‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’ rendition caught in controversy yet again

It was because of a technical fault; the mic did not function properly, says Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin

A rendition of ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’, the anthem of Tamil Nadu, was caught in a controversy yet again within a fortnight, as singers at a government function held at the Secretariat in Chennai on Friday (October 26, 2024) struggled to get the verse right more than once.

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Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, who was the chief guest, however, maintained that there were some “technical fault” and that the mic did not function properly.

The event, telecast live, started with the rendition of the ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’. It was brought to the notice of the Minister that the song was rendered incorrectly at two places. The Minister and others stood up again for the song. However, the second time too, the singers allegedly came up with an incorrect rendition.

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When reporters questioned him about the incident, Mr. Udhayanidhi said: “It was not sung incorrectly. It was only a technical fault. The mic was not functioning properly. Their [singers’] voices were not heard on two to three instances. So, the ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’ was sung again properly. The national anthem, too, was sung properly. Please do not create an issue out of this unnecessarily.”

The Opposition criticised the DMK government for the distorted rendition of the State anthem.

Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan said, “When a line of the State anthem was mistakenly omitted while it was rendered at an event organised by DD Tamil, in which Governor R.N. Ravi was the chief guest, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin made racist remarks against the Governor and demanded that the Centre withdraw him. What is he [Mr. Stalin] going to say about the distorted rendition of the State anthem at an official function presided over by his son. By taking responsibility, will Mr. Udhayanidhi resign or will his father dismiss him from the Council of Ministers? Now, will it be right to make racist remarks against them?”

BJP leader H. Raja said, “It has come to the DMK like a boomerang… Mr. Ravi is needed for Tamil Nadu. Like Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu is also a frontier State. There are forces here that support insurgencies. So, we need a Governor who has a background in intelligence.” He demanded the removal of Mr. Udhayanidhi from the Council of Ministers.

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss, however, said it was only a human error at both events and rejected any ulterior motive behind it. “There is no point in politicising such human errors. The State government should arrange a training programme for government employees on rendering the State anthem and the National Anthem.”

At the event, Mr. Udhayanidhi distributed certificates to 19 beneficiaries of the Chief Minister’s Fellowship Programme. They were given postgraduate certificates in public policy and management. Over 24,000 applications were received for the programme and after a two-phase selection process, 30 were short-listed and trained at the Anna Administrative Staff College.

He said it was a mutually benefitting programme in which several innovative ideas and solutions were provided by the recipients, especially in the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Social Welfare, Water Resources, Health and Family Welfare, and Youth Welfare and Sports Development.

“We are about to select the next batch for the Chief Minister’s Fellowship Programme. So, you could guide them. You would always work along with the government,” Mr. Udhayanidhi said, addressing the fellowship recipients.

Published - October 25, 2024 10:40 pm IST