Floral tributes, flagging off Run for Unity and other events marked the observance of the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Tamilnadu today.
Governor Banwarilal Purohit led the State in paying rich tributes to the ‘Iron Man’ of India, when he paid floral tributes to a decorated portrait of the of the leader at a function held at the Raj Bhavan.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman flagged off the Run For Unity event at Island Grounds in the city on the occasion of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas to commemorate Patels’ birth anniversary.
State Minister D Jayakumar and S P Velumani and other officials,besides school students participated in the run, braving intermittent showers.
Southern Railway also celebrated the occasion with its General Manager R K Kulshrestha flagging off the Run for Unity at Sivananda Salai in the city.
About 400 people from Southern Railway took part in the run that covered the stretch from the entrance of Doordarshan Kendra to MLA Hostel, Rajaji Hall, Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital at Omandurar Government Estate an back to Doordarshan Kendra.
Earlier, the General Manager administered the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas pledge to the Officers, staff, prominent sportspersons of Southern Railway and the students of Railway School.
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas was observed on this day every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.
Similar runs for unity were also conducted at all the divisions of Southern Railway at Salem, Tiruchi, Madurai, Palakkad and Trivandrum.
Leaders of various parties also paid floral tributes to the portrait of Sardar Patel across the State.
STATEKU OPPI UNITY
The name board installed in front Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s ‘Statue of Unity’ at Kevadiya has its name in Tamil wrong. It says, ‘Stateku Oppi Unity,’ in Tamil while the actual translation should be ‘Ottrumaiin Silai’.
While there are 22 official languages in India, the name board has translation only for five of them. Also, in many, the English words, ‘Statue of Unity’, has been transliterated without actually translating. Of the 10 names, five aren’t related to India.