The Tamil Nadu government has installed a statue of Dalit rights and anti-caste activist Iyothee Thass Pandithar at Gandhi Mandapam in Chennai. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will unveil the statue on December 1.
An official release said on Wednesday that the statue had been installed at a cost of ₹2.49 crore.
Born in then Teynampet-Thousand Lights area in the former Madras Presidency on May 20, 1845, Iyothee Thass learned Tamil, English, Pali and Sanskrit, it added. Describing him as “Dravida Peroli”, the release underlined the multi-faceted personality of the late activist-leader, who toiled against the differences found in the society. Iyothee Thass Pandithar is also known as the ‘Father of Social Reforms in South India’.
