The camera never waits
A senior woman police officer is unhappy with sections of the media after off-camera moments before a press briefing ended up becoming the story itself. On Saturday evening, journalists along with cameramen had assembled for details on the arrest of two persons in connection with the sexual assault and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Coimbatore. The officer requested a brief pause before addressing the media, but television cameras continued recording. Unaware that she was on air, the officer was seen sharing a light moment with colleagues. Soon after, a Tamil media outlet run by AIADMK framed the visuals as insensitive and criticised the officer for laughing with her colleagues while the state was grieving for the minor girl.
— S Senthil Kumar
Paradesi’s public notice
For residents in parts of Triplicane, last week’s mystery was neither potholes nor power cuts but posters announcing “Kaliyugam Mudivu Arambam” (the end of the dark age begins), signed off simply by one “Paradesi” and a phone number. One such poster appeared on the Venkatarangam Street nameboard near North Tank Street, drawing complaints from residents and setting off an unplanned corporation exercise. When TNIE called the number, the man behind the campaign admitted to putting them up, insisting the message was both spiritual and political. Drawing parallels with the Mahabharata, “spiritual, but also political and about war”, he claimed the posters reflected the political shifts unfolding in Tamil Nadu. He declined to reveal his real name, saying he preferred to remain simply as Paradesi.
— Praveena SA