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Tamil fundamentalists oppose celebration of Tamil New Year’s Day on Apr 14
Just as a section of Islamic fundamentalists had protested against Bengali Muslims celebrating the Bangla New Year on April 14, Tamil cultural exclusivists or fundamentalists in Tamil Nadu in southern India have also protested against the observance of Apr 14 as the Tamil New Year's Day.
Published : 14 April 2017, 03:25 PM
Updated : 14 April 2017, 03:25 PM
The anti-Hindu and rationalist Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which was in power in Tamil Nadu state in 2008, decreed that the Tamil New Year could not be April 14 because it was based on “Hindu Aryan” astrology and therefore against the “rationalist Dravidian” movement to which the DMK belong.
On Jan 29, 2008, the ruling DMK got the State Legislative Assembly to pass an Act changing the date of the Tamil New Year from April 14 to Jan 14 coinciding with the Tamils’ harvest festival of Pongal.
But the new law was not taken seriously by the Tamil people because they have never known any date other than Apr 14 as the Tamil Puththaandu or New Year.
The opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), led by the late J Jayalalithaa, opposed it tooth and nail. So did the Tamil nationalist party, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) led by the firebrand Vaiko.
Seeing the groundswell of opposition to the change, which had hit the Tamil psyche hard, the DMK government notified that Apr 14 would be observed as “Chitrai Thirnaal” and as a day to remember Dr BR Ambedkar, the leader of the downtrodden Dalits, formerly known as “untouchables”.
Apr 14 continued to be a government and mercantile holiday.
However, when the AIADMK came to power, the 2008 Act was rescinded. On Aug 23, 2011, the Tamil New Year’s Day was officially re-stated as Apr 14.
The celebration of April 14 as the Tamil New Year is a symbol of India’ unity as several communities celebrate Apr 14 either as the New Year or as a harvest festival.
In Bengal - both West and East - it is Pahela Baishakh; in Punjab it is Baisakhi; in Andhra Pradesh it is Ugadi and in Kerala it is Vishu.
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