CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday felicitated historian AR Venkatachalapathy, who has been chosen for the Sahitya Akademi award for 2024, for his book Tirunelveli Ezhuchiyum Vaa Vuu Ciyum-1908 (Tirunelveli Uprising and V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, 1908).
Venkatachalapathy, a professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies, during his meeting with the chief minister, highlighted that there is no memorial either in Tirunelveli or Thoothukudi to mark the Tirunelveli uprising of 1908, a significant event in the freedom struggle and Tamil Nadu’s history.
The historian told the media later that Stalin responded positively to his request to consider the construction of a memorial and assured that necessary measures will be taken in this regard. He said the CM’s assurance made him more happy than even the Sahitya Akademi award. He later met Governor RN Ravi at Raj Bhavan, where the latter felicitated him for being chosen for the award. A release from Raj Bhavan said the governor congratulated the author for his outstanding contributions to Indian history and literature.