Ranjitha Gunasekaran

.@TNDIPRNEWS has issued a statement (L) effectively terming @xpresstn story “fake news” lol. Would be great if they could explain @Tn_Diff_abled Aug notice (R) saying cafe will be shut. That aside, happy if they’ve decided to keep the museum cafe open. newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai…

The @BJP4India Govt’s Transgender Amendment Bill 2026 is a shameful rollback of rights. It kills self-identification, revives colonial-era suspicion, and erases trans men, trans women & non-binary citizens affirmed by the Supreme Court in NALSA. I reject this bill outright. I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the transgender community. #RejectTransBill2026 #TransRightsAreHumanRights

Over 40 people fell ill after consuming suspected adulterated illicit palm toddy in #Pudukkottai’s Melapullanviduthi on Friday. At least 8 are hospitalised at Alangudi GH on Sunday. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea & dizziness, all stable. Sellers absconding, Vadakadu police probe on.

😭

#TNIEeditorial | The #SupremeCourt’s NALSA (2014) verdict recognised the right of self-identification as male, female or transgender. The verdict was a watershed moment for the marginalised LGBTQIA+ community in India. Last week, a Bill introduced to amend the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act of 2019 weakened that right. newindianexpress.com/editorial/2026…

@Article14live @samar11 @betwasharma @HoneyTrehan @BBCHindi @HimalSouthasian @romangautam @nayantaran @leenareghunath This is the jury citation for the Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Woman Media Person of 2025. @Article14live @HimalSouthasian @BBCHindi @samar11 @betwasharma @leenareghunath @nayantaran @FreeMedia_In @ShumaRaha and the jury: Thank you!

I'm a bit overwhelmed. Entertainment is still not seen as a "serious" journalistic beat, so The Media Foundation @FreeMedia_In has, in effect, taken a stand by giving me the Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Woman Media Person of 2025. Thank you TMF, the jury & my editors♥️

#SriLanka ready to welcome and support refugees from India: Minister Bimal Rathnayake tells @the_hindu; Requests Governments of India and Tamil Nadu to refrain from using them as ‘political propaganda tool’ thehindu.com/news/internati… via @the_hindu

@CityOrdinary @cmrlofficial We have decade-old video of blind people complaining that their white canes slipped through the grating gaps at a Metro station. Same mistake repeated by @chennaicorp on Khader Nawaz Khan Road. One can't avoid gratings, but the gaps must be perpendicular to direction of travel

From 1998, standards have mandated providing a tactile warning for blind before step. In 2026, @cmrlofficial flunks this in brand new station. Plus gratings in direction of travel, no contrast for handrails, tactile guidance. No tactile warning before PSD. Signage flunks too.

No doctor on duty, child dead: 4.5 yrs old dies near Thuraiyur #Trichy on Saturday after no doctor was on duty, alleged his parents. The child, who developed breathing distress while on his way to a private hospital, was taken to the Kannanur PHC for emergency treatment at 11 am on Saturday where no doctor was on duty & a PHC staff was unable to treat the kid. He was later declared dead at a private hospital. Sources indicated one doctor post is vacant & another person went on maternity leave. A nearby PHC doctor was given responsibility to additionally look after Kannanur. Health department has not yet taken any action so far.

As a Tamil woman who thinks, reads, writes and works predominantly in the medium of poetry, I feel ashamed that #Vairamuthu continues to receive the highest literary honours nationally and regionally. Multiple women spoke during the #MeToo movement about his predatory behaviour. Our institutions chose silence. But beyond that silence, I also question the canon itself: are we rewarding true literary courage, or merely the loudest patriarchal voice? When power crowns power, women’s testimonies disappear—and mediocrity is mistaken for greatness. #jnanpithaward

Tell me again how sexual harassment allegations ruin a man’s career

Withdraw The Regressive 'Transgender Persons Amendment Bill 2026' | The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026 is a regressive move by the BJP-led Central Government to thwart the queer rights movement in India. By replacing the principle of self-identified gender with mandatory medical certification, the Bill violates the bodily integrity, autonomy and dignity of transgender individuals. This move directly contradicts the Supreme Court’s landmark NALSA vs. Union of India judgment, which ruled for self-identification of gender identity as an integral part of personal autonomy and dignity under Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution. Under the proposed amendment, the State refuses to recognize gender as a personal identity, instead subjecting individuals to invasive bureaucratic and medical scrutiny. By limiting recognized identities to specific traditional communities, the Bill excludes many and deprives them of access to basic amenities like education, housing, and healthcare on state approval. Furthermore, similar to the 1871 Criminal Tribes Act, these provisions frame gender-nonconforming communities as criminal threats rather than citizens deserving of protection. This shift transforms the State’s role from a provider of rights to an agent of surveillance and control. To preserve the hard-won rights and dignity of the transgender community, this Bill must be condemned and withdrawn immediately. -- Central Committee, CPI(ML) Liberation (cpiml.org)

Condemnations from Tamil intelligentsia - evolving. Hope English language outlets pick these up. 1. Jeyamohan : jeyamohan.in/230180/ 2. Akazh magazine: akazhonline.com/?p=11611 3. Kavithaigal magazine: kavithaigal.in/2026/03/blog-p… 4. Charu Nivedita: tinyurl.com/charu-vairamut…

Here’s the full story: newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-n… #vairamuthu #jnanpithaward #metoo

The Model Code of Conduct came into effect immediately in Tamil Nadu upon the announcement of the election schedule. All the provisions of the Model Code will apply to the whole of Tamil Nadu with regard to all candidates, political parties and the State Government of Tamil Nadu. The Model Code of Conduct shall also be applicable to the Central government so far as announcements/policy decisions pertaining to/for Tamil Nadu are concerned. The Commission has also issued instructions for swift, effective and stringent action for the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct during the first 72 hours of announcement of the election schedule And also for maintaining extra vigilance and strict enforcement action in the last 72 hours prior to the close of polls. @xpresstn @NewIndianXpress

Polling for the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu will take place on April 23 Results will be declared on May 4 Filing of nominations begins on: March 30 Filing of nominations ends on: April 6 Scrutiny of nominations: April 7 Last date for withdrawal of nominations: April 9 The term of the 16th Tamil Nadu Assembly ends on May 10. @xpresstn @NewIndianXpress

Also @dt_next 🙏🏽

Awarding Vairamuthu the Jnanpith award legitimises and empowers him while further marginalising all the women who have had the courage to stand up against him. We cannot and should not separate an artist from the art he makes. #metoo

@beastoftraal @NewIndianXpress DT Next also included context

Bravo, @NewIndianXpress! Only the New Indian Express Chennai adds the context, while the Chennai editions of The Hindu, The Times of India, and Deccan Chronicle do not mention anything even in passing! Background: 1. Vairamuthu’s Accusers On The Poet And His Predatory Ways tinyurl.com/vmu11 2. Vairamuthu came after me too, says musician Sindhuja Rajaram tinyurl.com/vmu22 3. I Gave Up My Singing Dream, Thanks to Vairamuthu – But No More tinyurl.com/vmu33