Realising that it was not possible to replicate their North American experiment of killing the indigenous population through massacre and the spread of diseases in India, as it was a highly evolved civilisation and economy, the British decided to weaken the unity of the country and infuse an inferiority complex in the natives, Governor R.N. Ravi said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the 54th annual convocation of the Madurai Kamaraj University, the Governor said the British had decided to sustain their empire, weaken the unity of India and destroy its economy, as India was a highly evolved civilisation and economy, and this was recorded by the Europeans themselves.
He said the British learnt about the waterproofing of ships from the Cholas, and India was a great maritime power. Similarly, they gained other technical know-how and did not stop at that, but also killed the indigenous industry. They also killed the indigenous education system and introduced their rote-learning method so that people could serve as servants of their company, the Governor said.
When the “fire of freedom” started in the country, they created literature about Aryans and Dravidians being races, whereas this was just a geographical distinction, he said. He urged the people not to get carried away by such literature, and instead go to the archives and learn about these issues themselves.
Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu K. Kamaraj, the Governor said, was a great nationalist, who rose from humble beginnings to the level of the Bharat Ratna. The Governor said the life of Mr. Kamaraj, particularly how he laid the foundation for education reforms and took schools to villages, was a lesson for everyone. He also brought about a reformation of agriculture and industries. He was instrumental in bringing the IIT to Madras, the Governor said.
Mr. Ravi advised students to dream big and achieve their dreams. There was no gain without pain, he said. He told them not to lose confidence in themselves and never get intimidated by failures. He asked them to “think new”. The country had awakened and, by the 100th year of Independence, India should become a world leader, he said. “Everyone has to work towards this goal and be a part of it and be in sync with it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi banks on the youth,” he added.
Union Minister of State for Fisheries L. Murugan said the Prime Minister was promoting Tamil, and noted that a chair in the name of freedom fighter Subramania Bharathi was established at Banaras Hindu University. The youth should become job providers and not job seekers. The National Education Policy emphasised learning in the mother tongue. This will promote Tamil, he said.
Chair professor of the National Centre for Biological Sciences P. Balaram and Vice-Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University J. Kumar also spoke during the event. A total of 905 PhD scholars and 136 meritorious students were honoured with medals.
