Tamil Nadu MPs Write to Governor Seeking Restoration of State Song at the Top of Function Sequence
New Delhi: Days after "Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu," the state song of Tamil Nadu, was relegated to the third place at the 33rd convocation ceremony of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University on July 28, 21 MPs have written to Governor Rajendra Arlekar demanding its restoration at the beginning of university and government functions, as per convention.
This is the second time after the state cabinet swearing-in ceremony that the state song was played after "Vande Mataram" and "Jana Gana Mana." The letter dated August 5, 2026, condemns the Raj Bhavan's decision to move the song, emphasising that, historically, state events have commenced with "Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu" and ended with the national anthem.
The following is the full text of the letter.
§
To,
Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar,
Hon'ble Governor of Tamil Nadu,
Lok Bhavan, Chennai 600022.
Subject: Request to restore the established convention of rendering "Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu" at the commencement of university and government functions in Tamil Nadu.
Respected Sir,
We, the undersigned Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu, write to you in a spirit of respect for the high constitutional office you hold, to place before you the concern that has been widely felt across the state following the sequence of songs at the 33rd convocation of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, on July 28, 2026.
As you are aware, the Vice Chancellor of MSU informed the press ahead of the convocation that, on instructions from the Raj Bhavan, the ceremony would open with Vande Mataram, followed by the National Anthem, with "Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu" placed third. We write to share, with due respect, why this sequence has caused such disquiet in Tamil Nadu, and to impress that it be reconsidered for future occasions.
Manonmaniam Sundaranar University carries the name of Thiru. Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai, the scholar who composed "Neeraarum Kadaludutha," the very song that Tamil Nadu has sung at the opening of its public functions for more than five decades, and which the state government formally recognised as its official state song in 2021. For that song to be placed third at a convocation held in his own name was felt by many in Tamil Nadu, ourselves included, as an unintended slight to a figure the state holds in great affection, and to a practice that generations of Tamils have grown up with in their schools and colleges. It is our duty as parliamentarians representing the Tamil people that we bring this matter to your notice.
We would also respectfully draw your attention to the fact that your own address to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in June 2026 opened with "Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu" followed by the National Anthem, a sequence that was welcomed across the state as a gracious restoration of convention after some years of dispute on this very question. The change in sequence at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, coming so soon after, has therefore been read by many as a departure from that welcome gesture.
Sir, this is a request made with candour, but also with the confidence that it will be received in the manner intended. Tamil Nadu's practice of singing "Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu" first and the National Anthem last is not unique to this state. Karnataka's own universities follow a similar circular for the Kannada state anthem, as do several other states for their own state songs. Honouring this convention takes nothing away from the National Anthem or from Vande Mataram. If anything, it reflects the very idea of India that your high office represents, a country strong enough in its unity to hold its many languages and loyalties together without needing to rank one above the other.
We would therefore request you to kindly consider issuing clear and advance guidance from the Raj Bhavan to Tamil Nadu's universities, so that "Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu" is rendered at the commencement of convocations and other functions, and the National Anthem at the conclusion, in keeping with the state's long standing practice, and that you consider a word of reassurance to the people of Tamil Nadu, at a suitable occasion, that no disrespect was meant to "Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu" or to the memory of Manonmaniam Sundaranar, a gesture we believe would be very warmly received and would go a long way in restoring the goodwill this episode has strained
We place this before you not as a complaint, but as a respectful request from Members of Parliament who represent the people of Tamil Nadu, and who are confident that Raj Bhavan shares our wish to see the state's institutions function with dignity and without avoidable controversy. We would welcome the opportunity to call on you, should you consider it useful, to discuss this further.
With regards,
Signed by the Following Hon'ble Members of Parliament:
- Thiru. P. Chidambaram
- Thiru. B. Manickam Tagore
- Thiru. V. Vaithilingam
- Dr. Thol. Thirumaavalavan
- Thiru. K. Subbarayan
- Thiru. S. Venkatesan
- Thiru. Durai Vaiko
- Thiru. K. Navaskani
- Dr. M. K. Vishnu Prasad
- Dr. D. Ravikumar
- Selvi. Jothimani
- Thiru. P. Karti Chidambaram
- Thiru. Vijay Vasanth
- Thiru. K. Gopinath
- Thiru. Praveen Chakravarthy
- Thiru. Sasikanth Senthil
- Thiru. C. Robert Bruce
- Thiru. V. Selvaraj
- Thiru. R. Sachithanantham
- Adv. R. Sudha
- Thiru. Christopher Manickam
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