The gates of Ezhil, the official residence of Information Technology Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, opened wide to let us in. The path took us past a tennis court—built in memory of his father, P.T.R. Palanivel Rajan—to his busy office.
Clad in his signature white shirt, paired with grey trousers, and with a dot of vermillion on his forehead, the minister walked to the door to welcome us.
He might be from a political dynasty—his father was close to DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi and his grandfather P.T. Rajan was chief minister of the Madras presidency—but he has combined it with his academic heft and modernity to carve a space for himself in today’s politics.
He is one of the strong opposition voices against the BJP and his work as Tamil Nadu finance minister earned him a national profile. Now in his new role as IT minister, PTR plans to make Tamil Nadu the leader in the field, overtaking Karnataka and Telangana.
He talked about the recent state elections and the INDIA bloc as he walked us to the dining table, where a delicious South Indian fare awaited. He also talked about the north-south debate, delimitation, international investment, and upcoming schemes in his first, exclusive interview as IT minister. Edited excerpts:
Q/ How do you see the Congress’s loss in the Hindi heartland affecting the INDIA bloc?
Denne historien er fra December 24, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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Denne historien er fra December 24, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
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RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
