Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is the homeland of the Tamils and has existed since prehistoric times.^[2] The culture and artwork of this region are considered to be some of the oldest in the world. It is home to one of the world's classical languages, Tamil. The language has been documented as being around for at least 5,000 years in written form, but was spoken long before that.^[3]^[2]^[4] Tamil Nadu also has one of the oldest culinary heritages in the world.

Tamil Nadu is the epicentre of Dravidian politics in India, which are dominated by the DMK and AIADMK parties. The fifth largest contributor to India's GDP^[5] and one of the most urbanised states^[1] in India, it is home to many natural resources, rare flora and fauna, cool hill stations, grand Hindu temples of Dravidian architecture, beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites and three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.^[6]^[7] It is one of the foremost states in the country in terms of overall development.^[8]^[9]

History

The Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram built by the Pallavas during 7th to 8th century CE

Prehistory

Tamil Nadu's history dates back to pre-historic times and archaeological evidence points to this area being one of the longest continuous habitations in India. In Adichanallur, 24 km from Tirunelveli, archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India unearthed 169 clay urns containing human skulls, skeletons and bones, plus husks and grains of rice, charred rice and Neolithic celts, giving evidence confirming them to be of the Neolithic period, 3800 years ago.^[10] The ASI archaeologists have proposed that the script is "very rudimentary" Tamil Brahmi.^[11] Adhichanallur has been announced as an archaeological site for further excavation and studies.^[12]

Chera Rule

From early pre-historic times, Tamil Nadu was the home of the four powerful Tamil kingdoms of the Chera, Chola, Pandya(Madurai) and Pallavas. The oldest extant literature, dated between 500 BCE and 200 CE mentions the exploits of the kings and the princes, and of the poets who extolled them. The early Cholas reigned between the 1st and 4th centuries CE on the east coast. Cheras ruled from the capital of Karur near the west coast and traded extensively with West Asian kingdoms.

An unknown dynasty called Kalabhras invaded and displaced the three Tamil kingdoms between the fourth and the seventh centuries CE. This is referred to as the Dark Age in Tamil history. They were eventually expelled by the Pallavas and the Pandyas.

Pallava Rule

Around 580 CE, the Pallavas, great temple builders, emerged into prominence and dominated the south for another 150 years. They ruled a large portion of Tamil Nadu with Kanchipuram as their capital. They subjugated the Cholas and reigned as far south as the Kaveri River. Among the greatest Pallava rulers were Mahendravarman I and his son Narasimhavarman I. Dravidian architecture reached its peak during the Pallava rule.

Pandya Rule

Pallavas were replaced by the Pandyas in the 8th century. Their capital Madurai was in the deep south away from the coast.

Chola Empire

The Brahadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur, built by Raja Raja Chola

The Cholas revelled in building magnificent temples. Brihadeshwara Temple in Thanjavur is a classical example of the magnificent architecture of the Chola kingdom. Brihadeshwara temple is an UNESCO Heritage Site under "Great Living Chola Temples."^[13] Another example is the Chidambaram Temple in the heart of the temple town of Chidambaram. The power of the Cholas declined around the late 11th century.

Pandya Rule (Restored)

With the decline of the Cholas, the Pandyas rose to prominence once again in the late 12th century.

Delhi Sultanate

This restoration was short-lived as the Pandya capital of Madurai itself was sacked by Alauddin Khilji troops from the north in 1316. The invasion led to the establishment of the Madurai Sultanate.

Vijayanagar Empire

These northern invasions triggered the establishment of Vijayanagara Empire in the Deccan. It eventually conquered the entire Tamil country (c. 1370 CE). This empire lasted almost three centuries.

Rule of Nayaks

As the Vijayanagara Empire went into decline after mid-16th century, the Nayak governors, who were appointed by the Vijayanagar kingdom to administer various territories of the empire, declared their independence. The Nayaks of Madurai and Nayaks of Thanjavur were most prominent of them all in the 17th century. They reconstructed some of the oldest temples in the country.

Fort Dansborg, built by the Danish, in Tranquebar (now Tharangambadi)

Rule of Nizams and Nawabs

Around 1609, the Dutch established a settlement in Pulicat. In 1639, the British, under the British East India Company, established a settlement further south, in present day Chennai.

