MADURAI: The two-day celebrations marking the silver jubilee year of the Tiruvalluvar statue came to a close on Tuesday, with Chief Minister MK Stalin releasing a silver jubilee souvenir, inaugurating the Tirukkural exhibition, and laying the foundation for a Tiruvalluvar arch. The CM also announced that the last week of every December will be celebrated as ‘Kural vaaram’.
Stating that Tiruvalluvar and Tirukkural are immortal shields to ward off the evil thoughts of saffronisation, Stalin announced Rs 3 lakh will be allotted to a programme to appoint mentors, who will be trained to teach Tirukkural and conduct seminars on the subject in all districts. The government will also organise annual cultural and intellectual competitions in 133 higher educational institutions. A Tirukkural conference for students will also be organised every year, he stated.
The CM also announced the addition of three ferry boats to the existing fleet to take tourists to the Tiruvalluvar statue from Triveni Sangamam. The new boats will be named after former CM K Kamaraj, Marshal A Nesamony, politician and Father of Kanniyakumari and GU Pope, a revered Christian missionary and scholar, who first translated Tirukkural into English. He also announced that the Kanniyakumari town panchayat will be upgraded to a municipality.