On the memorial stone of M G Ramachandran, the late, great Tamil actor and politician. His devotees believe, you may be lucky enough to hear his voice. Every day, hundreds flock to the site near the beach in Madras.
Ramachandran represents a phenomenon found in several south-Indian states, whereby a charismatic film star, cast in film after film as valiant hero, local king or god, gains such a grip on the population that he becomes a sort of personification of the states soul. He can then readily convert such idolatry into a brilliant career in politics – MGR, as he is known, was chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for many years.