Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and her cabinet ministers paid their respects to Dheeran Chinnamalai, freedom fighter and icon of the Gounder community, on the occasion of his birth anniversary. Jayalalithaa paid floral tribute to the statue of Dheeran Chinnamalai at the Guindy Industrial Estate in Chennai on Wednesday morning. She had earlier ordered the refurbishment of the statue, which had been in a poor state of maintenance. The statue was painted and surrounded with a metal fence and laid with granite slabs. A board with information on the life and heroics of Dheeran Chinnamalai was also installed before the CM paid her respects.
An official statement said Jayalalithaa had taken steps to ensure that historical information regarding the circumstances and exploits of the Kongu icon are carried forth to future generations, such as erection of a bronze statue and a manimandapam in Dheeran Chinnamalai’s honour.
Jayalalithaa also presented the first copy of the souvenir published by the Dheeran Chinnamalai Peravai to mark the birth anniversary of their hero to ally and Tamil Nadu Kongu Ilaignar Peravai founder U Thaniyarasu.