Chennai: Times are a-changing, so is the culture of graffiti and posters that mushroom in Chennai where political party leaders reside. Gone are the days when partymen would use chaste Tamil words like Thamizhina Thalaivar, Puratchi Thalaivi and Paasamigu Thalapathi in rhetorical style to greet their leaders.The Tamil words are now replaced with Tanglish or words famous on WhatsApp and social media.
On the occasion of DMK leader M. Karunanidhi’s 92 birthday on Wednesday, there were posters that read Angry Bird-i, Adakki aalum Arivalaya Android-y vaazthi vanangugirom and there were another set of posters that read Arasiyal Oxygenne.Though old-timers of the DMK and AIADMK, particularly the district secretaries, stick to their former style while selecting words to be used in graffiti and posters, the youth of today seem to prefer trending, techie words in Tanglish.
Sometimes this is also used to foul-mouth their political opponents.“Khushbu idli, E.V.K.S. chatni, Kaipulla Stalin’ was another recent poster put up by the AIADMK cadres bullying their archrivals in the congratulatory message put up for AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa on her return as TN Chief Minister.
But what is never-changing with both the Dravidian parties is that old songs continue to rent the air in congested slum pockets.At R.K. Nagar constituency, where Ms Jayalalithaa is contesting the bypoll, MGR’s famous song, Naan Aanai Ittaal, Adhu Nadanthuvittal, is played regularly by the AIADMK cadres. And at Makkese Garden of Thousand Lights, it was Nagore Hanifa’s golden voice adoring Mr Karunanidhi that filled the air as cadres celebrated their party leader’s birthday on June 3.
