A unique education festival
Every year, July 15 is celebrated as the Kumaraswami Kamarajar birthday. K. Kamaraj, born on July 15, 1903, in Tamil Nadu, was a prominent Indian freedom fighter and politician. Known as the "Kingmaker" for his influential role in Indian politics, he served as the Chief Minister of Madras State (now Tamil Nadu) from 1954 to 1963. Kamaraj's tenure saw significant strides in education and rural development. K. Kamaraj's contributions to education were transformative, particularly in Tamil Nadu. He implemented the Midday Meal Scheme, providing free meals to students, which significantly improved attendance and nutrition among children. Kamaraj's government established numerous schools, particularly in rural areas, ensuring that even the most remote villages had access to education. He also introduced free and compulsory education for children up to 14, paving the way for a more literate and educated population. His efforts laid a strong foundation for Tamil Nadu's high literacy rates and educational achievements.
It is to be noted that the Tamilnadu government has declared Kamarajar's birthday the Education Development Day and has celebrated it in many schools across the state.
On his birthday, a unique festival happened in the area of Virugambakkam, a neighbourhood within Chennai. Tamilnadu Students Parents Welfare Association and Virugambakkam Residential Welfare Association celebrated an education festival that celebrated Kamarajar's birthday and the neighbourhood's achievements over the last year. The residential association, spearheaded by its president, Mr Arumainathan and its members, is known to conduct the festival every year. This year was special since it was performed as an education festival on top of Kamarajar's birthday.
The festival began with Tamil Thai Valzthu and a welcome speech by Mr Zaheer Hussain, secretary of the student parents association. The festival honoured the neighbourhood MLA Mr Prabhakaraja, and he launched the Education book published by the associations. Then, prominent thought leaders in the education space like Mr Pakirisamy, Mr Kumaravelan (Film director), Mr Vizhian, and Ms Priyasakhi spoke about education and its related pain points and some of the solutions that the parents and students could use to solve.
The festival also gave out prizes to those who won the association's poetry competition. Some of the students from the neighbourhood schools were recognized for their extraordinary contributions to music, science, sports and others. They were awarded prizes for different categories. Some of the school principals in the neighbourhood were also recognized and awarded trophies for their extraordinary contributions. The event also had books for sale at a discounted prize and gave out tree plantations for free for everyone who attended the same.
Overall, the festival beautifully showcased the neighbourhood associations' welfare activities and celebrated education on the eve of Kamarajar's birthday.
Some of the events captured are below.
