On the occasion of Thiruvalluvar Day, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi revived a controversy by paying floral tributes to a portrait of Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar in saffron robes and describing him as a saint of the ‘Bharatiya Sanatan’ tradition.
“I pay my humble tributes to the revered poet, great philosopher and brightest saint of Bharatiya Sanatan tradition, Thiruvalluvar, born on the spiritual land of our Tamil Nadu,” the Raj Bhavan quoted the Governor as saying in a social media post. The portrait showed the poet-saint in saffron robes and with religious markings.
The Governor’s move triggered reactions from various quarters, with one section of people opposing the attempt to “saffronise” Thiruvalluvar and another backing Mr. Ravi.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin indirectly responded to the Governor’s action by sharing the “official” portrait of Thiruvalluvar in white robes and without any religious markings. The Chief Minister went on to quote the Kural couplet 972 to underline that the late poet-saint emphasised the ideals of social justice and hard work. “No one could stain Valluvar in Tamil Nadu,” Mr. Stalin said.
In 2019, the BJP and its fraternal outfits stirred a controversy by associating the colour saffron with Thiruvalluvar. Indu Makkal Katchi founder Arjun Sampath was detained by the police after he caused a flutter by adorning Thiruvalluvar’s statue at Pillayarpatti in Thanjavur district with a saffron shawl and a rudraksh mala. Mr. Sampath also performed a deeparadhana for the statue.
