A book launch event featuring Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi was cancelled after opposition, but it was rebranded. Here’s what he said about temples, castes and Tamil Nadu.
Published May 22, 2025 | 11:34 PM ⚊ Updated May 22, 2025 | 11:35 PM
Responding to public sentiment, Governor Ravi visited the temple at 3.30 pm, where he was received with traditional honours and performed darshan.
Synopsis: A book launch event featuring Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, linked to the Sri Sornamoorthiswarar Temple in Sivaganga district, was cancelled and rebranded as a communal harmony gathering following local opposition. Responding to public sentiment, the Governor visited the temple at 3.30 pm, performed darshan, and was received with traditional honours. He later addressed the public at the new event held at the same venue.
A book launch event that was originally supposed to feature Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi as the chief guest, scheduled for Thursday, 22 May at a private wedding hall near Devakottai in Sivaganga district, was cancelled following public opposition and rebranded as an event for communal harmony.
The event was planned in connection with the Sri Sornamoorthiswarar Temple in Kandadevi village.
The temple’s annual chariot festival, held during the Tamil month of Aani on the day of the Kettai star, had been suspended for several years due to internal disputes among organising factions.
Following a court directive, the festival resumed in recent years with the cooperation of four nattars (clan councils) representing 192 villages.
A new chariot was built last year, and the festival was conducted peacefully with broad participation. A book on the newly-built chariot was scheduled for release by Governor Ravi.
However, on Tuesday, representatives from the four nattars and local residents submitted a petition to the Sub-Collector’s office, and again on Wednesday to the Devakottai Deputy Superintendent of Police, requesting that the Governor limit his visit to a darshan and refrain from participating in the book launch.
They expressed concerns over the book’s contents, which they viewed as controversial.
Soon after, posters condemning the event appeared across Devakottai Taluk.
Responding to public sentiment, Governor Ravi visited the temple at 3.30 pm, where he was received with traditional honours and performed darshan.
Following this, the planned book launch event was officially cancelled. The venue was instead used to host a rebranded event on communal harmony, during which the Governor delivered a speech.
During his address, Governor Ravi spoke about his observations on Tamil Nadu’s unique social fabric and caste dynamics, and suggested that successive governments in the state post-Independence may have “unintentionally” perpetuated the caste divide that was initially propagated by the British.
“Based on my experience, I wish to say one thing: Nowhere else in the country have I seen as many castes, sub-castes, and sub-sub-castes as I have seen in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
“What astonishes me is that even 75 years after Independence, we are only now seeing a resolution to such divisions. That this persisted for so long is surprising. Successive rulers, even post-Independence, seem to have continued the British-introduced policy of ‘divide and rule,’ perhaps unconsciously.”
He continued:
“I’m happy to be here for many reasons. This is sacred land – where Lord Rama realised where Sita had been taken, where Lord Shiva resides, and near where Vibhishana surrendered to Rama. Rameswaram is nearby, where Rama worshipped Shiva. This entire region is steeped in spiritual heritage.”
“This chariot festival is not just a ritual. It is a symbol of social harmony. Communities that once refused to work together are now united in pulling this chariot. That is sacred and historic.”
He further asserted that the caste divisions were colonial legacies.
“Some say this conflict dates back to the time of Mahatma Gandhi – even 400 years, by some accounts. It’s a legacy of colonial division. The British sowed discord among communities deliberately,” he said.
“The Kallar and Devendrakula Velalar communities have lived here for generations, contributing to the land and the temple. The disputes are not native – they are outcomes of British colonial policies.”
He continued:
“Why did the British do this? Before 1857, India was ruled not by a government but by the East India Company (EIC). They had already colonised lands like America and Canada. There, they wiped out Indigenous populations with disease. In India, such tactics wouldn’t work – not due to lack of intent, but because of our interconnected social fabric.”
“When Bakhtiyar Khilji destroyed temples in the North, word spread to the South. The Pandya king Parakrama Pandya responded, bringing a Shiva lingam from the North and consecrating it in Tenkasi. This shows how deeply connected our society was.”
The Governor then spoke about Tamil Nadu’s contributions to the national freedom struggle.
“Even during the freedom movement, Tamil Nadu played a vital role – from Chidambaram Pillai protesting the partition of Bengal to the people who joined Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s INA [Indian National Army] after Jallianwala Bagh,” he said.
“India was not like other colonies – we were united in spirit. And that frightened the British. They asked: what binds Indians together? The answer was temples.”
He continued:
“Temples weren’t just spiritual spaces – they were economic, social, and agricultural hubs. The British targeted temples with land taxes to weaken them, and with that, community bonds. Caste divisions were also intensified.”
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
