CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Day was celebrated at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai on Monday. Chief Minister MK Stalin participated via video conferencing. He said that the name 'Tamil Nadu' would not have come into being if the DMK had not formed the government.
CN Annadurai renamed Madras State as 'Tamil Nadu' on July 18, 1967, which was the biggest achievement of the Dravidian model, he said.
Stalin also pointed out that many people had been fighting, and had even lost their lives, to rename the State as Tamil Nadu. They also raised their voices in Parliament and the Assembly, but no progress was made until the DMK government passed a resolution and changed the State’s name, he said.
"Tamil Nadu contributes 9.22 per cent of the country’s GDP, 6 per cent of tax revenue, 8.4 per cent of export revenue, 19.4% of textile exports, 32.5 per cent of car exports, and 33 per cent of leather exports. Tamil Nadu has the best higher education institutions in India, as per a recent report by the Union government. Of the 100 best colleges in India, 32 are in Tamil Nadu, and among the 50 best medical colleges, 11 are in the State," he said.
The chief minister added that though he was discharged from hospital only in the morning after recovering from COVID, he was not interested in postponing 'Tamil Nadu Tirunal', and hence participated via video conferencing.
"Our minds become energized and happy when we say Tamil Nadu Tirunal. Nevertheless, some people tease us by saying the first monkey born in the world was the Tamil monkey. However, we are not concerned about that. Whatever we say, it is scientifically based," he said.
As part of Tamil Nadu Day celebrations, the archaeology department and Tamil Nadu Survey and Land Records Department at Kalaivanar Arangam presented a photo gallery and excavated items. A number of government offices were decorated to commemorate the day.