. Sashi Kumar from Vaikom, who suffers from physical disabilities, arrived at the KPAC junction in Kayamkulam on a scooter fitted with a photo of Achuthanandan. 'There were three people I admired the most: Kalabhavan Mani (the Malayalam actor), Oommen Chandy and VS. Now, all three have gone,' he said. It took the persuasion from local party workers for him to abandon plans to go all the way to Thiruvananthapuram. Instead, he waited at the makeshift venue where people were slowly beginning to gather ahead of the procession's arrival. Among them was Arunima, a class 6 student who had come with her father. She did not know who Achuthanadan was until Monday afternoon. The relentless coverage of his death on TV channels made the girl an admirer of the man, and she was now chanting the slogan: 'kanne karale VS (VS, you are our eye, our heart).' She said she would return home only after paying tribute to him. That sentiment was shared by everyone present, as they checked the YouTube feeds of news channels for updates on the progress of the procession from Thiruvananthapuram. Once Achuthanandan's body reaches Alappuzha, it will be taken to his house in Punnapra. On Wednesday afternoon, the body will be taken to the Valiyachudukadu burial ground, the resting place of hundreds of martyrs of the 1946 Punnapra-Vayalar uprising against landlords and the colonial regime, and he will be cremated with state honours.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Centre and State governments should increase fund allocation for education: VIT Chancellor
The Centre and State governments should increase fund allocation for the education sector, including higher studies, so that more students from rural areas are encouraged to pursue higher education, G. Viswanathan, founder and chancellor, VIT, said on Saturday. In his presidential address at the 'STARS Day 2025' (Support The Advancement of Rural Students - STARS), which was organised by the Universal Higher Education Trust (UHET) of VIT at its campus here, he said that currently, the entire education expense of children is borne by their parents. Poor parents cannot afford such expenses. 'Governments, both the Centre and the State, should ensure that more students enroll, especially in higher education. In India, around 28% of students are in higher education, whereas in China, around 60% of students pursue higher studies,' he said. Mr. Viswanathan said that North Arcot district, which comprised present-day Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai districts, was economically and educationally backwards many years ago. Public initiatives like scholarships and the State government's efforts have helped to reduce economic backwardness and increase enrollment in schools and colleges. Currently, the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of Tamil Nadu is over 50%, against the national average of 28%. The Chancellor recalled that under the National Education Policy 2020, the Centre has aimed to achieve 50% of GER in 2035. Public donations through scholarships will help to cover more deserving students, he said. S. Kannappan, Director of School Education (DSE), Vellore Collector V. R. Subbulaxmi and Sankar Viswanathan, vice president, VIT, were present on the occassion.
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
RBC Capital Sticks to Its Hold Rating for GrafTech International (EAF)
RBC Capital analyst Arun Viswanathan maintained a Hold rating on GrafTech International yesterday and set a price target of $2.00. The company's shares closed yesterday at $1.09. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. According to TipRanks, Viswanathan is an analyst with an average return of -3.6% and a 45.24% success rate. Viswanathan covers the Basic Materials sector, focusing on stocks such as DuPont de Nemours, PPG Industries, and FMC. The word on The Street in general, suggests a Hold analyst consensus rating for GrafTech International with a $1.40 average price target. EAF market cap is currently $273.6M and has a P/E ratio of -2.03. Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 15 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is positive on the stock. This means that over the past quarter there has been an increase of insiders buying their shares of EAF in relation to earlier this year. Most recently, in May 2025, Sachin M Shivaram, a Director at EAF bought 50,000.00 shares for a total of $42,300.00.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Today in Politics: In Tamil Nadu, Ramadoss and son patchup; AIADMK draws a line with BJP
THE simmering public rift between Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S Ramadoss and his son, party president Anbumani Ramadoss, may be headed for a cooling down. This has been prompted by the alleged discovery of a tapping device, and the apprehension of a police investigation. According to two senior PMK sources and a confidant close to the family, a complaint filed on behalf of Ramadoss about the discovery of a sophisticated audio-tapping device at his house, and the hint that the son's side may be implicated in it, had prompted a flurry of damage-control efforts by the family. G Viswanathan, who runs the VIT Group of Institutions and is a long-time friend of the family, is reportedly the chief mediator. A complaint filed with police's Cyber Crime Wing by PMK Headquarters secretary M Anbalagan, seen by The Indian Express, says that 'an apparatus (bug)' was found at the official residence of Ramadoss by his staff on the evening of July 9, 'in the usual sitting chair (sofa)', while they were cleaning the furniture. This added an urgency to the mediation efforts between the father and son, and as per sources, a breakthrough is near. A top source in the family said it was Anbumani's father-in-law Krishnaswamy, who is also a friend of Viswanathan, who had urged the VIT Group owner to intervene. Senior Ramadoss and Viswanathan are believed to have met last week on Saturday. The top PMK source said: 'The conversation between Viswanathan and Ayya (Ramadoss) was candid. The focus now is not on ego or succession, but on protecting the family and the party from irreparable damage.' Meanwhile, amid renewed speculation over the terms of the BJP and AIADMK alliance in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) issued his most direct clarification yet on Wednesday: 'There will be no power sharing. EPS will be the Chief Minister. The AIADMK will form the government. Period.' Speaking at Chidambaram, EPS dismissed questions over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks that there would be a 'coalition government' in the state if the NDA won the 2026 Assembly elections. 'You got it wrong,' EPS told reporters. 'It is not going to be an alliance government, but the alliance will form the government. Who is leading this alliance? The AIADMK. Then who will decide about power sharing? We will take the decision.' Behind this public assertiveness, lies a nuanced understanding between the AIADMK and BJP high command – that it is politically harmful for the AIADMK to publicly endorse the idea of a coalition government before the elections, for fear of a backlash from its core Dravidian voter base. In private, sources said, EPS has conveyed to Shah that a power-sharing arrangement could be considered in the case of a win, if 'at a minimal level'. Plot thickens in Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, continued to hold meetings with several ministers on Wednesday, sparking the CM question yet again. These meetings are said to be aimed at understanding their grievances, assessing their performance, and addressing the complaints shared by the party MLAs against the ministers Earlier, the AICC General Secretary had held two rounds of one-on-one meetings with party legislators in the state. Protests intensify in Odisha Demanding the resignation of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi over the death of a female college student in Balasore district, Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba on Wednesday said President's Rule must be imposed in the state. The second-year student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College died at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar on Monday night. She had set herself on fire on the college campus on July 12 over inaction against a professor who allegedly sexually harassed her. Lamba alleged that the student died due to the failure of the system in Odisha. The Congress also gave a call for a bandh on Thursday. Eight political outfits such as the CPI, CPI(ML), RJD, SP, All India Forward Bloc, and NCP have extended their support for the bandh so far. — WITH PTI inputs
The Hindu
09-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
VIT Chancellor Viswanathan honoured by Tamil Sangam federation in U.S.
The founder and chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), G. Viswanathan, was honoured with the Highly Noble Person award by the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) at a function held at Raleigh in North Carolina, United States, recently. According to a press release, Mr. Viswanathan was awarded for his visionary leadership in founding VIT University and shaping world-class higher education in India. The citation also mentioned his contribution to education, politics and societal development. Around 38 years ago, the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) was established. FeTNA integrates 70 Tamil sangams in North America and promotes Tamil language, culture, literature, trade and development. Every year, FeTNA organises an annual conference and presents awards to distinguished Tamils for their achievement in education, cinema and literature. On the occasion, G.V. Selvam, vice-president, VIT, was present, the release said.
