Vanakkam!

Wish you all a very Happy Tamil Puthandu! It is the love and affection of my Tamil brothers and sisters that today I have got an opportunity to celebrate Tamil Puthandu with you. Puthandu is a festival of novelty in antiquity! Such an ancient Tamil culture, and this tradition of moving forward with new energy from Puthandu every year, is really amazing! This is what makes Tamil Nadu and the Tamil people so special. Therefore, I have always had a fascination for this tradition as well as emotional attachment with it. When I was in Gujarat, a large number of people of Tamil origin lived in the Maninagar assembly constituency which I represented as an MLA. They were my voters and they would make me MLA as well as Chief Minister. And I always cherish the moments I spent with them. It is my good fortune that the people of Tamil Nadu have reciprocated my love for Tamil Nadu in greater measure.

Friends,

I had spoken about taking pride in our heritage during my address from the ramparts of Red Fort on the completion of 75 years of independence of the country. The more ancient it is, the more time tested it is. Therefore, both Tamil culture and Tamil people are eternal in nature as well as global. From Chennai to California, from Madurai to Melbourne, from Coimbatore to Cape Town, from Salem to Singapore, you will find Tamil people, who have carried with them their culture and traditions. Be it Pongal or Puthandu, they are marked all over the world. Tamil is the world's oldest language. Every Indian is proud of this. Tamil literature is also widely respected. The Tamil film industry has given some of the most iconic works to us.

Friends,

The contribution of people of Tamil Nadu has also been very important in the freedom struggle. After independence, the talent of the people of Tamil Nadu has given new heights to the country even in the reconstruction of the country. Can the talk of modern India be complete without C. Rajagopalachari and his philosophy? We still remember Kamaraj and his efforts related to social welfare. Which youth would not be inspired by Dr. Kalam? The contribution of Tamil people in the fields of medicine, law and academics is incomparable. I have often discussed the contributions of the people of Tamil Nadu in 'Mann Ki Baat' episodes.

Friends,

India is the oldest democracy in the world. It is the Mother of Democracy. There are many historical references and many irrefutable evidences to this fact. One of these important references is also of Tamil Nadu. The place named Uttaramerur in Tamil Nadu is very special. Here, many things about India's democratic values have been written on an inscription from 1100 to 1200 years ago which can be read even today. The inscription found here is like a local constitution for the Gram Sabha at that time. It mentions how the assembly should be run, what should be the qualifications of the members and what should be the process of electing the members. Moreover, it also talks about disqualification of members even in that era. Democracy is described in great detail in that system which existed hundreds of years ago.

Friends,

There is so much in Tamil culture that has shaped India as a nation. For example, we have Venkatesa Perumal Temple at Thiru Mukkoodal near Kanchipuram, 70 kms away from Chennai. This temple built during the Chola Empire is also about 1100 years old. It is written on granite stones of this temple that a 15-bed hospital existed at that time. The inscriptions on the 1100 years old stones mention medical procedures, doctors’ salaries, herbal drugs etc. These inscriptions related to healthcare are a great heritage of Tamil Nadu and India.

Friends,

I remember mentioning the ancient Shiva temple in Tiruvarur district when I went to Tamil Nadu for the inauguration of the Chess Olympiad. This very ancient Chathuranga Vallabhanathar temple is associated with the game of chess. Similarly, there are numerous references to trade from Tamil Nadu to other countries during the Chola Empire.

Brothers and sisters,

It was our responsibility as a nation to take this legacy forward and proudly present it to the world. But you know what happened in the past. Now, you have given me the good fortune to do this service. I remember many people from the country and the world messaged me and expressed their happiness when I quoted from a Tamil text in the Tamil language in the United Nations. I had the opportunity to visit Jaffna in Sri Lanka. I was the first Prime Minister of India to visit Jaffna. The people there were waiting for help for a long time for the welfare of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka. Our government did many things for them, including building houses for the Tamil people. A very interesting event also took place when the housewarming ceremony was taking place there. According to the Tamil tradition, milk is boiled on wood outside the house before the ‘Griha Pravesh’ ceremony. I took part in that ceremony too and I remember the people showered me with so much love when the video of that ceremony was seen by people in Tamil Nadu. On every step, you will find how much I am connected with Tamil Nadu and with the Tamil people. This spirit of continuing to serve the Tamil people gives me new energy.

Friends,

You are all aware of the success of the recently concluded 'Kashi Tamil Sangamam'. We celebrated antiquity, novelty and diversity together in this program. The richness of Tamil literature was also brought to the fore in these events. During the Tamil Sangamam in Kashi, Tamil language books worth thousands of rupees were sold within a short period of time. There was also a tremendous craze for books teaching Tamil language. Friends, Hindi speaking people in Kashi appreciating Tamil books and buying them worth thousands of rupees is the biggest strength of cultural connect of our country.

I believe the life of the people of Kashi is incomplete without Tamil people and I have become a resident of Kashi. And the life of Tamil people is also incomplete without Kashi. This affinity is easily visible when one comes to Kashi from Tamil Nadu. Being the MP of Kashi, it is a matter of even greater pride for me. There is hardly any boatman in Kashi who does not know 50-100 sentences in Tamil. There is so much interaction there. It is also a good fortune for all of us that a Chair has been established in the name of Subramania Bharati ji in Banaras Hindu University. Subramania Bharati ji had spent a lot of time in Kashi and learned a lot from there. This is also the first time that a gentleman from Tamil Nadu has been made the trustee of the Kashi Vishwanath Trust. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust is very old. This shows the love of Kashi towards Tamil people. All these efforts are going to strengthen the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.

Friends,

Tamil literature gives us knowledge of the past as well as inspiration for the future. Tamil Nadu’s literature is more than 2000 years old. For example, the Sangam literature revealed that many types of millets, ‘Shree Anna’, were used in ancient Tamil Nadu. Millet fields are mentioned in the ancient Tamil literature 'Agananuru'. The great Tamil poetess Avvaiyar writes about the delicious 'Varagu Arisi Choru' in a beautiful poem. Even today, if someone asks which food Lord Murugan likes as offering, the answer is ‘Thenum Thinai Maavum’. Today, the entire world is connecting with our thousand years old tradition of millets on the initiative of India. I would like that today one of our New Year resolutions should also be related to millets. It should be our resolution that we will restore millets in our diet and also inspire others to do the same.

Friends,

Performances of Tamil artistes will take place here in some time from now. It is also a symbol of the rich heritage of our art and culture. It is our duty to showcase it to the whole world. We should also focus on expansion of these art forms with time. The more popular they are among today's young generation, the more they will pass it on to the next generation. Therefore, it is our collective responsibility to tell the youth about this art and teach them. And I am happy that today's event is also becoming a great example of this.

Brothers and sisters,

During the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence, it is our responsibility to learn about our Tamil heritage and proudly share it with the country and the world. This heritage is a symbol of our unity and the spirit of 'Nation First'. We have to take Tamil culture, literature, language and tradition forward continuously. With this spirit, I end my speech. Once again, many congratulations to all of you on Puthandu. I also thank Murugan ji for giving me the opportunity to participate in this important occasion. Many best wishes to all of you!

Thanks!

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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DS/VJ/VK/AK