Tamil Nadu MPs Demand Restoration of Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu

A fresh row has erupted in Tamil Nadu over the protocol followed at official events, with 21 Members of Parliament writing to Governor Arlekar, urging restoration of the convention of rendering 'Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu' at the beginning of university and government functions. 

In a letter dated August 5, the MPs referred to the sequence followed at the 33rd convocation of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli on July 28. According to the letter, instructions received from Raj Bhavan led to the event beginning with Vande Mataram, followed by the National Anthem, while 'Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu' was rendered third.

The MPs said placing the state anthem third was felt by many in Tamil Nadu



as "an unintended slight" to the Tamil people and to Manonmaniam Sundaranar Pillai, after whom the university is named and who composed Neeraarum Kadaludutha. 

They noted that the song has been recognised as Tamil Nadu's official state song since 2021 and has been sung at public functions for more than five decades. 

Citing the Governor's own address to the Tamil Nadu Assembly in June 2026, the MPs said the proceedings had begun with 'Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu' followed by the National Anthem and described the sequence at the university convocation as a departure from that practice. They also cited similar conventions followed in other states, including Karnataka, for rendering state anthems.