TN Governor playing petty politics

Ravindra Narayana Ravi, the Governor of Tamil Nadu, was born in Patna, Bihar, and completed his Masters in Physics in 1974. After a brief stint in journalism, he joined the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy. He is a bureaucrat to the core and has served his masters well to become a Governor. So far so good. But, is he any authority on matters Tamil? Nothing in the public domain suggests so. Where was the need for him to rake up a controversy by suggesting that "Tamizhagam" is a more "appropriate" name for the state than Tamil Nadu? It has, expectedly, drawn flak from the ruling DMK, which has questioned his right to suggest a different name for the state and accused him of unnecessarily interfering in state politics.

While the BJP has defended Ravi and taken on the DMK, the Opposition AIADMK has disagreed with the Governor's comment. For that matter there would be very few takers for Ravi's claim. But, was it an attempt to just create a ruckus and try to sow divisive seeds among the politicians? Or was it to divert the attention of Tamils from the national issues? The origin of the word Tamil Nadu is steeped in the history, culture and traditions of the Tamilians. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Tamil Nadu government and state Governor RN Ravi have been at loggerheads over several issues. Most recently, the DMK has taken strong exception to Ravi's recent remarks allegedly terming Dravidian politics as 'regressive politics.'

While addressing a programme felicitating organisers and volunteers of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam, held at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai on January 4, Ravi allegedly remarked that the word 'Tamizhagam' was a more appropriate term for Tamil Nadu. If one looks at Tamil Nadu's political history, one would understand that the name of Tamil Nadu has been agreed upon by all sections and segments long back and there cannot be any afterthought now. It has its roots in the Dravidian-Aryan conflict which was believed to be a continuous historical phenomenon.

Periyar Ramasamy who opposed Indo-Aryan domination, propagation of Aryan Vedas and Aryan 'Varnashrama' (as perceived by the Dravidians), felt the need for a "Dravidian Progressive Movement" and a "Self-Respect Movement." He became very concerned about the growing North Indian domination over the south in his days and sought a separate identity for the Tamil areas and had the sympathy of Ambedkar and Jinnah for his views on the Congress and for his opposition to Hindi. The concept of Dravida Nadu was later modified down to Tamil Nadu. Several developments later, he settled down for Tamil Nadu and Tamilians remain passionate about the identity.

'Nadu' need not necessarily mean a 'Desam' or a country. It is more a reference to a region. The DMK members rightly questioned whether Rajasthan's name should also be changed because it sounds similar to Pakistan, Afghanistan or Uzbekistan etc. What is so anti-national about the name Tamil Nadu? The Governor's surmise that Tamil Nadu would say no to what the entire country accepts is also wrong. Ravi ji is on weak ground, in every sense. Changing the history and culture and thereby the nomenclatures has become the favourite pastime of some in the country for petty political gains, unfortunately.