Tamil Nadu Assembly makes ‘Tamil Thai Vazhthu’ mandatory as first song at public events

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution making the rendition of “Tamil Thai Vazhthu” mandatory as the first item at programmes conducted by educational institutions, universities, government offices, public sector undertakings and other public institutions in the State.Chennai, Tamil Nadu: While moving the separate resolution on the Tamil Thai Vazhthu, Chief Minister Joseph Vijay says, "This House proudly records that Tamil continues to be one of the world’s oldest classical languages, and that Tamil civilisation stands as one of the world’s… pic.twitter.com/INq0ziMb7D— IANS (@ians_india) August 10, 2026 The resolution was moved by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, who said the practice of singing the State song first at government functions and educational institutions had been followed in Tamil Nadu since the 1970s.The resolution comes against the backdrop of observations made by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in a letter dated July 9, 2026, regarding the singing of the State song. [The Centre mandated the singing of Vande Mataram first, followed by National Anthem and State Song. The resolution did not detail what the Home Ministry said.]தமிழ்நாட்டில் உள்ள அனைத்து கல்வி நிறுவனங்கள், பல்கலைக்கழகங்கள், பொதுத்துறை நிறுவனங்கள் மற்றும் பொது நிகழ்வுகளில் நடைபெறும் நிகழ்ச்சி தொடங்கும் முன்பாக தமிழ்த்தாய் வாழ்த்தை கட்டாயம் பாடப்பட வேண்டும் என்பதற்கான அரசினர் தனித்தீர்மானத்தை தமிழக முதலமைச்சர் ஜோசப் விஜய் நாளை… pic.twitter.com/agT83B8RhH— Mageshkumar Ramalingam (@mageshkumar27) August 9, 2026 The Assembly resolution traced the origins of “Tamil Thai Vazhthu” to Manonmaniam, a play written by Manonmaniam Sundaranar in 1891. The invocation to Mother Tamil was brought into official practice through a Government Order in 1970, which stipulated that it should be sung first at government functions from November 23 that year.The song was subsequently accorded official State Song status with effect from December 12, 2021. A government order issued then mandated its rendition before the commencement of programmes at educational institutions, universities, government offices, public sector undertakings and other public institutions in Tamil Nadu.Lok Sabha Set For Major Legislative Push With Tribunal Reforms, Mining Amendments & Kerala Name Change Bill The resolution said Tamil was one of the world's oldest classical languages and Tamil civilisation represented one of the world's oldest cultural traditions.Emphasising that “Tamil Thai Vazhthu” represented respect for Tamil language and culture, the Assembly said the practice of singing it first was both a long-standing tradition and one backed by government orders.The House also invoked the linguistic and cultural rights guaranteed under the Constitution, stating that the measure was intended to preserve Tamil Nadu's cultural identity.The resolution was adopted, with the Assembly reiterating that “Tamil Thai Vazhthu” must be sung first, before the commencement of programmes.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

This comes on the heels of the Union Home Ministry, in a letter dated July 9, 2026, making certain observations on the rendering of the State song and directing the State government to render Vande Mataram at the beginning of State functions