Madras HC dismisses writ petition to declare Anusham star in Tamil month Vaikasi as Tiruvalluvar's birthday

Chennai: The Madras High Court has dismissed a writ petition to declare the day of the Anusham star in the Tamil month of Vaikasi as the birthday of Saint Tiruvalluvar, who is believed to have penned ‘Tirukkural.‘

The judge dismissed a writ petition filed in 2021 by Samy Thiagarajan, the president of Tiruvalluvar Tirunatkazhagam.

The petitioner is a Tamil professor with 36 years of teaching experience and a doctorate for his research on Tirukkural.

Justice M. Dhandapani of the Madras High Court on Wednesday also refused to issue a direction to the Tamil Nadu government to shift the annual celebration of ‘Tiruvalluvar Day’ from the second day of Tamil month Thai to the Vaikasi Anusha Natchathiram Day.

It was also brought to the notice of the court that Tiruvalluvar Tirunatkazhagam was founded by Padmasri Subbaya Pillai in 1935 and that the birthday of Tiruvalluvar was celebrated on Vaikasi Anusham which fell on May 18, 1935. Tamil scholar Maramalai Adigalar had participated in the celebration.

The petitioner said that a Government Order issued on March 18, 1966, after the conclusion of the first Tiruvalluvar conference, had ordered that ‘Tiruvalluvar Day’ would be celebrated on June 2, 1966, which was a Vaikasi Anusham day.

“However, in the subsequent years, it was shifted to the second day of Thai month,” the petitioner said.

Advocate General P.S. Raman told the court that the government had been celebrating ‘Tiruvalluvar day’ only to hail the greatness of Tiruvalluvar, the author of the couplets, and the wonderful life values that his literary work intends to spread.

The Advocate General made it clear that ‘Tiruvalluvar Day’ was not being celebrated as the birthday of Tiruvalluvar and added that it would always be open to the petitioner and others to celebrate the birth anniversary as they may think fit.

He said no government order prohibits the celebration of Tiruvalluvar’s birth anniversary.

After recording the submissions made by both parties, Justice Dhandapani said that he undertook some research on the subject but could not lay his hands on any authentic material with respect to the family background, religious affiliation, birthplace, or birthday of Tiruvalluvar.

The judge pointed out that even the material submitted by the petitioner to support his case dates back only to 1935 and not beyond that.

The court also said that in the absence of any such authentic material with respect to the birthday, no declaration as sought by the writ petitioner could be issued by the court

Justice Dhandapani also said that the state government could not be forced to shift the ‘Tiruvalluvar Day’ from Thai to Vaikasi as the government had clearly stated that the day had been earmarked not to celebrate the birth of the author but to commend his greatness and the literary work that he had produced.