CHENNAI: Governor RN Ravi, in his Independence Day message to the people, said on Sunday that temples and kuladeivam (family god) were inseparable elements of Tamil culture. He said that Tamil was perhaps the oldest living language in the world and that Tamil culture was equally ancient.
Highlighting the heritage value of temples in TN, he said Tamil art and culture, for several thousands of years, evolved and revolved around temples. “ ... Their architectural grandeur and aesthetic magnificence have no parallel in the world.
Our great kings Pallavas, Cheras, Cholas, and Pandyas — built temples as centres of our culture and spirituality. Besides, there are countless kuladeivam in every family and village ... All these are crucial and inseparable elements of our Tamil culture. All our classical art, music, song and dance are inspired by them. It is our duty to preserve and energise them.”
He also said the national flag was born out the bravery, blood, and sacrifice of numerous sung and unsung freedom fighters and thanked the personnel of armed forces, police, and intelligence agencies; defence scientists; doctors, etc. for their services. He also congratulated sportspersons who won medals in international events.
On the New Education Policy (NEP) he said: “In the NEP, there is a greater emphasis on education, including higher and technical education in regional languages. The NEP encourages Tamil in higher educational institutions.”
On TN’s investment climate, he said investments were needed to improve the lives of people. “Some of our neighbouring States are attracting many times more investments than our State. We need to identify and address the reasons and make our State an attractive investment destination for the good of our people,” he said.