Times of India – 12 Jan 2015
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/BJP-MP-sings-praise-for-Tamil-poets/articleshow/45862076.cms
BJP MP sings praise for Tamil poets
MADURAI:
BJP MP Tarun Vijay said that a statue for Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar should be
erected in Indian Parliament and portraits of Thiruvalluvar and Tamil poet
Mahakavi Bharathiyar should be kept in all the institutions across India. He
insisted that students from all parts of the nation should be encouraged to
study thirukural (Thiruvalluvar's couplets). He was speaking to an audience of
Tamil enthusiasts here on his 'kural yatra' to propagate awareness about Tamil
poets Thiruvalluvar and Mahakavi Bharathiyar on Monday.
Earlier, he paid tribute to Bharathiyar statue in Sethupathi Higher Secondary School, where Bharathiyar worked as a teacher for a short time in 1904. He started his yatra from Kanyakumari on Sunday after paying tribute to the 133-foot Thiruvalluvar statue in Kanyakumari. He arrived here after visiting Bharathiyar's birthplace at Ettayapuram in Tirunelveli district. Tarun, who started his speech with a few words in Tamil and a thirukural, said that he felt sad that many parts of the nation still did not know the epics in Tamil language. Thiruvallur and thirukural is not known to many people in the country, he said, and attributed it to the "superior attitude" of people in north India. India is not complete without thirukural and one would not be complete without knowing the literary work of Thiruvalluvar, he commented. Bharathiyar should be conferred with Bharat Ratna and his works should be celebrated. He is a poet who also involved himself in the fight for freedom and travelled from south to north for the cause, he said.
Indian should forget the differences over language and traditions, ideology and culture and should work together to promote thirukural. He called on the people to support him to do more for the Tamil language. He had already requested Pranab Mukherjee, the President of the nation, to allow practice of law in Tamil language in Madras High Court, he said.
Earlier, he paid tribute to Bharathiyar statue in Sethupathi Higher Secondary School, where Bharathiyar worked as a teacher for a short time in 1904. He started his yatra from Kanyakumari on Sunday after paying tribute to the 133-foot Thiruvalluvar statue in Kanyakumari. He arrived here after visiting Bharathiyar's birthplace at Ettayapuram in Tirunelveli district. Tarun, who started his speech with a few words in Tamil and a thirukural, said that he felt sad that many parts of the nation still did not know the epics in Tamil language. Thiruvallur and thirukural is not known to many people in the country, he said, and attributed it to the "superior attitude" of people in north India. India is not complete without thirukural and one would not be complete without knowing the literary work of Thiruvalluvar, he commented. Bharathiyar should be conferred with Bharat Ratna and his works should be celebrated. He is a poet who also involved himself in the fight for freedom and travelled from south to north for the cause, he said.
Indian should forget the differences over language and traditions, ideology and culture and should work together to promote thirukural. He called on the people to support him to do more for the Tamil language. He had already requested Pranab Mukherjee, the President of the nation, to allow practice of law in Tamil language in Madras High Court, he said.
He was immensely happy to
call himself a Tamil lover, he said, adding that even though he was born in
Uttarakhand, he wanted to be the son of Tamil Nadu. Before the nation
celebrates the language, the Tamil people should celebrate it. Parents should
ask their children to talk in the language. Tamils should take inspiration from
Tamil literary giants and should spread the language, he said.
