O Panneerselvam launches Meenakshi temple marriage hall in US

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. O. Panneerselvam has emphasised that faith in God and sincere prayers will elevate man to new heights.

Speaking at a function at Goddess Meenakshi Amman temple at Houston in USA on Friday, where he inaugurated a renovated marriage hall, Mr. Panneerselvam extensively quoted Tamil Nationalist poet Subrahmanya Bharathi extensively to his Tamil and other NRI audience at the temple premises on the virtues of prayer.

Stating that he was visiting the USA on an official tour to help attract more foreign direct investments to Tamil Nadu- he had also addressed a round table meeting in Washington DC on Thursday organised with American-Indian small and medium industries association office-bearers-, Mr. Panneerselvam said the noble objective was to add to Tamil Nadu's growth story with more investments and also ensure good returns to the investors who invest in Tamil Nadu.

Lauding the risks taken, pain undergone and sacrifices made by the Tamil Diaspora and other NRIs from the South who have travelled long from India to make a living in the US, Mr. Panneerselvam appreciated the hard work and resilience of the office-bearers of the Meenakshi temple Devasthanam who have "preserved our traditions in a foreign land."

Stating that Tamil was one of the most ancient languages in the world, Mr. Pannerselvam said it had a rich body of literary works, of which 'Tirukkural' was the 'crowning diamond'. Hence, 'Tirukkural' was being celebrated worldwide as a universal secular scripture, speaking of timeless values that appealed to entire humanity, going beyond caste and religious identities, he added.

Mr. Panneerselvam was at the function conferred the title, 'Panbin Sigaram' on behalf of the Padmini Ranganathan Trust.