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Former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer K.G. Arunraj—who was posted with the Income Tax department in Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Maharashtra—has ready to join actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

A close acquaintance of Arunraj informed ThePrint that the former government official was already in discussion with Vijay about party work and a formal announcement would be made shortly.

"Sure, he is here to hold a high-ranking post in the party and that will be announced by party leader Vijay in due course," said the friend.

TVK sources disclosed that Arunraj would be deployed as rank equivalent to that of a general secretary.

Currently N. Anand is the general secretary of Vijay's and Martin's son-in-law Lottery Aadhav Arjuna's TVK, who had switched from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) to the TVK, serves as election general secretary. There Anand is responsible for party work and Aadhav for election work.

Arunraj, hailing from Salem district of Tamil Nadu, had done MBBS from Madras Medical College and was practicing in the rural sector, including the Krishnagiri district, before joining the IRS.

He had also cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam in 2009. While on duty in Tamil Nadu and Bihar, Arunraj sought voluntary retirement and his resignation was accepted with effect from 22 May this year.

"Since the day he became a doctor, he always wanted to do something in the admin stream, which is why he chose to pursue the UPSC. But politics has always interested him because that provides the highest amount of power to work for people," Arunraj's close friend told ThePrint.

Arunraj's personal assistant told ThePrint in an interview that the ex-bureaucrat had been waiting for long to join Vijay's party. "It was not a decision. He did not look for alternatives. He knew Vijay for long and prepared for long," the assistant replied. "He believes there is a need for a change.".

Although he was pursuing a course in medicine, he did not want to pursue medicine. He had aspirations of dwelling in public life and aspirations in the future as well.

As per sources close to Vijay, Arunraj became friends with Vijay following the Income Tax raids at the actor's residences and properties in relation to a probe into tax evasion.

I-T officials interrogated Vijay in 2020 in a suspected tax evasion case at a shooting spot in Neyveli in the Cuddalore district. The interrogation put his filming of his movie 'Master' helmed by Lokesh Kanagaraj on hold momentarily.

"None of them were in touch with each other prior to Neyveli attack. It was only after that Vijay contacted Arunraj. In fact, while there was a delay going on with the registration in the Election Commission, it was Arunraj, even though he was working in the Bihar service," said a TVK insider to ThePrint.

Meanwhile, Vijay has also taken on-board JPACPersona founder Jhon Arokiasamy as election strategist. Arokiasamy had organized Vijay's maiden conference in Vikravandi in Villupuram and is now heading the party's political strategy with Aadhav Arjuna.

Managed high-end IT cases

Arunraj, who was an I-T department official in 2010, had also earned notoriety for conducting high-profile raids in the past, including the one in 2016 in which Rs 90 crore in cash – Rs 80 crore in old and demonetized currency and Rs 10 crore in new Rs 2,000 currency – was seized from offices of businessman Shekar Reddy and his friends Srinivasa Reddy and agent Prem. Along with the cash, 100 kg of gold were seized.

He later served in the I-T probe unit and handled a number of big-ticket cases. In 2020, the residence of actor Vijay was raided by the I-T officials; later, in 2021, the Joint Commissioner Arunraj was transferred by the Election Commission (EC).

EC director Pankaj Srivastava in a letter to CBDT also said Arunraj would have to be posted to CBDT headquarters immediately and the report on compliance would have to be submitted the next day at 10 a.m.

The transfer came after the EC reviewed the Tamil Nadu assembly election preparedness.

It was a disciplinary action against the officer, a top IRS officer in the I-T department told ThePrint. Arunraj's personal assistant, who was aware of the situation, said it was now the I-T department's turn to respond.

When A Rajeshwari, a tribal girl, steps on the sacred floors of an Indian Institute of Technology in the near future, she will be pursuing her own dream, and one that her father cherished in his heart until he lost his battle against cancer a year ago.

A Aundi, her father who was a member of the Malayali (Scheduled Tribe) people of Karumandurai village, a 65km village from Salem in the Kalvarayan Hills where there was a 90% population of tribals, was able to learn only till Class 8 because of poverty and seasonal migration.

Convinced that his four children must have a different fate, Aundi learned the art of tailoring and worked diligently to ensure them a secure education, fully assisted by his wife Kavitha. He managed to make his first two children undergraduates, which in itself is no small achievement.

Had he lived till 2024, Aundi would have not only seen the proudest moment of his life but also the start of a revolution in the lives of his family as his third child Rajeshwari will become the first tribal student of a Government Tribal Residential School managed by the state government to enter into an IIT, most probably IIT-Madras.

The student from Government Tribal Residential Higher Secondary School in Karumandurai, has attained an all-India ranking of 417 in the Scheduled Tribes quota in the JEE Advanced results released on Monday.

