Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Tamil Nadu MPs Urge Governor to Restore State-Song Tradition
In Tamil Nadu, a state in India, there is a much-loved song called Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu, which celebrates the Tamil language and culture.
For more than fifty years, important official events in the state, such as university graduation ceremonies, have started with this song.
In 2021, the state government officially declared it the state song of Tamil Nadu.
The song was written by a famous scholar named Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai, and a university in the city of Tirunelveli is named after him.
At that university's graduation ceremony on 28 July 2026, the order of the songs changed: first came Vande Mataram, then the National Anthem, and the state song was sung third.
Many people in Tamil Nadu felt upset, because they thought the state song was not being shown proper respect.
Twenty-one members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu wrote a letter to the Governor asking him to put the state song first again and the National Anthem at the end.
They said that singing the state song first does not make the National Anthem any less important, and that other states, like Karnataka, do something similar.
They also asked the Governor to give clear instructions to all universities and to reassure people that no disrespect was meant.
The Governor's office had not replied when the report was written.
Twenty-one Tamil Nadu MPs, described in one report as Tamil Nadu Congress MPs, wrote to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on 5 August 2026 asking him to restore the tradition of opening official functions with Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu and ending them with the National Anthem.
The request follows the 33rd convocation of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) in Tirunelveli on 28 July 2026, which opened with Vande Mataram, followed by the National Anthem, with the state song placed third.
According to the MPs, the MSU Vice Chancellor told the press ahead of the convocation that the song order was set on instructions from the Raj Bhavan.
The MPs called the placement an 'unintended slight' to Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai, composer of 'Neeraarum Kadaludutha', which Tamil Nadu formally recognised as its state song in 2021 after more than five decades of use.
The MPs noted that Governor Arlekar's June 2026 address to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly opened with Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu, cited Karnataka's similar practice for its Kannada state anthem, and asked for clear advance guidance from the Raj Bhavan to Tamil Nadu universities.
- Who
- Twenty-one Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu, including P Chidambaram, B Manickam Tagore, Karti P Chidambaram, Thol Thirumavalavan and Durai Vaiko, addressing Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
- What
- A letter requesting that Tamil Nadu university convocations and government functions open with Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu and conclude with the National Anthem
- When
- Letter dated 5 August 2026, following the MSU convocation of 28 July 2026
- Where
- Tamil Nadu, India; the convocation took place at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli
- Why
- The convocation's song order — Vande Mataram, National Anthem, then the state song — reportedly set on Raj Bhavan instructions, was felt across the state as an unintended slight to the state song and its composer
MPs' Position
Raj Bhavan's Reported Instruction
Song order at official functions
MPs' Position
University convocations and government functions should open with Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu and conclude with the National Anthem, in line with the practice followed for more than five decades.
Raj Bhavan's Reported Instruction
At the MSU convocation, reportedly on instructions from the Raj Bhavan, the ceremony opened with Vande Mataram, followed by the National Anthem, with Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu placed third.
Respect for the state song and its composer
MPs' Position
Placing the state song third at a university named after its composer was an 'unintended slight' to Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai and to a tradition that generations of Tamils grew up with.
Raj Bhavan's Reported Instruction
All three songs — Vande Mataram, the National Anthem and Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu — were still included in the same ceremony, and the Governor's office had not responded to the letter when the report was filed.
- Event
- 33rd convocation of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University
- Location
- Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu
- Convocation date
- 28 July 2026
- MPs' letter date
- 5 August 2026
- Song order at the convocation
- Vande Mataram, followed by the National Anthem, with Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu placed third
- State song
- 'Neeraarum Kadaludutha' (Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu), composed by Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai
- Official recognition
- 2021, after more than five decades of use
- Requested sequence
- Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu first, National Anthem at the conclusion
