Tamil Nadu: HR&CE urged to erase Hindi text from Algar Koil info board

MADURAI: A coalition of Tamil organisations has petitioned the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, seeking the immediate removal of Hindi letters written on the information board at the entrance of the Arulmigu Kallazhagar Temple at Alagar Koil near Madurai.

In a petition submitted to the Joint Commissioner of the temple on Monday, Kampur Selvaraj and Meiyappan of the Tamil Protection Federation, representing Tamil movements, people’s movements and Tamil enthusiasts, said the State follows a two-language policy that gives priority to Tamil. 

They pointed out that circulars issued by the Tamil Development Department stress that Tamil must be given due prominence on government orders, institutional name boards and advertisement boards.

The petitioners questioned why Hindi had been added to the board, which is against the state language policy. They also said the Tamil text at the entrance was not clearly visible and could be read only from close quarters.

Stating that the temple is an ancient institution closely tied to Tamil Nadu’s history, culture and spiritual traditions, the petitioners urged that Tamil should be given the foremost place there.

They urged the department to remove the Hindi text within two weeks and ensure that the board carries information only in Tamil and English.

The petitioners warned that if no action was taken within the stipulated period,  they would unite the likeminded people and stage a protest.