CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a special resolution reaffirming that “Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu” must be sung first at all functions in the state, including official, educational and institutional events, before any other song.
The resolution comes days after the Centre’s recent push for “Vande Mataram”, and is being seen as an implicit assertion of Tamil Nadu’s linguistic and cultural identity.
Moving the government resolution, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay said Tamil, one of the world’s oldest classical languages, and Tamil civilisation deserved to be recorded with pride by the Assembly.
He traced the practice to a November 23, 1970, government order that first mandated the singing of “Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu”, drawn from the prelude to Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai’s 1891 play Manonmaniam, at the beginning of government functions.
The Chief Minister noted that the song was accorded official state recognition on December 17, 2021. A subsequent directive mandated that all educational institutions, universities, government offices and public sector undertakings in Tamil Nadu sing the song before the commencement of any event.
The resolution comes against the backdrop of a July 9, 2026, communication from the Union Ministry regarding which song should be sung first at state functions. The resolution noted that Tamil Nadu’s practice of opening events with “Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu” has remained in force since the 1970s across government functions and educational institutions, backed by successive government orders.
The House resolved that “Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu” is an expression of respect for the Tamil language and culture. It further stated that, consistent with the linguistic and cultural rights guaranteed by the Constitution and with the objective of preserving Tamil Nadu’s cultural identity, the song must be sung first at every event held by educational institutions, universities, government offices, public sector undertakings and other public bodies in the state, before any other proceedings begin.
The resolution was passed unanimously.