The previous Karunanidhi government had moved the Tamil New Year to January.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa celebrated her 100th day in office, in style by nullifying yet another decision taken by former Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi, her arch rival. She shifted the Tamil New Year Day back to the original month of Chithirai (mid-April). The previous Karunanidhi regime had in 2008, by a special resolution, changed the age-old Tamil New Year Day from Chithirai to Thai (mid-January).
Karunanidhi who never misses a chance to make fun of the Hindus for their rituals, had asked them to observe Tamil New Year along with Pongal, the harvest festival. This had evoked wide protest from the people of the state. Interestingly, the people continued to observe Tamil New Year Day in Chithirai though Karunanidhi and his ministerial colleagues used to extend New Year Greetings along with Pongal festival.
“Members of the public, archealogical experts, pundits, astronomy exponents and others have expressed the opinion that the DMK goverment's 2008 decision to shift the Tamil New Year was against the practice of centuries,” said SP Shanmuganathan, House by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister, who tabled a Bill in the Assembly to revert the New Years Day back to mid-April.
"They requested the government to revert the Tamil New Year to the month of Chithirai," he said.
Karunanidhi had claimed that the decision to shift Tamil New Year Day was taken in view of the 'consensus' amongst Tamil scholars that the first of Thai is the first day of the Tamil year. "Till now, the people celebrated April 14 (the first of Chithirai, an auspicious month for conducting marriages) as Tamil New Year Day. Now those who celebrate Pongal as the festival of Tamils can celebrate it as Tamil New Year Day also with redoubled joy', the erstwhile government order had said.
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