Statue Diplomacy
- Tamil Nadu CM M. Karunanidhi has been indulging in bhai-bhaiism with Karnataka counterpart B.S. Yediyurappa
- Karunanidhi visited Bangalore to unveil the statue of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar on August 9
- Then, on August 13, Yediyurappa unveiled a statue of Kannada poet Sarvagna in Chennai
- Both gestures are seen as important, for Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have frequently been at loggerheads
- Karunanidhi has now invited Andhra Pradesh CM Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy for the celebration of the birth centenary of the DMK founder, Annadurai, to be held on September 15
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Is M. Karunanidhi getting an image makeover, taking on the role of a statesman armed with a licence to settle all festering issues so that everyone can live happily ever after? After his recent attempts at bhai-bhaiism—the statue diplomacy with Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, his invitation to Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy for the Annadurai birth centenary celebrations, scheduled for September 15—that’s the buzz in Chennai. What next? Will he now invite Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan for talks over black coffee on the Mullaperiyar dam?
Shivpuri Diary 
Ringed Red Theatre 