The British used petty quarrels among the provincial rulers (divide and rule) to expand their sphere of influence throughout the Nizam's dominions. The British fought and reduced the French dominions in India to Pondicherry. Nizams bestowed tax revenue collection rights on the East India Company by the end of 18th century. Some notable chieftains or Poligars who fought the British East India Company as it was expanding were Veerapandya Kattabomman, Pulithevan and Dheeran Chinnamalai.

British Empire

In early 19th century, East India Company consolidated most of southern India into the Madras Presidency coterminous with the dominions of Nizam of Hyderabad.[8] Pudukkottai remained as a princely state under British suzerainty.

Independence

When India became independent in 1947, Madras Presidency became Madras State, comprised of present day Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh up to Ganjam district in Orissa, northern Karnataka, and parts of Kerala. The state was subsequently split up along linguistic lines. In 1968, Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu, meaning Land of Tamil.

Geography and climate

A semi-arid wasteland near Tirunelveli. Monsoon clouds dump torrents of rain on lush forests that are only a few kilometers away in windward-facing Kerala, but are prevented from reaching Tirunelveli by the Agasthyamalai Range of the Western Ghats (background).

Tropical cyclone Baaz approaching the Coromandel Coast during November, 2004

Tamil Nadu covers an area of 130,058 square kilometres (50,216 sq mi),and is the eleventh largest state in India. West and North of the state has lofty hills while the East and South are coastal plains. The bordering states are Kerala to the west, Karnataka to the northwest and Andhra Pradesh to the north. To the east is the Bay of Bengal. The southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula is located in Tamil Nadu. At this point is the town of Kanyakumari which is the meeting point of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean.

Tamil Nadu has a coastline of about 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) which forms about 18% of the country’s coastline (third longest).^[1] Tamil Nadu's coastline bore the brunt of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami when it hit India, which left behind 7,793 dead in the state.^[14] Tamil Nadu falls mostly in a region of low seismic hazard with the exception of western border areas that lie in a low to moderate hazard zone. As per the 2002 Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) map, Tamil Nadu falls in Zones II & III. Historically, parts of this region have experienced seismic activity in the M5.0 range.^[15]

Tamil Nadu, a coastal state, is prone to droughts. The climate of the state ranges from dry sub-humid to semi-arid. The state has three distinct periods of rainfall: (1) Advancing monsoon period, South West monsoon (from June to September), with strong southwest winds; (2) North East monsoon (from October to December), with dominant northeast winds; and (3) Dry season (from January to May). The normal annual rainfall of the state is about 945 mm (37.2 in)^[16] of which 48% is through the North East monsoon, and 32% through the South West monsoon. Since the state is entirely dependent on rains for recharging its water resources, monsoon failures lead to acute water scarcity and severe drought.^[1] Tamil Nadu is classified into seven agro-climatic zones: north-east, north-west, west, southern, high rainfall, high altitude hilly, and Cauvery Delta (the most fertile agricultural zone). The table below shows the maximum and minimum temperatures that the state experiences in the plains and hills.^[17]

Tamil Nadu has a wide variety of minerals with the most reserves in India lignite (almost 90% of India's reserves), magnesite (45%) and garnet (over 40%) among others.^[18] Tamil Nadu contributes 15% of the total Salt production in the country. Forests cover over 17% of the state's geographical area with several Protected areas of Tamil Nadu including wild life and bird sanctuaries.^[19]

Governance and administration

Emblem of Government of Tamil Nadu, showing the Temple tower of Srivilliputhur and Lion Capital of Asoka.

Tamil Nadu had a bicameral legislature until 1986, when it was replaced with a unicameral legislature, like most other states in India. The 'Governor' is the Constitutional head of the state while the 'Chief minister' is the head of the government and the head of the council of ministers. The Chief Justice of the Madras High Court is the head of the judiciary. The present Governor, Chief minister and the Chief Justice are S. S. Barnala, M. Karunanidhi and A. P. Shah respectively.The major administrative units of the state constitutes 39 Lok Sabha constituencies, 234 Assembly constituencies, 31 districts, 8 municipal corporations, 152 municipalities, 561 town panchayats and 12,618 village panchayats. Chennai (formerly known as Madras) is the state capital. It is the fourth largest city in India and is also one of the five A1 Metropolitan cities of India.