Rajeshwari stands a good opportunity to secure IIT-M seat

With the final ST rank for the admission into IIT-Madras in 2024 being 1,691, the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare (ADTW) Department officers and her school teachers believe that Rajeshwari, a tribal girl student from Tamil Nadu, has a bright chance of getting admission into the premier institute. But admissions to the Computer Science or Electrical Engineering streams can be tough.

Due to the efforts of the Tamil Nadu government in training students from far-flung tribal areas, some students from the 28 Government Tribal Residential (GTR) schools have gained admission to National Institutes of Technology in recent times. Rajeshwari is the first of them to crack JEE Advanced and be eligible to get into an IIT.

Coming from a poor tribal background, Rajeshwari attributed her teachers for helping her navigate the competitive exam ordeal. "My siblings were studious but were unaware of JEE. My teachers helped me," she narrated. Her father, who was education-minded, died while she was in school. Her elder brother Sriganesh became a tailorman to eke out a living for the family, while her mother is still employed as a daily wager. Rajeshwari had scored 438/500 at Class 10 and 521/600 at Class 12. She opted for the Maths-Biology stream to keep professional avenues open.

"Right from her school days, she has had a great aptitude, particularly in Chemistry and Maths," stated D Vijayan, headmaster of her school. Her teachers gave special tuition and made her conversant with the JEE pattern. For JEE Advanced, she went to a government-run residential coaching camp at Perundurai, Erode district. Rajeshwari is now undergoing a preparatory programme at Eklavya Model Residential School, Kumizhi, for training in spoken English and soft skills to ease her entry into an IIT setup.

Vijayan attributed the ADTW department's ongoing efforts — such as counselling parents, exempting application fees, and securing coaching — to make this success possible. "This success will encourage more tribal students to dream big," Rajeshwari said.

Nine-year-old Binita Chetry of Assam made history for herself as she has just been announced as the second runner-up on 'Britain's Got Talent.' Binita belongs to a remote hill village of Talbalijan in Karbi Anglong. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma congratulated the young dancing star girl on her amazing feat.

Who is Assam's Binita Chetry, who impressed all at Britain's Got Talent?

"Dancing her way to triumph. Congratulations to our own #BinitaChetry for achieving 3rd rank at #BGTFinal," he tweeted on X.

"Her acts have mesmerized people from Brahmaputra to Thames and proud us all," Sarma added, wishing her all the best for all her forthcoming activities.

Binita secured the second runner-up position in the Saturday night finale, and her family observed she is possibly the first Indian to reach the final stage of the show. 

The show ended with British magician Harry Moulding as the overall winner, while LED dance group 'The Blackouts' secured the second spot.

Binita, in a video uploaded on the social media accounts of BGT, thanked her fans, especially the UK fans, for their vote of faith and support. She also thanked fans from across India, Nepal, Bhutan, and other regions of Asia for believing in her and providing her with the confidence to perform at the international level.

Binita thanked Chief Minister Sarma for his encouragement and mentioned that she was eager to meet him herself and thank him personally.

She also thanked Tuliram Ronghang, Chief Executive Member of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, who contributed Rs 5 lakh towards preparation of her finale and MLA and Assam Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Numal Momin.

Her dad Amar Chetry, a proprietor of a small broiler chicken farm and a community worker, detected her talent at a young age and arranged for her training first in Guwahati and later in Jaipur under her aunt Amrita Devi and choreographer Hardik Rawat, said Nanda Kirati Dewan, coordinator of the BGT Binita Chetry Support Group.

Binita's habits were not only sports-related, but technical skills-based and included such actions as backflips. Binita consistently impressed both the judges and the audience throughout her stay on the show.

In a touching saga of grit and determination, 18-year-old Atushi Mishra of Gopalpur village under the far-flung Patamda block of Jamshedpur has earned tremendous pride for her family, school, and the district as a whole by achieving a remarkable 94.8% in the Jharkhand Academic Council's (JAC) 2025 Class 12 exam — the highest in the East Singhbhum district.

The results were declared earlier this week, and since then, Atushi’s modest home in Gopalpur has seen a steady stream of well-wishers, neighbours, and schoolmates congratulating the humble girl who has now become a beacon of inspiration for thousands of rural students.

Atushi hails from humble origins. Her dad, Indrajit Mishra, toils in the fields as a small-scale farmer, and her mom, Kalpana Mishra, stays home as a homemaker. Though impoverished, education was given topmost priority. Atushi attended school at the Plus Two Adivasi School, Bangurda, where she had previously scored 94.8% in her Class 10 board exams — a clear pointer to her talent as a scholar.

Atushi attributed her achievements to hard work every day, diligence in studies, and the never-fading encouragement of her family and teachers. "I used to study 4–5 hours daily after school and tuition. I think there is no difference between city and village students if one is dedicated. Hard work is the sole key to success," she declared with sparkling eyes of unobtrusive confidence.

