text:
Tamil Nadu - A Write Up
Tamil Nadu, the home of the Tamil people lies on the southern most tip of the Indian peninsula . It is one of the 28 states in India . It lies on the eastern coast of the southern Indian Peninsula bordered by Puducherry (Pondicherry), Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh . Tamil Nadu is bound by the Eastern Ghats (a mountain range) in the north, the Nilgiri, the Annamalai Hills, Bay of Bengal to the east (A Bay forming part of the Indian Ocean), Gulf of Mannar (large shallow bay between Rameshwaram district and Sri Lanka), Palk Strait (A strait between India and Sri Lanka) in the southeast and the Indian Ocean to the south. It is the eleventh largest state in India by area (about the size of Greece) and the sixth most populous state.
Tamil Nadu is the homeland of the Tamils and has existed since prehistoric times. The culture and artwork of this region are considered to be some of the oldest in the world. It is home to one of the world's classical languages, Tamil. The language has been documented as being around for at least 5,000 years in written form, but was spoken long before that. Tamil Nadu also has one of the oldest culinary heritages in the world.
Tamil Nadu is the epicentre of Dravidian politics in India (the people of the four states of Tamil Nadu , Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh are said to belong to the Dravidian race ), which are dominated by the DMKand the AIADMK parties. It is one of the foremost states in the country in terms of overall development. One of the most industrialised and urbanised states in India, it is home to many natural resources, rare flora and fauna, cool hill stations, grand Hindu temples of Dravidian architecture, beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites and three UNESCO World Heritage sites .
Pre History
Tamil Nadu's history dates back to Pre-historic times and archaeological evidence points to this area being one of the longest continuous habitations in India. In Adichanallur, 24 km from Tirunelveli, archaeologists from the Archealogical Survey of India unearthed 169 clay urns containing human skulls, skeletons and bones, plus husks and grains of rice, charred rice and Neolithic celts, giving evidence confirming them to be of the Neolithic period, 3800 years ago The ASI archaeologists have proposed that the script is "very rudimentary" Tamil Brahmi . Adhichanallur has been announced as an archaeological site for further excavation and studies.
Chera, Chola, Pandya, Pallava Kingdoms
From early pre-historic times, Tamil Nadu was the home of the four powerful Tamil kingdoms of the Chera, Chola, Pandya (Madurai) and Pallavas . The oldest extant literature, dated between 500 BCE and 200 CE mentions the exploits of the kings and the princes, and of the poets who extolled them. The early Cholas reigned between the 1st and 4th centuries CE. An unknown dynasty called Kalabhras invaded and displaced the three Tamil kingdoms between the fourth and the Seventh centuries CE. This is referred to as the Dark Age in Tamil history. They were eventually expelled by the Pandyas and the Pallavas. Around 580 CE, the Pallavas, great temple builders, emerged into prominence and dominated the south for another 150 years. They ruled a large portion of Tamil Nadu with Kanchipuram as their base. They subjugated the Cholas and reigned as far south as the Kaveri River. Among the greatest Pallava rulers were Mahendravarman I and his son Narsimhavarman I. Dravidian architecture reached its peak during the Pallava rule.
Chola Empire
The Brahadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur, built by Raja Raja Chola
By the 9th century, under Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola, the Cholas rose as a notable power in Asia. The Chola Empire stretched as far as Bengal. Rajaraja Chola conquered all of peninsular South India and parts of Sri Lanka. Rajendra Chola's navies went even further, occupying coastal Burma (now Myanmar), the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Sumatra, Java, Malaya in South East Asia and Pegu islands. He defeated Mahipala, the king of the Bengal, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital and named it Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
The Cholas revelled in building magnificent temples. Brihadeshwara Temple in Thanjavur is a classical example of the magnificent architecture of the Chola kingdom. Brihadeshwara temple is a UNESCO Heritage Site under "Great Living Chola Temples." Another example is the Chidambaram Temple in the heart of the temple town of Chidambaram. The power of the Cholas declined around the 13th century.
Muslim Invasion, Vijayanagara Conquest
With the decline of the Cholas, the Pandyas rose to prominence once again in the early 14th century. This was short-lived; they were soon subdued by Muslim Khilji invaders from the north in 1316. The invasion led to the establishment of the Madurai Sultanate. These Muslim invasions caused the establishment of Vijayanagara Empire in the Deccan. It eventually conquered the entire Tamil country (c. 1370 CE). As the Vijayanagar Empire went into decline after mid-16th century, the Nayak governors, who were appointed by the Vijayanagar kingdom to administer various territories of the empire, declared their independence. The Nayaks of Madurai and Nayaks of Thanjavur were most prominent of them all. They reconstructed some of the oldest temples in the country.
Fort Dansborg, built by the Danish, in Tranquebar (now Tharangambadi)
Western Colonial Rule
Around 1609, the Dutch established a settlement in Pulicat. In 1639, the British, under the British East India Company, established a settlement further south, in present day Chennai. The British used petty quarrels among the provincial rulers (divide and rule) to expand their sphere of influence. The British fought and reduced the French dominions in India to Pondicherry. They consolidated southern India into the Madras Presidency. Some notable chieftains or Poligars who fought the British East India Company as it was expanding were Veerapandya Kattabomman, Pulithevan and Dheeran Chinnamalai. Pudukkottai remained as a princely state under British suzerainty.
When India became independent in 1947, Madras Presidency became Madras State, comprising of present day Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh up to Ganjam district in Orissa, northern Karnataka, and parts of Kerala. The state was subsequently split up along linguistic lines. In 1968, Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu, meaning Land of Tamil.
Geography and climate
Tamil Nadu covers an area of 130,058 square kilometres (50,216 sq miles),and is the eleventh largest state in India. West and North of the state has lofty hills while the East and South are coastal plains. The bordering states are Kerala to the west, Karnataka to the northwest and Andhra Pradesh to the north. To the east is the Bay of Bengal. The southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula is located in Tamil Nadu. At this point is the town of Kanyakumari which is the meeting point of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean.
Tamil Nadu has a coastline of about 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) which forms about 18% of the country's coastline (third longest).Tamil Nadu's coastline bore the brunt of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami when it hit India, which left behind 7,793 dead in the state. Tamil Nadu falls mostly in a region of low seismic hazard with the exception of western border areas that lie in a low to moderate hazard zone. As per the 2002 Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) map, Tamil Nadu falls in Zones II & III. Historically, parts of this region have experienced seismic activity in the M5.0 range.
Tropical cyclone Baaz approaching the Coromandel Coast during November, 2004
Tamil Nadu, a coastal state, is prone to droughts. The climate of the state ranges from dry sub-humid to semi-arid. The state has three distinct periods of rainfall: (1) Advancing monsoon period, South West monsoon (from June to September), with strong southwest winds; (2) North East monsoon (from October to December), with dominant northeast winds; and (3) Dry season (from January to May). The normal annual rainfall of the state is about 945 mm (37.2 in) of which 48% is through the North East monsoon, and 32% through the South West monsoon. Since the state is entirely dependent on rains for recharging its water resources, monsoon failures lead to acute water scarcity and severe drought. Tamil Nadu is classified into seven agro-climatic zones: north-east, north-west, west, southern, high rainfall, high altitude hilly, and Cauvery Delta (the most fertile agricultural zone ) .
A semi-arid wasteland near Tirunelveli. Monsoon clouds dump torrents of rain on lush forests that are only a few kilometers away in windward-facing Kerala, but are prevented from reaching Tirunelveli by the Agasthyamalai Range of the Western Ghats (background).
The table below shows the maximum and minimum temperatures that the state experiences in the plains and hills.
Tamil Nadu has a wide variety of minerals with the most reserves in India lignite (almost 90% of India's reserves), magnesite (45%) and garnet (over 40%) among others. Tamil Nadu contributes 15% of the total Salt production in the country. Forests cover over 17% of the state's geographical area with several Protected areas of Tamil Nadu including wild life and bird sanctuaries.
Governance and administration
Tamil Nadu had a bicameral legislature until 1986, when it was replaced with a unicameral legislature, like most other states in India. The 'Governor' is the Constitutional head of the state while the 'Chief minister' is the head of the government and the head of the council of ministers. The Chief Justice of the Madras High Court is the head of the judiciary. The present Governor, Chief minister and the Chief Justice are S. S. Barnala, M. Karunanidhi and A. P. Shah respectively.The major administrative units of the state constitutes 39 Lok Sabha constituencies, 234 Assembly constituencies, 31 districts, 8 municipal corporations, 152 municipalities, 561 town panchayats and 12,618 village panchayats. Chennai (formerly known as Madras) is the state capital. It is the fourth largest city in India and is also one of the five A1 Metropolitan cities of India.
Tamil Nadu has been a pioneering state in E-Governance initiatives in India. A large part of the government records like land ownership records are already digitised and all major offices of the state government like Urban Local Bodies - all the Corporations and Municipal Office activities - revenue collection, land registration offices, and transport offices have been computerised, thereby improving the quality of service and transparency in operations.
The 31 districts of Tamil Nadu are listed below, with the numbers corresponding to those in the image at the right. Ariyalur district, which was created in 2001 from the Perambalur district, was restored as the 31st district of Tamil Nadu on the 23rd November, 2007.
Districts of Tamil Nadu
- Chennai District
- Coimbatore District
- Cuddalore District
- Dharmapuri District
- Dindigul District
- Erode District
- Kanchipuram District
- Kanyakumari District
- Karur District
- Krishnagiri District
- Madurai District
- Nagapattinam District
- Namakkal District
- Perambalur District
- Pudukkottai District
- Ramanathapuram District
- Salem District
- Sivagangai District
- Thanjavur District
- The Nilgiris District
- Theni District
- Thoothukudi District
- Tiruchirapalli District
- Tirunelveli District
- Tiruvallur District
- Tiruvannamalai District
- Tiruvarur District
- Vellore District
- Viluppuram District
- Virudhunagar District
- Ariyalur district
Periyar, Leader of the Dravidian Movement
Pre independence
Prior to Indian independence Tamil Nadu was under British colonial rule as part of the Madras Presidency Regional parties have dominated state politics since 1916. One of the earliest regional parties was the South Indian Welfare Association, which was a forerunner to Dravidian parties in Tamilnadu, was started in 1916 as joint stock Company for conducting a daily Newspaper in English, Telugu and Tamil respectively. The party was called after its English organ, Justice Party, by it opponents and later the same was adopted as its official name. In the first general election to the then Madras Presidency, the Justice Party won the elections. The main reason for the tremendous victory for the Justice Party is the boycott of elections by the congress party. Thereby, the first Justice Party ministry assumed office on 17th December,1920 under the leadership of A.Subbarayalu Reddiyar. The first ministry of the Justice Party was consisted of only Telugu people and thus, the same was described as an " Andhra Non-Bramin Hindu Ministry. The exclusion of the Tamils from the first ministry slackened the enthusiasm of the Tamil people in the Southern districts of the then Madras Presidency, which resulted in justice party strength had got reduced considerably in the second general election held in 1923.The second justice party ministry was constituted on 19th November,1923 under the leadership of Raja of Panagal.Formation of the second Justice Party ministry again under the Telugu leadership, was very much resented by the Tamil people.