Tamil Nadu has been a pioneering state in E-Governance initiatives in India. A large part of the government records like land ownership records are already digitised and all major offices of the state government like Urban Local Bodies — all the Corporations and Municipal Office activities — revenue collection, land registration offices, and transport offices have been computerised, thereby improving the quality of service and transparency in operations.

The 31 districts of Tamil Nadu are listed below, with the numbers corresponding to those in the image at the right. Ariyalur district, which was created in 2001 from the Perambalur district, was restored as the 31st district of Tamil Nadu on the 23rd November, 2007.

Districts of Tamil Nadu

TN government has also announced that Tirupur will be the new headquarters of the Tirupur district which will be formed by splitting the Coimbatore and Erode district. ^[20]

Decrease in crimes registered in Tamil Nadu^[21]

The Tamil Nadu Police Force is over 140 years old. It is the fifth largest state police force in India.^[22] The administrative control of Tamil Nadu Police vests with the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu who holds the portfolio of Home Minister. The supervision and coordination of Police is done by the Home Department, Govt. of Tamil Nadu. The Force is headed by the Director General of Police. The State is divided into 4 police zones - North, Central, West and South. Each zone is headed by one Inspector General of Police. In each of the six metropolitan cities of Tamil Nadu, the City Police force is headed by a Commissioner of Police. These cities are Greater Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli, Salem and Tirunelveli. There are thirty police districts in Tamil Nadu, each headed by a Superintendent of Police. In each City and District, the Commissioner of Police / Superintendent of Police has, besides the civil police force, an armed reserve of police personnel. One Deputy Inspector General of police supervises the work of 2–3 districts, which constitute a Police Range. There are eleven ranges in Tamil Nadu. The special units of Tamil Nadu Police perform specific functions related to security, intelligence, criminal investigations and support services.^[22] Tamil Nadu has a police population ratio of 1 : 632.^[23] The Tamil Nadu Police force is regarded as one amongst the best in the country.^[23] Tamil Nadu is one of the states where law and order has been maintained largely successfully. Over the years, there has been a gradual decrease in the number of crimes registered.^[21]

Politics

Periyar, Leader of the Dravidian Movement

Pre Independence

Prior to Indian independence Tamil Nadu was under British colonial rule as part of the Madras Presidency. The main party in Tamil Nadu at that time was the Congress Party. Regional parties have dominated state politics since 1916. One of the earliest regional parties was the South Indian Welfare Association, which was a forerunner to Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu, was started in 1916. The party was called after its English organ, Justice Party, by it opponents and later the same was adopted as its official name. The reason for victory of the Justice Party in elections was the non-participation of the Congress Party, demanding complete independence of India.

E.V.Ramaswami Naicker popularly known as EVR and also as Periyar, believed in agitational politics and he took the Justice Party away from its original path. The Justice Party which had a moribund existence under E.V.Ramaswami Naicker, died at last in 1944 which he renamed the party Dravidar Kazhagam (DK for short) in 1944. DK was a non-political party which demanded the establishment of an independent state called Dravida Nadu. However, due to the differences between its two leaders Periyar and C.N. Annadurai, the party was split. Annadurai left the party to form the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. The DMK decided to enter politics in 1956.

Dravidian Politics

In the 19th century, western scholars proposed that Dravidian languages that dominates the south of India formed a different linguistic group to that of Indo-Aryan languages that are predominant in the north of the country. They also classified Indians into distinct Aryan and Dravidian races. It was proposed that the generally darker-skinned Dravidians constituted a distinct race. This concept has affected thinking in India about racial and regional differences and had an impact on aspects of Tamil nationalism, which has appropriated the claim that Dravidians are the earliest inhabitants of India, and the Aryan population were oppressive interlopers from whom Dravidians should liberate themselves.^{citation needed}

Present chief minister M.Karunanidhi (centre) with ex-chief ministers C. N. Annadurai (left) and M. G. Ramachandran (right)

Re-organisation of Indian states according to linguistic and ethnic basis has moderated Tamil nationalism, especially the demand for separation from the Indian Union. The Anti-Hindi agitations in mid-1960s made the DMK more popular and a more powerful political force in the state. The DMK routed the Congress Party in the 1967 elections and took control of the state government, ending Congress' stronghold in Tamil Nadu. C.N. Annadurai became the DMK's first Chief Minister.

