VILLUPURAM: The Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK) conducted an event for youth in Villupuram, during which Hindi and English were prioritised over Tamil, sparking tension on Saturday.
At the event, titled ‘Yuva Samyad - India @ 2047’ and inaugurated by the district Collector, a declamation contest was to be held only in Hindi and English, as per an official circular sent by NYK. However, more than 80% of the 200 participants who registered could only perform in Tamil, said official sources.
“Why prioritise Hindi in a place where all of us are Tamils and study our regional language? We fought with the officials and they finally agreed to add Tamil as an optional langauge,” said K Savitha, a Class 9 participant, echoing the sentiment of many of her counterparts.
S Ramachandran, an organiser of the event, told TNIE, “NYK is a Union government department and the event was held as per the Union government’s protocol. But since many students protested to participate in Tamil, we allowed Tamil as an optional language.”