DMK district secretary of Karur, Vasuki Murugesan aged 40 died with three others when her car collided with a truck near Sulur in Coimbatore last week.

A staunch DMK party supporter, she stuck with the party even when her mentor Vaiko defected to the AIADMK-led front in the 2006 assembly elections.

Her body was brought back to her native Thalavapalayam town in Karur where thousands of mourners paid their tributes.

Her funeral was attended by Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin and senior DMK leaders. All shops in Karur remained closed as a mark of respect.

She is survived by her husband and two children.

Elderly woman murdered

A 65-year-old woman was murdered, while her husband had gone for an early morning walk, at her apartment in CIT Nagar in Chennai last week.

Police said that Gajapathy found his wife lying in a pool of blood with her throat slit and her jewels missing. She had been smothered to death.

Police suspect that the intruders may have been known to her as there was no evidence of struggle.

Ironically the Chennai police had recently organised a grievance meeting for the safety of elderly couples living alone and promised to step up security.

State awards are given away

Nearly 72 artistes were awarded Tamil Nadu government’s Kalaimamani awards for 2007 at a glittering function in Chennai last week.

Governor Surjit Singh Barnala presided while Chief Minister M Karunanidhi gave away the prizes. The recipients included film actors, Asin, Bharath, music director Harris Jayaraj and classic musicians Avvai Nataraj, Saroj Narayanaswamy and others.

These awards are given for excellence is music, cinema, theatre and drama.

The ceremony was held at the heritage Kalaivanar Arangam auditorium that is to be demolished to build a new secretariat.

The Kalaivanar Arangam began as an assembly hall on May 2,1952 as an extension of the government offices at Fort St George. However in 1957, Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated it as a children’s auditorium that was rented out for functions on a nominal fee.

In 1974, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi christened it as Kalaivanar Arangam as a tribute to Tamil film’s late thinker-comedian N S Krishnan.