Objecting to an expert committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Culture which does not have any expert from Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to direct the Ministry to reconstitute the panel by including experts from the State.
The Union Ministry of Culture recently constituted an expert committee to conduct a holistic study of the origin and evolution of Indian culture during the past 12 millennia, and its interface with other cultures of the world.
While it was a welcome move to deepen our understanding of our country’s rich and varied cultural roots, the composition of the committee in itself is a matter of deep concern, the CM contended. “The said committee has no representative from any of the Southern States, especially from Tamil Nadu, which has a glorious past and is home to one of the oldest civilizations, viz. Dravidian civilization -- a living and thriving culture in the South of India,” Mr. Palaniswami pointed out in his letter. A copy of the letter was released to the media.
The recent archaeological excavations in Keeladi and other parts of Tamil Nadu reveal that the world-reputed Sangam era can now be dated back to as early as 6th century BCE. “This places Tamil culture and language as one of the oldest surviving heritages in the world,” Mr. Palaniswami underlined.
“If you recall, Sir, around this time last year you visited Mahabalipuram [for the informal summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping], where you had observed the awe-inspiring timeless monuments and glorious legacy of Tamil heritage in full splendour. You will, therefore, agree with me that any chronicle of Indian history and culture would be grossly incomplete without giving its rightful place to Tamil culture and language,” the CM said.
Given this background, it was surprising that the Ministry of Culture has chosen to ignore experts from Tamil Nadu while setting up the said committee, he contended.
On behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu, the CM requested the Prime Minister to personally intervene and direct the Union Ministry of Culture to reconstitute the expert committee by inducting eminent scholars from Tamil Nadu. He requested an early response from Mr Modi.
