As she walks into a Chennai apartment complex with her son to call on a prominent Tamil nationalist leader, Arputham Ammal—in a white sari with big, blue printed flowers—cannot stop smiling. “Let him live his life. I will not interfere. But I will advise him when he is wrong,” the 74-year-old says about A.G. Perarivalan, also called Arivu, a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The Supreme Court recently ordered his release; he had spent 31 years in jail.
Arputham Ammal’s signature shoulder bag and anti-death penalty badge were missing. “My son said the bag was dirty and I had to wash it. It is at home,” she says with a smile. She also used to carry books for her son in the bag. “No, no. I cannot go around without my bag. I will reuse it,” she insisted. As for the badge, she says: “I am always against death penalty. Be it my son or anyone else, human life matters a lot.”
For the time being, she holds a small handbag. In it is some money and an old Nokia phone that rings nonstop. “I am overwhelmed by people’s support. I want to thank everyone who stood by my son,” she says.
Denne historien er fra June 05, 2022-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 05, 2022-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.