Muthuvel Karunanidhi took over as Chief Minister and party leader after Annadurai's death in 1969. Karunanidhi's leadership was soon challenged by M.G. Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR. In 1972, he split from DMK and formed the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) and later renamed the party as All India Anna Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam. He was the Chief Minister of the state from 1977 until his death in 1987. After the death of MGR and the defeat of AIADMK in the 1989 assembly polls, J. Jayalalithaa took control of the party. She was elected as the General Secretary of the unified AIADMK. There have been several splits in both the DMK and the AIADMK, but since 1967 one of those two parties has held power in the state.

Demographics and human rights

Tamil Nadu is the sixth most populous state in India with a population of 62,405,679 as of midnight on March 1, 2001 (approximately 6.05% of India's population). It is the eleventh most densely populated state in India. In 2001, its population density was 478 persons per square kilometre^[24], having increased from 429 in 1991, significantly higher than the Indian average of 324 persons per square kilometre.^[25] Approximately 47% of Tamil Nadu's population live in urban areas, one of the highest percentages in India.^[26]

Tamil Nadu's population grew by 11.19% between 1991 and 2001, the second lowest rate for that period (after Kerala) amongst populous states (states whose population exceeded 20 million in 2001). Its decadal rate of population growth has declined in every decade since 1971, one of only three populous states (along with Kerala and Orissa) to show this trend. According to National Family Health Survey-3 (NFHS-3), Tamil Nadu registered a fertility rate of 1.8, the lowest in India in year 2005-2006 [10].

Tamil Nadu is a socially progressive state in India as exemplified by creating a welfare board for transgenders and also issuing an order for creating a third gender category for admission in govermnent colleges.^[27]^[28]

Language and Religion Demographics

The vast majority (86%) of people in Tamil Nadu speak Tamil as the mother language. Also the vast majority of the people follow the Hindu religion. A significant population can speak more than one language, usually English. The distribution of population based on religion and language is described in the table.^[29]

Among Muslims 97.5% are Sunni (Most of the Tamil Muslims, adhere to either Hanafi or Shafi schools of thought) and 1.5% Shia. Tamil Nadu has had a good human rights record when it comes to religious freedom. There have been some notable exceptions. With respect to caste discrimination, Tamil Nadu's record is fairly poor. The state, during the peak of the dravidian movement, experienced strong anti-Brahmin sentiments. There are allegations that Dalits are discriminated even today in the southern districts and in other rural areas.^{citation needed} The government's 69% reservation policy in educational institutions for OBCs and MBCs is, in general, resented by many forward castes for being a policy of reverse discrimination.^[30]^[31] Tamil Nadu's record of tolerance towards linguistic minorities has been exemplary, despite provocative incidents occurring in other states and despite the state having been the epicenter of anti-Hindi agitations.

Education and social development

The main entrance of IIT Madras, showing its logo and its motto.

Tamil Nadu has performed reasonably well in terms of literacy growth during the decade 1991-2001. The state's literacy rate increased from 62.66% in 1991 to 73.47% in 2001.^[25] which is well above the national average. About 99% of the population has access to primary education.^[32]

Tamil Nadu has 40 Universities,^[33] 350 engineering colleges and 1150 arts college, 2550 schools and 5000 hospitals.

Tamil Nadu has performed well in human development. With an index of 0.531, it ranked third in India^[34], though considered low as against western standards. This includes population, sex ratio, density of population, per capita income, Below Poverty Line, Infant Mortality Rate, Literacy Rate, and Women's Empowerment. The life expectancy at birth for males is 65.2 years and for females it is 67.6 years.^[35] However, it has a number of challenges, significantly, the poverty is high, especially in the rural areas. As of 2004-2005, the poverty line was set at Rs. 351.86 / month for rural areas and Rs. 547.42 / month for urban areas.^[36] Poverty in the state had dropped from 51.7% in 1983 to 21.1% in 2001^[37] For the period 2004-2005, the Trend in Incidence of Poverty in the state was 22.5% as against the national figure of 27.5%.^[38] The World Bank is currently assisting the state in reducing poverty^[39] High drop-out and low completion of secondary schools continue to hinder the quality of training in the population. Other problems include class, gender, inter-district and urban-rural disparities.

