Tamil Nadu Governor stokes row by depicting saint poet Thiruvalluvar in saffron robes; DMK, AIADMK

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi has stoked yet another row, this time involving Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar.

The Raj Bhavan did not merely observed Thiruvalluvar Thirunaal Vizha on May 24 instead of January 16 which has been the practice in the state, but also used a picture of the saint-poet in a saffron robe in the invitations sent to dignitaries.

Thiruvalluvar Day is celebrated on January 16 in the Tamil month of Thai (mid-January to mid-February) by the state government but the Governor’s office, for the first time, chose to organise a function on Friday to commemorate his birthday on the occasion of Vaikasi Anusham according to the Tamil calendar.

The picture used by the Governor was distinctly different from the one that is generally used by Tamil scholars and Tamil Nadu government – he is usually attired in a white robe. But the picture shared by the governor showed him wearing a saffron-colour robe and his forehead smeared with vibudhi, the scared ash worn by Hindus.

It was the BJP that in 2019 first used a picture of Thiruvalluvar in saffron robes, inviting criticism from several quarters.

Sources in the Governor’s office and BJP said it was the Dravidian parties that changed Thiruvalluvar Day from the Tamil month of Vaikasi (mid-May to mid-June) to Thai and that there was nothing wrong in restoring the tradition. “Thiruvalluvar was born in the month of Vaikasi and there is no doubt on that. He is a Hindu saint and there is nothing wrong in him being draped in a saffron robe,” a BJP leader told DH.

On Friday, the Governor paid floral tributes to the saffron-clad Thiruvalluvar picture at the Raj Bhavan. Thiruvalluvar’s attire has been a topic of debate for a very long time in Tamil Nadu after the then DMK government in the 1970s released the picture of the saint-poet created by K R Venugopal Sharma.

However, several right-wing organisations have been accusing the DMK of “Dravidianising” the saint-poet. And this is not the first time that the governor has dragged Thiruvalluvar into controversy, in 2023, he had alleged that Tamil scholar G U Pope had presenting a “de-spiritualised version” of the book while translating it into English.

‘Thirukkural’, penned by Thiruvalluvar, offers remedy or a piece of advice for every issue that the modern world encounters. The couplets also found mention in the budget speeches of P Chidambaram and Nirmala Sitharaman.

The DMK and AIADMK condemned the Governor for trying to “distort” history.