VELLORE: VIT chancellor G Viswanathan while presiding over a function, to mark the birth anniversary of Anna on VIT campus on Tuesday said that the former CM Annadurai was the first man to make Tamil language accessible to the common man.
The programme was billed as ‘Tamil Saral 2014’ and was conducted under the aegis of the Tamil Literary Association of the university. Viswanathan, in his address, said that Tamil was once only in the realm of poets and pandits and added that Anna was an ideal leader who had a flair for writing and speaking Tamil.
Mannarmannan, son of the great Tamil Poet Bharathidasan, who was a special invitee on the occasion, lamented that people of this State were losing interest in the Tamil language. Quoting his father Bharathidasan, he said, the Tamilians here could do well only if their language was protected and nurtured. He said, while Anna was able to nurture Tamil through his fiery speeches, Bharathidasan did the same through writings.
The grandson of Bharathidasan, Bharathi, was also invited and in his address, wanted people of the State to work hard to realise the dreams of great leaders like Anna and Bharathidasan. Students should develop the habit of reading books written by great leaders. “Aim for the Nobel prize”, he told the young audience.
Prizes were distributed to winners of competitions conducted on the occasion, in which over 100 students from 50 colleges and universities participated.