Chennai: Tamil language is like a limitless ocean, said Governor Banwarilal Purohit, speaking at the International Mother Language Day and Indian Cultural Festival celebration organised by Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, today.Pointing out the importance of speaking in one’s mother tongue, Purohit quoted Nelson Mandela – If you talk to a man in a language he understands, it goes to his head. But if you speak in his mother tongue, it goes to his heart.
The Governor also praised Tamil literary works like Thirukkural, Pathupattu and Kamba Ramayanam. He said Thirukkural offers nuggets of wisdom that hold value even in the present time. 
VIT founder-Chancellor G Viswanathan said the government should implement a three-language formula in the country with State language or mother tongue taught along with English and Hindi.
He said, “The people in north Indian Hindi-speaking States should learn a modern Indian language, preferably a south Indian language. But none of them teach south Indian languages and only learn Sanskrit or French as a third language.”
Viswanathan also reflected on the fact that only 3 per cent of the last interim budget was allotted for the Ministry of Human Resource Development for education in the country. He said, “More money should be allocated for education so that middle-class and poor people have more access to education.”The International Mother Language Day and Indian Cultural Festival was organised by VIT in association with Desiya Chinthanai Kazhagam. President of the kazhagam, Prof Ma Be Pasupathi, and educationist Va Ve Subramanian were present.