The election to the Imperial Assembly and to the Legislative Council took place on 8th November; 1926. The set back of Justice Party was glaring as the congress emerged as the largest party in the Madras Legislative Assembly by winning 41 out of 98 seats. Therefore, the Justice Party decided not to seek office in view of its strength. Thus, it paved the way for the third ministry being formed by a Tamil leader Dr.Subbaroyan in the year 1926.But the attitude of the Justice Party towards the ministry of Dr.Subbaroyan was terribly hostile. The Congress again decided to boycott elections in 1930 elections demanding complete independence to India. Thereby, the electoral field was completely left to the Justice Party and results of the elections were very much in favour of the justice party. Thus, a third Telugu led ministry under the leadership of B.Muniswami Naidu was formed on 27th October, 1930 by the Justice Party. But, the congress party swept the election held in November, 1934 and again in February, 1937. Even Raja of Bobbili, the leader of the Justice Party was defeated. At this juncture, the party leadership was given to E.V.Ramaswami Naicker who was a Telugu by origin.
E.V.Ramaswami Naicker popularly known as EVR and also as Periyar, believed in agitational politics and he took justice party away from its original path. The justice party which had a moribund existence under E.V.Ramaswami Naicker, died at last in 1944 which he renamed the party Dravidar Kazhagam (DK for short) in 1944.Thus, Dravidian movement mostly functioned for the other Dravidians and not for Tamil people . DK was a non-political party which demanded the establishment of an independent state called Dravida Nadu. However, due to the differences between its two leaders Periyar and C.N. Annadurai, the party was split. Annadurai left the party to form the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. The DMK decided to enter politics in 1956.
Dravidan Politics
In the 19th century, western scholars proposed that Dravidian languages that dominates the south of India formed a different linguistic group to that of Indo-Aryan languages that are predominant in the north of the country. They also classified Indians into distinct Aryan and Dravidian races. It was proposed that the generally darker-skinned Dravidians constituted a distinct race. This concept has affected thinking in India about racial and regional differences and had an impact on aspects of Tamil nationalism, which has appropriated the claim that Dravidians are the earliest inhabitants of India, and the Aryan population were oppresive interlopers from whom Dravidians should liberate themselves. History has shown that Dravidian linguistic family predates Indo-Aryan linguistic family in India, e.g. Sanskrit. However both language groups have been influenced by the other during the course of three millennia.
Present chief minister M.Karunanidhi (centre) with ex-chief ministers C.N. Annadurai (left) and M.G. Ramachandran (right)
Re-organisation of Indian states according to linguistic and ethnic basis has moderated Tamil nationalism, especially the demand for separation from the Indian Union. The Anti-Hindi agitations in mid-1960s made the DMK more popular and a more powerful political force in the state. The DMK routed the Congress Party in the 1967 elections and took control of the state government, ending Congress' stronghold in Tamil Nadu. C.N. Annadurai became the DMK's first Chief Minister.
Muthuvel Karunanidhi took over as Chief Minister and party leader after Annadurai's death in 1969. Karunanidhi's leadership was soon challenged by M.G. Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR. In 1972, he split from DMK and formed the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) and later renamed the party as All India Anna Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam. He was the Chief Minister of the state from 1977 until his death in 1987. After the death of MGR, the party split again into two factions, one led by Janaki Ramachandran, wife of MGR, and the other led by J. Jayalalithaa. After the defeat of AIADMK in the 1989 assembly polls, the two factions merged and Jayalalithaa took control of the party. She was elected as the General Secretary of the unified AIADMK. There have been several splits in both the DMK and the AIADMK, but since 1967 one of those two parties has held power in the state. In the State Elections held in May 2006, the AIADMK government was defeated by the DMK-led alliance.2006 election has given a fractured verdict and no single party could get the simple majority to form the government on its own.
Apart from these parties, there are other parties such as Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra kazhakam (MDMK), ViduthaiChiruthaikal( VC),Makkal Manadu Katchi (MMK), Puthiya Tamilagam ( PT) and Tamilnadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhgam (TMMK) .
Demographics and human rights
Tamil Nadu is the sixth most populous state in India with a population of 62,405,679 as of midnight on March 1, 2001 (approximately 6.05% of India's population). It is the eleventh most densely populated state in India. In 2001, its population density was 478 persons per square kilometre, having increased from 429 in 1991, significantly higher than the Indian average of 324 persons per square kilometre. Approximately 47% of Tamil Nadu's population live in urban areas, one of the highest percentages in India.
Seventy-six Scheduled Castes have been notified in Tamil Nadu by the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Act of 1976. However only three scheduled castes have a population exceeding 1 million viz. Adi Dravidar (5.4 million), Pallar (2.2 million) and Paraiyar (1.8 million).
Tamil Nadu's population grew by 11.19% between 1991 and 2001, the second lowest rate for that period (after Kerala) amongst populous states (states whose population exceeded 20 million in 2001). Its decadal rate of population growth has declined in every decade since 1971, one of only three populous states (along with Kerala and Orissa) to show this trend. According to National Family Health Survey-3 (NFHS-3), Tamil Nadu registered a fertility rate of 1.8, the lowest in India in year 2005-2006
Language and Religion Demographics
Other languages
Other religions
Note 1: mainly Telugu, Note 2: mainly Malayalam
Note 3: mainly Urdu
The vast majority (86%) of people in Tamil Nadu speak Tamil as the mother language. Also the vast majority of the people follow the Hindu religion. A significant population can speak more than one language, usually English. The distribution of population based on religion and language is described in the table.
Among Muslims 97.5% are Sunni (Most of the Tamil Muslims, adhere to either Hanafi or Shafi schools of thought) and 1.5% Shia. Tamil Nadu has had a good human rights record when it comes to religious freedom. There have been some notable exceptions. With respect to caste discrimination, Tamil Nadu's record is fairly poor. The state, during the peak of the dravidian movement, experienced strong anti-Brahmin sentiments. There are allegations that Dalits are discriminated even today in the southern districts and in other rural areas. The government's 69% reservation policy in educational institutions for OBCs and MBCs is, in general, resented by Brahmins. Tamil Nadu's record of tolerance towards linguistic minorities has been exemplary, despite provocative incidents occurring in other states and despite the state having been the epicenter of anti-Hindi agitations.
Education and social development
The main entrance of IIT Madras, showing its logo and its motto.
Tamil Nadu has performed reasonably well in terms of literacy growth during the decade 1991-2001. The state's literacy rate increased from 62.66% in 1991 to 73.47% in 2001 which is well above the national average. About 99% of the population has access to primary education.
Tamil Nadu has 40 Universities, 350 engineering colleges and 1150 arts college, 2550 schools and 5000 hospitals. IIT Madras, NIT Tiruchi, Anna University, Madurai Kamaraj University, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Government College of Technology, Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy, PSG College of Technology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, SRM University, Sathyabama University , Vellore Institute of Technology in Engineering; Madras Medical College, Christian Medical College, Stanley Medical College in Medicine; LIBA, Bharathidasan Institute of Management in Management studies; Madras Christian College in Arts and Science; Presidency College, Loyola College in Science; Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Agriculture; Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) are the premier institutes in the state. Also Tamil Nadu produces the highest number of engineering graduates in India (around 30,000) every year which attracts many software companies to set up their shop in south India.
Tamil Nadu has performed well in human development. With an index of 0.531, it ranked third in India, though considered low as against western standards. This includes population, sex ratio, density of population, per capita income, Below Poverty Line, Infant Mortality Rate, Literacy Rate, and Women's Empowerment. The life expectancy at birth for males is 65.2 years and for females it is 67.6 years. However, it has a number of challenges, significantly, the poverty is high, especially in the rural areas. As of 2004-2005, the poverty line was set at Rs. 351.86/- month for rural areas and Rs. 547.42 / month for urban areas. Poverty in the state had dropped from 51.7% in 1983 to 21.1% in 2001 . For the period 2004-2005, the Trend in Incidence of Poverty in the state was 22.5% as against the national figure of 27.5%. The World Bank is currently assisting the state in reducing poverty . High drop-out and low completion of secondary schools continue to hinder the quality of training in the population. Other problems include class, gender, inter-district and urban-rural disparities.
The Dravidian movement, which championed the causes of educating the people and eradicating superstitions, began in Tamil Nadu. In addition, it aims to uplift the socially repressed Dravidian people and drew considerable support from the middle classes for their efforts in this matter. The movement was committed to social justice which led to the expansion of reservations for the deprived communities. Tamil Nadu now has a 69% reservation in educational institutions, the highest among all Indian states.
The Mid-day Meal Scheme program in Tamil Nadu, initiated by Kamaraj, was expanded considerably during the rule of the AIADMK in 1983. It feeds over a fifth of the state's population.
Drawing the kolam figures is an important part of the Tamil Nadu culture and landscape
Tamil Nadu has a long tradition of venerable culture. Unique cultural features like Bharatanatyam (dance), Tanjore painting, and Tamil architecture were developed and continue to be practised in Tamil Nadu.
Language and Literature
The 133 ft (41 m) high Thiruvalluvar Statue, off the coast of Kanyakumari
Tamil is the official language of Tamil Nadu and is one of the two classical languages of India, the other being Sanskrit. Tamil is also one of the official languages of India. Tamil Nadu is known for its rich tradition of literature, music and dance which continue to flourish today.
Tamil is one of the Classical Languages of India. It is a vibrant language with a long and rich literary tradition. Most of the older works are in verse form, and prose gained popularity later. All through history, Tamil literature has sought to inform and inspire, educate and entertain. Tamil poetry has universal appeal as evinced by many examples.
Tirukkural which was written nearly two millennia ago portrays a universal outlook. This is evident as the author, Thiruvalluvar, does not mention his religion, land, or the audience for his work. He is portrayed as a holy saint of Tamil Nadu today. There is an evidential history that the kings of olden days rolled out Tamil Sangam (Tamil organisation) to develop literature works in Tamil. The Sangam headquartered in Madurai generated a large amount of notable literary works. The first Tamil printing press was established at Tarangambadi by the Danish missionaries.
