M. K. Alagiri

Muthuvel Karunanidhi Azhagiri (born 30 January 1951), commonly known as M. K. Alagiri, is an Indian politician from Tamil Nadu and was a Cabinet Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers from 13 June 2009 – 20 March 2013. He is the second son of the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazagham, Karunanidhi and his second wife Dayalu Ammal.

Early life

Azhagiri is the second son of former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and leader of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Karunanidhi and his second wife Dayalu Ammal. He is believed to have spent his early life under the tutelage of his father and after his marriage on 10 December 1972, settled in Madurai. His wife is Kanthi Azhagiri and the pair have two children, a daughter, Kayalvizhi, and a son, Dayanidhi Azhagiri. Azhagiri graduated from the Presidency College in Chennai with a BA degree.

Role in DMK

Karunanidhi always appeared to prefer his younger son, M. K. Stalin, former mayor of Chennai and former Deputy Chief minister of Tamil Nadu, for succeeding him as the leader of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Azhagiri shifted his base to Madurai during 1989 and did not hold any post officially in the party. In spite of holding no posts, he was all in command in the Madurai region and senior leaders in the party were unhappy about the factionalism created within the party. The DMK general secretary, K Anbazhagan, in 2001, directed the party men to have any contact with Azhagiri. During the period of 2008, Azhagiri was instrumental in the party winning three by-elections, the notable of which was Thirumangalam, where the party won with a massive difference. Based on the victory, Azhagiri was appointed as the organizing secretary of the party for southern districts. Following the by-poll victories in the state, Azhagiri was given the ticket for Madurai Lok Sabha Constituency in 2009 general elections, which he won eventually and later went on to become a cabinet minister.

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu (/ˈtæmɪl ˈnɑːduː/ TAM-il-NAH-doo;  Tamil pronunciation ; Tamil: தமிழ் நாடு; literally The Land of Tamils or Tamil Country) is one of the 29 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai (formerly known as Madras). Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Puducherry and the South Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. It is bounded by the Eastern Ghats on the north, by the Nilgiri, the Anamalai Hills, and Kerala on the west, by the Bay of Bengal in the east, by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait on the southeast, and by the Indian Ocean on the south. It also shares a maritime border with the nation of Sri Lanka.

Tamil Nadu is the eleventh largest state in India by area and the sixth most populous state in India. The state was ranked sixth among states in India according to the Human Development Index in 2011. Tamil Nadu is the second largest state economy in India with ₹4789 billion (US$70 billion) in gross domestic product. The state has the highest number (10.56 per cent) of business enterprises and stands second in total employment (9.97 per cent) in India, compared to the population share of about 6 per cent. Tamil Nadu was ranked as one of the seven top developed states in India based on a "Multidimensional Development Index" in a 2013 report published by a panel headed by current RBI governor Raghuram Rajan. Its official language is Tamil, which is one of the longest surviving classical languages in the world.

Mo'ed Katan

Mo'ed Katan or Mo'edh Qatan (Hebrew: מועד קטן, lit. "little festival") is the eleventh tractate of Seder Moed of the Mishnah and the Talmud. It is concerned with the laws of the days between the first and last days of Passover and Sukkot (as both of these festivals are a week in length). These days are also known as "Chol HaMoed" days. Mo'ed Katan also discusses the laws of Aveilus (Bereavement). Consisting of only three chapters, it has a Gemara ("Completion") from both Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud.

Permitted Activities on Chol HaMoed

The Mishnah Berurah sums up the important principles that come out of Mo'ed Katan. In Mishnah Berurah 530:1 it lists the activities permitted on Chol HaMoed: