KARAIKAL: The Puducherry government’s official calendar that was unveiled recently has drawn criticism from various quarters in Karaikal as aggrieved parties said it does not contain sufficient pictures representing the union territory’s district and that it “misrepresents” the region’s mangani tiruvizha (mango festival) with a picture from Puducherry.
Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy released the official government calendar for 2024 on December 28, 2023. The calendar is being issued to government offices across the union territory. Karaikal, however, finds mention in the calendar only on the page for June with the mangani tiruvizha, which is the region’s biggest annual festival. The picture used, however, is of the mango car procession at Vedapureeswarar temple in Puducherry, which is a minor event in comparison to the festival in Karaikal.
"The Puducherry government has disgraced the significance of Karaikal with the misrepresentation. The government receives revenue from Karaikal, yet it has not acknowledged an important festival. Karaikal is already being ignored in comparison to Puducherry district in the development and launch of schemes. We demand the calendar to be withdrawn from circulation, have the error corrected and have it reprinted. Else we will resort to protests," said P Panneerselvam, the joint coordinator of Karaikal Makkal Poratta Kuzhu.
The calendar also enlists the launch events of government initiatives in Puducherry. The scheme for distribution of '50,000 for newborn females (January), the financial assistance scheme for women heads of families below poverty line (July) and distribution of free bicycles to school students (October) are among them. The calendar also features pictures from festivals such as Masi Magam (February), Eid prayers at Gandhi Square (April), Fête-de-Poudouchery (August) and Onam (September).
The calendar includes a picture of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Puducherry for December. Karaikal activists requested more attractions such as the Sani Peyarchi festival in Thirunallar, the Kanduri festival in Karaikal and Karaikal Beach to be featured.
"Karaikal is being ignored even in a calendar, let alone the launch of schemes for development. Reprinting the calendar with the correction is important as it will restore the faith that Karaikal is part of Puducherry," said Karaikal South MLA AMH Najim. When contacted, Collector A Kulothungan told TNIE that the administration has pointed out the error to the department concerned. He, however, expressed uncertainty over-correction as the calendars have already been printed.