'No Tamil Nadu in Those Days': On 'Tamizhagam' Row, Guv Clarifies He Didn't Suggest Name Change

Tamil Nadu governor R N Ravi on Wednesday said that interpreting his statement as a suggestion to change the name of the state is erroneous and far-fetched.

“Without understanding the basis of my speech, arguments that the Governor is against the word ‘Tamil Nadu’ have become a topic of discussion. Hence, I am giving this clarification to put an end to it,” a statement released by Raj Bhavan said.

A debate was triggered after the governor said Tamizhagam was a more appropriate name for the state than Tamil Nadu, bringing him in the line of fire of several political parties. The governor was being criticized for using a name other than the one approved by the Constitution. Both words find mention in Tamil literature, but Tamil Nadu is being accepted and Tamizhagam opposed.

Reasoning the usage of the term, R N Ravi said, “In an event at Raj Bhavan on January 4, 2023 to felicitate the volunteers of Kashi-Tamil Sangamam, a recently concluded month long festival celebrating the age of cultural connect of Tamil people with Kashi, while dwelling upon the historical cultural connect between the two, I referred to the word ‘Tamizhagam’. In those days, there was no ‘Tamil Nadu’. Hence in historical cultural context, I referred to the word ‘Tamizhagam’ as a ‘more appropriate expression’.”

Tamizhagam, when literally translated, means home of Tamil. The word is also spelled as ‘Tamilakam’. It refers to a geographical region where ancient Tamil people live. The ancient ‘Tamilakam’ is made up of today’s of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry and southern areas of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

On the other hand, Tamil Nadu literally means ‘Tamil Land’. The issue arises as the actual meaning of the name is lost in translation without ‘Nadu’. The word ‘nadu’ can also be read as “country”.

The controversy deepened after the governor used ‘Tamizhagam’ in place of ‘Tamil Nadu’ in his invites for the Pongal festival at Raj Bhavan. The invite in Tamil referred to Ravi as the ‘Tamizhagam’ governor, and did not have the state government’s emblem. It featured only the emblem of the government of India.

CPI(M) MP Su Venkatesan on Tuesday tweeted photos of the invite and wrote in Tamil, “Last time the invitation letter had the Tamil Nadu government’s motto. This time the invitation has only the Indian government’s motto in three places. He refused to use it because Tamil Nadu is written in our motto.”

Amid the controversy, ‘#GetOut Ravi’ was trending on Twitter for a few days, and posters with the hashtag were spotted in parts of Chennai. The Tamil Nadu Assembly also saw a stormy session last week with several leaders staging a walkout after the governor began his speech.

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