Kamal Haasan Meets PM Narendra Modi, Urges Swift Recognition Of Keeladi's Antiquity
Actor-politician Kamal Haasan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday and urged the Centre to expedite the official recognition of the Keeladi archaeological site's antiquity. Taking to social media platform X, Haasan shared details of the meeting and underscored the importance of preserving and promoting Tamil heritage and language on the global stage.
'Today, I had the honour of meeting the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi ji," wrote Haasan. 'As a representative of the people of Tamil Nadu and as an artist, I placed before him a few requests, foremost among them was the call to expedite the recognition of Keeladi's antiquity."
மாண்புமிகு இந்தியப் பிரதமர் திரு. நரேந்திர மோடி அவர்களை மரியாதை நிமித்தமாக இன்று சந்தித்தேன். ஒரு கலைஞனாகவும் தமிழ்நாட்டின் பிரதிநிதியாகவும் அவரிடம் சில கோரிக்கைகளைத் தெரிவித்திருக்கிறேன். அவற்றுள் தலையாயது கீழடி.தமிழின் தொன்மையை, தமிழ் நாகரிகத்தின் பெருமையை உலகிற்கு உரக்கச்… pic.twitter.com/rXwXzddMvF
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) August 7, 2025
Haasan, founder of the political party Makkal Needhi Maiam, described the meeting as cordial and purposeful. He emphasized the cultural and historical significance of Keeladi, a Sangam-era excavation site near Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu, which has unearthed crucial evidence of an advanced urban civilization dating back over 2,600 years.
In the post, Haasan added, 'I urged the Prime Minister to extend his support to the Tamil people in showcasing to the world the grandeur of Tamil civilisation and the timeless glory of the Tamil language."
The post, written in both Tamil and English, was accompanied by images of Haasan presenting a Keezhadi-themed memento to Prime Minister Modi and engaging in a detailed conversation across the table.
The hashtag #Keeladi quickly began trending, with supporters praising Haasan's efforts to bring Tamil cultural issues to the national spotlight.
Keeladi has long been a subject of cultural and political discourse in Tamil Nadu, with many urging the central government to give it the same historical recognition as other major heritage sites in India. Haasan has consistently voiced support for heritage preservation and Tamil identity, both as a public figure and political leader.
The meeting comes ahead of upcoming cultural and political developments in Tamil Nadu, further fueling speculation about Haasan's evolving role in national politics.
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
BJP, AAP clash over report on Chandni Chowk revamp ‘scam'
New Delhi: Delhi BJP on Sunday welcomed a govt report on the alleged scam in the Chandni Chowk redevelopment plan and demanded the dissolution of Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation, along with a full audit of its 10 years of operations. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to the report, the cost of redeveloping the 1.3km stretch— inaugurated in 2021 by former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal—swelled from an initial estimate of Rs 65.6 crore to Rs 145 crore. The report stated that the initial cost for civil and electrical works, estimated at Rs. 27.8 crore, escalated nearly fourfold to Rs. 105.9 crore. Praveen Shankar Kapoor, Delhi BJP spokesperson and general secretary of Chandni Chowk Nagrik Manch, alleged that for the past 25 years, Delhi's governance had been run by officers on deputation. "These officers have always viewed Chandni Chowk only as a Mughal-era city, never understanding or appreciating its commercial identity. Ignoring reality, they repeatedly proposed plans to develop Chandni Chowk merely as a tourist centre, often persuading CMs to approve impractical schemes," he said in a statement. After assuming office in 2015, AAP govt began formulating development and beautification projects for Chandni Chowk without consulting its residents or traders, Kapoor claimed. In 2018–19, despite opposition from local trade bodies and Chandni Chowk Nagrik Manch, the local MLA pushed through the redevelopment project prepared by bureaucrats and had it implemented by the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation, he said. Hitting back, AAP said: "The people of Delhi know very well that for the last 10 years, vigilance and ACB were under BJP's LG, and it was LG's duty to ensure that corrupt officers were punished. It was BJP's LG who was appointing officers to various positions. Opening enquiries into old cases only shows their incompetence."
