In Part-II of our conversation Vaasanthi talks about her book and the evolution of Tamil politics since independence. Vaasanthi is a writer and former editor of India Today, Tamil edition. Her new book on Tamil Nadu politics titled, Cut-outs, Caste and Cine Stars was published recently.

In this episode Vaasanthi talks about her book. The book is a primer to understand the political contradictions that exist in Tamil Nadu. The book, a collection of essays, begins by looking at EVR or Periyar, the founder of the Self-Respect movement in pre independent India. EVR, an atheist, started an anti-brahmin movement and against the domination of the brahmins at work place in Madras Presidency. Some of EVR's followers were Annadurai and Karunanidhi, who later broke away and formed the Dravida Kazhagam Party that later spawned a string of other parties.

Tamil Nadu is the first state in the world that used films as a conscious medium to promote its political ideology. Since the 1950s Karunanidhi, Annadurai and others have been involved in the Tamil film industry. The most successful combination was that of Karunanidhi, the script writer, and MG Ramachandran (Menon) or MGR. Today, Karunanidhi and his extended family members have a strong presence in Tamil media including TV / cable (SunTV) and newspapers.

It was only in the late 1960s that political landscape of Tamil Nadu underwent a tectonic shift. Until the late 1960s the Congress party had a strong hold in this southern state. But, all that changed when the newly founded party of Annadurai won the 1967 elections. Vaasanthi says that Annadurai, Karunanidhi and other were quite unprepared and their victory came as a total surprise. Annadurai was the first Chief Minister from DK, and for the past 40 years the state has been governed alternatively by: Annadurai, Karunanidhi, MGR, Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa, and Karunanidhi.

Vaasanthi expands on the political contradictions that exist in the state and explains why they do. In the process of displacing the old social, economic and political order the DK and its various avatars have created a new order that in some ways appears to reflect the old.

Probably one of the ironies of the Dravidian movement is the meaning of the word Dravida. Vaasanthi explains that Dravida is derived from the Sanskrit word Dravidum, which refers to the meeting of the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.

Vaasanthi's first book was called Sirgugal (Wings).

She lives with her husband in Bangalore, India.

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