POETS PROTEST TO AWAKEN OUR TAMIL MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT :2002

POETS MEET TO AWAKEN MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT FROM SLUMBER

A novel kind of protest by the Poets and Tamil scholars of Pondicherry disturbed the lethargy of our political class and it left an imprint on Tami lhistory pointing an accusing finger at the Parliament Members of Tamil Nadu, with an exception of a few, for their utter failure to stand united on the issues pertaining to Tamil Nadu in the floor of the Parliament. This protest also charged the political parties for not giving a free hand to the members of parliament to raise issues of concern to Tamil Nadu and also had a dig at the parties for not choosing competent persons to represent their constituencies.

The poets of Pondicherry were brought under an umbrella to air their poems in a THERU MUNAITHIRUPALLI EZHUCCHI organized jointly by a political party Dravida Peravai and a Tamil association namely Senthamizhar Iyakkam.

Thirupalli Ezhucchi , in Tamil is a poetic form which was used by devout followers to awaken their favorite god or goddess from slumber. Saint Andal's Thiruppavai falls under this category. Today poet after poet used this form to awaken the parliamentarians and political parties and urged them to stand united on issues like Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu. Poets in their poems condemned the saffronization of the education and the deletion of the word "Dravida" from the text books published by NCERT and also the suppression of the history of Chera, Chola, Pandian and Sathavahana rule. The poets also condemned the attempt in these text books to describe the Bolshevik revolution as a "Coup led by Lenin". The poets also condemned the downsizing of the Sethu Canal project, which according to the Union Minister for Shipping Ved Prakash Goel is going to be a mini-canal at a cost of 200 croes and completable in a years time.

The uncertainty of the lives of plantation labour in Srilanka, whose fate remains still unsettled decades after Srimavo-Sastri pact was signed also found mention in these poems.

 

Dravida Peravai General Secretary N.Nandhivarman, Tamil Valarchi Nadavadikkai Kuzhu President Dr.Era.Tirumurugan,Bi- Lingual Poet Professor M.Lenin Tangappa, Senthamizhar Iyakkam President N.M.Tamizhmani, Poets Pugazenthi, Ramakrishna Bharathi, Poongunran, Janakiraman, PattaringnarIlakkiyan, Thamiziyakkan, Veera.Madurakavi, Professor Sambandam, Reader of the International School of Economics Pondicherry University etc were the notable poets who participated in this STREET CORNER POETS MEET (Therumunai Pattarangu) which is for 

TAMIZHAR KATCHIGALUKKU TIRUPALLI EZHUCCHI.

Speaking at the meet N.Nandhivarman said that Pondicherry assembly in order to fulfill the legal requirements had met for two days and had deliberated for 3 hours and 6 minutes in these two days. It is high time that hourly pay is fixed for our legislators, and compulsory attendance insisted for our parliamentarians to get their salary. Otherwise they have no right to claim salary while they commit dereliction of duty by not attending sessions and not

airing peoples concerns. In a joking manner he said that if he is made ORU NAAL MUDALVAR AS IN CINEMA MUDALVAN, his first order will be cancellation of the order that waived 60 crores to two distilleries. His next order will be to arrest the 26 absconders who had taken 487 crores from various financial institutions in Pondicherry and had vanished. By this two orders all monetary demands of various people agitating for various reasons could be met.

This novel protest is a warning to all Parliamentarians in this country. People may demand right to recall as the last option, if such protests fail to awaken the political class.