What happens when a state is run by movie stars?

by MaxEntropy_Man Tue Dec 06, 2016 5:32 pm

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/05/magazine/what-happens-when-a-state-is-run-by-movie-stars.html?

You know you’ve entered Tamil Nadu when you begin to see Jayalalithaa’s face everywhere: a double-chinned Mona Lisa, her long, dark hair pulled back in a demure chignon. In the cities, her party members line the avenues with giant Jayalalithaa billboards to prove their fealty, and her likeness stares out from posters all over the villages, where her biggest vote bank resides. Her face appears on the outside of the free laptops she distributes to students and then again on the desktops. There are Amma pharmacies for subsidized drugs and Amma canteens for 5-rupee meals; soon there will be Amma cinemas for cheap movies. The ubiquity of that face gives the state the feel of a cartoon dictatorship, much to the annoyance of Tamils indifferent to her charms.

Chennai in particular is a city whose self-image is genteel, cultured and intellectual, and some there are prone to deep embarrassment over the excesses of Amma worship.

by MaxEntropy_Man Tue Dec 06, 2016 5:40 pm

You would think that given all this emotional mayhem, Tamil Nadu would be a mess, but in fact it’s one of the best-run states in India. Jean Drèze and Amartya Sen, in their book ‘‘An Uncertain Glory,’’ an analysis of economic development in India, single out Tamil Nadu as a paragon of administrative innovation among Indian states, ranking it best in the country for the quality of its public services. Under Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi’s governance, Chennai has gained a reputation as the Detroit of India (in the car-manufacturing-hub sense, not in the bankrupt-and-abandoned sense). Her raw instinct for political survival was enough to put her in office. Once there, she revealed a surprising talent for administration. ‘‘She schooled herself, and to that extent one has to salute her,’’ the journalist Sadanand Menon told me. ‘‘She has worked to understand procedures, rules and regulations, policies.’

by Guest Tue Dec 06, 2016 5:47 pm

If you are embarrassed by amma, wait until chinnamma Sasikala rules the roost. :p
Is there a better choice?

Enjoy this video which is going around in social media:

by MaxEntropy_Man Tue Dec 06, 2016 5:52 pm

Kinnera wrote:If you are embarrassed by amma, wait until chinnamma Sasikala rules the roost. :p
Is thereva better choice?

Enjoy this video which is going around in social media:

One important accomplishment of TN is investments in manufacturing industries which have provided livable wages to a larger segment of the population unlike other states which have exclusively focused on the IT sector which penetrates only the educated population. This is probably why TN invariably ranks higher than other southern Indian states on economic indices.

I am not embarrassed by Tamil politicians. I despise them. As I've said TN does well despite these corrupt clowns, not because of them. The only person who comes close to earning some respect from me is PC. But he too is beset by corruption scandals.

by truthbetold Tue Dec 06, 2016 7:47 pm

TN politics are strange. Movie stars are just one part of it. A large part of its energy is consumed by language fanaticism. Splintered castes and Anti brahman makes TN politics more confusing than most states. TN's most successful individuals are the Iyers and Iyangars who were driven out of their state. Reservations is as high as 65%. Politicians are extremely corrupt. They are loud. If one looks from outside, TN is set up for failure.

But TN remains near the top of Indian states in economic growth.

by MaxEntropy_Man Tue Dec 06, 2016 10:07 pm

Only non Tamilians call it language fanaticism. I am critical of a lot about TN politics, but fealty to Tamil is not something I criticize them about. That's about preservation of culture. Every society should be concerned about it. Language is at the root of cultural identity.

by Guest Wed Dec 07, 2016 5:41 am

More from Chennai:

DMK has put out a huge poster eulogizing their arch rival in Chennai.
Here is the translation of the poster:

"You are no more
The brave adversary who stood before us
You are no more

Even if thousand leaders stand before us
Valiant maiden
How can they match you?

Everything you did
You desired to be ahead of our leader
But do you have to be the first one even in death?

Where will our commander go in search
For a rival like you?"

____________________________________________

A brief intro to the new CM of TN, whose name is O Paneer Selvam. Not much is known about him, except that he is soft spoken and keeps a low profile. In fact, sometimes he talks so quietly, that he is also known as Mutter Paneer.

by Sponsored content

Hitskin.com

What happens when a state is run by movie stars?

What happens when a state is run by movie stars?

Re: What happens when a state is run by movie stars?

Re: What happens when a state is run by movie stars?

Re: What happens when a state is run by movie stars?

Re: What happens when a state is run by movie stars?

Re: What happens when a state is run by movie stars?

Re: What happens when a state is run by movie stars?

Re: What happens when a state is run by movie stars?