CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday described language as the "life" of a race and listed out the various steps taken by his party DMK over the years to promote and nurture the Tamil language.

The Tamil race was the only one to have "given its life to protect the language," he said in an apparent reference to the anti-Hindi agitation of the 1960s.

He quoted his father, the late DMK president and former CM M Karunanidhi, as saying in 1974 that ensuring "language respect" was imperative.

He was addressing the Chennai Literary Festival 2023 after inaugurating the event.

"That is the need of the hour. Language is the life of a race. Nobody should forget literature is its heart. Our Tamil race gave its life to protect the language. Though the Dravidian movement is political, it has always been one that has protected the language," Stalin, also chief of the ruling DMK in the state, said.

He recalled the various pro-Tamil initiatives of his party-led government over the years, including naming the state as Tamil Nadu, ensuring Tamil the classical language status, rechristening Madras as Chennai, vigorously promoting Tirukkural (a set of couplets on various aspects of life) and erecting a 133 ft statue of Tiruvalluvar, who penned it, in Kanyakumari.

Quoting from the Tirukkural, he said its highlighting equality will unite people whenever there was division on the basis of communalism and casteism.

Stalin also focussed on the need to read.

Well-known writers Paul Zacharia and Bava Chelladurai among others participated.

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