Frontlist | “Obedient” wife of Thiruvalluvar: Hindi book stokes row
Frontlist | “Obedient” wife of Thiruvalluvar: Hindi book stokes rowon Feb 24, 2021
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A lesson on Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar being published in a Hindi textbook prescribed to CBSE schools around the country should have been a great model for linguistic pluralism.
Express News Service
CHENNAI: A lesson on Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar being published in a Hindi textbook prescribed to CBSE schools around the country should have been a great model for linguistic pluralism. Unfortunately, the way the poet was portrayed and what about him was discussed in the book has triggered a huge controversy.
To begin with, the book, published by Macmillan Publishers, does not carry the traditional rendition of Thiruvalluvar in white robes. Instead, in an illustration made in the book, he is shown to be wearing saffron robes, has holy ash smeared across the forehead, a tuft of hair atop his head, and Rudraksha beads on his neck and arms. This has triggered a political controversy in the State.
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Most Tamil books use an image of Thiruvalluvar created by Venugopala Sharma, in which the poet is dressed in white without any religious markings or accessories. The image created by Sharma was first used on a stamp released by former Union Minister K Subbarayan. Since then, the poet’s identity in illustrations have stayed the same until recently, when a few right-wing outfits started portraying him as dressed in saffron.
On Friday, the contents of the CBSE Hindi textbook became viral on social media following a post by Tamil writer Umanath Vizhiyan. The issue was soon picked up by DMK president MK Stalin. Calling the image as an “Aryan disguise” for the Tamil poet, Stalin blamed the “BJP government for allowing it, and AIADMK for being a mute spectator.” He said, “Tamil Nadu will not accept this Aryan gimmick.”
In 2019, BJP Tamil Nadu’s official Twitter handle posted a tweet with Thiruvalluvar in orange robes and holy ash smeared on his forehead, sparking outrage across the political spectrum. DMK, MDMK, and AMMK hit out at the picture.
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