The body of the 'people's President' was brought down to Rameswaram from New Delhi in the afternoon.
The Centre has taken the controversial stand that Katchatheevu in the Palk Strait off Rameswaram coast in Tamil Nadu was never part of India, but a senior geologist and remote sensing expert says remote sensing satellite data shows that the islet was geologically linked to Indian land mass.
Hindu organisations have said that unless Rajni tenders a personal apology, they would hold protests outside his Poes Garden residence.
The announcement of the death of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam leader V Prabhakaran by the Sri Lankan army has not created any flutter in the Lankan refugee camps in Rameswaram and Madurai, but most inmates dismissed the reports as false. "Prabhakaran is not dead. He will emerge stronger... nobody can touch even his shadow," Andrews, a refugee at Mandapam camp, said. "Prabhakaran has been fighting for us for more than 30 years, we know his strength," said another refugee.
In what could be seen as a prelude to his possible entry into politics, a demand increasingly being voiced by his fans, superstar Rajnikanth on Monday said he would undertake a state-wide tour to meet them.
Four Sri Lankan fishermen were arrested in Tamil Nadu for fishing in Indian waters on Wednesday, taking the total number of such fishermen apprehended by the Indian Coast Guard to 65 during the last week.
Speculation was rife at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday about whether the wife of Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam supremo V Prabhakaran arrived here, along with a group of Sri Lankan refugees, in the face of escalating violence between the Tamil Tigers and Sri Lankan forces. Police and media personnel rushed to the Mandapam refugee camp in Rameswaram after rumours claimed that Prabhakaran's wife Madhivadhani had reached the camp early on Wednesday morning.
The police confirmed that the boat had not crossed the maritime borders when the firing occurred.
The refugees are safe from bombs, but not from their memories.
Some of the Sri Lankan Tamils, who arrived on Saturday, said they were 'second-time refugees.'
Sixty-six Tamil Nadu fishermen set free by a Sri lankan court after being arrested recently by the island navy, arrived in Rameswaram on Wednesday with the Indian Coast Guard repatriating them.
More than 120 Indian fishermen, arrested by Sri Lankan Navy in the past several months, were released on Friday in line with the reciprocal agreement reached between the two countries to set free detained fishermen.
'I am sure Amma's soul is watching over Tamil Nadu and blessing it," Modi said, and was met with a thunderous applause.
In a princely offering, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday donated gold ornaments worth around Rs 5 crore to the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala for fulfilling the vows he had made for realisation of separate Telangana.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday visited the Sivagiri Mutt, a revered spiritual centre established in Varkala, Kerala by the renowned 20th century saint-social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, and paid respects at his samadhi.
The memorial has been built at a cost of Rs 15 crore on land alloted by the Tamil Nadu government at Kalam's village Peikarambu.
Upon his arrival, Modi addressed a thanksgiving public meeting organised by the Andhra Pradesh BJP at Renigunta near Tirupati.
'All-India alliances are not the priority today.' 'Therefore, the CPI-M's political line dovetails with the emergent political reality in the country,' says M K Bhadrakumar.
Addressing his fans on the opening day of a six-day-long photo session with followers, the actor said he was hesitant to enter politics since he knew its dynamics.
Security in coastal areas of Tamil Nadu has been further beefed up following an anonymous telephone call about infiltration of terrorists, days after an intelligence alert that they could sneak in from Sri Lanka and attack Madurai, Mayiladuthurai and Rameswaram in the state.
'Greatness can come from simple beginnings. Actually it will come only from simplicity. Glad to start my journey from a great man's simple abode,' the actor said in a tweet after visiting House of Kalam in Rameswaram.
Rajinikanth's personal trait can become a political issue if he enters politics and could get translated as sympathy if not support for the BJP, which can cut both ways, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
65,000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees still live in Tamil Nadu. Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar discovers the challenges for the refugees to return home.
Before unveiling the giant 'Adiyogi' bust, Modi lighted the 'Maha Yoga Yagna' and released the book Adiyoga: The source of Yoga, which deals with yogic sciences.
The city has lost its favourite son, A P J Abdul Kalam. But his his legacy will live on forever.
The elections were recently postponed.
In a spontaneous outpouring of grief, thousands of people bid an emotional farewell to former President APJ Abdul Kalam who was on Thursday laid to rest with full state honours in his home town here amid chants of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai".
Celebrations in Mutharamman Temple in Kulasekharapattinam, a coastal town in Tamil Nadu, have devotees visit the temple in an avatar of their choice. They could be dressed as kings or beggars, monkeys or demons, but the more popular is different forms of the Devi.
Muthayya Fernandes, a fisherman from Rameswaram, was imprisoned in Sri Lanka for crossing the International Boundary in search of fish.
Why is the BJP playing 'competitive politics' where there is scope or room for none? The release of 5 Indian fishermen on death row in Sri Lanka was a victory for India's quiet diplomacy of long years in the matter -- and not for loud politics by parties in the country.
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