Houston University inks MoU with ICCR on Tamil language, literature.
- The University of Houston and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies to conduct research on Tamil language, literature and culture.
- “The Tamil language is considered the oldest in the world, and is one of the top five languages spoken in the United States, which is home to nearly 3,00,000 Tamil-Americans and this MoU will further enhance and deepen the US education and knowledge partnership,”
- The All India Federation for Social Justice announced that is organising its first national conference in New Delhi.
- On this occasion, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin will deliver the presidential address through virtual meeting.
- The theme of the event is “Taking Forward The Struggle for Social Justice and Joint National Programme for Social Justice Movement”.
- Southern Zonal Council meeting in Tamil Nadu: It has been decided to hold a meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Tamil Nadu which will be attended by the Chief Ministers of the Southern States.
- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin had demanded that the next year’s meeting should be held in Tamil Nadu.
- In response to this request, it has been approved to hold a meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Tamil Nadu.
- Since 1957, a meeting of the Southern Zonal Council has been held.
- This meeting is held once a year and has been held five times in Tamil Nadu. The last time it was held in Chennai on November 10, 1991.
- Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are the representatives of the Council.
- Home Minister Amit Shah is the chairman of the council and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is the vice-chairman. Along with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, ministers Thangam Thennarasu and P K Sekar Babu also participated in this meeting.
- The Southern Zonal Council meeting was held five times in Madras in 1957, Udhagai in 1958, Ooty in 1967, Madras in 1978 and Chennai in 1992.
- The 143rd birth anniversary of Varahaneri Venkatesa Subramaniam Iyer was celebrated.
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- Varahaneri Venkatesa Subramaniam Iyer (2 April 1881 – 3 June 1925), also known as VVS Iyer, was an Indian revolutionary from Tamil Nadu who fought against British colonial rule in India.
- His contemporaries included Subramania Bharati and VO Chidambaram Pillai, who subscribed to militant forms of resistance against the British colonial government.
- He was exiled to Pondicherry, then under French rule, where his militant activities attracted an arrest warrant from the British colonial government.
Literary work of VVS Iyer:
- Returning to Chennai after World War I, Iyer worked as editor of the newspaper Desapakthan (Patriot).
- As a writer, Iyer is often referred to as the “founder” of the short story genre in Tamil.
- Iyer translated the entire work of Kural text into English prose, the first complete English translation by a native scholar.
