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Kamban is a people's poet, says Mukut Mithi

Special Correspondent

Lt. Governor inaugurates 42nd Kamban festival

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

SOUVENIR RELEASE: Puducherry Assembly Speaker R.Radhakrishnan releasing the souvenir at the annual Kamban festival on Friday. Chief Justice of Jharkand High Court Justice M Karpagavinayagam (second from right), Lt. Governor Mukut Mithi and Chief Minister N. Rangasamy are also in the picture.

Puducherry: Lt. Governor Mukut Mithi has said that the greatness of Tamil poet Kamban springs from the fact that he is a `people's poet.'

Inaugurating the three-day 42nd annual Kamban festival of the Puduchery Kamban Kazhagam here on Friday, he said the `Kamba Ramayanam,' he said the saying `Kamban veettu tharaiyum kavi paadum' (even Kamban's floor will spout poetry) was proof of the skills of the great poet.

Timeless epic

Mr. Mithi said the Ramayana was a timeless Indian epic. It exemplified amity and harmony and it extolled the ideal of brotherhood, friendship and the greatness of love and affection. Mr. Mithi said the Kamba Ramayana was a true epic, with great and fateful moments, heroic characters and stately diction.

He said that the Ramayana was of universal significance. "The Kamba Ramayana is arguably one of the oldest and best surviving versions of Rama's tale we have today."

Chief Minister N Rangasamy, who is the patron of the Kamban Kazhagam, said the festival promoted the greatness of the Tamil language. Mr. Rangasamy said he had promised at last year's festival that the Kamban Kalai Arangam (the venue of the festival now) would be given a facelift at a cost of Rs 5 crore. The promise had been fulfilled and the `arangam' was now air conditioned.

Mr Rangasamy unveiled the portrait of the philanthropist R. Chakrapani Chettiar on the occasion.

Chief Justice of the Jharkand High Court M. Karpagavinayakam, who presided, said there should be harmony of thought, speech and action to achieve greatness. One should be both admirable and adorable, and Kamban had conveyed this lesson in the epic through the character of Rama.

Cash awards

Speaker of Puducherry Assembly R. Radhakrishnan released the souvenir of the festival. Industries Minister V. Vaithilingam, Tourism Minister Malladi Krishna Rao, Education Minister M. O. H. F. Shahjahan and AIADMK legislator A. Anbalagan released books brought out by Tamil scholars on the occasion. Cash awards and certificates were distributed to winners of contests organized to mark the festival.

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