¨
Thiruvalluvar Day was celebrated in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on 16
January.
¨ Every year, it is usually celebrated either
on the 15th or 16th of January.
¨ It is observed in honour of the poet
Thiruvalluvar, as part of the Pongal celebrations.
¨ It was first celebrated in 1935 at Chennai
Pachaiappan College.
¨ Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi have extended their greetings to the citizens on the
occasion of Thiruvalluvar Day.
¨
The Vice President said that Thiruvalluvar taught that love is the
foundation of life, that kindness and compassion should guide our actions, and
that caring for all living beings is the greatest virtue.
Thiruvalluvar
¨
He was a renowned poet and philosopher.
¨ He authored Tirukkural, a collection of
couplets on ethics, political and economic matters, and love.
¨ Thirukkural contains 1330 couplets (kurals)
that is divided into 133 sections of 10 couplets each.
¨
A temple memorial Valluvar Kotam was built in Chennai in 1976 in the
honour of Thiruvalluvar. It is one of the largest auditoriums in Asia.