CM Pays Tribute to Social Reformer Iyothee Thass Pandithar on His 181st Birth Anniversary

PRESS RELEASE On the occasion of the 181st birth anniversary of Dravidian scholar Pandithar Iyothee Thass, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru C. Joseph Vijay garlanded his statue and paid tribute. On the occasion of the 181st birth anniversary of Dravidian scholar Pandithar Iyothee Thass, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru C. Joseph Vijay this morning (20.05.2026) garlanded his statue in Chennai and paid tribute. Pandithar Iyothee Thass was born on 20th May 1845 in Chennai. A learned Tamil scholar, Siddha physician, writer, researcher and social reformer, he started the journal "Dravida Pandian" in 1885, and the journal "Tamilan" in June 1907. Having embraced Buddhism in 1892, Iyothee Thass consistently advocated for equal rights for all people irrespective of caste, and for men and women to live with equal rights. The birth anniversary of Dravidian scholar Pandithar Iyothee Thass is observed every year with due honour by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The event was attended by Hon'ble Minister for Rural Development and Water Resources Thiru N. Anand, Hon'ble Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Thiru Aadhav Arjuna, Hon'ble Minister for Finance Thiru K.A. Sengottaiyan, Hon'ble Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Thiru Venkataramanan, Hon'ble Minister for School Education, Tamil Development and Information Thiru Raj Mohan, Hon'ble Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Thiru T.K. Prabhu, Tamil Development and Information Department Secretary Thiru Ve. Rajaraman, IAS, Director of Information and Public Relations Thiru A. Aruna Prathaparaj, IAS, and other senior government officials. Issued by: Director, Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9 [Note: Large portions of the source OCR text for this press release were severely corrupted; the above reflects only the facts that could be confidently reconstructed from legible fragments.]