CHENNAI: Tamil Thai Vazhthu, which was officially declared Tamil Nadu's State Song in 2021, took centre stage in the Assembly on Monday (August 10), with Chief Minister Vijay moving a resolution seeking to make its singing mandatory at the start of programmes organised by government departments and educational institutions in the State.
"The Tamil Thai Vazhthu is an identity of the Tamil language. It should have the first place in our State. It is a song that speaks about the multifaceted character of India. This is our State's right," the Chief Minister said, adding that singing it first did not go against the Constitution. "It is a common identity of Tamils. It does not differentiate us; it unites us," he said.
Here are some interesting facts about Tamil Nadu’s State Song, which has been at the centre of controversies over the years.
1. Tamil Thai Vazhthu, beginning with “Neerarum Kadaludutha,” was written by Professor P Sundaram Pillai, also known as Manonmaniam Sundaranar, in 1891 as part of his play Manonmaniam. Born in Alappuzha, Kerala, Sundaram Pillai wrote the verses as an invocation to Mother Tamil, celebrating Tamil language, culture and identity.
2. The current rendition is only a portion of the original prelude. A section of the verses titled “Tamil Dheiva Vanakkam” in Manonmaniam, eventually came to be known as Tamil Thai Vazhthu.
3. A later version was composed by MS Viswanathan in the traditional Mohana raga, and sung by TM Soundararajan and P Susheela
4. The Tamil Nadu government, headed by M Karunanidhi, issued an order on November 23, 1970, directing that Tamil Thai Vazhthu be sung at the beginning of functions organised by government departments, local bodies and educational institutions.
5. In December 2021, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, while hearing a case concerning Kanchi Mutt seer Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal remaining seated during Tamil Thai Vazhthu in 2018, observed that the song was a prayer and not an anthem. Justice GR Swaminathan said the song deserved the highest reverence, but questioned whether standing was the only way to show respect.
6. On December 17, 2021, days after the court's observation, the MK Stalin government issued G.O. Ms No. 1037 officially declaring Tamil Thai Vazhthu the State Song. The order directed that everyone, except differently abled persons, should stand during its rendition and that it should be sung at the beginning of programmes in government and educational institutions.
7. The 2021 GO also said the song should be recited by trained people instead of playing its recorded version. It added that the song should be recited for 55 seconds in Mullaiparani Ragam (Mohana Ragam) and in Thisra Thalam.
8. In May 2026, Tamil Thai Vazhthu was rendered third, after Vande Mataram and the National Anthem, at Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's swearing-in ceremony. The sequence drew criticism from several political parties.
9. The controversy resurfaced in July 2026 when the same sequence was proposed for the convocation of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, named after scholar-writer P Sundaram Pillai, who penned the Tamil Thai Vazhthu. The proposed order had Vande Mataram first, followed by the National Anthem and Tamil Thai Vazhthu. The arrangement drew objections from political parties, prompting Higher Education Minister P Viswanathan and two MLAs to boycott the July 28 convocation.
10. On July 9, 2026, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) clarified in a fresh directive that when a State Song is performed along with the National Song and National Anthem at government functions, the State Song should be performed first, followed by the National Song (Vande Mataram) and the National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana).