CHENNAI: Even as some senior leaders in the DMK are seen “vibing” and “chilling” in an effort to bridge the generational gap, the party’s youth wing has returned to its organisational roots, reviving grassroots ‘mandrams’ as training grounds for a new generation of cadres.
The DMK Youth Wing has begun establishing youth mandrams across Tamil Nadu, with a plan to set up one in every street comprising at least 20 members. The first phase of the initiative was inaugurated on Thursday in the western part of the Thousand Lights Assembly constituency in Chennai West district by Youth Wing secretary and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Party sources said the exercise aims to strengthen ideological training and grassroots political engagement at a time when political parties increasingly rely on digital outreach.
Historically, mandrams functioned as ideological nerve centres of the Dravidian movement. Named after figures such as Thiruvalluvar, Periyar, C N Annadurai and M Karunanidhi, these forums served as local political schools where cadres read movement publications, debated contemporary politics, discussed social issues, and organised street-corner meetings and neighbourhood campaigns.
Senior leaders said the current initiative seeks to recreate that ecosystem of political education. Planned activities under the revived mandrams include collective reading of party literature, discussions on public policy and current affairs, door-to-door outreach, and small-scale public meetings. The move also echoes former CM Karunanidhi’s early 1990s effort to institutionalise ideological learning through the ‘Dravida Marumalarchi Mamandram’, a postal-based course designed to familiarise cadres with the history and principles of the Dravidian movement.
Political observers view the initiative as an attempt to strengthen the party’s grassroots presence ahead of elections while reinforcing Dravidian political discourse among a new generation of voters. Political analyst and researcher Vignesh Rajahmani said the decision to revive mandrams must be seen in the context of a new generation of voters lacking strong ideological affiliations.
“The rise of actor Vijay’s party has exposed the emergence of an apolitical and economically fragile section of young people who have largely remained outside structured political engagement,” he said. According to him, the Dravidian movement historically relied on discussion forums and collective learning spaces to shape political consciousness.
“Mandrams were reflective spaces where ideas were debated and absorbed, unlike television debates that reward quick point-scoring. Reviving them signals a return to the DMK’s foundational method of politicising society through dialogue,” he said.
Vignesh added that the move comes at a time when the party faces stronger ideological competition and a weakening of traditional electoral binaries.
“By turning mandrams into training grounds for youth, the party is shifting back into a long-term cadre-building mode,” he added.