Nayan: Covering the proceedings of the TN Assembly in this brief winter session, one is reminded of the famous saying that when Rome was burning, Nero was playing his fiddle. The House was pretty hot handling the sensitive Sri Lankan Tamil issue and the high-voltage power crisis, but if one expected the presence of opposition leader Ms Jayalalithaa or the star-politician Vijayakanth to steer the proceedings reflecting their deep concerns, often expressed from various forums, there was disappointment.

Nayan: A 1200 year-old granite idol of Vishnu dating back to the Pallava period was unearthed recently during temple renovation work at Kalathur in Tiruvarur district. Sculptures of Bhairava, Durga and Saptamatrikas and copper plates with inscriptions dating back to the Chola era were also found in the area.