Library constructed in memory of Thiru Vi Ka near Porur remains closed

The newly constructed library in memory of Thiru Vi Ka at Thundalam villlage. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Residents of Thundalam village near Porur, along with hundreds of Tamil enthusiasts are disappointed that a library constructed at a cost of ₹1-crore in memory of Tamil scholar and labour leader Thiruvarur Virudhachala Kalyanasundaranar better known as Thiru Vi Ka, in the village has not been inaugurated on the occasion of his 143rd birth anniversary which fell on Wednesday. The State government celebrated the birth anniversary by paying floral tributes at the Secretariat. According to R.K. Ravichandran, who is a resident of the Baraniputtur village located near Iyyapanthangal, Thiru Vi Ka, famously called ‘Tamil Thendral’ and in whose memory a bridge and park have been named in the city, was a prominent Tamil scholar and trade union leader. He has the pride of place for starting the first trade union in B and C mills in the city, which was shut down due to labour struggle, he recalled. The memorial library in Thundalam village was constructed by the previous DMK government based on a writ petition filed by Mr. Ravichandran as Sectetary of Iyyapanthangal - Baraniputtur Human Rights and Consumer Rights Protection Association, in the Madras High Court in 2014. Residents and Tamil activists had been requesting for demolition and construction of a new library, replacing the dilapidated library building which was functioning in the same place in memory of the Tamil scholar. The residents of the village want the State government to inaugurate the memorial library at the earliest. Published - August 27, 2026 12:52 am IST