The Dravidian movement, which championed the causes of educating the people and eradicating superstitions, began in Tamil Nadu. In addition, it aimes to uplift the socially repressed Dravidian people and drew considerable support from the middle classes for their efforts in this matter. The movement was committed to social justice which led to the expansion of reservations for the deprived communities. Tamil Nadu now has a 69% reservation in educational institutions, the highest among all Indian states.^[40]

The Mid-day Meal Scheme program in Tamil Nadu, initiated by Kamaraj, was expanded considerably during the rule of the AIADMK in 1983. It feeds over a fifth of the state's population.^{citation needed}

Culture

Drawing the kolam figures is an important part of the Tamil Nadu culture and landscape

Tamil Nadu has a long tradition of venerable culture. Unique cultural features like Bharatanatyam (dance), Tanjore painting, and Tamil architecture were developed and continue to be practised in Tamil Nadu.

Language and Literature

The 133 ft (41 m) high Thiruvalluvar Statue, off the coast of Kanyakumari

Tamil is the official language of Tamil Nadu and is one of the two classical languages of India, the other being Sanskrit. Tamil is also one of the official languages of India. ^[41] Tamil Nadu is known for its rich tradition of literature, music and dance which continue to flourish today.

Tamil is one of the Classical Languages of India(the other being Sanskrit). It is a vibrant language with a long and rich literary tradition. Most of the older works are in verse form, and prose gained popularity later. All through history, Tamil literature has sought to inform and inspire, educate and entertain. Tamil poetry has universal appeal as evinced by many examples.

Tirukkural which was written nearly two millennia ago portrays a universal outlook. This is evident as the author, Thiruvalluvar, does not mention his religion, land, or the audience for his work. He is portrayed as a holy saint of Tamil Nadu today. There is an evidential history that the kings of olden days rolled out Tamil Sangam (Tamil organisation) to develop literature works in Tamil.^{citation needed} The Sangam headquartered in Madurai generated a large amount of notable literary works. The first Tamil printing press was established at Tarangambadi by the Danish missionaries.

Music

The Kings of the olden days created sangams for Iyal Isai Nadagam (Literature, Music and Drama). Music plays a major role in sangams. Music in Tamil Nadu had different forms. In villages where farming was the primary work, the ladies who work in the fields used to sing kulavai songs. Odhuvars, Sthanikars or Kattalaiyars offer short musical programmes in the temples by singing the devotional Thevaram songs. In sharp contrast with the restrained and intellectual nature of carnatic music, Tamil folk music tends to be much more exuberant. Popular forms of Tamil folk music include the Villuppāṭṭu, a form of music performed with a bow, and the Nāṭṭuppur̲appāṭṭu, ballads that convey folklore and folk history. Some of the leading Tamil folk artists in the early 21st century are Pushpuvanam Kuppuswamy, Dr Navaneethakrishnan, Chinnaponnu, Paravai muniammal etc.

Carnatic music is the classical music of Southern India. The basic form is a monophonic song with improvised variations. There are 72 basic scales on the octave, and a rich variety of melodic motion. Both melodic and rhythmic structures are varied and compelling. This is one of the world's oldest & richest musical traditions.^{citation needed} Carnatic music abounds in structured compositions in the different ragas. These are songs composed by great artists and handed down through generations of disciples. Three saint composers of the nineteenth century, Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri, have composed thousands of songs that remain favourites among musicians and audiences. The composers belonging to the Tamil Trinity of Muthu Thandavar (?1560 - ?1640 CE), Arunachala Kavi (1712-1779) and Marimutthu Pillai (1717-1787) composed hundreds of devotional songs in Tamil and helped in the evolution of Carnatic music. Today, Tamil Nadu has hundreds of notable carnatic singers who spread this music all over the world. M. S. Subbulakshmi, a renowned carnatic singer, had the honour of singing a song in the UN Security Council.

In terms of modern music (light, film, pop, etc.), the music of Tamil Nadu is praised very highly. Ilaiyaraaja was the most prominent composer of film music in Tamil cinema during the late 1970s and 1980s. His work highlighted Tamil folk lyricism and introduced broader Western musical sensibilities to the South Indian musical mainstream. Tamil Nadu is also the home of A.R. Rahman who is recognised worldwide and has composed film music in both Tamil and Hindi films.

