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| Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre |
The naming of India funded ‘Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre’ in the heart of Jaffna town drew criticism from various circles of Tamil society this week.
On Saturday, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha and Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Hiniduma Sunil Senevi jointly announced the naming of theCultural Centre in Jaffna as ‘Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre’, in honour of the great Tamil poet-philosopher Thiruvalluvar, at a ceremony.
Questioning why the word ‘Jaffna’ was omitted in the name, former Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda asked whether there was any sinister attempt behind the move to erase the identity of Jaffna.
“We honor the Tamil poet Thivuvalluvar by those Thiruvalluvar statues that were distributed by India in various parts of the North. The Tamil people’s cultural identity of Jaffna being omitted in the name board itself raises many concerns for us,” the former Minister said in a statement while urging relevant authorities including the Indian High Commission in Colombo to clarify the matter on naming the building complex.
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| Official declaration of the nameboard where Tamil version was pushed to third place with spelling mistake. |
Meanwhile, the trilingual name board of the building complex also came under severe criticism as well for spelling mistakes and the order of languages as well.
The Tamil version of the name board was listed as third even though it should be featured as first priority, followed by Sinhala and English as per the norm.
Fisheries Minister R. Chandrasekar who took part in the opening ceremony said today that he was shocked to see that the Tamil version of the name board was pushed to third place. He assured to take up the matter with relevant authorities and fix it as a matter of priority.
Built with Indian grant assistance of USD 12 million, the Center provides a space where the rich traditions, arts, and aspirations of the people of the Northern Province could thrive, Indian High Commission said in a statement. The iconic structure is a state-of-the-art facility consisting of multiple facilities such as a museum of two floors; an advanced theatre style auditorium for more than 600 people; an 11-storeyed learning tower; a public square which could also act as an amphitheater; etc.
The foundation stone for the Cultural Center was laid by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, during his historic visit to Jaffna in March 2015. The facility was subsequently inaugurated in March 2022 and dedicated to the people of Sri Lanka in February 2023.
High Commissioner Jha, during his address at the naming ceremony on 18th January, said that the initiative not only served to pay tribute to the great Thiruvalluvar, it was also a celebration of a shared history, a shared culture, and the unique and unbreakable bond between India and Sri Lanka, the statement said. (Northeastern Monitor/ January 20/2025)
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