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Language lessons: on Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, State Education Policy
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are planning to implement a two-language formula for school education, as opposed to the push for a three-language policy in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Both States are inclined towards primacy for local languages, Tamil and Kannada, respectively, and then English in school education. Tamil Nadu has already unveiled its State Education Policy (SEP) while a commission has submitted its recommendations for Karnataka's SEP. Tamil Nadu has merely reiterated its existing two-language policy, but Karnataka is set to discontinue its three-language policy. The commission has proposed that Kannada or the child's mother tongue should be the medium of instruction up to Class 5, and preferably till Class 12. Kannada or whatever is the mother tongue and English will be the two compulsory languages. If implemented, this will replace the model that includes Hindi as a third compulsory language. Other recommendations include moving away from NCERT textbooks and developing a Karnataka-specific curriculum and bilingual teaching methods. The Tamil Nadu SEP, which was announced by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin recently, makes Tamil compulsory up to Class 10 across all boards. The NEP proposes a third language which should be Hindi or another Indian language, seen as an attempt to impose Hindi. The Tamil Nadu SEP also commits to promote critical thinking, digital literacy, climate education, and social justice. Apart from a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) approach, the State also wants to offer special support for tribal students, first-generation learners, and students with disabilities. The government has pledged more support for public education. In fact, uniform high quality public education should be the biggest priority of school education policy for all States and the Centre. The Centre's ill-advised focus on language turns unproductive and controversial even though it does not insist on promoting Hindi on paper. The three-language policy is also in disregard for the demand for English language learning, and as a medium of instruction across States, including in the Hindi-speaking regions, and Gujarat and Maharashtra. Education policies have been a major driver of the development outcomes in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and any attempt to forcibly alter them by central policies would do no good to anyone. Tamil Nadu is fighting for the release of ₹2,152 crore in education funds from the Centre that is rightfully its. There is no harm in learning Hindi or any other language, but when perceived as a political project of domination, its promotion causes resistance. The Centre must give up its language obduracy and focus on several critical challenges in school education. It must work with State governments to tackle them.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Signing off on an entrenched symbol of stigma
In rural Tamil Nadu, the word 'colony' has become a symbol of social stigma and of being associated with a 'lower caste neighbourhood'. It has continued to be a social marker of 'untouchability'. Therefore the announcement by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in the Legislative Assembly, on April 29, 2025, that all the village names ending with 'colony' and others containing denigrating caste references such as 'Pallappatti', 'Paraiyappatti', 'Naavidhan Kulam', 'Paraiyan Kulam', 'Sakkilippatti' would be removed from State records, and that such villages would be renamed is significant. We can reasonably hypothesise that the practice of segregating the toiling masses into isolated settlements away from the quarters of higher castes based on the varnashrama system began sometime around 12th century CE. We began to see literary references supporting this from the 12th century onwards. The impact in rural Tamil Nadu Over the centuries, names have cropped up with the intent of conveying in a derogatory manner the lower caste nature of such localities. Names such as Cheri Street, Paraya Street, Palla Street, Scavenger Street, Harijan Colony, Adi Dravidar Colony, Old Colony, New Colony, and Ambedkar Colony evolved. Some argue that 'colony' is after all an 'innocuous' word, without any 'caste' connotation. Hence, dropping the word 'colony' from the names of localities is pointless. They cite examples from urban areas such as Railway Colony and Jayendrar Colony which are secular sites that are home to people from all castes and creeds. But the reality in rural Tamil is quite different, where the word 'colony' has a totally different import. 'Colony' is exclusively used to refer to areas inhabited by lower castes. Beginning with the Portuguese in the 15th century, followed by the Spanish, the Dutch, the British, the French and the others, all of them set up colonies the world over including the Indian subcontinent. The European colonists also started using the word 'colony' to refer to the 'colonial quarters' where they lived within their 'colonised territories'. Primarily, those were 'European Colonies' or 'White Settlements'. Over the centuries, the usage was extended to refer to residential and housing colonies of all kinds with no connection to the 'colonial' enterprise. In what could be one of the most ironic twists of words acquiring strange meanings, the transformation of the word 'colony', from referring to 'elite colonial spaces' to that of 'localities of ostracised, lower caste Indians', is bizarre and difficult to fathom. The word 'colony' has acquired such social stigma and is a convenient tool to 'dog whistle' in rural India. With a person's residential address being an essential component of all kinds of 'official documents' such