Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2021 | Street meetings fade away from poll canvas

Lack of time, advances in technology and social media have rendered this staple of politics unnecessary

What was once the staple of politics in Tamil Nadu and its electioneering tradition seems to have very nearly vanished. Street corner meetings, once the basic outreach of all major parties, thrives only in certain pockets, especially in rural areas. In the cities, it is nearly gone. Long fiery speeches, loaded with information about parties and even the Opposition, by men of oratorical skills used to echo from street corners and important junctions during the election season earlier. “We used to prepare well by reading books and newspapers for these meetings. And at the street corner meetings too, the speakers, irrespective of the party, used to give respect to the Opposition candidate. Speaking the local dialect was important to keep the audience enthralled,” says Erode Iraivan, 50, of the DMK’s literary wing. He has been speaking at street corner meetings since 1986.