When Mariappan approached the Indian embassy in Kuwait to get back his passport after deciding to leave his employer, he ended up in jail.
'We have petitioned the district collector and MEA to put pressure on the Saudis for compensation, but nothing has happened.' A Ganesh Nadar reports on the family's plight.
In an age when the electorate is increasingly impatient and changes governments every 5 years, how did the Tamil Nadu chief minister beat anti-incumbency?
While the crowds outside the AIADMK HQ seem to have taken victory for granted, a small crowd out the DMK HQ refuses to concede. A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com reports from Chennai.
A Ganesh Nadar shares interesting vignettes that usually get lost in the heat-and-dust of election coverage.
In a lot of ways, Tamil Nadu votes exactly as do other states. But at places there are crucial differences.
Undoubtedly, the Modi government's biggest challenge is to generate jobs for the 1 million Indians joining the work force every month. So, has 'achche din' arrived for all those young Indians eager to find jobs?
The Election Commission has done its best to stem the flow of money in Tamil Nadu's elections, but it is the politician who is having the last laugh.
The question wafting in the winds over the Vaigai riverbed is, has Karunanidhi's disgraced son accepted his fate? A Ganesh Nadar and Saisuresh Sivaswamy find out.
'Initially, we had 48 teams, now it has been enhanced to 133 teams: that is for every 10 to 12 villages, there is a team that is working round the clock.' '133 x 3, that is, given the 8-hour shifts.' 'They are monitored every hour, they are equipped with GPS -- everything is tracked live, real time, from the control room.'
'I am contesting elections to encourage and start a nationwide debate on the present nuclear policy.'
The costs involved in putting together a successful rally are bizarre.
A Ganesh Nadar and Saisuresh Sivaswamy, on the campaign trail with H Vasanthakumar, the Congress's businessman candidate in Tamil Nadu.
Biju Ramesh's campaign may be different from what voters in Kerala are used to. But he is determined to do things his way... or rather, Amma's way.
'I am a human being, I was surely nervous, I am competing against a lot of people, but even when I played cricket there is not a single match where I was not nervous.' 'Lots of mothers, lots of sisters are so sure that no matter what happens, Sree will stand by them.' 'I will go to any length to help people.' 'If it is important to save somebody I will save him even if I have to die.'
'When you can use Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar's names why can't you use Dr Kalam's name?' 'The idea is to take Dr Kalam's vision to the people. Elections will come and go, but the vision will stand.'
'They plan to purchase votes.' 'We will not purchase people, but win the elections.' 'In our manifesto there are no free gifts. It says what we will do for the people.'
What is the man who hopes to replace Jayalalithaa like as a campaigner?
A Tamil Nadu district has created interesting ways to increase voting this assembly election.
'Human rights violations are there in rural areas and in cities. In rural areas it is crude and in the open. In urban areas it is well hidden.' 'Awareness has grown several fold. India has 160 national and state human rights institutions. No other country in the world has this.' 'Unfortunately the right to association, right to assembly, freedom of expression, right to protest and discuss are all being curtailed systematically one by one.'
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