Who Is Kaniyan Pungundranar- Tamil Poet Invoked By PM Modi At UNGA Session

Seeking collective efforts to address serious global challenges, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday invoked famous Tamil philosopher and poet Kaniyan Pungundranar's quotes at the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Quoting Pungundranar's 3000-year-old quotes, the prime minister gave a mention about his famous poem - "Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir", which means "We belong to all places, and to everyone". Modi added, this sense of belonging beyond borders, is unique to India.

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Who is Kaniyan Pungundranar?

Kaniyan Poongunranar, also known as Poongundranar, was an influential Tamil philosopher from the Sangam age. Born and brought up at Mahibalanpatti village of Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga district, Poongunranar laid down the principles of his version of natural law, throughout the poem 'Way of Order'.

Poongundranar's "Yathum Oore", which was declared as the theme song of the 10th World Tamil Conference scheduled in Chicago, is now depicted in the United Nations Organisation. In the poem, Poongundrana had rejected the division of mankind into various categories, urging people across the world to be bound by one.

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Poongundranar was extremely influential in the revivalist Self-respect movement. The first sentence of his poem has been adopted as the motto of the World Thamizh Confederation to represent Tamil people.