Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his two-day visit to Chennai for the India-China informal summit, has sprung several surprises, one after the other. From opting to wear a native veshti to talking in Tamil to cleaning the beach of Kovalam near Chennai, Modi was all praise for Tamil Nadu and efforts by the state government in organising the summit at Mamallapuram.
In a tweet, posted in both English and Tamil, just before leaving Chennai for New Delhi, after a cordial summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Modi thanked the state. Modi wrote, “A special thank you to my sisters and brothers of Tamil Nadu. As always their warmth and hospitality was outstanding, It’s always a delight to be among the people of this dynamic state. I also thank the Government of TN for their efforts in organising the summit at Mamallapuram.”
On Friday, Modi, who landed in Chennai in his customary kurta pyjama, took to wearing traditional Tamil attire. Clad in a cream-colour veshti, half-sleeved shirt and a long angavasthram, Modi walked down through Mamallapuram with Xi, explaining to the Chinese leader facets of Tamil heritage and culture. Modi was seen as being very comfortable in his new attire.
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Recently, on September 30, when he landed in Chennai to take part in the IIT Madras convocation function, Modi had praised Tamil. He recalled his US visit and how he quoted Tamil Poet Kaniyan Poongunranar during his speech there. Modi hailed Tamil cuisine particularly idli, dosa and vada. And on Friday, during his dinner meet with Xi, Modi ensured that south Indian cuisine, particularly the Tamil Nadu dishes, topped the menu.
Incidentally, for Modi, who has been the subject of intense criticism among the people of Tamil Nadu, where the BJP is trying hard to find a foothold, the Tamil attire and tweets in Tamil are looked at as a measure to allay apprehensions that his government is against the language. However, critics say that Modi’s Tamil tweets and attire are an expression of his command and confidence that he has over the state.