This is an archive article published on February 27, 2018
Sanskrit song at IIT Madras hits wrong note, sparks row
Traditionally, Tamil Thaai Vazhthu, considered the Tamil anthem, is sung as the invocation song at official functions. Opposition parties accused the Central government of ignoring Tamil language and culture and imposing Hindi, Hindu and Sanskritic ideas in the state.
Selecting a Sanskrit religious song as invocation song at an event in IIT-Madras involving Union minister Nitin Gadkari Monday kicked up a row in Tamil Nadu, with several opposition parties and at least one students’ outfit accusing the Central government of ignoring Tamil language and culture and imposing Hindi, Hindu and Sanskritic ideas in the state.
Gadkari inaugurated the ceremony to lay foundation stone for the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts on the IIT campus.
Union Minister of State Pon Radhakrishnan and IIT-M director Baskar Ramamurthy were among those present.
A group of students sang Maha Ganapathim at the beginning of the event. Traditionally, Tamil Thaai Vazhthu, considered the Tamil anthem, is sung as the invocation song at official functions.
Condemning the incident, DMK working president and Leader of Opposition M K Stalin said the Centre should stop its attempt to infringe upon the culture and identity of Tamils and Tamil Nadu. MDMK leader Vaiko accused the “Sangh Parivar-controlled Narendra Modi government” of “orchestrating” it and called it the Centre’s “arrogance”.
While CPI(M) state secretary K Balakrishnan alleged that it was another form of “imposing” Hindi and Sanskrit, PMK leader S Ramadoss said the state government should take steps to make singing of the Tamil anthem mandatory at all functions of IIT-Madras, PTI reports.
IIT-M director Ramamurthy said the institute has no role in selecting the invocation song. “If it was Tamil students who sung it, they would have had a Tamil song. It could be Marathi or Bengali, or any song. We do not ask students to sing a particular song — they sing the song they know and students voluntarily come…. We have not given any direction,” he said.
In a statement, Stalin said it appeared to be a “deliberate bid to sideline Tamil in the centrally-funded secular institute of higher learning”, as playing the Tamil anthem at the start and national anthem at the end of any event is the practice in Tamil Nadu.
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Vaiko said, “They are trying to destroy all languages and cultures by using their bulldozers and imposing the ideas of Hindi, Hindu and Hindu Rashtra. This is their hidden agenda. This is what Prime Minister Modi is doing. When you can speak in English, why do you speak in Hindi in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu?” Vaiko was referring to Modi’s visits to Chennai on Saturday, and Puducherry the following day.
Vaiko said both Gadkari and Radhakrishnan should apologise for not singing the Tamil anthem. The Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle, a students’ group in IIT-M, issued a statement: “It is highly undemocratic and unconstitutional to recite a song praising a Hindu god at an institution which runs on taxpayer money, (and) which include followers of other religions and non-followers of any religion.”
Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority.
Expertise
Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews.
Key Coverage Areas:
State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor.
Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties.
Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu.
Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail.
His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More
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The song was sung at the beginning of an event.
