Tamil Nadu politicians unveil their unique hobbies; A glimpse into their lives outside political commitments

Sundays in my garden The first family of Tamil Naduhas no time to pursue hobbies,but Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalinmakes sure his day begins with arefreshing two-hour walk starting 6am, at the Theosophical Societygrounds.

And then, an occasional cycle ride.Sundays are special: he spends the morningsin his flower garden in Poonamallee. TheDMK president started attending politicalmeets right from his school days and so never had much time to devote to hobbies outside politics. He, however, is a cricket fan, especially of M S Dhoni. He watches matcheswhen time allows, including the T-20. Peopleclose to the family say CM and son Udhayanidhi find time to read books.From coast to coastersAn avid travel buff, two-time Congress MP Karti Chidambaram makes it a point to buy a postcard wherever he travels. “No one writes or posts letters these days, so I get a postcard from each city and add the date to it. I carry it home with me as a souvenir. They’re all over my mantelpiece now.” His recent visits to Vienna, Barcelona and Paris all added to his postcard collection. Another hobby of the University of Cambridge law graduate is to take home a paper coaster from the restaurants he visits.

“These are all ways for me to remember the city,” he says. But while in Chennai, he turns to his two four-legged stress busters, whom, he says, are as naughty as they come. “In Chennai, life revolves around my golden retrievers Becky and Daisy.”The boxer at heartAn expert boxer, weight lifter, swimmer, and a surprisingly good carrom player, former AIADMK minister D Jayakumar was actively into all kinds of sports during his school and college days, he says.

“After I became minister, I have not been able to pursue boxing, but I used to take part in competitions.” At 65, Jayakumar swims a few laps across the pool every day and hits the gym late at night before going to bed, at 11pm.Of late, he has started watching crime thrillers on OTT.

“But what really energises me is listening to songs from MGR movies.”TTime travellerVCK MP D Ravikumar says at the outset that all his hobbies are “quite serious”.“I’m

a writer but more a voracious reader and find time to read at least two hours a day, often till 2am. I have published journals in Tamil, on history and dalit literature, and I edit journals. I have translated 50 books on philosophy from English to Tamil, from Michel Foucault to Edward Said besides nearly 500 poems.” And he writes by typing on his mobile, something he does on the go, especially columns for news outlets.But when he’s not reading, you will find him travelling to 1000-year-old temples to study sculptures.

“I’m interested in archaeology and epigraphy, and my latest visit was to the Anantheeswaran temple in Chidambaram.”Of sangam, song and sembothsEven amidst fierce campaigning, South Chennai DMK MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian’s go-to place is a corner in her home where she sits and reads. “Depending on my mood, I choose between comfort reading, motivational reading and lazy lounge reading,” says the MP. She was introduced to reading when she was young, and was always fascinated by books, being a literature student, she says.

“For relaxation, I turn to Sufi and Sangam poems and zen stories besides the teachings of Osho and ‘riddle haiku’ or the puzzles in Japanese poems.

”It’s while going through classical Tamil literature, especially classical Sangam poetry, that she realised how inadequate her knowledge of her mother tongue was. “The same thing happens whenever I translate something from English to Tamil or vice versa, although I have a PhD in English.

I have lots to learn.”And at the end of long and stressful campaign days, she unwinds at her native village, where, she says, they still “wake up to the chirping of birds”.

“I love sitting on the banks of the canal lined with trees and watching the birds; I’m not an expert but I can identify the local birds such as semboth.”A recent hobby which she developed during Covid days is binge-watching TV series. “I started off with K-dramas and later switched over to series based on war and period series.”

These days, she also finds pleasure in telling stories to her grandchildren, surrounded by her pet cats and dogs, which, she says, is how she grew up as a child.Late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, who had a collection of English classics at her home, had often said in interviews that her dream is to retire to a farm, surround herself with books and music, and her pet dogsAn avid badminton player, PMK founder Anbumani Ramadoss is the president of the Tamil Nadu Badminton Association (TNBA) and finds time to play the sport whenever possibleHealth minister Ma Subramanian is actively into running marathons, and has completed more than 160, a recent one being at the Meghamalai Hills