DMK will stand by Tamil promoters: CM

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, AUG. 20. The DMK will stand by those who devote themselves to the promotion of Tamil, the party president and Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, said today.

Presenting various awards at a function organised here by the Azhwars Research Centre, he said some persons might wonder what those, with their background in the self-respect movement, had got to do with an organisation working to propagate the greatness of Vaishnavite saints. ``We are not against the Azhwars. We are, in fact, lovers of their Tamil.''

Elaborating his theme, the DMK leader said whoever spread the glory of Tamil and sought to unite people through Tamil would receive support from his party. ``This is why we backed those who were engaged in popularising Tamil music,'' he said.

Mr. Karunanidhi presented the Ramanujar Award to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Centre; Anna Award to Dr. K. Chellappan, scholar-translator; Kalaignar Award to Mr. V. Ganapathi Stapathi, veteran sculptor; and MGR Award to Mr. Valampuri John, former MP. All the awards were for the year 1999.

The Chief Minister gave away the awards for 2000 in the same order to Mr. N. Mahalingam, industrialist, and, Mr. Bageerathan, Mr. Vallikannan and Dr. Prema Nandakumar, writers.

Describing Ramanujar as a social revolutionary, Mr. Karunanidhi said the saint, even several centuries ago, strove for a social order wherein the differences based on caste and social status were absent.

Dr. Abdul Kalam and Mr. Mahalingam donated their cash prizes of Rs. 25,000 each, given to them on the occasion, to a primary school in Rameswaram (where the former studied) and to a temple for Azhwars located on the outskirts of the city.

Dr. Kalam said the people, through the strength of science combined with spiritualism, should work hard to make India a prosperous and powerful country.

The Azhwars Research Centre president, Mr. R.M. Veerappan, said all the recipients of the awards had a literary record. In the past three years, 11 persons were honoured.

Among those who spoke were Mr. K. Anbazhagan, Education Minister, Sri Poonambala Adigal of Kundrakudi, Dr. V.C. Kulandaisamy, former Anna University Vice-Chancellor, and Mr. S. Jagatrakshagan, MP and founder-secretary of the Azhwars Research Centre.

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Section  : Southern States
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