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Tamil Nadu (India)

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Tamil Nadu National Flag

The following was posted on a Tamil Nadu nationalist site:

There is no "official national flag" for the nation of Tamil Nadu. A Tamil Nadu National Flag was raised in the city of Coimbatore (Kovai) on January 25, 1968. Tamil Nadu students held Anti-Hindi Imposition Marches (Rallies) throughout Tamil Nadu on that day. In Coimbatore City, after marching through the main streets the students gathered at the Va Voo Chithamparanar Park (VOC Park) at the center of the city. The convener of this Anti-Hindi Imposition March in Coimbatore said, addressing the huge gathering, that independence for Tamil Nadu is the only way to end Hindi-imposition on Tamil Nadu. Amidst thunderous applause, he raised a Tamil Nadu National Flag. He saluted the flag and everyone stood in attention. It was a rather simple flag with a map of Tamil Nadu drawn on a rectangular white flag.

The flag fluttered in the wind until the meeting ended and students left the park. Throughout the march and the meeting large numbers of Tamil Nadu police were present. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was in power in Tamil Nadu State at that time. DMK swept the elections and came to power in 1967 because the people "punished" the previous ruling party (the Congress Party) for Hindi imposition and the brutal manner it put down the 1965 Tamil Nadu Students Anti-Hindi Agitation. (Some 500 unarmed Tamil people were killed and thousands wounded by Indian security forces.) The DMK Government under Chief Minister C. N. Annadurai ordered the police not to interfere in the anti-Hindi imposition protests of 1968 but to keep a watchful eye. So police did not interfere in the hoisting of the Tamil Nadu National Flag. Once the students left the park, police brought down the flag and took it with them. My research was unable to find the name of the student who raised the national flag. I have heard that he was from the Coimbatore Agriculture College. This college has now evolved into Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU).

The Tamil Nadu National Flag was raised next in 2000. "Tamil Nadu Viduthalai Padai" (Tamil Nadu Liberation Army, TNLA), "Tamil Nadu Meetchi Padai" (Tamil Nadu Retrieval Troops, TNRT) and Veerappan who had joined them only recently hoisted a Tamil Nadu National Flag at their base in the Sathyamangalam forests. A photo of that flag was published in some magazines. The flag had the emblems of the three royal dynasties of old Tamil Nadu. The three emblems are bow, tiger and fish, representing the Chera, Chola and Pandya dynasties, respectively.

For the time being we may use one of these flags. The final flag need to be decided by the Constituent Assembly of Tamil Nadu (Constitutional Assembly of Tamil Nadu) after Tamil Nadu is liberated from Indian rule. Let us work for that day to come soon!

"Knut A. Berg ", 20 October 2004

Chennai (Madras)

On the front page of the Corporation of Chennai, in State of Tamilnadu, India, I saw a flag (?) showing the municipal coat of arms.
Valentin Poposki, 8 September 2005

And a blue(?) flag can be seen flying on Chennai corporation at http://www.chennaicorporation.com/images/pic-1.jpg. Chennai is former Madras, capital city of Tamil Nadu.
Olivier Touzeau, 8 September 2005

Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam party

(National Progressive Dravida Party)

located by Knut Berg

From an article in Asian Age:
Massive turnout in Madurai - By Our Special Correspondent, Madurai, Sept. 14

It was the biggest launch show ever witnessed in Tamil Nadu politics. Colourful, enthusiastic and chaotic. It was perhaps the ideal setting for Vijayakanth to launch his Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam [National Progressive Dravida Party] here on Wednesday. As lakhs of his fans spilled out of the massive pandal on the outskirts of this temple town, "Captain" Vijayakanth announced his political arrival amid thundering cheers and promised to cleanse Tamil politics so that the people's needs were taken care of, particularly that of the underprivileged. Explaining the choice of his party's name, which he said took him much time and deliberation with wife Premalatha and some close friends and finally dawned upon him through the blessings of Goddess Meenakshi of Madurai, the star-politician said Desiya (national) was to show that Tamil Nadu was part of the nation and his Dravida Kazhagam (Dravida party) would have Murpokku (progressive) programmes and policies.

See flag at http://www.indiavarta.com/gallery/images/2005/sep/14a/vi6.jpg: red over black with yellow circle with a hand and torch in black outline.

Source: http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=5&cat2=181&newsid=180629&RF=DefaultMain

Knut A. Berg, 15 Septmber 2005