MADURAI: The Founder-Chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) Dr.G.Viswanathan has said that he always feels proud of Madurai for its ancient history, glory and the cherished contributions this place had made from the period of Jain monks to Mahatma Gandhi.
“The Dravida Sangha was started in Madurai in the year 470 AD (fifth century) by a Jain monk named Vajranandi and Gandhiji’s changing of his attire into two cloth dress also happened from Madurai only. This is a place of glory and pride,” he said at a function here on January 20th 2026.
Dr.Viswanathan was speking as chief guest at the special Pongal event called ‘Tamilar Pongal’ organized by the Madurai district wing of ‘Tamiliyakkam’ for which he was the founder.
Urging students to speak pure Tamil without mixing other languages, the VIT Chancellor also encouraged them to complete higher education under any circumstances. ‘Always remember that hardwork is essential for success. Our life should be for Tamil language and for Tamil people,” he emphasized, according to a press release.
Mr.M.Mariappan, treasurer of Tamiliyakkam-Madurai district, spoke about the reasons why the special Tamilar Pongal festival was organized in Madurai.
S.Palanichamy, Madurai district secretary of Tamiliyakkam, welcomed the gathering while Mr.S.Sheik Nabi, headmaster of Al-Ameen Higher Secondary School at K.Pudur here, had coordinated the Pongal festival celebration by Tamiliyakkam.
S.Abdul Khader, State general secretayr of Tamil movement and Haji S.Mohamed Idris, correspondent of Al-Ameen Higher Secondary School, were among those who offered their felicitations while city secretary S.Kalimuthu had proposed a vote of thanks. Prizes were distributed to school students who won in various literary competitions conducted in Tamil for the Pongal 2026 festival.
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