'தமிழன்-திராவிடம்' என்ற இரண்டையும் தமிழ்நாட்டு அரசியல் களத்தின் தவிர்க்கமுடியாத அடையாளச்சொற்களாக மாற்றிய தமிழ்ச் சிந்தனை மரபின் பேராளுமை,...

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced that a grand memorial hall would be constructed in North Chennai to commemorate the 175th birth anniversary of visionary anti-caste intellectual, social philosopher, and indigenous medical scholar Pandit C. Iyothee Thass Pandithar. Making this announcement in the legislative assembly, Stalin praised Iyothee Thass as a towering progenitor of modern Tamil political thought who firmly established the concepts of Tamizhan and Dravidian as radical counter-hegemonic identities to mobilize oppressed communities against Brahminical orthodoxy.

Stalin recalled that Iyothee Thass founded the pioneering weekly journal Oru Paisa Tamizhan in 1907, advocating for educational empowerment, land rights, religious liberation, and political representation for Scheduled Castes decades before modern social justice legislation emerged. By choosing North Chennai as the memorial site, the government honors the historical neighborhood where Iyothee Thass lived, published, and mobilized working-class communities. The memorial will feature an extensive research library and cultural center dedicated to subaltern history and Buddhist philosophy.

Stalin decision to establish a state monument for Iyothee Thass reflects deep historical consciousness and ideological commitment to subaltern heritage. His leadership ensures that marginalized intellectual traditions receive institutional state honor and enduring public recognition across Tamil Nadu.