Chennai: Politics is never free of symbolism and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known to make the best use of it. Dressed in immaculate white dhoti and a sleeveless shirt, he landed here for the inauguration of the 44th Chess Olympiad on Thursday. This is seen as part of his continued attempt to woo the Tamils as the Dravidian heartland still remains a frontier to be conquered.
This is the second time that Modi is sporting a Dhoti at an official event in Tamil Nadu. Last time, it was at Mamallapuram for the summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Modi was at ease with the dhoti as he had a stroll with Xi around the iconic shore temple and magnificent stone sculptures besides posing for photographers at Krishna's butterball, a gigantic granite boulder resting on a short incline. The ancient city, the capital of the Pallava dynasty, is hosting the tournament.
Modi never forgets to eulogize the Tamil Language as the oldest in the world whether it is the UN or elsewhere. Declaring opening the Olympiad at a glittering event in Chennai, the Prime Minister said Tamil Nadu “is the chess powerhouse for India. It has produced many grandmasters. It is home to the oldest language in the world.” Beginning his address with a 'Vanakkam', he pointed out that Tamil Nadu had a strong historical connection with chess. Further, it also had a divine link.
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“Sports has always been considered divine. In Tamil Nadu, there is a temple for Sathuranganathar. Even the lord played chess with the princess,” the Prime Minister said. According to legend, at the temple in the Tiruvarur district, Lord Shiva is believed to have played chess (sathurangam in Tamil) with Parvathi, who was born as the local princess. The lord won the game and married her. Hence, it is very appropriate that the Olympiad is being held in the state, he added. According to him, while Tamil Nadu had a strong historical link to the game, Chess is home to the country and it is befitting that the Olympiad is being held in India.
On Tamil Nadu's culture of hospitality, Modi quoted in Tamil the Thirukural couplet: “All household cares and course of daily life have this in view, guests to receive with courtesy, and kindly acts to do”.
The couplet says that earning wealth is for exercising benevolence and hospitality. Unlike in the past, there was bonhomie between Modi and Chief Minister MK Stalin who received him at the venue. This time, a much mellowed Stalin did not make any demands for fair distribution of Central financial allocation for states.
For the state unit of the BJP, the Prime Minister's praise of the Tamil language and the ancient history of the state are useful weapons to counter the DMK and other Dravidian parties who arrogate themselves as defenders of Tamil. They also never cede any space for the saffron party in this domain and it remains contested territory. Also, the BJP being a marginal player in the politics of the state, cannot hope to reap any electoral dividend.
