CHENNAI: “In politics, no one is sincerely interested in removing social discrimination. They may talk about it, but they will not [remove it]. Because their interest lies in letting it remain this way. We need a socio-spiritual movement here,” said Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on Saturday.
The governor made this observation while addressing the Samarasa Suththa Sanmarga Youth Conference at the Raj Bhavan.
“Vallalar said that every being is divine; even a blade of grass is divine. But in politics, there is very little room for divinity. Ravi said.
He said that social discrimination issues persist in Tamil Nadu even now, since the socio-spiritual movement of Vallalar Ramalinga Swamigal was hijacked by politics. Contrary to this, since the socio-spiritual movement of Sri Narayana Guru was not hijacked in Kerala, that state is bereft of social discrimination issues now.
“After Independence, it [the socio-spiritual movement] was hijacked by politics. Politics: it never unites. Politics, by nature, is centered around power,” he said.
“Look at our neighbouring state, Kerala, things were not better — Kerala was almost equal in issues like discrimination. But in Kerala, a socio-spiritual movement by Sri Narayana Guru began; politics did not hijack it. As a result, today, we don’t hear any news about social discrimination. Contrary to this, in TN, we read about incidents of social discrimination every day because Vallalar’s movement was hijacked by politics,” he said.
“From our state archives, I was shocked to know that in 1839, as many as 70,000 people of Chennai submitted a petition to the then governor against the discriminatory policy adopted by the British for admission in their schools – compulsory baptising of children,” he said. Ravi also pointed out that as chancellor of TN universities, he came to know that between 2001 and 2020, the state had more than 6,000 PhDs only on three or four political personalities. He exhorted the students to do research on Vallalar Swamigal.
in removing social discrimination. They may talk about it, but they will not [remove it]. Because their interest lies in letting it remain this way. We need a socio-spiritual movement here,” he said.
Ravi said as the Chancellor of universities, he had not come across a lot of research on Vallalar’s work. “If they are not done in government institutions, let us at least start them in private autonomous institutions,” he suggested.
Vallalar’s teachings have the answers to problems like poverty, conflict, and environmental crises, which we face today, he said, adding: “We need committed people from all walks of life to spread the teachings of Vallalar.”
