BJP MP from Uttarakhand Tarun Vijay is now a familiar face in Tamil Nadu thanks to his love for Tamil, Thirukural and Thiruvalluvar. He is the prime force behind the initiative to install the statue of the saint-poet Thiruvalluvar on the banks of the Ganga in Hardwar. In a chat with The Hindu , he denied any political agenda behind his move and claimed that his love for the Tamil language was genuine. Excerpts:
What kindled your interest in Tamil?
A Parliamentary debate on the use of Hindi in the Union Public Service Commission exam attracted strong opposition from Tamil Nadu MPs. That’s when I got interested in this. After a chat with MPs like K. Kanimozhi, E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan and V. Maitreyan, I headed straight to the parliamentary library to know more about Tamil because what they said interested me. And, what I read surprised me.
What did you read and why were you surprised?
Surprised is not the right word. Mind boggling is how I would describe it, because the richness of the language just hit me. I first read Tamil history. Then I slowly began reading translated versions of Thirukural and Manimekalai and I became more and more interested. As I read more, I realised that the richness of Tamil is beyond comparison. But people in the North know very little of this. Their idea of Tamil and Tamil Nadu stops with Kamaraj, MGR, Periyar and a few other politicians.
What has been the response after you began speaking about Thirukural/Thiruvalluvar?
The response has been overwhelming. I got calls from policemen in Madurai. A pastor from the US called up to congratulate and I even got letters and calls from Nigeria and Dubai. People have just started realising the richness [of Tamil].
What have you observed in Tamil Nadu during your travels/interactions?
I see that Tamil is on the decline, just as other vernacular languages are in the respective states. I am given to understand that admission in Tamil sections in schools is on the decline.
Even among the people, in their day-to-day conversation, English has come to replace Tamil. I notice that a number of people share their phone numbers in English and not Tamil. For, they think that if they were to speak in Tamil, they would be looked down upon. Same is the case with Hindi. English is dominating every day conversation.
Given you RSS background and your position as a BJP MP, the question that comes to mind is, are you doing this for your party’s political gain. Is there an agenda behind this?
Frankly speaking, there is none. If there were to be a political agenda, hidden or otherwise, politicians across the political spectrum from Tamil Nadu would not have appreciated my statements and moves.
They see the sincerity in my belief and efforts. My efforts to promote Thirukural, Thiruvalluvar and Tamil have the support of MPs from all parties. Recently, all AIADMK MPs signed a letter requesting the UP CM to install the statue. DMK leader Kalaignar sent me an autographed copy of his book on Tirukural.
Vaiko (MDMK leader) and Thol. Thirumavalavan (VCK chief) too are supporting me in my cause. And, this is needed because there has been a failure to take the rich history of Tamil and also Malayalam, Oriya, Bengali and other languages to the Hindi-speaking states.
Whose failure is it?
Political leaders. They did not look beyond Uttar Pradesh because that’s where they got most of their MPs from. The efforts in the past to take the richness of one language to the speakers of another language have all been a sham. This has shrunk the national space. The responsibility in promoting the richness of the regional languages rested with the Congress, the Left and other national parties. Now the time has come.
How has your life changed after reading more about Tamil/Tamil Nadu?
Not a day passes without my son watching a Tamil move. He’s a fan of Rajnikanth. At the kitchen too idli and dosa are replacing roti.
