Chennai: Continuing his ideological fight with the Dravidian discourse, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi fueled yet another controversy, claiming that Sanatana Dharma, with which Bharat was built, had its origins in 'Thamizhagam'. Consciously avoiding 'Tamil Nadu', the official name of the state, he used only 'Bharat' for India at the Thyagaraja Aradhana, a festival of Carnatic music, at Thiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district.
Speaking at the 176th Thyagaraja Aradhana, held annually in honour of Telugu saint-composer Thyagaraja, considered the foremost among the Carnatic trinity, he said “Sanatana dharma started from the south, in this very land Thamizhagam, and spread over the whole country. The whole country was united as one family, one kudumbam (family in Tamil). And this is Bharat.”
Bharat, according to him, was not built by any ruler, but by great rishis and divine poets with Sanatana dharma as its base and Sanatana culture does not exclude anyone or anything. Then he reiterated his charge that it was colonialism that had wiped out the glorious past of the country.
Stating that saint Thyagaraja was a devotee of lord Ram, the governor said “Sri Rama is the cultural icon of the whole Bharat. From one to the other, north or south, east or west, Lord Rama is in the heart of every Bharatiya.” Earlier, a day after the face-off in the assembly, Ravi, interacting with candidates appearing for the UPSC civil services interview, advised them to learn Hindi and take the side of the Union government if questions were asked about center-state disputes.
Acknowledging that Tamil Nadu follows the two-language formula of English and Tamil, he said it was advantageous to learn Hindi as a third language. Also, the Raj Bhavan's Pongal invite without the state emblem and his designation as 'Thamizhaga Alunar' (Alunar – Governor) instead of Tamil Nadu Governor, fueled the controversy further.
