Tamil Nadu government plans to observe birth anniversary of Rajendra Chola
The Hindu
Events will be conducted in Gangaikonda Cholapuram
For the first time, the Tamil Nadu government is planning to observe the birth anniversary of the legendary Tamil king Rajendra Chola I on Aadi Thiruvathirai at Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Ariyalur district later this week. An official announcement may be made in the next few days, multiple sources told The Hindu. As per the tentative plans, the Archaeology, Tourism, Art and Culture Departments would organise an exhibition and cultural programmes in Gangaikonda Cholapuram, the capital of the Chola Empire during the reign of the celebrated king. “Though the Tamil Nadu government has been observing the birth anniversary of legendary king Rajaraja Chola on Aippasi Sathayam, the birth anniversary of his son Rajendra Chola I has not been observed,” a source pointed out.Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.