The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution mandating the rendition of Tamil Thaai Vazhthu, the state song, at the commencement of all official government functions and public events. Moving the resolution, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay asserted that his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam administration would not compromise on the state’s linguistic and cultural rights. In an impassioned address to the House, Vijay described Tamil as far more than a language, characterising it as the very lifeblood and emotion of the region, and maintained that upholding the primacy of one's mother tongue remains an indispensable matter of state rights.
It is notable that this project has enjoyed bipartisan support, with the resolution gaining the unanimous consent of opposition members belonging to such political parties as DMK and AIADMK. According to the terms laid out in the recently passed resolution, the mandatory singing of the state song in the beginning of proceedings will now be applicable to all educational institutes, universities, government departments, and public sector undertakings in Tamil Nadu.
This resolution by the Assembly is made against a backdrop of new guidelines from the centre, in the wake of a directive issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to all states and Union Territories regarding strict compliance with an earlier directive concerning the singing of the National Song, Vande Mataram, before the National Anthem at all public events.
Protocol relating to the state song dates back to November 23, 1970, when it was first ordered to be sung at the commencement of all public gatherings by the Tamil Nadu government. It was officially recognised as the state song on 12 December 2021, thus setting the protocol for its performance in the order of proceedings in all public institutions.
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