Monday 6 July 2015

“ADMK regime’s revisionist legislation will not falsify great ancient history”

Asserting that the legislation made by the ADMK regime in reversing the one made by the previous DMK rule to revert the Tamil New Year to the first day of Tamil month ‘Thai’ as originally celebrated by Tamils in their history did not seem to be respected by the people of Tamil Nadu, DMK President and former Chief Minister Kalaignar asked all Tamils to celebrate the day as Tamil New Year in a grand and cheerful manner.
In his epistle to cadre on Jan 11, Kalaignar recalled that the announcement made by the then  Governor Surjit Singh Barnala  in his address to the Assembly on 23.01.2008 which read as:
In 1921, over 500 scholars under the leadership of the great scholar and founder of ‘Thani Tamil Iyakkam’, Thiru Maraimalai Adigalar had met in Pachaiyappa’s College at Chennai and had decided that Tamils need a separate calendar and a new calendar in the name of Saint Thiruvalluvar could be followed and this would constitute the ‘Tamil Year’.  They also determined that the birth year of Thiruvalluvar was 31 BC.  This decision was accepted by Hon’ble Chief Minister Kalaignar even as early as 37 years ago and it was ordered to be followed in the Government Diary from 1971 and the Government Gazette from 1972.  In view of the consensus amongst almost all Tamil Scholars that the first day of the month of Thai, is the first day of the Tamil year, this Government has decided to declare 1st Thai as the Tamil New Year day.  Therefore, the people of Tamil Nadu, who now celebrate Pongal as the festival of Tamils, can now celebrate it as Tamil New Year day also with redoubled joy.  On this day let the people of this State plant trees bearing the ‘Mukkani’ fruits of banana, mango and jackfruit; draw colourful Kolams; decorate their houses with array of lamps showing them in new splendour;  wearing new clothes sing and dance in praise of Tamil pride and self-respect; spread the message of equality and shower their love and joy”.
In 1921, over 500 scholars under the leadership of the great scholar and founder of ‘Thani Tamil Iyakkam’, Thiru Maraimalai Adigalar had met in Pachaiyappa’s College at Chennai and had decided that Tamils need a separate calendar and a new calendar in the name of Saint Thiruvalluvar could be followed and this would constitute the ‘Tamil Year’.  They also determined that the birth year of Thiruvalluvar was 31 BC.  This decision was accepted by Chief Minister Kalaignar even as early as 37 years ago and it was ordered to be followed in the Government Diary from 1971 and the Government Gazette from 1972.
Three decisions were taken in that meeting presided over by Maraimalai Adigalar and attended by scholars including Thiru V.Kalyanasundaranar, K.Subramania Pillai, Sachidananda Pillai, Navalar Na.Mu.Venkatasamy Nattar and KAP Viswanatham were:
1. To follow a calendar in the name of Tiruvalluvar
2. To celebrate it as Tamil year
3. To adopt in practice BC 31 years added to derive Tiruvalluvar year.
Later in 1939, All India Tamilar Conference was held in Tiruchi presided over by Somasundara Bharathiar in which Thanthai Periyar, Karandhai Tamil Sangam President Umamaheswaranar, Prof. K.Subramaniam, T.P.Meenakshisundaram, Thiru Vi.Ka., Maraimalai Adigalar, P.T.Rajan, Arcot Ramaswami Mudaliar, Bharathidasan, Pattukottai Alagiri and many others participated. That meet also decided that first day of Thai is Tamil New Year Day.
The announcement in Governor’s address was hailed by Thavathiru Ponnambala Adigalar, DK President Thiru K.Veeramani, Poet Vairamuthu and many others. In the history of Tamil Nadu those were always a negative group antagonizing Tamil itself and hating, neglecting classical status for it. Great Tamil researcher Iravatham Mahadevan defended the announcement. Following the announcement in Governor’s Address, draft legislation was introduced on 29.1.2008 and passed after a debate on 1.2.2008. Now Tamils in Malaysia celebrate Tamil New year on first day of Thai month. PMK founder leader Dr. Ramadoss has denounced the ADMK regime’s move as a historical mistake.
The announcement was welcomed and hailed by DK President K.Veeramani who said that it was a victory for their long standing demand and marked a new renaissance chapter in the direction of cultural history of Tamils, Thavathiru Kundrakudi Ponnambala Adigalar, who said that from ancient times by religion, natural life, soil and human beings and agricultural life, first day of ‘Thai’ month was the new year day for Tamils, Poet Vairamuthu, who said that it had brought light after dawn breaking the darkness of confusion that prevailed on the time identity of Tamil race.
Regretting the danger to this good move made by the DMK rule in this ADMK regime now, Kalaignar said in Tamils’ history there had always been a reactionary gang antagonising Tamil language itself, hating and rejecting classical language and narrated the story of Pulavar Kuyakkondan during the days of Nakkeeran in Tamil sangam.
Following the announcement made in Governor’s address the bill for Tamil New year was introduced by him in the Assembly on 29.1.2008 and in the following debate, E.S.S.Raman (Congress), K.Arumugam (PMK), N.Nanmaran (CPM) V.Sivapunniyam (CPI), M.Kannappan (MDMK) and K.Selvam (VCK) welcomed the bill and it was adopted.
He said in Malaysia Tamils were celebrating only this day as New Year day. Dr.M.Varadarasan explained how the day was celebrated by our ancestors.  With political malice the ADMK regime introduced a bill to reverse the good move which was opposed by both Communist parties, for which Kalaignar said he bowed his head for their Tamil consciousness. PMK leader Dr.Ramadoss said it would amount to a historical mistake and DK President K.Veeramani took strong exception to it.
Kalaignar recalled Bharathidasan’s verse,
‘‘ã¤Âiuæš ÏU¡F« jäHh!
Á¤Âiuašy cd¡F¤ j䜥 ò¤jh©L
juâah©l jäHU¡F
ij«Kjš ehns j䜥 ò¤jh©L!”
(which means, “O’ somnolent Tamils! Chittirai is not your Tamil new year, for Tamils who ruled the world first day of Thai is Tamil New Year!”).
For celebration of the day as Tamil New Year day all arrangements were eagerly done during DMK rule. But after the ADMK came to power as it closed down all other schemes/projects they introduced a bill to revert the New Year day back to the first day of Chittirai month and adopted it.
Kalaignar said that the legislation made by the ADMK regime in reversing the one made by the previous DMK rule to revert the Tamil New Year to the first day of Tamil month ‘Thai’ as originally celebrated by Tamils in their history was not a shame for the DMK or for its rule, and asked “will the legislation made by them falsify the ancient great history of the race”.

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