During the Indian freedom struggle, many Tamil poets and writers provoked national spirit, social equity and secularist thoughts among the common man, notably Subramanya Bharathi. Even today, Tamil Nadu is home to creative writers like Jayakanthan, Jayamohan, Sujatha, Indira Parthasarathy.
The Kings of the olden days created sangams for Iyal Isai Nadagam (Literature, Music and Drama). Music plays a major role in sangams. Music in Tamil Nadu had different forms. In villages where farming was the primary work, the ladies who work in the fields used to sing kulavai songs. Odhuvars, Sthanikars or Kattalaiyars offer short musical programmes in the temples by singing the devotional Thevaram songs. In sharp contrast with the restrained and intellectual nature of carnatic music, Tamil folk music tends to be much more exuberant. Popular forms of Tamil folk music include the Villuppāṭṭu, a form of music performed with a bow, and the Nāṭṭuppur̲appāṭṭu, ballads that convey folklore and folk history. Some of the leading Tamil folk artists in the early 21st century are Pushpuvanam Kuppuswamy, Dr Navaneethakrishnan, Chinnaponnu, Paravai muniammal etc.
Carnatic music is the classical music of Southern India. The basic form is a monophonic song with improvised variations. There are 72 basic scales on the octave, and a rich variety of melodic motion. Both melodic and rhythmic structures are varied and compelling. This is one of the world's oldest & richest musical traditions. Carnatic music abounds in structured compositions in the different ragas. These are songs composed by great artists and handed down through generations of disciples. Three saint composers of the nineteenth century, Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri, have composed thousands of songs that remain favourites among musicians and audiences. The composers belonging to the Tamil Trinity of Muthu Thandavar (?1560 - ?1640 CE), Arunachala Kavi (1712-1779) and Marimutthu Pillai (1717-1787) composed hundreds of devotional songs in Tamil and helped in the evolution of Carnatic music. Today, Tamil Nadu has hundreds of notable carnatic singers who spread this music all over the world. M. S. Subbulakshmi, a renowned carnatic singer, had the honour of singing a song in the UN Security Council.
In terms of modern music (light, film, pop, etc.), the music of Tamil Nadu is praised very highly. Ilaiyaraaja was the most prominent composer of film music in Tamil cinema during the late 1970s and 1980s. His work highlighted Tamil folk lyricism and introduced broader Western musical sensibilities to the South Indian musical mainstream. Tamil Nadu is also the home of A.R. Rahman who is recognised worldwide and has composed film music in both Tamil and Hindi films.
Arts and dance
Tanjore painting
Tamils have a large number of folk dances. These are performed for every possible occasion, to celebrate the arrival of seasons, birth of a child, weddings and festivals. Tamil dance is closely intertwined with the Tamil theatrical tradition. The most celebrated of these is karakattam. In its religious form, the dance is performed in front of an image of the goddess Mariamman. The dancer bears on his or her head a brass pot filled with uncooked rice, decorated with flowers and surrounded by a bamboo frame, and tumbles and leaps to the rhythm of a song without spilling a grain. Karakattam is usually performed to a special type of song known as temmanguppāṭṭu or thevarpāṭṭu, a folk song in the mode of a lover speaking to his beloved, to the accompaniment of a nadaswaram and melam. Other Tamil folk dances include mayilāṭṭam, where the dancers tie a string of peacock feathers around their waist; ōyilāttam, danced in a circle while waving small pieces of cloth of various colours; poykkāl kuthiraiyaaṭṭam, where the dancers use dummy horses; mān̲āṭṭam, where the dancers imitate the graceful leaping of deer; par̲aiyāṭṭam, a dance to the sound of rhythmical drumbeats, and thīppandāṭṭam, a dance involving playing with burning wooden torches.
Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form originating from Tamil Nadu. Bharatanatyam is thought to have been created by Bharata Muni, a Hindu sage, who wrote the Natya Shastra, the most important ancient treatise on classical Indian dance. In ancient times it was performed as dasiattam by Hindu temple Devadasis. In this form, it as also been called sadir or chinna melam. Many of the ancient sculptures in Hindu temples are based on Bharata Natyam dance postures. Bharatanatyam is a traditional dance-form known for its grace, purity, tenderness, and sculpturesque poses. It continues to be a popular and widely performed dance style at present times and is practised by male and female dancers all over India. Therukoothhu (street dance) is a folk tradition of dance-drama.
Film industry
Tamil Nadu is also home to the Tamil film industry, the second largest film industry in India alongside Bollywood (Hindi films) and Tollywood (Telugu films). Chennai has often been referred to as Kollywood, a conflation of Hollywood and Kodambakkam, the section of Chennai that houses cinema-related facilities.
Tamil cuisine has one of the oldest culinary heritages in the world. Traditionally, food is served on banana leaf. Rice is the staple food of Tamils. Traditional Tamil cuisine includes Dosai, Idly, Vadai, Pongal and Uthappam. These dishes are served along with Sambar, Rasam, Kootu, Aviyal, Chatni and Poriyal. The Chettinad region is famous for its spicy non-vegetarian cuisine. The Tirunelveli region is also famous for its unique wheat halwa. The fast food culture is witnessing a steady growth in Tamil Nadu in recent years.
Bullock cart race in Theni district
Pongal, also called as Tamizhar Thirunaal (festival of Tamils) is a four-day harvest festival is the most celebrated festival of Tamil Nadu. The Tamil language saying Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum - literally meaning, the birth of the month of Thai will pave way for new opportunities - is often quoted with reference to this festival. The first day, Bhogi Pongal, is celebrated by throwing away and destroying old clothes and materials by setting them on fire to mark the end of the old and emergence of the new. The second day, Surya Pongal, is the main day which falls on the first day of the Tamil month Thai (January 14 or January 15 in western calendar). The third day, Maattu Pongal, is meant to offer thanks to the cattle, as they provide milk and are used to plough the lands. Jallikattu, a violent taming the wild bull contest, marks the main event of this day. During this final day, Kaanum Pongal - the word "kanum", means'to view' in Tamil - youths used to gather at riverbanks to view and select their future life partners, but that practice has declined.
The first month in the Tamil calendar is Chittirai and the first day of this month is celebrated as Tamil New Year, which generally falls on April 13 or 14th of the Gregorian calendar. Aadi Perukku is celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month Aadi, which celebrates the rising of the water level in the river Cauvery. Deepavali( Death of Narakasura) was celeberated with fire crackers.
Additional major Hindu festivals including Saraswathi Poojai (Dasara) and Vinayaka Chathurthi are celebrated widely. The Ayyavazhi Festival, Ayya Vaikunda Avataram is celebrated grandly in the southern districts, especially in Swamithope pathi, the religious headquarters. In addition Christmas, Eid ul-Fitr, Easter and Bakrid are celebrated by Christians and Muslims in the state.
Apart from these major festivals, in every village and town of Tamil Nadu, the inhabitants celebrate festivals for the local gods once a year and the time varies from place to place. Most of these festivals are related to the goddess Maariyamman the mother goddess of rain.
Macro-economic trend
Tamil Nadu's gross state domestic product for 2007 is estimated at 275,000 crores (70 billion USD) in current prices. The state experienced a GDP growth rate of 12.1% for this period. Possessing the third largest economy (2004-2005) among states in India, Tamil Nadu is also the second most industrialised state next to Maharastra. The per capita income for the period 2007 - 2008 for the state was Rs.43,000 ranking second among the South Indian states. It ranks third in foreign direct investment approvals (cumulative 1991-2002) of Rs.225,826 million ($5,000 million), next only to Maharashtra (Rs.366,024 million ($8,100 million)) and Delhi (Rs.303,038 million ($6,700 million)and the State's FDI investment constitutes 9.12% of the total FDI in the country. Tamil Nadu was the winner of Dimagazine's Asian Region of the Future award 2005/06 in terms of FDIs, surpassing Australia's New South Wales. Unlike many other states, the economic resources are quite spread out, rather than concentrated in a small industrialised area.
Per capita income of Tamil Nadu has grown steadily keeping above the national average.
Gross State Domestic Product - in Rs. Crores and Current Prices
Gross State Domestic Product
According to the 2001 Census, Tamil Nadu has the highest level of urbanisation (43.86%) in India, accounting for 6% of India's total population and 9.6% of the urban population and is the second most industrialised state in India. Services contributes to 45% of the economic activity in the state, followed by manufacturing at 34% and agriculture at 21%. Government is the major investor in the state with 51% of total investments, followed by private Indian investors at 29.9% and foreign private investors at 14.9%. Tamil Nadu has a network of about 110 industrial parks and estates offering developed plots with supporting infrastructur Also, the state government is promoting other industrial parks like Rubber Park, Apparel Parks, Floriculture Park, TICEL Park for Biotechnology Siruseri IT Park, and Agro Export Zones among others.
Annual Plan outlays have increased by a record 75% from Rs.52,000 million ($1,100 million) in 2001-2 to Rs.91,000 million ($2,000 million) in 2005-6. Based on URP - Consumption for the period 2004 - 2005, percentage of the state's population Below Poverty Line was 27.5 %
Paddy fields along the Nagercoil-Thiruvananthapuram Highway, near Nagercoil, in Kanyakumari District
Tamil Nadu has historically been an agricultural state; its advances in other fields launched the state into competition with other states. Even so, Tamil Nadu is a leading producer of agricultural products in India. At present, Tamil Nadu is India's second biggest producer of Rice, next to Punjab where there is perennial source of irrigation.The Cauvery delta region of the composite Thanjavur district is known as the Rice Bowl of South India. Tamil Nadu accounts for nearly 6% of the area under fruits and 4% of the area under vegetables in the country. In terms of production, the State's share is nearly 10% in fruits and 6% in vegetables. Tamil Nadu is also a leading state in the production of flowers. The total production of horticultural crops is 99.47 Lakhs during 2003-04. The main flowers grown in Tamil Nadu are Jasmine, Mullai, Chrysanthemum, Marigold and Rose. Mango and Banana are the leading fruit crops in Tamil Nadu accounting for over 84% of the area under fruit and over 87% of the total fruit production. Off-season production of mango and round-the-year production of grapes is unique to Tamil Nadu. The main vegetables grown are tapioca, tomato, onion, brinjal and drumstick.
