Remove Thiruvalluvar photo with pottu and beads from school wall: VCK

At the public grievance day meeting held at Kanniyakumari District Collectorate in Nagercoil on Monday, January 6, VCK submitted a petition urging to remove the Thiruvalluvar photo depicting him as a religious leader on the wall of the Mandaikadu government school, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) Kanniyakumari Central District Secretary SE Mesiya, in the petition, stated the photo of national leader of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Nethaji Subash Chandra Bose, K Kamaraj and Annai Theresa among others made in mosaic stone were inscribed on the compound wall of government middle school at Mandaikadu.

The photo of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, inscribed on the wall, seemed as a religious leader with holy ash and bindi or pottu on his forehead and beads around his neck. The holy ash and bead also seemed around his hand, according to a report by The New Indian Express.

As Thiruvalluvar set himself apart from castes and religions, the photo should be removed and such a photo of the Tamil poet should be used as depicted by the government, he added.

Coimbatore

R Lenin (40), a state committee member of the All India Agricultural Workers' Union and an alumnus of Uthangarai Government Boys Higher Secondary School petitioned the Chief Education Officer (CEO) on Monday, January 6 that students of the school lack water facilities and a few students going to Uthangarai bus stand to relieve themselves.