Members of the Tirukkural Kalvi Maiyam celebrated Tiruvalluvar Day by garlanding the statue of poet Tiruvalluvar and organising Tirukkural Mutrodudal (mass recitation of Tirukkural couplets) in the city on Wednesday.
The members, led by ‘Tirukkural’ Muruganandam, garlanded the statue of Tiruvalluvar in front of the Tiruchi Tamil Sangam. Later the members and school students participated in the recital. Harilosan, a student of K. A. P. Viswanatham Higher Secondary won a special award for reciting all the 1,330 couplets of Tirukkural. Ilankumaranar, a senior Tami scholar and founder of Tiruvalluvar Thavasalai, Allur and others were present.
A resolution adopted at the end of the programme urged the State government to maintain all the tanks and water bodies which had silted up. Referring to a couplet emphasizing the significance of water as the elixir of life (Neerinri amaiyathu ulagu), the resolution urged the government to accord priority for conservation of water bodies.
Another resolution urged the government to set up and unveil the statue of Keezhapazhur Chinnasamy, who sacrificed his life for the cause of Tamil, at the Sastri road and Salai road junction. Although a site had been identified and a pedestal had been constructed, the statue is yet to be made. The Maiyam urged the Central and state governments to allocate one per cent reservation in employment opportunities for inter-caste marriage couples. This will go a long way in promoting caste-free society, which was supported by Tamil scholars and ancient poets, including Tiruvalluvar.