Grapes Cultivation in Theni district of Tamil Nadu
The state is the largest producer of bananas, flowers, tapioca the second largest producer of mango, coffee, natural rubber , coconut, groundnut and the third largest producer of sapota, Tea and Sugarcane. Tamil Nadu is also a leading producer of spices, kambu, corn, rye and oil seeds. The main spices grown are chillies, coriander, tamarind, turmeric and curry leaves. Tamil Nadu's sugarcane yield per hectare is the highest in India. A host of sugar companies have their operations here including EID Parry I Ltd., Thiru Arooran Sugars Ltd., Sakthi Sugars Ltd., Bannari Amman Sugars Ltd. and Rajshree sugars Ltd. The state has 17,000 hectares of land under oil palm cultivation, the second highest in India. Currently, Tamil Nadu is the only state to have a formal bio-diesel policy using jatropha plant crops and to distribute wasteland to the poor farmers for planting.
Farmers harvesting in a field near Vellore
Tamil Nadu is the home to Dr M.S. Swaminathan, known as the "father of the Green Revolution" in India.Tamil Nadu Agricultural University with its seven colleges and thirty two research stations spread over the entire state contributes to evolving new crop varieties and technologies and disseminating through various extension agencies. The net sown area is 36% of the total geographic area (National average of 46%). The gross cropped area is 53,200 km² with a cropping intensity of 119. Irrigation covers 46% of the cropped area and the remaining 54% is rain-fed. Tamil Nadu's agriculture is heavily dependent on river water and monsoon rains.
Water Resources
The perennial rivers are Palar, Cheyyar River, Ponnaiyar, Kaveri, Meyar, Bhavani, Amaravati, Vaigai, Chittar River and Tamaraparani. Non-perennial rivers include the Vellar, Noyal, Suruli, Gundar, Vaipar, Valparai and Varshali. Canals, tanks and wells form the sources of Irrigation for farmers in the state. As of 2005-2006, the state had 2395 canals with a length of 9,747 km, 40,319 tanks, 670 ordinary government wells, 1,620,705 ordinary private wells and 290,611 tube wells.
Livestock, poultry and fisheries
Among states in India, Tamil Nadu is one of the leaders in livestock, poultry and fisheries production. The table below gives the data on the total number of livestock and poultry in 2003 (All figures in thousands)
Horses & ponies
Total livestock
Total poultry
As per this data, Tamil Nadu had the second largest number of poultry amongst all the states and accounted for 17.7% of the total poultry population in India. The town of Namakkal is also known as the poultry hub. In 2003-2004, Tamil Nadu had produced 4,752,000 tonnes of milk, out of which 3,323,000 tonnes was cow milk and 1,429,000 tonnes was buffalo milk. The state was the ninth largest producer of milk and contributed to 5.39% of the total milk production in the country for that period. The per capita availability of milk for that period was 198 grams/day, which was lesser than the all-India figure of 231 grams/day . In 2003 - 2004, Tamil Nadu had produced 37,836 lakhs of eggs, which was the second highest figure among all the states in India, and represented 9.37% of the total egg production in the country . During 2002-2003, the state had produced 609000 kg of wool. The total fodder produced in the state for 2002-2003 was 31,929,000 tonnes, out of which 21,429,000 tonnes was dry fodder and 10,500,000 tonnes was green fodder. The total number of vertinary institutions in the state in 2006 was 1854.
With the third longest coastline in India, Tamil Nadu is also among the leaders in fisheries and in the production and exports of related products. For the year 2005-2006, total inland fish catchment was 155,944 tonnes and marine fish catchment stood at 389,714 tonnes. For the same period, the total fish and fishery products exported by the state was 72,418 tonnes which was valued at Rs. 19.96 billion. This figure represented 27.54% of the total value of fish and fishery products exported by India for that period.
Hyundai's manufacturing plant near Chennai
Tamil Nadu is a highly industrialised state. Many heavy engineering and manufacturing-based companies are centred in and around the suburbs of Chennai (nicknamed, "The Detroit of Asia"). Chennai boasts the presence of global vehicle manufacturing giants like Ford, Renault, Nissan, Caterpillar, Hyundai, Komatsu, BMW, and Mitsubishi as well as domestic heavyweights like MRF, TI cycles of India, Ashok Leyland, Royal Enfield, Mahindra & Mahindra, TAFE Tractors and TVS. In an equal joint venture agreement, Renault and Nissan have decided to invest Rs. 4,500 crore ($1,140 million) to set up an integrated greenfield automotive facility at Oragadam near Chennai. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed with the Government of Tamil Nadu in February 2008. The project will come up on 678 acres and will provide vehicle production platforms for the two car-makers. It will also have powertrain facility. The plant will have an installed capacity of four lakh vehicles annually. The facility is expected to go on stream in 2010.This project would give a fillip to the manufacturing sector in Tamil Nadu, especially in the area of automobiles and auto components and help consolidate Chennai's position as the leading location for automobile production and related industries in India. Everything from automobiles, railway coaches, battle-tanks, tractors, motorcycles and heavy vehicles are manufactured in the state. Sterlite Industries have their copper smelter (in Tuticorin) and aluminium (in Mettur) factories here. A large number of textile mills and engineering industries are present around the city of Coimbatore. Coimbatore is also headquarters for Pricol, LMW, ELGI, Suguna and Bromark PioneerPoultry. Karur is known for its bus body building industries where most of the buses used in south India are manufactured, and truck bodies are built in Namakkal. Over 11.2% of the S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Tamil Nadu.
The Kalpakkam Nuclear Power Plant, Ennore Thermal Plant, Neyveli Lignite Power Plant, many hydroelectric plants including Mettur and the Narimanam Natural Gas Plants are major sources of Tamil Nadu's electricity. It is presently adding the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant to its energy grid. Tamil Nadu sources a significant proportion of its power needs from renewable sources with wind power contributing over 2000 MW or over 20% of the needs. As of 2005, Tamil Nadu is one of the few Indian states with surplus power electricity, enabling the electrical authority to sell it to neighbouring states of Andra Pradesh & Karnataka. Tamil Nadu ranks first nationwide in diesel-based thermal electricity generation with national market share of over 34%.
The textile industry plays a significant role in the Indian economy by providing direct employment to an estimated 35 million people, and thereby contributing 4% of GDP and 35% of Gross Export Earnings. The textile sector contributes to 14% of the manufacturing sector. There are a lot of Textile mills located in Coimbatore. The city of Tirupur (Coimbatore District), in Tamil Nadu is the country's largest exporter of cotton knitwear and sometimes referred to as textile valley of India . In 2004, the export turnover from the town was more than Rs. 50,000 million ($1,000 million). Some 7,000 garment units in the town provides employment opportunity to 7,50,000 people. 56% of India's total knitwear exports come from Tirupur. The Export Import Policy of 2002-2007 acknowledges Tirupur for its contribution to the export efforts. Next to Tirupur, the city of Karur generates around (3,500 million) $750 million a year in foreign exchange and give the opportunity to 3,00,000 peoples for work. The Karur exports of Home-Textile products such as bed linens, kitchen linens, toilet linens, table linens and wall hangings. Madurai and Kanchipuram are famous for their handloom and silk saris.
Wind-mill generators at Muppandal in Kanyakumari district. In the background are hills of the Western Ghats . Electronics manufacturing is a growing industry in Tamil Nadu. Companies like Nokia, Flextronics, Motorola, Sony-Erricsson, Foxconn, Samsung, Cisco, and Dell have chosen Chennai as their South Asian manufacturing hub. Products manufactured include circuit boards and cellular phone handsets. Ericsson also has a Research and Development facility in Chennai. Big EPC companies have set up their Engineering centres which include Saipem I Project Services ltd, Technip, Foster Wheeler, Mott Mecdonald, Petrofac and Technimont. The Austrian company Austrian Energy and Environment also have a design office here besides local giant ECC {Larsen & Toubro} Sanmina-SCI is the latest company to invest in Tamil Nadu to create a state of the art manufacturing facility. Nokia Siemens Networks has decided to build a manufacturing plant for wireless network equipment in Tamil Nadu .
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd., a global electrical equipment manufacturing public sector company, has manufacturing plants at Tiruchirapalli and Ranipet . The construction industry also saw new entrants like BGR Energy systems ltd, Consolidated construction consortium. The state government owns the Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers (TNPL), the world's biggest bagasse based Paper mills in Karur as well as the world's sixth largest manufacturer of watches together with TATA, under the brand name of "Titan". 55% of all wind-generated electricity in India is created by windmills in Tamil Nadu. Renowned Danish wind power company NEG Micron has established its manufacturing unit in Chennai.
Tamil Nadu is a leading producer of Cement in India. It is the home of leading cement brands in the country such as Chettinad Cements (in Karur), Dalmia Cements (in Ariyalur), Ramco cements (Madras Cement Ltd), India cements (in Sankari, Ariyalur), Grasim etc. Big companies like MICO and Cognizant solutions have set up their design offices here. L&T is setting up big manufacturing units with an investment of 500 crores. Even temple city Madurai has attracted Honeywell to set up their centre here.
The town of Sivakasi is a leader in the areas of printing, fireworks, and safety matches.It was fondly called as Kutty Japan or "little Japan" by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of Independent India . It contributes to 80% of India's production of safety matches as well as 90% of India's total fireworks production. Sivakasi provides over 60% of India's total offset printing solutions and ranks as one of the highest taxpaying towns in India. Sivakasi also is a 100% employed town, putting it in the company of very few towns in India.
Tamil Nadu has a significant amount of mineral reserves such as lignite (87%), vermiculite (66%), garnet (42%), Zircon (38%), graphite (33%), ileminite (28%), rutile (27%), monazite (25%), and magnesite (17%). The numbers in the brackets indicate the percentage contribution to the national share. India's leading steel producer, SAIL has a steel plant in Salem .
The Tidel Park in Chennai is one of the largest software parks in India
Tamil Nadu is a leading contributor in the IT and BPO sectors. Tamil Nadu is the third largest software exporter by value in India, second only to Karnataka and Maharashtra. India's largest IT park is in Chennai. Software exports from Tamil Nadu more than doubled from Rs. 76 billion ($1.6 billion) in 2003-04 to Rs. 141.15 billion {$3.53 billion} in 2005-06 and zoomed to Rs. 207 billion {$5 billion} by 2006-07 according to NASSCOM. . Chennai is a hub for e-publishing with 47 e-publishing units registered with the STPI in Chennai. Companies such as Virtusa, HCL, Wipro, TCS, Satyam, Infosys, Polaris Software Lab. Cognizant Technology Solutions, Acme Technology Pvt. Ltd., Covnsys, Capgemini, Ford Information Technology, Xansa, Changepond, Verizon, isoft, insoft, iNautix, Mphasis (Electronic Data Systems ), Bally and many others have offices in Chennai. Infosys Technologies has set up India's largest software development centre to house 25,000 software professionals at an estimated investment of Rs. 12,500 million ($270 million) in Chennai. Chennai is also the preferred destination for companies outsourcing their high-end knowledge intensive operations. Testimony to this is the presence of major market research companies such as Frost & Sullivan and equity research companies such as Irevna in Chennai. This is the next high growth area that Chennai is witnessing.
Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Tamil Nadu has a well established transportation system that connects all parts of the state. This is partly responsible for the investment growth in the state. Tamil Nadu is served by an extensive road network, providing links between urban centers, agricultural market-places and rural areas. There are 24 national highways in the state, covering a total distance of 2,002 km. The state is also a terminus for the Golden Quadrilateral project that is scheduled to be completed in 2008. The state has a total road length of 167,000 km, of which 60,628 km are maintained by Highways Department. This is nearly 2.5 times higher than the density of all-India road network. It is currently working on upgrading its road network, though the pace of work is considered slow.
Tamil Nadu has a well developed rail network as part of Southern Railway Headquartered at Chennai, the Southern Railway network extends over a large area of India's Southern Peninsula, covering the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Pondicherry, a major portion of Kaqrnataka and a small portion of Andhra Pradesh . Tamil Nadu has a total railway track length of 5,952 km and there are 532 railway stations in the state.The system connects it with most major cities in India. Main rail junctions in the state include Chennai, Erode, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem and Tiruchirapalli. Chennai has a well-established suburban railway network and is in the process of developing a metro.
Chennai International Airport
Tamil Nadu has a major international airport, Chennai International Airport, that is connected with 19 countries with more than 169 direct flights every week. This is currently the third largest airport in India after Mumbai and Delhi and has a passenger growth of 18%. It also has domestic airports at Coimbatore, Trichy, Tuticorin and Madurai make several parts of the state easily accessible. Increased industrial activity has given rise to an increase in passenger traffic as well as freight movement which has been growing at over 18 per cent per year.
Tamil Nadu has three major ports at Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin, as well as one intermediate port, Nagapattinam and seven minor ports, Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, Cuddalore, Colachel, Karaikal, Pamban and Valinokkan which are currently capable of handling over 73 million metric tonnes of cargo annually (24 per cent share of India). All the minor ports are managed by the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board. Chennai Port is an artificial harbour situated on the Coromandel Coast in South-East India and it is the second principal port in the country for handling containers. Ennore Port was recently converted from an intermediate port to a major port and handles all the coal and ore traffic in Tamil Nadu. The volume of cargo in the ports grew by 13 per cent during 2005. The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project will transform the Tuticorin port into a transshipment hub similar to those in Singapore and Colombo. The ports are in need of improvement and some of them have container terminals privatised.
Fauna and Flora
Lion-tailed Macaque, an endangered species
The state has a wide range of flora and fauna. There is a wide diversity of wildlife. There are many protected areas of Tamil Nadu, including 2 Biosphere Reserves, 5 National Parks and several wildlife sanctuaries, where many unique species and their habitats are protected. Tamil Nadu includes a wide range of Biomes, extending east from the South Western Ghats montane rain forests in the Western Ghats through the South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests and Deccan thorn scrub forests to tropical dry broadleaf forests and then to the beaches, estuaries, salt marshes, mangroves, and coral reefs of the Bay of Bengal.
There are about 2000 species of wildlife that are native to Tamil Nadu. Protected areas provide safe habitat for large mammals including elephants, tigers, leopard wild dog, sloth bears, Gaurs, Lion-Tailed Macaques, Nilgiri Langurs, Nilgiri Tahrs, Grizzled Giant Squirrels and Sambar deer, resident and migratory birds such as cormorants, Darters, Herons, Egrets, Open-billed Storks, Spoonbills and White Ibises, Little Grebes, Indian Moorhen, Black-winged stilts, a few migratory ducks and occasionally Grey Pelicans, marine species such as the Dugongs, Turtles, Dolphins and Balano-glossus and a wide variety of fish and insects.
Tamil Nadu is the home for 3000 plant species including Eucalyptus, Palmyra, Rubber, Cinchona, Clumping Bamboos (Bambusa Arundinacea, Common Teak, Anogeissus latifolia, Indian Laurel, Grewia, and blooming trees like Indian labumusum, Aredesia, and Solanancea. Rare and unique plantlife includes Combretum ovalifolium, Ebony (Dispyros nilagrica), Habebarai reriflora (Orchid), Alsophila, Impatiens elegans, Ranunculus Reniformis, and Royal fern . Tamil Nadu ranks first in Angiosperm diversity amongst all the states in the country with 5640 species (32%) of the total 17,672 species, which includes 230 red-listed species and 1559 species of medicinal plants .
Courtallam waterfalls in Tirunelveli district
Tamil Nadu's tourism industry is the second largest in India, with an annual growth rate of 16%. Tourism in Tamil Nadu is promoted by Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC), a Government of Tamil Nadu undertaking. TTDC was incorporated in July, 1971, with the objective of promoting tourism in Tamil Nadu by providing infrastructure facilities in transport and accommodation. To fulfil this objective, TTDC has expanded its activities into 3 main operations, namely, hotels, transport and fairs. At present, TTDC operates 54 hotels, 11 boat houses, 3 restaurants, 3 snack bars, 4 telescope houses, 2 landscaping & gardening and 1 tourist service center. TTDC offers wide range of package tours and operates a fleet of 22 coaches. The tagline adopted for promoting tourism in Tamil Nadu is Enchanting Tamil Nadu. In 2004, Tamil Nadu had earned Rs. 20 million ($457,000) from tourism. Approximately 1,219,000 foreign and 29,305,000 domestic tourists visited the state in 2005.
Tamil Nadu is a land of varied beauty. It boasts some of the grandest Hindu temples of Dravidian architecture in the World. The temples are of a distinct style which are famous for their towering Gopurams. The Brihadishwara Temple in Thanjavur, built by the Cholas, and the Shore Temple, along with the collection of other monuments in Mahabalipuram have been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites The Rajagopuram of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam - the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world - is the tallest temple gopuram in the world Madurai is home to one of the grandest Hindu temples in the World - Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple, Rathoppemeshwaram, Kanchipuram and Palani are important pilgrimage sites for Hindus. Other popular temples in Tamil Nadu include those in Ganagaikonda Cholapuram, Chidambaram, Thiruvannaamalai, Aragalur, Tiruttani, Swamithoppe, Tiruchendur and Tiruvallur.
St. Thomas Mount in Chennai, the place where St. Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ, was believed to have been martyred, is an important pilgrimage site for Indian Christians. The Santhome Basilica, supposedly built atop the tomb of St. Thomas, and the Vailankanni Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health - revered churches by the Catholics in India - are good examples of majestic church architectures in Tamil Nadu. Nagore, in Nagapattinam district, is an important pilgrimage site for Muslims.
Kanyakumari, the Southernmost tip of Mainland India, at sunrise
Tamil Nadu is also home to many beautiful hill stations. Popular among them are Udhagamandalam (Ooty), Kodaikanal, Yercaud, Coonoor, Top Slip and Yelagiri. The Nilgiri hills, Palani hills, Shevaroy hills and Cardamom hills are all abodes of thick forests and wildlife. Mukurthi National Park & Kalakkad Mudanthurai Tiger Reserve are the two tiger reserves in the state. Tamil Nadu has many National Parks, Biosphere Reserves, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Elephant and Bird Sanctuaries, Reserved Forests, Zoos and Crocodile farms. Prominent among them are Mudumalai National Park, The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary and Arignar Anna Zoological Park . The mangrove forests in Pichavaram are also eco-tourism spots of importance.
Kanyakumari, the southern most tip of peninsular India, is famous for its distinct and beautiful sunrise, Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvar's statue built off the coastline. Marina beach in Chennai is one of the longest beaches in the world. The stretch of beaches from Chennai to Mahabalipuram are home to many resorts, theme parks and eateries. The Waterfalls in the state include Courtallam, Hogenakal, Papanasam and Manimuthar. The Chettinad region of the state is renowned for its Palatial houses and cuisine. In recent years, Tamil Nadu is also witnessing a growth in Medical tourism, as are many other states in India.
i kindly wants to say that i am looking forward to start poultry farming business i have the experience but waiting for the opportunity.
sayyed ilyas hussain mumbai
mobile no;09702414506
Nice, add more relevant tags like 'tamilnadu', 'tamil' and so on. That is how this hub will get in google search results.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
<< -- 3 -- Carson P Cooman MUSICAL NARRATIVE
Entre Funérailles II (2000) is another graphical score which contains of circular elements whose order is determined by the performer. Applebaum provides an interesting explanation of the series of pieces from which this one comes: 'Unlike almost all my other compositions, pieces that are worked out -- agonized over -- during several months or years, the Entre Funérailles series has a self-imposed requirement that its pieces be composed rapidly within 72 hours. Entre Funérailles II was composed on an airplane ride to the première of Entre Funérailles I for trumpet. This is the first time that I have commenced and completed a piece on an airplane, but certainly not the first time that I have composed in one. I regularly find the high altitude environment conducive to composing, perhaps because of oxygen deprivation.'
The final piece, Disciplines (1998) is an extended five movement suite for solo piano. The work 'was inspired by the life, music, and philosophy of Sun Ra'. Extremely extended notes explain how each movement of the work is constructed and behaves. The movements are titled Heliopolis, Cosmo Drama
[listen -- track 8, 1:54-3:10],
Ontological Shock, Outergalactic Discpline, and From Saturn to Alabama: Travels in Outer Space.
The booklet notes are incredibly detailed throughout (including score excerpts) and explain how the musical materials work in each piece very carefully. However, as stated above, very little of this is audible in the resulting music without looking at the score. This recording is recommended to listeners who are interested in discovering a new composer working in this musical idiom.
Mark Applebaum: Disciplines
innova 628 Stereo FIRST RELEASE 62'01" 2004 Mark Applebaum
Mark Applebaum (born 1967): Sargasso (83+) (1992) played by Eric Bartlett, cello; Narcissus: Strata/Panacea (1994) played by Steven Schick, marimba; Elegy (1995) played by Mark Applebaum, piano; Elegy (1995) played by Scott Paulson, carillon; Neo-Tribes (1997) played by Griffin Campbell, alto saxophone; Entre Funérailles II (2000) played by Terry Longshore, vibraphone; Disciplines (1998): Discipline 1: Heliopolis; Discipline 2: Cosmo Drama; Discipline 3: Ontological Shock; Discipline 4: Outergalactic Discipline; Discipline 5: From Saturn to Alabama: Travels in Outer Space, played by Shannon Wettstein, piano
For help listening to the sound extracts here,
please refer to our questions & answers page.


