A DMK Minister removed a poster of the Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar in saffron robes that was showcased in a public library in Tamil Nadu, after it came to his attention. The state Minister for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare MRK Paneerselvam on Thursday tweeted that he removed this contentious poster from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s library in Coimbatore.
The poster showed the revered saint-poet with black hair, wearing saffron robes and holding one of his Thirukurals or short Tamil couplet, which is his most famous work. After taking the poster down, the Minister got officials to replace it with the state-approved representation of Ayyan Thiruvalluvar in white robes.
The saffron representation of Thiruvalluvar is not new in Tamil Nadu. Earlier too, photographs or posters of the saint-poet in saffron have stoked controversy in the state. Minister Paneerselvam also lashed out at the previous AIADMK government for saffronising Thiruvalluvar. According to his tweet, the poster was put up sometime between 2017 and 2018.
கோவை வேளாண் பல்கலைக்கழக நூலகத்தில் 2017-18 ஆம் ஆண்டு அடிமை அதிமுக அரசின் சார்பில் காவி நிறம் கொண்ட அய்யன் திருவள்ளுவரின் புகைப்படம் வைக்கப்பட்டது என்று முதற்கட்ட விசாரணையில் தெரியவந்ததுள்ளது. @mkstalin @GunasekaranMu @sunnewstamil @savukku (1/2) pic.twitter.com/R6liw4KF5s
— MRK. Panneerselvam (@MRKPaneerselvam) June 17, 2021
Earlier, an image of Thiruvalluvar in saffron robes and holy ash smeared on his forehead found in a class 8 CBSE Hindi textbook stirred a row. The illustration showed the saint-poet with a single knotted hair lock at the centre of his head. He was also seen wearing rudraksha beads on his neck and arms - all indicators of Brahminism. Thiruvalluvar is generally portrayed wearing white robes with no visible religious marks on his forehead and no jewellery on his body.
The controversy blew up after Tamil writer Umanath Vizhyan took to social media to say, “This is the depiction of Thiruvalluvar in Class 8 CBSE Hindi textbook”. DMK President MK Stalin, who is now Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu said, “In one of the Class 8 textbooks, Thiruvallur has been given Aryan disguise. The BJP government is allowing this; the AIADMK government is also watching this. Tamil Nadu will not accept the Aryan gimmick in Tamil culture; DMK will not be patient. Warning!”
In December 2020, Kalvi TV, a state-owned channel for school students in Tamil Nadu, ran into controversy after it used an image of Thiruvalluvar in saffron robes during the telecast of a programme. Opposition parties, including the DMK, MDMK and AMMK, condemned the then-ruling AIADMK government for the incident and alleged that it was attempting to saffronise the saint-poet.