Viduthalai is a Tamil newspaper published in Chennai, India. The name translates to “liberation” in English. Viduthalai was a bi-weekly newspaper first launched in 1935 by the Justice Party. It was converted into a daily and published from its office in Chintadripet, Chennai. From November 1965 onwards, it was published in Vepery, Chennai. Viduthalai also served as a testing ground for Periyar’s Tamil alphabet reform.
It was one of the few newspapers to suffer under India’s 1975-77 Emergency. It also advocated for the implementation of a 27% reservation quota and rights for Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka. The office of Viduthalai was frequented by Tamil militants and enabled pro-Eelam activities. Since 1992, it has taken a strong stance against Hindutva politics. The 85th anniversary of the newspaper was celebrated at Periyar Thidal in Chennai on 3 June 2019. CPI senior leader D. Pandian praised the daily’s contribution and requested for a book on Periyar to be released. K Veeramani released a special issue to mark the 85th year of the newspaper.