Atushi’s subject-wise performance in Class 12 showcases her balanced grasp across disciplines: English – 88, Physics – 95, Chemistry – 95, Mathematics – 95, IT – 99 and Hindi – 85.

Her educational interests are inclined heavily in the direction of technology and science, and she now wants to study Computer Science at the elite Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. "I hope to be a computer scientist and contribute positively to the nation in the technology domain," she stated.

Her parents look back at a heartwarming change. "Atushi was a child who did not like going to school very much," remembers her mother Kalpana with a smile. "But over a period of time, she took an interest and now she sits down to study by herself, without reminders."

Indrajit, her father, chimes in with feeling, "We did the best that we could, in spite of our circumstances, to ensure our daughter could study. Her success today is like the greatest achievement of our lives."

Atushi’s story stands as a powerful reminder that talent and determination know no boundaries. Her journey from the fields of Gopalpur to the top of the district merit list exemplifies the spirit of new India — where rural children, if given the right opportunities, can outshine even the best of urban institutions.

Plus Two Adivasi School teachers are thrilled about their student's achievement. "Atushi has always been hardworking, punctual, and inquisitive. She is focused and humble. She is a role model for our whole school," said one of her teachers.

Aside from studies, Atushi likes to listen to music as a way of relaxing from stress. She also thinks that maintaining a balanced schedule and emotional stability are also key to success. Her achievement is not solely hers; it belongs to every parent who aspires to educate the child, every educator who develops rural genius, and every young woman who refuses to dream small despite limitations.

This success is another achievement for Adivasi Plus Two High School, Bangurda. In the previous results released on Tuesday, Bhumika Mishra and Shubham Kumar Patra from the same institution tied for the fifth rank in the state and were first in Kolhan division. The school is elated with the back-to-back achievements of its pupils, attributing them to their diligent efforts and the mentorship of committed instructors.

Ayushi Verma, a 33-year-old ex-Lieutenant Commander with the Indian Navy, is currently pursuing a one-year MBA at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). Postgraduate in naval architecture and civil engineering from IIT Delhi, Ayushi had a background of project management and leadership while serving with the Indian Navy for over a decade. She was involved in the commissioning of INS Vikrant, the first indigenous aircraft carrier of India, and was leading teams of over 300 individuals, the majority of whom were senior in age and experience.

Her sea-going professional career involved progression through significant assignments, including Deputy Director at Naval Headquarters, Visakhapatnam Trials Officer with responsibility for vital underwater hull inspection of ships and submarines, and Deputy Manager assignments in outfitting and fabrication. These positions involved her working on more than one project simultaneously, coordinating with over 60 dockyard centers, integrating timely procurement and demand forecasting, and coordinating groups of over 100 employees with a focus on safety and quality, having a zero-accident record in the period she served as inspector.

After her retirement from the Navy in June 2024, Ayushi was employed as a short-term Human Resources Manager with the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), where she utilized her leadership skills in the civilian domain before pursuing MBA studies.

Being a mother of a toddler now, Ayushi has the twin task of balancing motherhood and the rigorous study schedule at IIMA. Her child is left behind in Delhi with her husband, an employee of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and mother-in-law, while she studies in Ahmedabad.

Based on the Indian Express, she spoke about her tenacity and attitude gained through her defense career, stating she would want her son to be inspired by her story of perseverance. Ayushi described her Navy days and continuing studies: "I have learnt incredibly from the ten-year tenure at sea in the Navy where I also belonged to the INS Vikrant crew for two-and-a-half years.". Being with and heading a team of more than 300, most of whom were twice my age was an experience in itself. Now here at IIMA as well, the learning we are undergoing each and every hour of the day is an experience, which I feel will remain with me."

She is eagerly waiting for the end of the first half of the academic year in June to spend time with her family for nearly two months.

IIMA's Post Graduate Programme in Management (MBA-PGPX) 20th batch, including 158 business managers from various industries like defense, IT, consultancy, banking, infrastructure, FMCG, etc,.

Along with Ayushi is Akshata Kamath, 30, who is a chartered accountant with over eight years' corporate finance experience, including high-management roles at TCS Mumbai. Similar to Ayushi, she is balancing motherhood and rigorous studies away from her toddler son, who remains behind in Mumbai along with her husband and in-laws.

Akshata said, "While academic rigor is very high at IIMA, it becomes tougher with the constraints of not being with family and having a two-and-half-year-old son. Thankfully, with my husband's and in-laws' support I was able to make this decision and stay true to my passion of widening my horizon because I always felt there is much more to an organisation than numbers.".

She is always in contact with her son through video calls every other day and looks forward to a short family reunion during the next school holiday.

