Chennai:
Seeking to highlight the rich heritage of ancient language of Tamil, Tamil Nadu Government on Monday announced a series of measures including setting up of a permanent art gallery in Madurai displaying the various facets of its speakers and its culture.
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has allocated Rs 75 lakh for setting up the gallery in Madurai, which was credited with patronising the language in the ancient 'sangam' period era, an official release said.
She has also ordered setting up a Rs 10 lakh art gallery at the International Institute of Tamil Studies here to explain the morals from the ancient Tamil treatise 'Tirukkural' written by saint-poet Tiruvalluvar, it said.
The gallery would display portraits, documentaries and animated portraits, explaining the meaning of the Tirukkural couplets, it said.
A Tamil Cultural Reception and Information Centre would also be set up at the same premises at the cost of Rs 10 lakh to facilitate those taking tours here to study the culture of the Tamils and to function as a resource centre, it said.
The government would also set up a separate Chair at the International Institute of Tamil Studies to study ancient Tamil text 'Tolkappiyam'at a cost of Rs 50 lakh, it said.
The Chair would organise a national seminar once in six months and an international conference once in a year, it said, adding it would also organise a 10-day refresher course for students once a year.
