Chennai:Pilloried for his outspokenness and comments on the Dravidian heartland's political trajectory as well as the cultural icons which were at variance with the dominant narrative, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi appears to be on the back foot, making amends. Voicing against imposing Hindi on Tamil, he said “Hindi cannot be imposed on the Tamil language as it is very old. Not only Hindi, no other language can be imposed on it.”
The occasion was an interaction with a group of 18 students of the Banaras Hindu University at the Raj Bhavan here on Thursday. The BHU students, pursuing Tamil Literature, were on a “Tamil Nadu Dharshan” in which they visited famed temples including the Big Temple in Thanjavur, and places of cultural significance like Mamallapuram.
“Out of ignorance, Hindi was imposed in 1960. Tamil is the oldest language and in antiquity, the Sanskrit language is close to Tamil,” he said echoing the views of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who holds that Tamil is the oldest language on earth. Then, he urged the students to study the Sangam era treatise Thirukkural, the couplets composed by Thiruvalluvar, saying “Thirukkural is a book that provides all the necessary ideas for human society. Everyone should study it deeply. Tamil has many more classics like Thirukkural.”
Also read: "CM is a very good leg spinner, his bowling is unplayable," says Udhayanidhi on daddy Stalin
According to him, Tamil Nadu, with a history spanning more than 3500 years, continues to be the spiritual and cultural capital of the country. “Hence, it is necessary that people of other languages learn Tamil and acquire scholarship. To promote this, the Tamil Nadu Darshan for BHU students will henceforth be an annual programme sponsored by the Raj Bhavan,” he added. Further, Ravi assured full scholarships for students of other states willing to take up Tamil for higher studies to spread the wisdom of Tamil literature across the country. “We must have a galaxy of Tamil Scholars coming from non-Tamil parts, learning it from its native form,” he emphasised.
Ravi's eulogy of Tamil and Thirukkural, without wading into controversies, is significant since his earlier allegation of GU Pope, who first translated the treatise into English, de-spiritualising it has invited the wrath of Tamil Scholars and leaders of Dravidian political parties as well as others. Also, his view that the colonialists, especially Robert Caldwell, who established the distinctiveness of Dravidian languages as separate from Sanskrit, were instrumental in creating the Aryan Vs Dravidian Divide had stirred up a hornet's nest.
Then, his view that 'Thamizhagam' was more appropriate than 'Tamil Nadu', as the latter has the connotation of a separate country, too had earned a huge backlash, though he had retracted it. Now, Ravi has become an ambassador of Tamil, taking it across the country. Will this endear him to the Tamils remains to be seen in the days ahead? According to analysts the governor making sustained efforts to poach the Dravidian political space – Tami Pride and Identity – is unmistakable.
