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PM participates in Tamil New Year celebrations
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi took part in the Tamil New Year celebrations at the residence of his ministerial colleague Thiru L. Murugan in New Delhi on April 13, 2023. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister expressed happiness to be present among his Tamil brother and sister to celebrate Puthandu. Recalling one of the ‘Panch Pran’ that the Prime Minister spoke about from the ramparts of Red Fort – Pride in one’s heritage, Shri Modi said that older the culture, the more such people and culture are time-tested. “Tamil culture and people are eternal as well as global. The Prime Minister continued that “be it Pongal or Puthandu, they are marked all over the world. Tamil is the world’s oldest language. Every Indian is proud of this”.
Recalling the sterling contribution of the Tamil people in the freedom struggle, the Prime Minister also underlined the contribution of Tamil people in the growth of the country after independence. He remembered the titans like C. Rajagopalachari, K Kamaraj and Dr Kalam and said that in the fields of medicine, law and academics, the contribution of Tamilians is beyond comparison.
Highlights
–“Tamil Film Industry has given some of the most iconic works to us”–“There is a lot in the Tamil culture that has shaped India as a nation”
–“Feeling of continuously serving the Tamil people fills me with new energy”
“In Kashi Tamil Sangamam we celebrated antiquity, innovation and diversity simultaneously”–“I believe, the lives of Kashi residents are incomplete without Tamil people, I have become a Kashi Vaasi, and without Kashi, the lives of Tamil people are incomplete”
“It is our responsibility to know about our Tamil heritage, tell it to the country and the world”.–“This heritage is a symbol of our unity and the spirit of ‘Nation First”
Shri Modi reiterated that India is the oldest democracy of the world and said that there are incontrovertible proofs for that including some important ones from Tamil Nadu. He talked about an 11-12 hundred year old rock edict at Uthiramerur that describes the democratic ethos and procedures from ancient times. “There is a lot in the Tamil culture that has shaped India as a nation”, the Prime MInister said. He also mentioned Venkatesa Perumal temple in Kanchipuram and Chathuranga Vallabhanathar Temple for their astonishing modern relevance and their rich ancient tradition.
Shri Modi recalled with pride the opportunity to serve the rich Tamil Culture. He remembered quoting in Tamil at the United Nations and attending the Grih Pravesh Ceremony at Jaffna. Shri Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Jaffna and many welfare projects were undertaken for Tamils there during and after his visit. “This feeling of continuously serving the Tamil people fills me with new energy”, the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister expressed deep satisfaction of the success of the recent Kashi Tamil Sangamam. “In this program, we have celebrated antiquity, innovation and diversity simultaneously”, said the Prime Minister. Referring to the craze for the books of Tamil learning at the sangamam the Prime MInister said “In the Hindi speaking region, in this digital age, Tamil books are loved like this, it shows our cultural connect. I believe, the lives of Kashi residents are incomplete without Tamil people, I have become a Kashi Vaasi, and without Kashi, the lives of Tamil people are incomplete.” Shri Modi also mentioned the new Chair in the name of Subramania Bharati and place for a Tamil person in the temple trust of Kashi Vishwanath.