as the Aadhaar card, ration card, passport, bank passbook, voter id card, and driving licence to name a few, these caste specific settlement names including the ones ending with 'colony' immediately 'reveals' one's identity, triggering spontaneous prejudiced reactions, condescending attitudes and biased decisions from social peers and those in positions of authority. The realisation that they are being victimised merely because of belonging to a historically marginalised caste group has a devastating psychological impact on those who are subjected to such an ordeal. It might be quite impossible for anyone to relate to unless they have undergone this first hand. The marginalisation and the discrimination are not merely historical, but an ongoing reality for a significant part of Indian society. Usage over the centuries Historically, going back a few centuries, the word 'chery' or 'cherry' has come to be used to denote settlements of lower castes in Tamil Nadu. By the 20th century, 'cherry' and 'colony' became synonyms referring to the localities of untouchable castes. However, in ancient Tamil literature, the word 'chery' was quite a common word, referring to any settlement where the general public reside, and with no negative connotation. Tolkappiyam, one of the oldest Tamil compositions available, generally ascribed to the 7th century BCE, mentions 'chery'. Being a grammar book, it outlines rules for a genre of literature called 'Pulan' which can be roughly identified with 'Pallu' literature of the 16th century. A 'Pulan' literature should be composed of words that are spoken among common people which do not need any 'research' or interpretation. Tolkappiyam uses 'chery mozhi' as the 'language of common people'. The 18 ancient literary treatises called 'Patinnemelkanakku' from the last Tamil academy (roughly belonging to the Fifth century BCE) have copious references to the word 'chery'. 'Kurunthokai', the celebrated 'Akam' poetry collection, has six references. All the references use the word 'chery' with the meaning of a place everyone in a village lives. There is no evidence of 'chery' being used in a demeaning way. The 'Aha-nanooru' collection has 15 references to the word 'Chery'. Silappathikaram, written in the Second century CE, refers to the outskirts of Madurai where Kovalan and Kannaki rested along with the Samana monk, 'Kavunthi Adigal', and has 'puranchery', which literally means 'settlement on the outskirts'. The text also mentions that it is the habitation site of 'Brahmins'. Emerging between the Sixth and Ninth centuries CE, the social and political impact of the Bhakti movement was more sharply felt later by the Cholas. Grand temple building accelerated at break-neck pace with their ascent. Some gods got sanctified as 'mainstream' gods, while others became marginalised. The rise of grand temples brought about a sea change in the way social organisation functioned and how institutions of knowledge production and knowledge dissemination operated. 'Periya Puranam' composed by Sekkizhar during the 12th century CE mentions 'theendachery', literally meaning 'Untouchable chery'. Villages and towns were partitioned to designate certain areas as 'untouchable' quarters. The remnants of these restrictions survive to this day even after the various struggles of the 19th and 20th centuries to abolish them. It was during one of these struggles that 'Thanthai Periyar' courted prison in Vaikkom. Vijayanagar rule followed in the 14th century. Under Madurai, Gingee and Thanjavur Nayakkas, the varnashrama dharma was sought to be implemented with extraordinary brutality during the 14th and 17th centuries, further strengthening the social and physical segregation of communities. Rule by a fragmented polity followed leading to Europeans gaining a firm foothold in Tamil Nadu. On the social front, existing schisms only grew deeper. Mahatma Gandhi coined the word 'Harijan' to refer to untouchable castes. It is ironic that the term coined to symbolically 'elevate' their status joined the already rich repertoire of oppressive instruments of humiliation, stigma, exclusion and prejudice. 'Harijan Colony' became a ghettoised reference for Dalit settlements. Iyothee Thass Pandithar urged the adoption of the term 'Adi-Dravidar'. M.C. Rajah of the Justice Party government in the Madras Presidency, passed a resolution in the Madras Legislative Assembly in 1922 to group all untouchable castes under the category of 'Adi-Dravidar' instead of 'Parayar' and 'Panchamar' communities. However, even the term 'Adi-Dravidar' joined the list of dreaded words. In perspective Under British rule, there was a regimented method of classifying and documenting everything in official records, which included even derogatory names of lower caste habitations. Words such as 'cheri' and 'colony' are being used exclusively used to identify Dalit neighbourhoods. Though restricted to rural Tamil Nadu, the government needs to take its administrative move to spearhead positive social change. Places such as 'Velachery' or 'Pondichery' do not signify any degrading reference and are treated as regular place names meant for everyone. Cities will continue to have area names ending with 'Colony' such as 'Saibaba Colony'. However, references to 'colony' and 'chery' in rural areas will be removed. Instead, they will have the names of popular flowers or poets or scientists. The names of political leaders will be strictly avoided. While this is not a welfare scheme announcement, it is a measure taken with a long-term view to encourage positive social change in the endeavour to achieve greater social integration. Only a socially cohesive society can achieve progress and collective prosperity. To that end it is both a 'symbolic' and 'historic' gesture. Imayam is a Tamil novelist, currently serving as the Vice-Chairperson of the Tamil Nadu State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
