List of Figures and Tables; Preface; Acknowledgments; Introductions; 1. The Dravidian Proper; 2. The King's Red Tongue; 3. Walking Utopia; 4. On Life, Moonlight, and Jasmine; 5. Bhakti and the Limits of Apotheosis; 6. Kavitha's Love; 7. Speech in the Kali Yugam; Afterword; Notes; Appendix: Kavitha's Speech; Glossary; References; Index.

This is a book about the newness of old things. It concerns an oratorical revolution, a transformation of oratorical style linked to larger transformations in society at large. It explores the aesthetics of Tamil oratory and its vital relationship to one of the key institutions of modern society: democracy. Therefore this book also bears on the centrality of language to the modern human condition. Though Tamil oratory is a relatively new practice in south India, the Dravidian (or Tamil nationalist) style employs archaic forms of Tamil that suggest an ancient mode of speech. Beginni.