Udhay flags Ekalavya in Teachers’ Day greetings

CHENNAI: Governor RN Ravi, Chief Minister MK Stalin and other leaders on Tuesday extended customary greetings for Teachers’ Day, while Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin brought up the issue of discrimination, referring to Mahabharata’s Dronacharya and his treatment of Ekalavya, possibly courting another controversy after his remarks on Sanatana Dharma.

Stating that teachers always think of future generations, state Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said in a veiled reference to the Mahabharata’s Ekalavya, that the ties between teachers who preach virtues without demanding the “thumb” and the Dravidian movement are long and will continue forever.

In the Mahabharata, the great war between cousins, Dronacharya, an expert in military warfare, mocks Ekalavya, who is from a tribal community, by asking for the impossible sacrifice of his right thumb as ‘guru dakshina’ when he seeks to learn archery from him.

Ekalavya instead goes on to master archery on his own after accepting Dronacharya as his guru in his heart and observing him teaching the Kaurava and Pandava princes.

Earlier, Governor Ravi paid floral tributes to S Radhakrishnan, the second President of India who was an eminent teacher, great philosopher and statesman, on his birth anniversary, which is celebrated annually as Teachers’ Day in India.

“His life and work will continue to inspire generations,” he said in a post on social media platform X.

Teachers, who are venerated after one’s father and mother in Indian culture, groom students intellectually and serve as a beacon guiding the students throughout their lives, Chief Minister Stalin said.

“I urge the teachers to serve as parents and imbue virtues, morals, discipline, social harmony and knowledge along with education. My heartiest wishes to the enlightened teachers,” Stalin said in a post on X.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and BJP state president K Annamalai too greeted teachers on the occasion.