Chennai, May 10 -- Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C Joseph Vijay was sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on Sunday, May 10, in a ceremony that felt less like a political event and more like a cultural moment, with thousands of supporters whistling, cheering and waving yellow shawls as their "Thalapathy" became "Muthalamaichar," ending 60 unbroken years of DMK and AIADMK rule in the Dravidian heartland.

Governor RV Arlekar administered the oath of office to the 51-year-old actor-turned-politician and nine Cabinet members at the packed Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi watching from the dais.

What Vijay's Cabinet looks like

The ministry was a mix of loyalists and experience. Vijay's inn...