Stalin announces 'Kural Week' and initiatives to promote Tirukkural during Tiruvalluvar statue jubilee
KANNIYAKUMARI: Tirukkural is the cultural identity and Tiruvalluvar is the universal identity of Tamil people, and we should be celebrating it, said Chief Minister MK Stalin, while laying the ground stone for the construction of the Ayyan Tiruvalluvar statue silver jubilee arch in Kanniyakumari on Tuesday. He announced that the last week of December would be celebrated as ‘Kural Week’.
On the second day of the silver jubilee function of the installation of the Tiruvalluvar statue at the government guest house ground, the chief minister named the Kanniyakumari Coastal Road as Ayyan Tiruvalluvar Salai.
He also inaugurated the renovated traffic island park at Kanniyakumari Town Panchayat, built at an estimated cost of Rs 44 lakh and opened the Tirukkural exhibition.
The chief minister said, “Celebrating the silver jubilee of the Tiruvalluvar statue installed by former chief minister M Karunanidhi is a matter of happiness and pride.”
Stalin said that his duty in life would be to follow Karunanidhi’s footsteps and work for this country, its people and Tamil. He said resolution for the installation of the statue was first passed in the state cabinet in 1975, and construction was inaugurated in 1990.
The chief minister announced the promotion of Tirukkural at schools, colleges and government offices.
Stalin also announced the upgradation of Kanniyakumari town panchayat to a municipality. He said he would purchase three boats for ferrying tourists to Tiruvalluvar statue and name them in honour of former chief minister Kamaraj, Marshal Nesamony, who fought for annexing Kanniyakumari district with Tamil Nadu and GU Pope, a Canadian born Tamil scholar, who translated Tirukkural to English.
He added teachers and trainers interested in Tirukkural would be recruited in every district. Continuous seminars and training classes would also be conducted.
A plan would be devised to conduct ‘Tirukkural Tiruppanigal’, for which Rs 3 lakh would be allotted to each district. Stalin announced that Tirukkural related intellectual competitions and conferences would be conducted in 133 higher educational institutions annually.
Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, ministers Duraimurugan, Thangam Thennarasu, Chief Secretary N Muruganandam, Municipal Administration Principal Secretary D Karthikeyan and Collector R Alagumeena were present.