State to have some more memorials for Tamil heroes

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MAY 2. In the new millennium year, Tamil Nadu is all set to have some more memorials for its Tamil heroes. A `Manimandapam' for the `martyrs' of the anti-Hindi agitation will be constructed this year in the `Gandhi Mandapam' complex in Chennai.

Announcing this in the Assembly today, the State Minister for Information, Publicity and Printing, Mr. V. Mullaivendan, said Government would convert the house of the late Dalit leader and freedom fighter Kakkan in Melur near Madurai into a memorial.

Stating that Tamil Nadu ``showed the way'' for the entire country in establishing `Memorials and Arangams' to perpetuate the memory of important leaders of the freedom movement and social reformers, the Minister said to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the martyrdom of the freedom fighters Marudhapandiyar brothers, their memorial at Tirupathur in Sivaganga district was being redone at a cost of Rs. 20.50 lakhs.

The State would also organise a function there on October 24 next year to pay tributes to the memory of the Marudhapandiayr brothers, Mr. Mullaivendan said, replying to the debate on the demands for grants for the departments under his charge.

While the `Anna Kalaiarangam' (auditorium) at Vellore will be given a facelift at a cost of Rs. 10 lakhs this year, he said a new library with rare works on the saint-poet Thiruvalluvar would be set up at the `Valluvar Kottam' in Chennai.

Even as Tamil Nadu presently has 34 memorials, the `Udumalai Narayana Kavi Memorial' at Udumalpet has been recently constructed at a cost of Rs. 20.50 lakhs. Besides this, a Rs. 22 lakh memorial is under construction at Karaikudi for the Tamil savant, `Kundrakudi Adigalar' and a `Manimandapam' for Kamaraj at Kanyakumari at a cost of Rs. 50 lakhs is nearing completion.

Mr. Mullaivendan said a State level committee under the chairmanship of the Education Minister had been constituted to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of India's Republic in a fitting manner till January 26, 2001.

Disclosing that the Department would commission this year a documentary on the Dravidian leader Periyar's life and times, Mr. Mullaivendan also announced relaxation of certain norms for indigent journalists who apply for the pension scheme.

This included raising their annual income ceiling from Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 20,000, he said, and pointed out that the Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, had already in the Budget enhanced the monthly pension for journalists to Rs. 2,000.

The in-house upgradation of the department's facilities this year would include installing fax machines in 20 district Public Relations Offices at a cost of Rs. 5 lakhs and purchase of two sophisticated video cameras for the Films Division and the Raj Bhavan at a cost of Rs. 32 lakhs, he said.

Referring to tender advertisements given to newspapers having been streamlined to help control Government expenditure, Mr. Mullaivendan said without any additional expenditure, the Government had taken steps to release all the tender and display advertisements (both Tamil and English) through the Internet too.

Government exhibitions organised after 1996 had earned a profit of over Rs. 1.95 crores in the last four years, he said, adding, the printing units would be modernised in a phased manner.

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