I am sure that to the outside world, Tamil Nadu appears queer: those conservative, retrograde, idli-dosa-eating, film-crazy, veshti-clad Madrasis! But to me, an insider, the most enduring image of my state is that of rickshaw-pullers reading Tamil newspapers and magazines during their free time, unmindful of the scorching sun. Tucked under the passenger seat of every rickshaw, there would always be some reading material, some daily or periodical. And the roadside petti-kadais (small shops that sell cigarettes, paan, bananas, cold drinks and even tea) have one major attraction—rows of Tamil periodicals, many of them pocket-sized, bestriding the string by the middle-page, or columns held in place by clips. You’ll never find last week’s issue of Vikatan, Kumudam, Kungumam, Nakkeeran or Kalki—they fly off the string the day they arrive.