Arts and dance

Tamils have a large number of folk dances. These are performed for every possible occasion, to celebrate the arrival of seasons, birth of a child, weddings and festivals. Tamil dance is closely intertwined with the Tamil theatrical tradition. The most celebrated of these is karakattam. In its religious form, the dance is performed in front of an image of the goddess Mariamman. The dancer bears on his or her head a brass pot filled with uncooked rice, decorated with flowers and surrounded by a bamboo frame, and tumbles and leaps to the rhythm of a song without spilling a grain. Karakattam is usually performed to a special type of song known as temmanguppāṭṭu or thevar pāṭṭu, a folk song in the mode of a lover speaking to his beloved, to the accompaniment of a nadaswaram and melam. Other Tamil folk dances include mayilāṭṭam, where the dancers tie a string of peacock feathers around their waist; ōyilāttam, danced in a circle while waving small pieces of cloth of various colours; poykkāl kuthiraiyaaṭṭam, where the dancers use dummy horses; mān̲āṭṭam, where the dancers imitate the graceful leaping of deer; par̲aiyāṭṭam, a dance to the sound of rhythmical drumbeats, and thīppandāṭṭam, a dance involving playing with burning wooden torches.

Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form originating from Tamil Nadu. Bharatanatyam is thought to have been created by Bharata Muni, a Hindu sage, who wrote the Natya Shastra, the most important ancient treatise on classical Indian dance. In ancient times it was performed as dasiattam by Hindu temple Devadasis. In this form, it as also been called sadir or chinna melam. Many of the ancient sculptures in Hindu temples are based on Bharata Natyam dance postures. Bharatanatyam is a traditional dance-form known for its grace, purity, tenderness, and sculpturesque poses. It continues to be a popular and widely performed dance style at present times and is practised by male and female dancers all over India. Therukoothhu (street dance) is a folk tradition of dance-drama.

Film industry

Tamil Nadu is also home to the Tamil film industry, the second largest film industry in India alongside Bollywood (Hindi films) and Tollywood (Telugu films). Chennai has often been referred to as Kollywood, a conflation of Hollywood and Kodambakkam, the section of Chennai that houses cinema-related facilities.

Cuisine

Tamil cuisine has one of the oldest culinary heritages in the world. Traditionally, food is served on banana leaf. Rice is the staple food of Tamils. Traditional Tamil cuisine includes Dosai, Idly, Vadai, Pongal and Uthappam. These dishes are served along with Sambar, Rasam, Kootu, Aviyal, Chatni and Poriyal. The Chettinad region is famous for its spicy non-vegetarian cuisine. The Tirunelveli region is also famous for its unique wheat halwa. The fast food culture is witnessing a steady growth in Tamil Nadu in recent years.

Festivals

Bullock cart race in Theni district

Pongal, also called as Tamizhar Thirunaal (festival of Tamils) is a four-day harvest festival is the most celebrated festival of Tamil Nadu. The Tamil language saying Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum — literally meaning, the birth of the month of Thai will pave way for new opportunities — is often quoted with reference to this festival. The first day, Bhogi Pongal, is celebrated by throwing away and destroying old clothes and materials by setting them on fire to mark the end of the old and emergence of the new. The second day, Surya Pongal, is the main day which falls on the first day of the Tamil month Thai (January 14 or January 15 in western calendar). The third day, Maattu Pongal, is meant to offer thanks to the cattle, as they provide milk and are used to plough the lands. Jallikattu, a violent taming the wild bull contest, marks the main event of this day. During this final day, Kaanum Pongal — the word "kanum", means'to view' in Tamil — youths used to gather at river banks to view and select their future life partners, but that practice has declined.

The first month in the Tamil calendar is Chittirai and the first day of this month is celebrated as Tamil New Year, which generally falls on April 13 or 14th of the Gregorian calendar. Aadi Perukku is celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month Aadi, which celebrates the rising of the water level in the river Cauvery. Deepavali( Death of Narakasura) was celeberated with fire crackers.

Apart from these major festivals, in every village and town of Tamil Nadu, the inhabitants celebrate festivals for the local gods once a year and the time varies from place to place. Most of these festivals are related to the goddess Maariyamman, the mother goddess of rain.

