The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Thiruvalluvar statue to be unveiled on August 9

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Sunday, Jul 26, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Thiruvalluvar statue to be unveiled on August 9

K.N. Venkatasubba Rao

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

The Thiruvalluvar statue.

BANGALORE: The government is set to unveil the bronze statue of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, an event that has been pending for over two decades owing to cultural controversies. It will be unveiled by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on August 9 in the city.

The government has decided to unveil the statue following the Tamil Nadu government’s consent to erect the statue of Kannada vachanakara Sarvajna in Chennai. But the election code of conduct following the announcement of byelections to the five Assembly constituencies, including Govindarajananagar constituency in the city, had cast a shadow on the event. However, the State Election Commission has cleared the decks for the unveiling with the condition that no political speech or other activities that would violate the model code of conduct should be carried out.

Following this, the Department of Kannada and Culture has started giving final touches to the cultural extravaganza.

It has earmarked around Rs. 60 lakh for the celebration of unveiling statues of revered poets representing two major languages, Kannada and Tamil. The department has transported the nine-foot high bronze statue of Sarvajna, weighing 750 kg to Chennai on Friday evening. The statue would be erected at the Ayanavaram Park in Chennai on August 13.

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