Collection of vintage publications tracks T.N.’s political landscape

Explore a vast collection of Tamil Nadu's political history from 1952 onwards, meticulously preserved by S. Muruganantham in Woraiyur.

Woraiyur resident S. Muruganantham, 76, has a sizeable collection of political literature waiting to be explored by those who are interested in following the electoral history of Tamil Nadu – from 1952 to the recent events.

“Having all these articles in one place helps see how history has treated parties, and how sworn enemies have sometimes joined hands to face a bigger and a formidable foe,” Mr. Muruganantham told The Hindu.

A voracious reader, Mr. Muruganantham started collecting political literature after being associated with [former Chief Minister] K. Kamaraj through the Youth Congress from the late 1960s. Most of the books, publications and newspapers are stored at his home.

A wealth of information is available from the pre-Wikipedia era, including titles such as Therthal Kalam by R. Thangadurai, a 50-year overview of Parliamentary and Legislative elections from 1977 to 1998 in the State; and pre-poll digests from the 1970s and 1980s brought out by media houses featuring manifestos and issues of candidates of different parties.

One of these publications has a tabulation headlined Katchi Thaaviya Patchikal detailing the names of leaders who had changed their parties in 1998. Newspaper clippings with photos of stalwarts of Tamil Nadu’s political stage in their heyday are available in plenty. The 1991 election manifesto of the DMK spells out promises of the day.

Mr. Muruganantham said scholars and reporters used to consult him before computerisation took over in the late 1990s. “For an in-depth understanding of the subject, one needs to keep track of the twists and turns in the political fortunes of different candidates. Today, many voters do not know the background of their political representatives as quite a lot of manipulated or edited information is available online. Printed material can be useful while verifying facts,” he further said.

Once an avid collector of old manuscripts in Chennai’s old Moore Market and antiquarian shops, Mr. Muruganantham is in the process of streamlining his treasures. “Some leaders have asked for material related to their career, which I am sorting out. As it is getting harder to store these publications at home, I may have to throw them away someday,” he added.