Tamil Development and Culture To honour the legacy of Tamil martyrs Thiruvalargal Thalamuthu and Natarajan, who sacrificed their lives to protect Tamil in the struggle against Hindi imposition, a memorial will be established at Chennai. In order to propagate the ideals of Annal Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution and the architect of a progressive and egalitarian India, the Government will provide a grant of Rs.5 crore to translate his works into Tamil language. To give an impetus to the growth of Tamil as a global language by promoting its usage in the technology sector, an ‘International Conference on Tamil Computing’ will be held with the participation of renowned experts from across the world. Efforts will be taken to promote and support sea cruises that will connect places of significance in Tamil culture. These cruises will showcase the rich history, literature, art, culture, handicrafts and cuisine of Tamil people and will spread the State’s glory across the seven seas. The Government has been providing free bus pass to elderly Tamil scholars in recognition of their invaluable contribution to our language. In the coming year, the Government will extend this benefit to 591 more Tamil scholars. Government will expand the widely popular Chennai Sangamam cultural programme to 8 major cities in the coming year. It will provide a platform to nurture folk art and artists and celebrate the shared cultural ethos of the Tamil people. An amount of Rs.11 crore is provided in this Budget for the purpose. To preserve folk arts and to ensure that these traditions continue to flourish in the future, 25 part time folk art training centres will be set up across the State. To highlight the contribution of the Cholas who ruled the world, and to preserve artefacts and relics of that age, a ‘Grand…