text:
The Department of Sociology invites applications for a tenured (Associate/Full) or tenurable (Advanced Assistant) full-time appointment beginning fall 2018. The position is open to sociologists with a PhD in any area of the discipline. Special consideration will be given to candidates who build on existing strengths in the department. We will begin reviewing applications on September 15, 2017, until the position is filled. The position is contingent on funding approval.
Dartmouth has a strong commitment to supporting both quality research and teaching. These goals are facilitated by the school's resource-rich research environment as well as the quarter system, which allows the four course annual classroom teaching load to be covered in two ten-week terms with a third term in residence for research and other departmental obligations and a fourth term off. For more information about the department, see: http://sociology.dartmouth.edu/.
Applicants should upload their materials to apply.interfolio.com/42988. Applicants for a senior position should upload a curriculum vitae, including a list of references, and a statement of current research and teaching interests. Applicants for a junior position should upload a curriculum vitae, statement of current research and teaching interests, two samples of written work, teaching evaluations, and letters from three references.
Dartmouth College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected status. Applications by members of all underrepresented groups are encouraged.


text:
Background Of Adelante Mujer
Adelante Mujer/Advance Woman was founded in 2009 by Sister Ann McKean, CSA when she met an academically superior Nicaraguan high school graduate. The young woman wanted to pursue a university education but was unable to do so because she did not have the money. Beginning at that moment Sister Ann, herself a university professor, was inspired to do everything in her power to financially assist similar young Nicaraguan women with aspirations for a college degree they could not afford.
Adelante Mujer, recognizing the dire need for medical doctors on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, decided to focus its ministry on women who aspire to become medical doctors. Adelante Mujer provides funds for needy young women who would otherwise not be able to afford the cost of six years of study required by the medical school at URACCAN University. Each month recipients of Adelante Mujer assistance are given money to help pay for school supplies and for the expensive medical supplies and equipment uniquely required for medical students. One meal per school day is also funded by Adelante Mujer because many students can hardly afford this daily expense.
On December 12, 2014 the first eight beneficiaries of Adelante Mujer graduated as medical doctors and on January 27, 2016 an additional five students pronounced the Hippocratic Oath as medical doctors! At the Promotion Ceremony on December 5th, 2016 nine more students became Adelante Mujer doctors. On February 24, 2018 another nine joined their rank. Nicaragua currently has 31 Adelante Mujer doctors, thanks to the many and generous donors who make their dream come true!
Currently, there are 42 young women who are Adelante Mujer medical students. Any donation, however large or small, is greatly needed and will benefit the education of young women whose medical service will be offered to people of the Caribbean coast.
our timeline:
- 38 women medical students received Adelante Mujer funding for semester one, 2018.
- On February 24 nine Adelante Mujer students became medical doctors, bringing the total to 31!
- Due to the civil unrest in Nicaragua the semester trip to Bilwi/Puerto Cabezas was canceled in May, 2018.
- 42 women medical students are recipients of funding for the second semester of this year.
- The Adelante Mujer Board of Directors Development Committee prepared the first Annual Report.
- The 2014 class of eight Adelante Mujer Doctors entered its final year of social service before becoming fully licensed physicians of Nicaragua.
- 30 women were Adelante Mujer students during semester one of 2017 and 38 for semester two.
- At the Promotion Ceremony on December 5th, 2016 nine Adelante Mujer students became Adelante Mujer doctors bringing the total number to 22. A member of the Adelante Mujer Board of Directors with the Assistant Director of Adelante Mujer witnessed the impressive ceremony.
- An Executive Committee, Finance Committee, and Development Committee were established.
- There were 28 Adelante Mujer students for the second semester of 2016
- On January 27, 2016 five Adelante Mujer students pronounced the Hippocratic Oath and became medical doctors! They began their internship at the local hospital in February.
- The eight Adelante Mujer doctors of 2014 began their two years of social service in clinics and hospitals assigned by the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health.
- Currently 13 Adelante Mujer doctors serve in various venues of eastern Nicaragua.
- 23 students have been awarded Adelante Mujer funding for Semester One of 2016.
- The Strategic Planning Committee initiated its work which will be discussed at every meeting of the Adelante Mujer Board of Directors.
- Two new members were added to the Board of Directors, bringing the number to nine.
- 17 young women received Adelante Mujer scholarships during Semester One. Adelante Mujer was able to award scholarships to 21 students for Semester Two.
- This website was launched because of the donated time and expertise of a generous friend and benefactor
- An accounting computer program was adopted for financial record keeping and reporting.
- The Board of Directors engaged in a Strategic Planning Retreat to begin a design for the long term future of Adelante Mujer.
- An Executive Team and a Board of Directors were named.
- Adelante Mujer became a corporation and received 501©3 tax exempt status.
- 12 students were supported for semester one, 16 for semester two.
- The first class of eight Adelante Mujer students graduated on December 12, 2014 as medical doctors!
- The number of Adelante Mujer recipients rose to 11, then 12.
- The decision was made to fund only women medical students because of the great need for doctors in eastern Nicaragua.
- With the addition of four scholarships, 10 young women now benefitted from Adelante Mujer.
- One large grant was received to help finance Adelante Mujer
- Adelante Mujer funded four women medical students for the first semester and six for the second.
- Numerous donations and one small grant were received to help fund the growing number of students.
- The first student, a woman in the medical program, was awarded an Adelante Mujer scholarship.
- Sister Ann began to diligently solicit funds that would financially assist young women in eastern Nicaragua.
- Adelante Mujer is founded by Sister Ann McKean, CSA.
- The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes approved the venture.
- Sister Ann researched universities and towns in eastern Nicaragua and chose URACCAN University in Puerto Cabezas as a partner for Adelante Mujer.


text:
Friend's Email:
Subject: I have found a DVD that I think you would enjoy
|A Wind From Wyoming
Actors: François Cluzet, Sarah-Jeanne Salvy, France Castel, Michel Côté, Marc Messier
Director: André Forcier
Genres: Indie & Art House, Comedy, Drama
UR 2005 1hr 39min
On the eve of her 18th birthday, Lea is dumped by her boxer boyfriend Reo. She turns to her mother, Lizette (France Castel), for comfort, only to discover that mom has run off with her sweetheart. Untouched by the family s... more »
Larger Image
Movie Details
Similar Movies
Movie Reviews
Surrealistic take on love... Not for mainstream audiences
dooby | 06/14/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This French Canadian production directed by André Forcier is a surrealistic satire exploring the nature of romantic love and dysfunctional family relationships. Lea (Sarah-Jeanne Salvy) is distraught when her boyfriend breaks off their relationship. However when she turns to her mother for solace she finds that her boyfriend has in fact dumped her for her mother. Her father tries to win back his wife with the aid of a hypnotist. Meanwhile, her chubby younger sister has a crush on a celebrated author and throws herself at him only to find him winding up in Lea's arms. When Lea falls for the author, the jealous hypnotist who wants Lea for himself, turns the author into a woman hater. The convoluted plot and bizarre situations could easily descend into a third rate farce but for the steady hand of Forcier and the very good all round cast. The dialogue in a French Canadian patois known as Joual sounds rather peculiar, French with lots of English words thrown in and spoken with something akin to a Texan drawl. With levitating nuns, boxers waltzing in pairs, old men dressed in WWI army uniforms digging graves, bar rooms filled with plastic mannequins, this has been compared with the surrealistic/absurdist works of Luis Bunuel. It has a rather sad, bittersweet ending with Lea finally accepting love for what it is, warts and all. I found it rather too bleak for my taste but it was nonetheless quite involving. Unfortunately, it will probably not appeal to most American audiences.
This DVD from Facets Video presents a modified fullscreen version of the movie. It appears to be an Open-Matte version where the mattes across the top and bottom of the film frame, used to produce the widescreen theatrical version, have been removed to give us the full film frame. The result is we get to see more of the picture, including things we were never meant to see, like microphone booms dipping down from the top edge of the frame and the fact that the actors are actually wearing underwear during love scenes when they are supposed to be naked. The picture quality is generally fair. The image tends to be on the soft side but colors are accurate. The original French soundtrack is in 2.0 mono. Unfortunately English subtitles are permanently burned onto the film in large white type and cannot be removed."
More like a slight breeze...
Kurt Stefan | North Port, FL | 08/08/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"***Spoilers Ahead***
Strange French-Canadian musing on the vagaries of love starts interestingly but becomes bogged down in its own quirkiness and over-plotting before petering out with a whimper in an unsatisfactory conclusion.
Daughter Lea is in love with one of her father's boxer's, Reo. He, however, has spurned her in favor of Lea's mom. Lea's mom has left Lea's father Marcel for Reo and is now pregnant by him. That's good parenting, right? Lea's sister Manon, who is grossly overweight, is obsessed with famous writer Chester Celine, who hails from Wyoming, but happens to speak French(?). Manon drops about 150 pounds when she learns Chester is coming to town (I guess on a book tour, though the film never bothers to make that clear), and becomes a slinky, svelte temptress. Interestingly, it seems to take her only a week to lose all that weight, I wonder if Jenny Craig should look into this.
Meanwhile Lea is the object of affection of three other people: another boxer (Johnny) in her father's gym; Albert, a hypnotist at the bar/club where they all hang out; and Nicole,a lesbian who plays music on a large organ grinder type box hanging around her neck and sings around the club. Chester meets and is quickly raped by Manon (yes you read that right), then bumps into and falls in love with Lea. Marcel uses Albert to help him in a plan to get his wife back which involves hypnotizing her to allegedly help her quit smoking, but which really allows Marcel to make love to her while she is in her trance. Manon and Lea square off against one another for the affection of Chester, leading the press to assume that Chester beat up Manon when it was really Lea, who never bothers to try to set the record straight. Meanwhile, to thank Albert for helping her dad try to get her mom back, Lea is allowing him to hypnotize her and make love to her, all the time while she is falling for Chester. Got all that? There's more! The rivalry between Johnny and Reo results in a match being planned for the two of them with Lea's dad putting $50,000 on the line hoping Johnny will beat the crap out of Reo for stealing and impregnating his wife, not to mention dumping his daughter. Everything ends in a rather unsatisfactory and ambiguous manner when: Johnny breaks his hand hitting Chester and can't fight Reo, who gets the $50,000 and Lea's mom; Chester gets hypnotized and thinks he's a boxer, in a rather funny scene, and goes off with Lea, sort of; Albert can't get Chester out of his trance and runs off in a panic; Manon ends up in a convent and Lea's poor dad shoots himself.
