PM participates in Tamil New Year celebrations

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today took part in the Tamil New Year celebrations at the residence of his ministerial colleague Thiru L. Murugan.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister expressed happiness to be present among his Tamil brother and sister to celebrate Puthandu. “Puthandu is a festival of modernity in ancient tradition. Such ancient Tamil culture and yet, every year moving forward with new energy. This indeed is remarkable”, the Prime Minister said. Stressing the uniqueness of Tamil people and culture the Prime Minister professed his attraction and emotional attachment  towards the Tamil culture. Recalling strong presence and great love of Tamil population in his erstwhile assembly constituency in Gujarat, the Prime Minister expressed his gratitude for the love of Tamil people for him.

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. From Chennai to California, from Madurai to Melbourne, from Coimbatore to Cape Town, from Salem to Singapore; you will find Tamil people have carried with them their culture and traditions,”  he said. 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. Tamil literature is also widely respected. The Tamil Film Industry has given some of the most iconic works to us.”

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.

The Prime Minister 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.

The Prime Minister 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.

The Prime Minister underlined the strength of Tamil Literature as it is a source of future knowledge along with the past wisdom.  Referring to the mention of Shree Anna- millets in ancient Sangam Literature, the Prime Minister said “today, on the initiative of India, the whole world is connecting with our thousand years old tradition of millets.” He asked the gathering to take a resolution to give place to millets in the food plate once again and inspire others too.

The Prime Minister stressed the need to promote Tamil art forms among the youth and showcase them globally. “The more popular they are among today’s young generation, the more they will pass them on to the next generation. Therefore, it is our collective responsibility to educate the youth about this art”, he said. “In the Amrit Kaal of independence, 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’. We have to continuously advance Tamil Culture, Literature, Language and Tamil Tradition”, the Prime Minister concluded.

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