Tableau from Tamil Nadu with freedom fighters like VOC, Velu Nachiyar was not featured in the RD parade held in Delhi, however, it found a place in the Chennai Republic Day celebrations.
Coimbatore: The Republic Day tableau from Tamil Nadu did not make it to the parade held in Delhi. It was showcased in the state parade.
The tableau depicts freedom fighters from the state including VO Chidambaram Pillai, Rani Velu Nachiyar and others.
There were a total of 4 tableaus from the state, showcasing legacies, contributions of the freedom fighters from Tamil Nadu in the Indian Independence movement. The denial of permission for the tableau from Tamil Nadu disappointed the Chief Minister MK Stalin, who wrote to the Indian Prime Minister expressing disappointment over the exclusion of Tamil Nadu’s tableau from the Republic Day parade, and sought his intervention.
The Chief Minister, upon no result gained, announced that the tableau would be showcased in the celebrations. Tamil Nadu’s tableaus were designed with the theme ‘Tamil Nadu in the Freedom Struggle,’ depicting freedom fighters from the state. It featured freedom fighters like VO Chidambaram Pillai, Subramania Bharati, Rani Velu Nachiyar, Poolithevan, Veerapandia Kattabomman, and the Maruthu Pandiyar brothers.
CM Stalin noted that Tamil Nadu's contributions to India’s struggle for independence are very significant, right from the Vellore revolution of 1806. The tableau will also be taken to other important cities in Tamil Nadu.
With music of Nadhaswaram, Thavil and Veena, playing in the background Bharathanatiyam, is performed by the students of dance and music, the procession featured four different tableaus. The first main tableau depicted the Vellore Sepoy Mutiny of 1806, featuring Rani Velu Nachiyar, her army commander Kuyili, Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Poolithevan and others. The second main tableau featured Subramania Bharati, VOC, Subramaniya Siva and others. The third main tableau depicted Thanthai Periyar, C Rajagopalachari, Muthuramalingam Thevar and others.
Describing the tableau to Prime Minister Modi, Stalin had written, “The design had VOC, the famous freedom fighter who founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in 1906 during Indian Independence movement to compete against the British. The design also had Subramania Bharathi, popularly known as Maha Kavi Bharathiar, who kindled patriotism in the minds of the people with his fiery patriotic songs and writings during the Indian Independence movement.”
He also said that the rear of the tableau was designed to showcase a statue of Rani Velu Nachiyar riding a horse with a sword in hand and with women soldiers. "She was the first Indian queen to wage a war with the East India Company in India. She was the queen of Sivagangai region from 1780 to 1790 and blew up an ammunition storage of East India Company by arranging a suicide attack.”
Responding to Stalin’s letter to the PM, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that Tamil Nadu’s tableau was considered in three rounds of meetings, but did not make it to the final list.
On Tuesday, January 25, the Madras High Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate P Babu seeking to issue directions to the Defence Ministry to include the Tamil Nadu tableau in the national Republic Day Parade.
Rejecting the petition, a bench of acting Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice PD Audikesavalu said that the petitioner had not submitted any written document to show that Tamil Nadu had applied to participate in the parade. It also said that there was no mention in the litigant's plea on the reasons cited by the officials to reject the government's plea. The bench also said that the court cannot interfere in the eleventh hour on a PIL seeking direction.
This is reportedly the third rejection of the Tamil Nadu tableau for the Republic Day Parade, in the past five years.
