Tributes paid to nationalist poet Bharathi

The Lieutenant Governor and others attended a cultural programme presented by school children at the Bharathiar Palkalaikoodam, a multi-cultural institute, run by the Puducherry government in neighbouring Ariyankuppam. The local legislator Dakshinamoorthy delivered the welcome address.

The poet spent 11 years in Puducherry (when it was under French rule) during the freedom movement and penned several soul-stirring devotional songs and spread the spirit of freedom among the people through his works.

The Lieutenant Governor told reporters on the sidelines of the celebration of the anniversary that a committee would be formed soon to initiate steps to erect a tall statue of Bharathiar in Puducherry. She said she has been getting calls from several organisations abroad appreciating her announcement to have the statue on the seashore.