Toxicity has been infused into the minds of people of Tamil Nadu over last 50 years, says Governor

Toxicity has been infused into the minds of people  of Tamil Nadu over last 50 years, says Governor

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI 19.10.2024

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on Friday said that there had been consistent attempts to isolate Tamil Nadu from the rest of the country, and that a lot of toxicity had been infused into the minds of the people over the past 50 years.

Speaking at the valedictory of the Hindi Month celebrations and the golden jubilee of Doordarshan Chennai, he said that he had visited every part of the State in the last three years and interacted with students of schools and colleges. While doing so, he had observed a growing enthusiasm among people for learning Hindi.

“The students of Tamil Nadu speak more refined Hindi than I do,” he added.

According to him, Hindi is not a language of imposition, and every language of the country should be celebrated. Some of the oldest universities, like Alagappa University and Annamalai University, were established by great philanthropists with the intention of teaching students Tamil and Sanskrit simultaneously, but today, Sanskrit departments were closed at these institutions, he said.

‘Cultural capital’

Mr. Ravi said that Tamil Nadu had always been a spiritual and cultural capital, and an inspiration for the other parts of the country.

“Toxic policies cannot separate Tamil Nadu from India and, in the last 50 years, a lot of toxicity has been infused into the minds of the people of Tamil Nadu,” he alleged.

“Out of 28 States in India, 27 have the three-language policy and Tamil Nadu is the only State that does not follow it. They do not want any other Indian language to enter the State. They want to break the communication of people of Tamil Nadu from the rest of the country,” Mr. Ravi said.

He said that according to the Annual Status of Education Report, 78% of government high school students could not read the textbooks of Class II.

“Doordarshan has the significant role of providing correct information to the people as most of the channels are compromised here,” he said.