Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution that the Tamil invocation song “Thamizh Thaai Vaazthu” penned by the late poet, scholar Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai, should be rendered at government functions.
Political Context
Vijay noted that soon after his government assumed office in May, he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting appropriate recognition for the state song and procedures ensuring that Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu be sung first at state functions. Congress, Indian Union Muslim League, and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) which has a presence in Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s cabinet, supported the resolution. “Nowhere has the central government or the Ministry of Home Minister’s Office mentioned that the State song should be sung last. The resolution, piloted by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, was supported by several legislature parties, including the opposition DMK and AIADMK, who endorsed the government’s stance that the state song should be sung first in the sequence of songs to be rendered at government functions. “Singing the Tamil Thaai Vazhthu is not against the political system or India’s unity. On the contrary, it reflects the nation’s high principle of unity in diversity. As per the resolution, the state song should be sung at the commencement of programmes conducted at educational institutions, universities, government offices and public sector undertakings in Tamil Nadu.
Holding that Tamil Thai Vaazthu is a proud identity carrying all the greatness, he said, “a government order was passed requiring the song to be sung first at government functions starting November 23, 1970, and it was brought into force. Observing that the song was recognised as the official state song on December 17, 2021, the chief minister said, “Government orders stipulate that Tamil Thai Vaazhthu must mandatorily be sung at events in all educational institutions, universities, government offices, public sector undertakings, and public organisations. He recalled that the DMK patriarch and former chief minister M Karunanidhi issued the very first government order on March 11, 1970, requiring the Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu song to be sung in government schools, universities, government offices and public sector undertakings. It may be recalled that the Tamil Nadu government issued an order on November 23, 1970, insisting that the Tamil Thaai Vazhthu be sung at the beginning of official events.
DMK MLA (Govi Chezhiaan) seconding the resolution, said he supports the special resolution on behalf of the DMK. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said singing Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu is not an action against anyone, in fact it is the respect we pay to the Tamil language. “On behalf of the AIADMK, I wholeheartedly support this special resolution of the TVK government,” Palaniswami said. Resolutions cannot be made based on speculations,” BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy told HT. Moving the resolution, Vijay said his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government will not compromise on Tamil Nadu’s linguistic and cultural rights. “Tamil is not only a language but also our life and emotions,” Vijay said in an emotive speech and stressed that the “mother tongue is as pure as one’s mother. There’s no need to make this demand of singing the Tamil Thaai Vazhthu first into a political debate,” he said. The move comes in the backdrop of the latest advisory from the Union Home Affairs Ministry asking the states and union territories to “strictly comply” with its January 28 directive that the National Song Vande Mataram be played before the National Anthem at official events.
Chennai, The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution mandating the rendition of Tamil Thaai Vazhthu at the commencement of government events in the state.
