Chennai
Minister Adhav Arjuna has said the practice of playing Tamil Thai Vazhthu as the third song at government functions will no longer be followed.
In a statement, he noted that the song has a history spanning over a century and that the Tamil Nadu government declared it the state song with the aim of taking it to audiences worldwide. He said the established protocol at state government events is to play Tamil Thai Vazhthu at the beginning and the National Anthem at the end.
He added that the new state government led by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam has no difference of opinion with this long-standing practice.
However, at the swearing-in ceremony of the Chief Minister and ministers held under the leadership of in-charge Governor Rajendra Arlekar, the sequence was Vande Mataram, followed by the National Anthem, and then Tamil Thai Vazhthu as the third item. The minister said this new sequence was not in keeping with Tamil Nadu’s conventions.
According to the statement, when the Governor’s office was approached, it was conveyed that the Governor was required to act as per a new circular from the Union government, and that this led to Tamil Thai Vazhthu being played third under unavoidable circumstances. The minister said the earlier protocol will be followed in future—Tamil Thai Vazhthu at the start and the National Anthem at the end.