There are some positive aspects to the film. The setting is very interesting, kind of a run-down seedy area of Canada. The characters are interesting: there is a transvestite who dresses in colorful caftans and runs the motel adjoining the club; a strange guy at the gym who stands under a sun lamp all the time with his shirt off; and Nicole, the lesbian organ grinder. And there are some weirdly surrealistic touches like the mannequins sitting at tables around the club. The problem is, there are too many quirky people populating this universe and no one normal. None of the people, other than Lea's dad, are particularly likable or behave as one would expect people to behave. From the time we meet Lea she is variously distant and upset and it's hard to sympathize with her, and she's the main character! Her mom and Reo seems like a couple of self-centered flakes, yet they are the only two in the film who end up happily. The only really sympathetic character, Lea's dad, kills himself at the end, that's a really cynical message about love and relationships, but there you are. In the hands of a pro like Almodovar, this might have been a winner, but here it all seems rather disjointed and, ultimately, rather unpleasant. 2 1/2 stars"


text:
Wednesday, 25 January 2017
New shoes
12 comments:
And you know black goes with everything BOL!ReplyDelete
Your Pals,
Murphy & StanleyReplies
It does. Although wearing them at work might prove difficult. Driving a bus will not be easy with those on...Delete
Oh, oh, are they CHEWABLE!!!!!ReplyDelete
I do luffs to run off with a shoe for a chase and chew
Loves and licky kisses
Princess Leah xxx
Like to see you cycle with those on your feet.ReplyDelete
OMD OMD THOSE are quite Fashionable Shoes... everyone will... FLIP over them. BaaaaaWaaaah.ReplyDelete
I must admit I was wondering if there was something special coming up for you to buy heels.....ReplyDeleteReplies
I bought those red heels several years ago. And they are still good to go!Delete
hahahahahaha!! Don't try walking in them but if you do only go backwards. You can really do yourself some damage in those things according to Mum. She reckons they're worse than high heels and she NEVER wears those.ReplyDeleteReplies
They are actually quite dinky and cute. I thought they would be a lot bigger, but those are used for diving and such. These are mainly for swim training.Delete
HaHa! I love the red shoes and the new black shoes, too!ReplyDelete
Very classy!ReplyDelete


text:
Fiqr aa legi ki tanhaai ka kya chara kare
Dard aayega dabe paon, liye surkh chiraag
Wah jo ik dard dhadkta hai kahin dil ke pare
Shola-e-dard jo pehloo se lapak utthega
Dil ki deewar pe har naqsk damak utthega
I love travelling. I love Shimla. I love travelling to and living in Shimla. Ergo, this photo-blog is dedicated to Shimla. Mostly.
gal-uh-MAW-free\, noun.
Originally meaning "a hash of various kinds of meats," "gallimaufry" comes from French galimafrée; in Old French, from the word galer, "to rejoice, to make merry"; in old English: gala + mafrer: "to eat much," and from Medieval Dutch maffelen: "to open one's mouth wide."
It's also a dish made by hashing up odds and ends of food; a heterogeneous mixture; a hodge-podge; a ragout; a confused jumble; a ridiculous medley; a promiscuous (!) assemblage of persons.
Those of you who know me, will, I'm sure, understand how well some of these phrases (barring the "promiscuous" bit!) fit me.
More importantly, this blog is an ode to my love for Shimla. I hope to show you this little town through my eyes. If you don't see too many people in it, forgive me, because I'm a little chary of turning this into a human zoo.
Stop by for a spell, look at my pictures, ask me questions about Shimla, if you wish. I shall try and answer them as best as I can. Let's be friends for a while....
I apologise for the ghastly spelling on this post. Blame it on blogger's horrid transliteration facility.
One of those many dates
that no longer ring a bell.
Where I was going that day,
what I was doing --- I don't know.
Whom I met, what we talked about,
I can't recall.
If a crime had been committed nearby,
I wouldn't have had an alibi.
The sun flared and died
beyond my horizons.
The earth rotated
unnoted in my notebooks.
I'd rather think
that I'd temporarily died
than that I kept on living
and can't remember a thing.
I wasn't a ghost, after all.
I breathed, I ate,
I walked.
My steps were audible,
my fingers surely left
their prints on doorknobs.
Mirrors caught my reflection.
I wore something or other in such-and-such a colour.
Somebody must have seen me.
Maybe I found something that day
that had been lost.
Maybe I lost something that turned up late.
I was filled with feelings and sensations.
Now all that's like
a line of dots in parentheses.
Where was I hiding out,
where did I bury myself?
Not a bad trick
to vanish before my own eyes.
I shake my memory.
Maybe something in its branches
that has been asleep for years
will start up with a flutter.
Clearly I'm asking too much.
Nothing less than one whole second.
|Daughters of Time, the hypocritic Days,
|Muffled and dumb like barefoot dervishes,
|And marching single in an endless file,
|Bring diadems and fagots in their hands.
|To each they offer gifts after his will,
|Bread, kingdoms, stars, and sky that holds them all.
|I, in my pleachëd garden, watched the pomp,
|Forgot my morning wishes, hastily
|Took a few herbs and apples, and the Day
|Turned and departed silent. I, too late,
|Under her solemn fillet saw the scorn.
Tell me what boots to battle, when the end
|Is foreseen failure? What, by heaven, I ask—
|By bearded martyrs, and the holy cask
|Of papal comfort, what can struggle lend
|Of true nobility to those who bend
|Constrainèd after all? 'Twere better bask
|With resignation and a quiet flask
|Than rush to strokes that heaven will surely send.
|Methinks the base desire to change our stars
|Is but the taint of old mortality,
|And as the wavelet curls in every sea
|The schoolboy bares his wounds and thinks him Mars.
|Give me Petrarca and a pot of tea,
|And carry thou thy honourable scars.
And here's what I detest about Shimla. These shops down the Mall & along Lakkar Bazaar which sell utterly ghastly, tasteless souvenirs of the most inferior quality. It is a bit frightening how all-pervasive this kind of stuff is! You find it not only here, but also in Mussoorie, Nainital, Manali, Darjeeling, Ooty, Dalhousie....
Kitsch, kitsch hota hai...
The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books. (Longfellow)


text:
"Surprised" by the sacking of his younger brother as India's Davis Cup skipper, the legendary Vijay Amritraj says Anand Amritraj was the country's best captain in the last three decades and it was quite against the trend to remove a winning leader.
Vijay, who also captained India in Davis Cup, said Anand was very committed and no one can question the results he has produced.
"I don't follow the intricacies of everything but what I do know is that since 1987-88, there has been no better captain than Anand," Vijay, who twice reached Wimbledon and US Open singles quarterfinals, told PTI in an interview.
"I am not saying this just because he is my brother but because there is hardly any past player in India of his calibre, who has played Davis Cup for 20 years at the highest level, and (played) singles in all Grand Slams and beaten some of the top players and continues to have passion for the sport, where he follows (ITF) Futures, Challengers and ATP 250s on a regular basis.
"My feeling is from the captaincy point of view, from quality standpoint of being captain and needless to say he gets along very well with the team.... He hardly had anyone in the top-100 but still managed to get the team into World Group Play-offs all three years, so you can't question the results."
When told that AITA has not questioned the results but sacked him for failing to impose discipline in the team, Vijay said, "Other issues I don't know. I only see what I read in papers. So in my opinion, Anand was a spectacular captain."
Anand will lead the Indian team for one last time in Pune when India host New Zealand next month and Bhupathi will take over the reins of the team from April.
"The other question is if Mahesh Bhupathi qualifies to be captain, absolutely. No questions. He is been there, done that. But you generally keep a winning captain and in my opinion certainly he (Bhupathi) would be next in line (to be captain)."
Vijay, further emphasising his point of merit, said Anand gave results without top-100 singles players.
"Making the Play-offs in today's environment is not easy.
When we were playing Davis Cup, we were the best team in Asia by a long shot. Today we are not. We only make changes when things are not going well.
"I was surprised because I am looking at results. For example, if a guy is ranked in top-100, you can't keep him out of this tournament (Chennai Open) whether you like him or not it's based on merit."


text:
Quote from Minimalist Home Having Open Access to Outdoor :
The living room is furnished with the simple but sophisticated furniture. Contemporary concept can be seen in this interior design. Orange lounge is set together with sleek circular wooden table. Black sofas make this room looks classier. Ultramodern fireplace fits well with these interior seating concepts. Grey is used as the color of the concrete floor. Light colored carpet makes the interior looks cleaner and brighter. Large glass wall brings the green outdoor look.
About ▪ Contact ▪ Privacy Policy ▪ Terms of Service ▪ Copyright/IP Policy
Copyright © 2013 · Home Design Ideas. All Wrong Reserved.
Any content, trademark/s, or other material that might be found on this site that is not this site property remains the copyright of its respective owner/s. In no way does Badris claim ownership or responsibility for such items, and you should seek legal consent for any use of such materials from its owner.


text:
These days we hear a lot about the refrain, "Black lives matter". It has even become a movement with capital letters. Most recently, they have taken from protesting on the streets about various black men who have been shot and killed by police to confronting candidates for president, most notably Bernie Sanders in Seattle and Hillary Clinton last week in New Hampshire. Hillary, for her part, has used the phrase in front of black audiences to pander and try to gain their votes. Of course, we know that both Mrs. Clinton and Sanders support the feminists and their issues as well as the gay lobby and their number one issue, gay marriage. Leaving the above two candidates aside, I take issue with all three movements in the US -not when they demand equality; I am all for equality. However, I find specific areas where these movements have been guilty of gross hypocrisy. It needs to be pointed out.
Let's start with the gay rights lobby. Let me state at the outset that when it comes to bashing gays or inflicting violence, I am solidly against that. I am grateful that the time has passed when they were forced to live in the closet. As for gay marriage, I never supported that, but now that it is the law of the land, it is time to move on. Perhaps, it is time for the gay lobby to move on as well now that their number one issue has been settled in their favor. Now they should start addressing the greatest human rights threat they face-at least if you are gay in the Islamic world. Homosexual acts are not only condemned by Islamic texts, but according to hudud sharia law (punishment for crimes against God), homosexual acts are punished by death. That is affirmed by virtually all the leading Islamic schools of thought around the world.