Economy

Macro-economic trend

Tamil Nadu's gross state domestic product for 2007 is estimated at 275,000 crores (70 billion USD) in current prices^[45]. ^[46] The state experienced a GDP growth rate of 12.1% for this period.^[32] Possessing the third largest economy (2004-2005) among states in India, Tamil Nadu is also the second most industrialised state next to Maharastra.^[47] The per capita income for the period 2007 - 2008 for the state was Rs.43,000 ranking second among the South Indian states.^[48] It ranks third in foreign direct investment approvals (cumulative 1991-2002) of Rs.225,826 million ($5,000 million), next only to Maharashtra (Rs.366,024 million ($8,100 million)) and Delhi (Rs.303,038 million ($6,700 million)and the State's FDI investment constitutes 9.12% of the total FDI in the country.^[49] Tamil Nadu was the winner of fDimagazine's Asian Region of the Future award 2005/06 in terms of FDIs, surpassing Australia's New South Wales.^[50] Unlike many other states, the economic resources are quite spread out, rather than concentrated in a small industrialised area.

Per capita income of Tamil Nadu has grown steadily keeping above the national average.^[51]

According to the 2001 Census, Tamil Nadu has the highest level of urbanisation (43.86%) in India, accounting for 6% of India’s total population and 9.6% of the urban population.^[53] and is the second most industrialised state in India.^[26] Services contributes to 45% of the economic activity in the state, followed by manufacturing at 34% and agriculture at 21%. Government is the major investor in the state with 51% of total investments, followed by private Indian investors at 29.9% and foreign private investors at 14.9%. Tamil Nadu has a network of about 110 industrial parks and estates offering developed plots with supporting infrastructure.^[54] Also, the state government is promoting other industrial parks like Rubber Park, Apparel Parks, Floriculture Park, TICEL Park for Biotechnology,^[55] Siruseri IT Park, and Agro Export Zones among others.

Annual Plan outlays have increased by a record 75% from Rs.52,000 million ($1,100 million) in 2001-2 to Rs.91,000 million ($2,000 million) in 2005-6. Based on URP - Consumption for the period 2004 - 2005, percentage of the state's population Below Poverty Line was 27.5%.^[36]

Agriculture

Paddy fields along the Nagercoil-Thiruvananthapuram Highway, near Nagercoil, in Kanyakumari District.

Tamil Nadu has historically been an agricultural state; its advances in other fields launched the state into competition with other states. Even so, Tamil Nadu is a leading producer of agricultural products in India. At present, Tamil Nadu is India's second biggest producer of Rice, next to Punjab where there is perennial source of irrigation.^[56] The Cauvery delta region of the composite Thanjavur district is known as the Rice Bowl of South India. Tamil Nadu accounts for nearly 6% of the area under fruits and 4% of the area under vegetables in the country. In terms of production, the State’s share is nearly 10% in fruits and 6% in vegetables.^[57] Tamil Nadu is also a leading state in the production of flowers. The total production of horticultural crops is 99.47 Lakhs during 2003-04. The main flowers grown in Tamil Nadu are Jasmine, Mullai, Chrysanthemum, Marigold and Rose. Mango and Banana are the leading fruit crops in Tamil Nadu accounting for over 84% of the area under fruit and over 87% of the total fruit production. Off-season production of mango and round-the-year production of grapes is unique to Tamil Nadu. The main vegetables grown are tapioca, tomato, onion, brinjal and drumstick.

Grapes Cultivation in Theni district of Tamil Nadu

The state is the largest producer of bananas,^[58], flowers,^[59] tapioca,^[59] the second largest producer of mango,^[59] coffee,^[60] natural rubber,^[61] coconut,^[62] groundnut and the third largest producer of sapota,^[59] Tea^[63] and Sugarcane.^[64] Tamil Nadu is also a leading producer of spices, kambu, corn, rye and oil seeds.^[65]^[66] The main spices grown are chillies, coriander, tamarind, turmeric and curry leaves. Tamil Nadu's sugarcane yield per hectare is the highest in India.^[64] A host of sugar companies have their operations here including EID Parry I Ltd., Thiru Arooran Sugars Ltd., Sakthi Sugars Ltd., Bannari Amman Sugars Ltd. and Rajshree sugars Ltd. The state has 17,000 hectares of land under oil palm cultivation, the second highest in India.^[67] Currently, Tamil Nadu is the only state to have a formal bio-diesel policy using jatropha plant crops and to distribute wasteland to the poor farmers for planting.^[68]

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