History of Chennai of thirteen members of the EPRLF and two Indian civilians by the rival LTTE in 1991. In the same year, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Sriperumbudur, a small town close to Chennai, whilst campaigning in Tamil Nadu, by Thenmuli Rajaratnam A.K.A. Dhanu. Dhanu is widely believed to have been an LTTE member. In 1996, keeping with the recent nationwide practice of Indianizing city names, the Government of Tamil Nadu, then represented by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, renamed the city to Chennai. The 2004 tsunami lashed the shores of Chennai killing many. Today, modern Chennai, formerly known as Madras
Pathans of Tamil Nadu rule in the subcontinent. These traders were fewer in number and usually preserved their items of dress, culture and language. The Pathans of Tamil Nadu speak Dakhni Urdu as their mother tongue. Nearly all of them are conversant in Tamil. Knowledge of Arabic and Persian is considered a scholarly accomplishment. Pathans of Tamil Nadu The Pathans of Tamil Nadu are Urdu-speaking Muslims of Pashtun historically Pashtuns, now all Afghans ancestry who have migrated to and settled in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Their migration to the Tamil country had occurred in three main waves - first during the