THOOTHUKUDI: Marking the 344th birth anniversary of Italian Tamil Scholar Veeramma Munivar, Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Minister Geetha Jeevan garlanded his statue at the Basilica of Our Lady of Assumption Church in Kamanayakkanpatti near Kovilpatti on Friday.
The birth name of Veeramma Munivar was Constantine Joseph Beschi. He was a jesuit priest who contributed to Tamil literature in the 18th century. He was born on November 8, 1680 in Italy and reached Madurai on May 1711. Beschi served as a parish priest at a catholic church in Kamanayakkanpatti in Thoothukudi.
Munivar is called the 'Father of Tamil Prose'. Recognising his contribution to Tamil literature, Tamil Nadu government built a manimandapan with a full-size statue at Kamanayakkanpatti in 2022.
He is known for his work on Thembavani, a poem on the life of St Joseph and compiling the first Tamil-Latin dictionary. He translated various important works in literature such as the Thirukkural, Devaram, Thiruougazh Nannool, and Aaththichoodi.
District collector K Elambahavath, Kovilpatti RDO Mahalakshmi and other officials were present at the event.