Days after Nana Patekar's death, old friend and actor Susmita Mukherjee remembered him with a soul-stirring tribute. Sharing pictures from Deepti Naval's birthday party on 3rd of February, 1991, Sushmita mused over the lost time, innocence and moments that became intrinsically attached with persons who were part of the memory. "Just the four of us. Wine, music, laughter, and even a piano. A little world of our own, untouched by the complexities of life that lay ahead. "And then, one of us slipped away. We mourned not just the person we had lost, but also the absence of what once was - the moments, the togetherness, the innocence, and a time we could never return to," wrote Susmita. Susmita recalled the bygone time when a dear friend of 38 years sent her a bunch of photographs. "The memories were hazy, the details blurred by time. But the moment I looked at those photographs, something magical happened. They awakened a part of my brain where memor...
AMMK (Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam) chief TTV Dhinakaran, who literally ran the AIADMK for a while after Jayalalithaa's death in 2017, returned to the party headquarters on Monday after nine years - this time as an NDA ally.
The occasion was the finalisation of seats for the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections and Dhinakaran's party was offered 11 seats.
Asked about his earlier stint in the building, Dhinakaran said, "You say I am coming here after nine years. But for me this is not a new place. I've been coming since Amma's (Jayalalithaa's) days."
Read: NDA Inks Deal: E Palaniswami To Get 175-Odd Seats, BJP 27, PMK Share Down
"Our objective is to defeat the DMK. Alliances are formed keeping people's welfare in mind, not personal positions," he added.
For AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palanisami, the occasion was expected to bring up memories as well.
Despite being then Chief Minister, Palanisami had to suffer embarrassment as Dhinakaran played the party boss, undermined him, recount party leaders privately. Even the Chief Minister's car was not allowed into the party office and had to be parked in an adjoining lane. Only Dhinakaran was permitted to drive in.
Asked about Dhinakaran's visit earlier on Monday, EPS said, "Don't sensationalise".
In 2017, Dhinakaran's aunt VK Sasikala, as party chief, had made him her second-in -command, while she handpicked EPS as Chief Minister, unseating O Pannerselvam.
Read: Sasikala-Ramadoss Alliance May Incur Heavy Cost On NDA In Tamil Nadu Polls
But as she served her jail sentence in Bengaluru following her conviction in the disproportionate assets case against late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, EPS and OPS patched up and expelled Sasikala and Dhinakaran.
Dhinakaran, however, won the by election for Jayalalithaa's R K Nagar seat as an Independent candidate, claiming to have inherited Jayalalithaa's legacy.
After an unsuccessful attempt to reclaim AIADMK, TTV Dhinakaran launched his own party in 2018. He has not won a seat since - even with an alliance with the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and made an exit from NDA last year.
Dhinakaran belongs to the powerful Thevar community that has staunchly supported AIADMK over the years.
But the expulsion of three leaders from the community -- Sasikala, TTV Dhinakaran and OPS -- had dented the party's prospects in southern Tamil Nadu, leading to the three successive poll defeats for the party.
Read: AIADMK Faces Existential Battle In 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections
Now to revive AIADMK's political fortunes, EPS has let Dhinakaran to join NDA, even as he shut the doors for OPS and Sasikala.
There appears to be more trouble ahead for the party. While OPS has joined the DMK, Sasikala has shaken hands with PMK founder Dr Ramadoss to take on what she calls "betrayers", a tacit reference to EPS.
(With inputs from Sri Smruthi S)
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