Science and maths have been my tea ever since my school days. My mother also encouraged my fondness for maths by teaching me some additional concepts in maths. My mother was educating me in Class 8 and Class 9 mathematics while I was doing my Class 6 and Class 7. My mother is a professionally qualified electrical engineer and now a retired government servant. My father, being a mechanical engineer, is a scientist in DRDO. I understood the significance of the JEE exams and how Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) decide the career of a student, so I began a step-by-step preparation.

Following cracking of JEE Advanced in 2023, I secured admission to BTech Electrical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur). I had also applied for IIT Madras electrical engineering, IIT Kanpur electrical engineering, IIT Kanpur mathematics and computing, IIT Guwahati mathematics and computing, and IIT Hyderabad mathematics and computing as well. I was also appearing for JEE Main for the first time and JEE Advanced.

JEE Main and Advanced Preparation

I had joined the competition quite early, from Class 8. I was doing science and maths olympiads and NTSE-based in Class 8. I did a three-day week, evening coaching course in Classes 8-10. I joined Class 11 and 12 in the same school after getting a good scholarship from the institute.

I got admitted in an integrated course where I was taught along with the school syllabus and was given coaching for JEE. I did not complain as I was anyway interested in maths and science and problem-solving was always a puzzle which interested me.

Early Days at IIT Kanpur

I entered IIT Kanpur in August 2023. I was away from home and was solo for the first time. In joining IIT Kanpur, the biggest load was that I felt I missed my parents, and due to this, it was hard to accommodate the new way of living. It took a very long time to get adjusted.

IIT Kanpur orientation lasts for nine days. In that, I made many new friends. IIT Kanpur wing culture also helped me make friends overnight.

Two-three students belong to the same wing. There was work assigned to the wings in orientation and students had to complete it.

Institute orientation acclimatized me with all the IIT Kanpur culture and made the transition easy.

Adopted Emphatically Communal Dining, Explored the Campus

During the first few months, the mess food at IIT Kanpur was simply fantastic but after some time, the quality of food was not satisfactory. I therefore started searching for some other alternative like the canteen and the neighborhood shops outside the campus. I used to have my meals having an open mind towards getting accustomed to this aspect of campus life. Second, mobility within the campus and outside campus also helped a great deal in my process of acclimatization.

Clubs, Societies

IIT Kanpur has clubs which are divided into three types – science and technology, media and cultural, and sports.

Although I play badminton as a hobby, I am not a member of the sports club. I have more interest in photography and hence I joined the photography club of the media and cultural club. I also joined the fresher's photography competition. It was there when we had to show our snaps to the jury for a four-day non-stop competition. I was chosen for the second round where I ranked second.

In tech and science, I belong to the electronic club. The electronic club conducts winter camps during December in the first 10 days of winter vacation. A screening test was conducted wherein I was chosen out of 20 students.

10 days actually were quite busy. We would leave for the camp at 10 am and return at 7 pm. I gained a lot of knowledge regarding concepts of electronics and allied sciences from the camp. I also visited IIT Kanpur's robotics club.

Approach Focused on Strategically Balancing Studies with Other Activities

In order to schedule my extracurricular life along with academic life, I followed a strategical time management and prioritization strategy. I scheduled my time punctually, breaking down the work into smaller and manageable portions and setting suitable goals and deadlines.

If we go to the classes regularly, it is not that tough prior to the exam. We also go to the tutorial classes on Saturdays and Sundays. The tutors guide us in the tutorial classes for solving the problems. Even though we miss some of the classes and go to the tutorials strictly, quiz and exam preparation is not tough.

The syllabus is not so tough if we do not try to cover everything on the last date. A good mark requires, however, 10 days of preparation for mid-semester tests and for quizzes, study for seven days is okay.

I think we should be sensible enough not to waste time on games and cell phones. IIT Kanpur is a wonderful college where we get a wonderful return on time invested. As a student of IIT Kanpur, spending time with friends in Kanpur offers ample scope to learn and enjoy – watch a film, visit canteens, and wander around campus.

Exposure at IIT

I have grown a great deal after joining IIT. Exposure here is irreplaceable with money. I was also a Product Inventor at Invention Factory 2024, which was conducted by the Maker Bhavan Foundation (MBF) at IIT Bombay. This six-week-long innovation program aimed to make students like me innovation-capable, prototyping-capable, and patent-filing-capable with the help of professors, industry mentors, and patent lawyers.

I met various students from various IITs there. The professors from IIT Bombay taught us product designing, product tuning, and product modeling. I am lucky that I selected IIT Kanpur over another one near my home base Hyderabad.

What After BTech

I still do not have an idea of what I would do after BTech. I have not even closed the door on planning to do a PhD as well. All the electrical courses are still pending in my second year. Depending upon how much I become interested in them, I want to decide. I may also pursue a doctorate. I may also pursue software engineering. I am keeping everything open right now.