Thiruvalluvar statue to be installed in NY

CHENNAI – A life size statue of Tamil poet and savant Thiruvalluvar who gave the famous couplets Thirukkural will be installed in Tamil Christian Church in Middle Village, Queens, New York in May this year.

The statue is donated by VGP World Tamil Sangam headed by prominent businessman and Chairman of VGP Group of Companies and VGP Golden Beech Resorts in Chennai Dr VG Santosam. So far he has installed 31 statues of Thiruvalluvar in India and across the globe in different countries such as Australia, Malaysia, South Africa, France, Sri Lanka.

Thiruvalluvar was a Tamil poet-saint known as the author of the Tirukkural (Sacred Couplets) - a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economical matters and love, considered a masterpiece of human thought. It is compared in India and abroad to the Holy Bible, John Milton';s Paradise Lost and the works of Plato. Thiruvalluvar is thought to have lived sometime between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century BC in Tamil Nadu.

At a function held in Dr MGR Janaki College of Arts and Science in Chennai on Thursday, the statue was formally handed over to Prakash M Swamy, president of America Tamil Sangam who is assisting the installation of the statue in New York and co-sponsor of the event to be held in May by Dr VG Santosam. He said a similar statue will be unveiled in Toronto in May. They are being shipped to New York and Toronto from Chennai.

The idea of installing Thiruvalluvar statue in New York was conceived when America Tamil Sangam honored Dr Santosam at an event held in Tamil Christian Church in New York, where the statue is to be installed.

Prakash M Swamy, A Aboobucker, Chairman of Haj Association of Government of India, Dr VGP Rajadas, Vijayaraghavan, director of Tamil Nadu Government Tamil Development Department, Dr Apitha Sabapathy, dean of Dr MGR Janaki College of Arts and Science, Karpoora Sundara Pandian, former secretary to MGR and Jayalalitha, Satchidanandam, a prominent Tamil scholar from Sri Lanka and Dr. Moses Michael Faraday, formerly dean of Madras Christian College and representative of Tamil Christian Church in Chennai felicitated Dr Santosam on the occasion.

Photo:
Prakash M Swamy, Aboobucker, Dr Santosam, Dr Rajadas and Vijayaraghavan.