Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal participated as the chief guest in the ‘Pongal Mahotsav’ organized by Chandigarh Tamil Sangam on a late Saturday evening. He inaugurated the Goddess Maa Tamil Temple and paid floral tributes to the statue of the saint poet Thiruvalluvar. The Chief Minister congratulated everyone on the Pongal festival. The highlight of the program was the fifteen-minute speech given by the Chief Minister in pure Tamil language. When the Chief Minister started his speech in Tamil, the people present were surprised and delighted. They expressed their gratitude to the Chief Minister with thunderous applause for delivering his speech in Tamil.
Manohar Lal stated that the Tamil language is considered one of the oldest languages in the world. He reminded the audience of the Prime Minister’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly, where the Prime Minister referenced a sentence by the great Tamil saint, “Kaniyan Poongundranar” – “Yadum Oore, Yavarum Kedir” – which means “We all have a sense of belonging to places, and all people are our own.” He emphasized that Tamils and their people have always stood for universal brotherhood.
The Chief Minister remarked that some elements within society are actively trying to promote artificial divisions based on factors like race, religion, and geographical location. He urged everyone to unite against such forces. He added that the entire country finds joy in the devotion to Lord Shri Ram. He encouraged the audience to celebrate another Diwali after the Pongal celebrations.
Acknowledging the long-standing demand for Ashiana flats for the residents of Maheshpur Madrasi Colony, the Chief Minister announced that all eligible beneficiaries would be allotted flats at the earliest. He also declared a grant of Rs 15 lakh from his discretionary fund to complete Bharati Bhavan in the Chandigarh Tamil Sangam campus.
Former Chief Secretary of Haryana and President of Chandigarh Tamil Sangam, IAS (retd) G Madhavan, welcomed the Chief Minister. He mentioned that Chief Minister Manohar Lal had also participated in the Pongal celebrations in 2019. Over 600 Tamil people from different parts of Haryana participated in this Pongal festival.
Tamil Sangam General Secretary S.P. Rajasekaran thanked the Chief Minister for his constant support and motherly attitude towards the Tamil people and the Sangam. The Chief Minister was honoured with “Kamakshi Vilakku” accompanied by chanting of hymns by Tamil priests.
Chandigarh Tamil Sangam, a non-profit socio-cultural organisation, has been providing services in the Tricity for more than 50 years. It has been actively involved in various social, cultural, charity, and humanitarian activities for a long time.
On this occasion, HAFED Managing Director J Ganesan, IFS officer S Narayanan, and members of other socio-cultural organisations of Panchkula-Chandigarh-Mohali (Tricity) were present.