High Court junks plea to declare Tiruvalluvar’s birthday on Vaikasi justice dandabani

ADVERTISEMENTTAMIL NADU3 Mins ReadMadras High Court junks plea to declare Tiruvalluvar’s birthday on Vaikasi AnushamPublished / Updated- September 18, 2024 17:07 ISTMOHAMED IMRANULLAH S.File photo of a statue of saint-poet Tiruvalluvar | Photo Credit: G. Moorthy Listen to articleJustice M. Dhandapani says there is hardly any authentic material about the family background, religious affiliation, birthplace, or birthday of TiruvalluvarThe Madras High Court has refused to declare the day of Anusham star in the Tamil month of Vaikasi as the birthday of Tiruvalluvar, who is believed to have penned Tirukkural, a highly celebrated compendium of 1,330 couplets containing life lessons.Justice M. Dhandapani also refused to issue a direction to the Tamil Nadu government to shift the annual celebration of ‘Tiruvalluvar day’ from the second day of Tamil month Thai, as it is being followed now, to the Vaikasi Anusha Natchathiram day.The judge dismissed a writ petition filed in 2021 by Samy Thiagarajan, the president of Tiruvalluvar Tirunatkazhagam. The petitioner had claimed to be a Tamil professor with 36 years of teaching experience and a doctorate for his research on Tirukkural.He stated that a temple for Tiruvalluvar was in existence at Mylapore in Chennai and that it was around 600 years old. The temple was under the control of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department and it celebrates the birth anniversary of the saint-poet on Vaikasi Anusham day, he said.ADVERTISEMENTIt was also brought to the notice of the court that Tiruvalluvar Tirunatkazhagam was founded by Padmasri Subbaya Pillai in 1935. Then, the birthday of Tiruvalluvar was celebrated on Vaikasi Anusham, which fell on May 18, 1935. Tamil scholar Maramalai Adigalar had participated in the celebration.The petitioner said that even Colombo-based Tamil scholar K.P. Ratnam, who founded Tamil Marai Kazhagam, had spread the message worldwide that the birth anniversary of Tiruvalluvar must be celebrated only on Vaikasi Anusham and it was being followed by many Tamil enthusiasts.Even a Government Order issued on March 18, 1966, after the conclusion of the first Tiruvalluvar conference, had ordered that ‘Tiruvalluvar day’ would be celebrated on June 2, 1966, which was a Vaikasi Anusham day. However, in the subsequent years, it was shifted to the second day of Thai, the litigant said.On the other hand, Advocate General P.S. Raman told the court that the government had been celebrating ‘Tiruvalluvar day’ only to hail the greatness of Tiruvalluvar, the author of the couplets, and the wonderful life values that his literary work intends to spread.The A-G made it clear that ‘Tiruvalluvar day’ was not being celebrated as the birthday of Tiruvalluvar. He said it would always be open to the petitioner and others to celebrate the birth anniversary as they may think fit. He said no government order prohibits celebration of Tiruvalluvar’s birth anniversary.After recording the submissions made by both parties, Justice Dhandapani said that he undertook some research on the subject but could not lay his hands on any authentic material with respect to the family background, religious affiliation, birthplace, or birthday of Tiruvalluvar.The judge pointed out that even the material submitted by the petitioner to support his case dates back only to 1935 and not beyond that. In the absence of any such authentic material with respect to the birthday, no declaration as sought by the writ petitioner could be issued by the court, he said.He also held that the State government could not be forced to shift the ‘Tiruvalluvar day’ from Thai to Vaikasi when it was the specific stand of the government that the day had been earmarked not to celebrate the birth of the author but to commend his greatness and the literary work that he had produced.ADVERTISEMENTRelated TopicsRecommendedHeadlinesARCHIVES21h agoNEWSSept 18,2024S. VIJAY KUMARNEWSSept 18,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 18,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 18,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 18,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 18,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 18,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 18,2024WILSON THOMASNEWSSept 18,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 18,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 18,2024MOHAMED IMRANULLAH S.NEWSSept 18,2024TIKI RAJWINEWSSept 18,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 18,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWS20h agoMOHAMED IMRANULLAH S.NEWS20h agoTHE HINDU BUREAUNEWS21h agoB. KOLAPPANNEWS22h agoTHE HINDU BUREAUNEWS22h agoTHE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 18,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 17,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 17,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 17,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 17,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 17,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 16,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 16,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 15,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 15,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 14,2024MOHAMED IMRANULLAH S.NEWSSept 14,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 14,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 14,2024THE HINDU BUREAUNEWSSept 14,2024THE HINDU BUREAUExplore more from
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