Friday 13 January 2012

Kalaignar’s way of honouring his mentors

The DMK is, perhaps, a unique political party in the world – the ‘Mupperum Vizha’ (Three Great celebrations) signifies the fact. September 15 is the birth anniversary of the Party’s founder Arignar Anna, September 17 is the birth anniversary of the philosopher and spirit of the Dravidian movement Thanthai Periyar, on September 18 was born the party DMK. It is as if the party is in the protective hands of these two great leaders. Which other political parties can boast of such a glorious tradition?

Kalaignar’s affinity, respect and reverence for his mentors is also distinctive. Others pay homage and tribute to their leaders for a day or two by word of mouth. But he not only remembers and pays respects to his leader day in and out, but also concretely translates their ideals into accomplishments. In his last days Periyar lamented that he had to die with a thorn in his heart. He was referring to Kalaignar’s initiative to make persons of all castes as Archakas (temple priests) in early 1970s which was stalled by casteist forces through courts. Known for his resolve, Kalaignar did not give up and successfully legislated it after over thirty years, thus removing the thorn from the heart of his ‘guru’.

As a measure of fulfilling Periyar’s dream of creating a casteless society, Kalaignar in implementing the project of establishing 240 Periyar Memorial Samathuvapurams, a social engineering initiative where people of all communities and castes live in the same place and so far 179 samathuvapurams have been established and inaugurated. Periyar’s statue adorned all these samathuvapurams.

People of Tamil Nadu say Anna for Kalaignar is like any god for devotees. Devotees just recite the name of their gods and offer prayers only on the ‘jayanthi’ day. But Kalaignar not only recites the names of his mentors but remembers them all through the year.

On the birth anniversary of Anna every year, his chosen disciple Kalaignar announces various welfare schemes and inaugurates those already announced since the DMK was returned to power in 2006.

On September 15, 2006, the Chief Minister launched the free colour television sets distribution to people. On September 17 the same year the Chief Minister launched the scheme to distribute developed waste lands free of cost to landless farmers and agricultural workers at Tiruvallur. In the first phase 26, 321 acres of land was distributed to 24,949 persons. In keeping with the wish of Periyar for social and economic empowerment of women, the title deeds of these lands were in the names of women members of families.

In 2007, participating in Mupperum Vizha meeting in Erode, Kalaignar announced that Erode Municipal Council would be upgraded into a corporation, recalling a resolution adopted at the meeting of Erode Municipal Council on November 17, 1917 when Periyar was its chairman. The Chief Minister called upon the Centre not to give room for communal forces in their attempts to stall the implementation of over a century old dream of Tamils and an exclusive demand of the Dravidian movement, the Sethu Samudram Canal Project.

In 2008, a slew of schemes were announced to mark the birth centenary of Anna. Launch of the Re.One a kg. rice scheme through PDS, Public holiday on Spetember 15 and proposal for a commemorative coin, a new integrated emergency response service (108) in public-private partnership mode, PHCs to provide free meals to women admitted for delivery, release of convicts who had completed a certain period in prison and a poets meet presided over by Kalaignar. It was the beginning of a year long celebrations. Kalaignar recalled the promise of Anna in 1967 made to the people ‘Oru padi arisi oru rupa’ and stated that he was implementing the electoral promise of his mentor.

At the valedictory of Anna birth centenary celebration function in 2009, Union Finance Minister Thiru Pranab Mukherjee participated and released a five rupee coin issued in commemoration of Anna. He paid glorious tributes to Anna as a role model for Indian politicians. Rather than emotion, Anna operated on the basis of logic and reason, he said, hailing him as a true democrat and deeming it a privilege to be a member of the House, where he belonged too. The DMK founder is a harbinger of social reforms. He was a great democrat, an excellent orator, a distinguished parliamentarian and a great literary figure.

Anna Birth Centenary souvenir was brought by the government.

On September 26, the DMK organized the valedictory of Anna birth centenary in the leader’s home town of Kancheepuram. A 48-foot-high pillar in memory of Anna was unveiled at the entry point of temple town. The Chief Minister announced that a new engineering college, which would be called Anna Centenary Government Engineering College, would be started at Kancheepuram at a cost of Rs.20 crore. He also announced that a total of Rs.20 crore would be spent to improve the infrastructure of the town. A Silk Park initiated by Union Textile Minister will come up in the silk town, was expected to provide state-of-the-art technology to weavers and create 10,000 more jobs.

This year (2010) Kalaignar declared open the Anna Centenary Library at Kotturupram in Chennai on September 15. Built at a cost of Rs.180 crore and spread over eight acres, this would be the second biggest of its kind in Asia and the biggest in South Asia. At any given time about 1,250 persons can be seated. The Chief Minister recalled Anna’s radio speech in 1948 on the title ‘library’, in which he had stressed that each household should have a library. The government had realized the dream of Anna by setting up the state-of-the art- library.

He also announced that five boiled eggs a week will hereafter be given to students covered under the Nutritious Meal Programme. At present three eggs are given to them. Conservancy workers, employed by the government, government undertakings and local bodies on the basis of consolidated pay or daily wages and who had completed three years of service would be placed in the pay scale of Rs.1300-3000. They would also get periodical increase in dearness allowance and three percent increment annually.

Four Anna Universities of Technology are functioning now. The Ananithu Anna Grama Marumalarchi Thittam is aimed at providing basic amenities to all village panchayats in the state within 5 years. In the last four years, 10,104 village panchayats have been provided with basic amenities at a cost of Rs.2,041 crore and the scheme has been taken up in the rest of 2,514 village panchayats in the current financial year. Tamil Nadu has the distinction of being the first state in the country that has provided a library and a sports centre to all its village panchayats.

Thus the name of Anna resonates in each and every village of the state and people remember him with awe. From school children to engineering college students, Anna’s name has become the byword for education and scholarship. Anna has become integral part of Tamil society. This is Kalaignar’s inimitable way of paying tributes and honour to his mentor.

In a poets meet on the eve of Tamil New Year Day a few years back Poet Vaali said:

‘அங்கே அண்ணா கொடியில் பறக்கிறார்
இங்கே அவர் கொடிகட்டிப் பறக்கிறார்

which means “There (in the ADMK) Anna flutters in the flag. Here (in the DMK) he rules assertively!” 


(26-09-10)

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