Posts Tagged book release function
Different strokes by judge, ex-VC on Tamil
Posted by ganesh in Chennai, Communication, Other, function on January 4th, 2010
An innocuous book release function turned into a forum for an interesting debate on whether Tamil or English should be the medium of instruction in schools, with a high court judge backing the mother tongue and a former vice-chancellor of the Tamil University rooting for English.
While presiding over the function where two English books titled Tirukkural Ethics for Humanity and Tirukkural Tenets for Right Living were released, Justice D Hari Paranthaman of the Madras High Court raised concerns over the lack of interest among Tamils in learning their mother tongue. He said students in the State could pass out from schools without learning Tamil. “Tamil is rejected in Tamil Nadu as a medium of instruction,” he said.
Of late, he said, the essence of the Tamil language was being diluted with the inclusion of more number of English words in it, apart from Sanskrit, and called on scholars to take steps to cleanse Tamil of its impurities. “The past generation was thinking in Tamil and wrote in English. But the present generation thinks and writes only in English,” he rued.
However, Avvai Natarajan, former vice-chancellor of the Tamil University, took everyone by surprise by extending his support for English. He argued that English was a link language between people from various regions in the country. Natarajan is also the vice-chairperson of a five-member seminar organising committee set up for the World Classical Tamil Conference.
Later, Erode Tamilanban, a renowned Tamil poet, echoed Natarajan.
He is part of the reception committee for the World Tamil meet.
ime to give governors five-year term: P.C. Alexander
Posted by ganesh in Uncategorized on October 22nd, 2009
S. Muthiah, historian; Mike Nithavrianakis, British Deputy High Commissioner; Surjit Singh Barnala, Governor; P.C.Alexander, former Governor of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra; Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, Prince of Arcot and Andrew T.Simkin, Consul- General, U.S. Consulate, Chennai, at a book release function in Chennai
CHENNAI: The Governor may have a beautiful home, but he has no security over how long he gets to live there.
“It is a most unkind way of keeping such a high dignitary,” said former Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra governor P.C. Alexander, pointing out the paradox at a function to release a pictorial history book about “The Raj Bhavans of Tamil Nadu”.
While the Governor is appointed for a term of five years, he holds office “during the pleasure of the President”, according to the Constitution. “It is nowhere written when the President can withdraw his pleasure. It is nowhere written under what conditions the President will withdraw his pleasure…No signs are given to the Governor so that he can give in his resignation,” said Dr. Alexander, who himself had resigned as Governor of Tamil Nadu in 2002. “It is time, after 60 years of Independence, for this dignitary to be given the security of a five-year term.”
He also felt that there should be some method and criteria involved in choosing a new Governor, rather than the Prime Minister merely “nominating someone because he cannot be accommodated in the Cabinet”. Rather, Dr. Alexander suggests that a panel consisting of the Chief Justice, the Home Minister and three other eminent people must be formed to advise the Prime Minister in making a reasoned choice.
Politicians should not be kept out of the process, but they must forget their past political affiliations once appointed Governor. Similarly, they should not consider themselves employees of the Central government, and look to the Prime Minister for advice or direction, but rather, carry out their duties as impartial constitutional appointees, he said.
The current resident of Raj Bhavan, Governor Surjit Singh Barnala released the book on Wednesday, thanking the team headed by historian S. Muthiah who collected and presented the pictures and historical narrative. “The Raj Bhavan in Chennai is older than any other Raj Bhavan in India and its association with the Governors is said to be for about 400 years,” he said.
Mr. Muthiah noted that the Guindy Raj Bhavan, as well as the one in Ooty, once the summer home of the government, are also located on campuses larger than any others in India.
“No other Raj Bhavan in the country is in the middle of a forest,” he said. He also traced the other residences of the Governor over the years of the British Raj, from a small building on the parade grounds of Fort St. George, to the Government House in Chepauk, which was recently pulled down.
The Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, also traced the relations of the Governors of Madras with the Nawabs of the Carnatic, going back to the 1700s.
The British Deputy High Commissioner Mike Nithavrianakis and the US Consul General Andrew Simkin also received copies of the book, and felicitated the authors.
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