The written works of Dravidar Kazhagam founder and social reformer ‘Thanthai Periyar’ E.V. Ramasamy will be published in print and digital editions in 21 Indian and world languages at a cost of ₹5 crore, the Tamil Nadu government said in the Assembly on Friday.
Presenting the 2022-23 budget, Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan noted that ‘Thanthai Periyar’ worked tirelessly till his last breath to achieve social justice, spread rationalism and eliminate the subjugation of women. “His thoughts and writings have stood the test of time. It is the duty of this government to spread his message and writings across the world so that the whole of humanity can benefit from his progressive ideas,” he said.
With a view to establishing the relationship between the Tamil language and the Indo-European language family, a committee of Tamil etymologists will be formed to prepare an etymological dictionary, Mr. Rajan said. For this project, ₹2 crore has been allocated.
“In order to establish the antiquity and classical status of the Tamil language, it is necessary to carry out scientific and etymological studies of the relationship of Tamil with the other languages of the world,” he said.
From this year, to promote education in Tamil medium, school kits, including textbooks and notebooks, being given to government school students will be extended to students of Classes 1 to 10 of private unaided schools that teach only in Tamil. This measure is estimated to cost ₹15 crore, he said.