And that's not just centuries-old texts gathering dust. It is acted upon. In Iran, gays are hanged as part of their criminal justice system. And if you have been following the exploits of ISIS as they sweep across Iran and Syria, gays are being thrown off of rooftops. In Gaza, the same fate has been meted out to gays. (I don't know what the attraction is to rooftops since most would have survived a fall from 7th century rooftops.)
So you would think that gay groups in the US would be screaming and protesting in front of the UN and Islamic national diplomatic missions in outrage, right?
How about the women's movement here in the US? They are always claiming that they are not treated equally and demand abortion rights not be infringed. Yet, when do you hear the National Organization of Women and other feminist groups talk about the brutal and misogynistic manner in which women are treated in much of the Islamic world? When do they take to the streets to protest so-called honor killings-even when they happen in the West?
Rarely if ever. Again-silence.
Then there is Black Lives Matter. They would have you believe there is a wave of white violence being perpetrated against black communities across America. In fact, that was exactly what a young man told Ms Clinton last week in New Hampshire. Never mind that black on black violence far outweighs white on black violence- as does black on white violence.
But what does Black Lives Matter have to say about the thousands of blacks being murdered in inner cities every year-by other blacks? Very little. They would rather perpetuate the myth that blacks walk in fear of being shot by some white cop or other white racist who has invaded their community.
And what about the hundreds of thousands of black fetuses that are being aborted every year by abortion clinics like Planned Parenthood? Are they even aware that Margaret Sanger, who founded the predecessor organization of PP, was a committed racist, a follower of eugenics, who wanted to reduce, if not eliminate altogether the number of black births in America?
Not a word about this either.
Of course, we know when it comes to persecution of gays and treating women as chattel, the feminists and gay rights folks are not going to confront Islam. That would be politically incorrect to put it mildly. After all, they are considered another "protected minority" and we don't want to set off riots overseas now do we? Similarly, the BLM crowd will not challenge a woman's choice. Nor will they engage in any introspection that might force them to conclude that the turmoil we see in the inner cities is not all the fault of the Evil, Racist White Man.
All three groups have legitimate issues to be concerned about. It would be nice if they confronted the most serious issues they face instead of ignoring them out of political correctness.
The views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by EagleRising.com


text:
Dipetalogaster maxima bug
C038/7092 Rights Managed
530 pixels on longest edge, unwatermarked
Request/Download high-res file
Uncompressed file size: 24.3MB
Downloadable file size: 3.9MB
Please login to use the price calculator
Credit: EYE OF SCIENCE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Release details: Model release not required. Property release not required.
Keywords: 1, animal, biological, biology, blood sucking, caucasian, chagas disease, dipetalogaster maxima, entomological, entomology, fauna, hand, human body, insect, kissing bug, macrophotograph, macrophotography, nature, one, one person, parasite transmission, people, person, single, skin, triatominae, trypanosoma cruzi, vector, white, wildlife, zoological, zoology
Licence fees: A licence fee will be charged for any media (low or high resolution) used in your project.


text:
A new report indicates soil moisture levels in the province are normal to drier than normal.
"We have several months before the spring flood season begins, but this report provides us with an idea of moisture levels in the soil now, plus water levels in rivers and lakes as the deep freeze begins," said Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler. "Floods are caused by a combination of unique circumstances and there is a risk of over-estimating or under-estimating the flood potential too far in advance."
The 2017 Fall Conditions Report covers three key potential flood factors: soil moisture at the time of freeze-up, base flows on rivers and water levels on lakes prior to spring run-off, and long-term forecast winter precipitation.
While the flood risk this coming spring is very dependent on weather conditions in the coming months, current conditions indicate there is a chance of moderate flooding at some locations. The flood risk in some watersheds will be determined by river flows from Saskatchewan and North Dakota.
One major factor that affects spring run-off potential is the soil moisture at the time of freeze-up. All river basins in Manitoba received normal to below-normal precipitation between May and October. Consequently, soil moisture levels are normal to below normal for the watersheds of most Manitoba rivers. Soil moisture in most Manitoba river basins is generally drier than the soil moisture observed in the past three years.
Generally, higher winter flows on rivers and lake levels indicate a higher risk of spring flooding, as there is more water already in the system before run-off occurs. At this time, flows on many rivers are near normal for this time of year including the Assiniboine, Souris, Qu'Appelle and Red rivers. The exceptions are the Saskatchewan, Carrot, Waterhen, Dauphin and Fairford rivers, which are above normal.
Most major lake levels, with the exception of Lake Winnipeg, are above normal for this time of year. Lake Winnipegosis, Dauphin Lake and Lake Manitoba are high for this time of the year. Lake Manitoba is at the upper end of its operating range and the outflows from the lake are at maximum levels. Flows are above normal on the Waterhen River, Fairford and Dauphin rivers due to the above-normal lake levels flowing into these rivers. The water level in the Shellmouth Reservoir is being lowered to create storage space for spring run-off waters. Lake Winnipeg is at near-normal level and within the operating range. Lake St. Martin is below flood stage.
Lake Manitoba is expected to remain near 812 feet throughout the winter, which is within the normal operating range. Lake Winnipegosis will remain near 832.4 ft. throughout the winter, two ft. above normal. Lake St Martin is expected to reach near 801.5 ft. before the spring run-off, three ft. above the normal level but slightly below flood stage.
Snowfall is also another indicator of the potential for spring flooding. Environment and Climate Change Canada's precipitation forecast issued early in November for November-December-January indicates precipitation will be above normal for most of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. There is no clear trend in its precipitation forecast for the months after January. The U.S. National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center forecasts above-normal precipitation for the Red River and Souris River basins for January to April.
"Manitoba's Hydrologic Forecast Centre works in collaboration with weather services and flood forecasters in neighbouring states and provinces to monitor regularly the winter precipitation patterns throughout these watersheds," said Schuler. "We always have to be ready for a higher spring flooding risk if heavy winter precipitation occurs, or if a fast melt rate or heavy spring rainfall were to occur."


text:
"As a Shared Services Centre, we deal with a high volume of vendor enquiries throughout the purchase to payment process, which require significant Accounts Payable (AP) resources to manage," said Sara Peters, director of the Shared Service Centre for Northgate. "Taulia is a natural fit to seamlessly integrate with our existing SAP system and processes. The comprehensive self-service portal allows our suppliers full visibility into the invoicing cycle, creating more efficient communication; in the long term our target is to reduce inbound calls and emails to our AP department by 50%"
Northgate is one of the leading global providers of specialist software, outsourcing and information technology services to public and private sectors. Since Taulia's initial implementation, supplier adoption has been steadily increasing through a gradual rollout across the UK, United States, Canada and additional countries in Europe. Suppliers have been particularly pleased with how easy it is to submit invoices in the portal through the transposition of purchase orders into invoices, as well as using the portal to track invoice status and manage any necessary disputes.
"Northgate was keen to find a solution that improves efficiency and automation for both its vendors and for Northgate," said Malti Patel, project manager. "We have been able to work closely with Taulia throughout the entire implementation process, and found them to be as eager as we were to implement a platform for our purchase-to-payment process that solved real-life concerns while taking advantage of the benefits of our existing SAP system. We are excited to continue to move forward as we roll out the solution to our supply base worldwide, and encourage increased dependence on the portal and its comprehensive functionality."
"We have enjoyed our partnership with Northgate and are excited to continue to assist them through the rollout process, helping to bring suppliers on board and providing ongoing education," said Martin Quensel, managing director of Taulia Europe. "As e-invoicing continues to expand throughout Europe, Northgate is an excellent example of how Taulia can utilise a company's SAP ERP system to streamline the invoice and payment process while providing suppliers a comprehensive suite of self-services that dramatically reduces time spent on supplier inquiries."


text:
Fabric is 100% cotton JerseyStraight silhouetteZipper front (Great for nursing moms)Attached hood with drawstring tieWhite accent stripes on side of armsFront zipper pockets with white pipingMachine wash cold with like colors and tumble dry low
DESCRIPTIONReady-to-Ship RTS items are for USA ship address only | Please select a Category and Size to see accurate inventory.Items ship in 24 hours from warehouse | ETA is 3-5 business days from order date.
OUTLET (OUTLEE) items are for USA ship address only | Items ship in 24 hours from warehouse | ETA is 3-5 business days from order date.
SPECIAL SIZING ITEM. Please check size chart.
Note: Length is from high point shoulder to desired length. Standard length is 56 inches for women and 60 inches for men Items with size customization for 6XL & 7XL are Final Sale and cannot be returned or exchanged. Length customization fee is non-refundable.
All items have a 5% variance in size, color and/or embroidery.Fabrics have a natural tendency to relax or shrink so a +/- 1 inch variance in size and +/- 1.5 inch variance in length is considered acceptable.
These items are final sale. No returns or exchanges are accepted.
Customer Support is available Monday to Friday
Le service à la clientèle est disponible du lundi au vendredi


text:
Saucer magnolia trees produce white, purple and pink blossoms. They are easy to cultivate and, unlike many magnolias, they are tolerant of alkaline soils and wind. You need colored tape, a handsaw or pole saw, a ladder and bypass hand pruners.
- Find unwanted branches
Identify the branches that are damaged, diseased or infested by pests. Use colored tape to tag them.
- Cut the limbs
Begin by using the pole saw or handsaw to cut the damaged limbs from underneath, 8 to 12 inches away from the trunk. Cut halfway through, then finish severing the branch by cutting from above.
- Remove the stub
Use the handsaw or pole saw to cut through the stub from below. Cut at an upward angle at the intersection where the stub meets the trunk. Cut from above to meet the undercut, severing the stub completely.
- Identify and remove tall and wide-reaching branches
Find the branches that are growing too tall or wide. Tag them with colored tape. Use the bypass pruning shears or pole saw to remove them or cut them back.
- Remove water shoots
Locate hardy vertical limbs, and rub the buds off if possible. If that is not possible, prune no more than half of them. Bend the remaining water shoots back.


text:
PERSONAL finance expert Martin Lewis is the latest witness to give evidence in a new inquiry into financial education, chaired by Fareham MP Suella Fernandes.
Mr Lewis, founder of the successful MoneySavingExpert website, appeared at a meeting in parliament to answer questions from MPs on the panel.
The inquiry has been launched by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Financial Education, a group of MPs from across the political spectrum.
Ms Fernandes said: 'It was great to hear from Martin, who is passionate about ensuring we have better financial awareness. He had a lot of useful things to say, which will be very helpful to us.
'I'm very pleased to be leading the investigation into this important topic, and would be very interested to hear from parents and teachers in Fareham about their views of how finances are being taught.'
The aim is to produce a report to send to government ministers by the summer.