Murali's Writeups...

  On 26th January 2026 , India’s Republic Day, I had the opportunity to visit Sittannavasal for the second time. This village, now part of Pudukottai District in Tamil Nadu , holds immense historical, philosophical, and cultural significance. Historically, Sittannavasal fell under the rule of the Pandya dynasty and functioned as an informal border region between the ancient Tamil kingdoms of the Cholas and the Pandyas . Located in a rain-shadow region, agriculture here traditionally depended on non-water-intensive crops. In recent years, however, improved water-supply schemes have transformed the region. Archaeological records indicate that this place has witnessed continuous human occupation for over 2,100 years . Today, it is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) , an institution established during the British era.   Historical and Religious Context Before Shaivism and Vaishnavism became dominant in Tamil Nadu, the region was home to multiple religious tr...

         1.   Recently, Mr. Donald Trump had declared his intention to acquire Greenland by means of a purchase, “ essentially as a real estate deal”.  Considering that in the past the US had aquired nearly 41% of its land territory (past purchases of Louisiana and Alaska),this is nothing unusual for USA and it's territorial expansion through purchase. The Danish Prime Minister declared that Greenland is not for sale. The Danish government recognises Greenland as a self-governing autonomous territory, subsisting politically as a constituent state of Denmark. Recently the Greenlanders have decided that they would rather exist as an independent sovereign nation than being part of the United States or Denmark.Between these two countries, the Greenlanders have declared now that they would rather be part of Denmark than becoming a strategic territory of USA. 2. The desire of the United States to assimilate Greenland stems from the following reasons: a)...

During the last week, Nicolas Maduro, when he was President of Venezuela, was abducted by U.S. DELTA Special Forces from his official residence. His arrest was authorised by the U.S. Government pursuant to an indictment issued by a New York Federal Court in a drug trafficking investigation. Subsequent to his arrest, he was briefly detained on the USS Gerald Ford flown to New York and produced before a competent judge, who remanded him to judicial custody in the Brooklyn Prison, New York. His arrest has received mixed reactions. Countries like Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Brazil, and Colombia have condemned the arrest. Countries like France, the United Kingdom, and Germany were very cautious in their reaction. These European countries have no sympathy for Mr. Maduro, But still, even for them, the blatant violation of international law by the U.S., in its transgression of the territorial integrity of Venezuela accompanied by the brutal use of armed violence, was too much to g...

1.   Recently, there was an incident near the Red Fort in New Delhi where more than 10 people lost their lives and several others were injured. Around the same time, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested individuals who were attempting to extract ricin , the most poisonous substance, from castor oil. These two incidents cannot be seen in isolation. We must also consider that the very next day, there was a blast in Islamabad where about 10 people were killed. We still do not know who is actually responsible. Newspapers and television channels have reported who has been arrested and what their affiliations are. However, incidents of this magnitude require thorough investigation by multiple agencies before arriving at any final conclusion. That naturally will take a reasonable time.   2.   A minister from Mr Modi’s government stated that preliminary impressions suggest Pakistan may be behind the attack. They have also warned that Operation Sindhoor is not over and...

In this blogspot, I have written two earlier blogs, one on the Satankulam double murder in  police custody: ( https://profmurali.blogspot.com/2020/07/sathankulamtyranny-what-next-theirony.html ) and the custodial death of Muthu: ( https://profmurali.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-never-ending-turmoils-of-tamils-in_72.html ).  Many of you may have seen the movie Jai Bhim.  Actually, this has become a recurring problem in Tamil Nadu. Every time I read something  about custodial torture and consequent deaths, I believe I must document the same for posterity,  particularly for the benefit of human rights lawyers. In fact, this is happening around the world.  In places like China and Korea, it doesn't even come to light. In Pakistan, the present Baluch  movement for independence is essentially a movement for women who have lost their fathers,  brothers, and husbands. In the United States, we witnessed the death of Mr. George Floyd, who  was subjected ...