Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul today unveiled here the plaque of a statue of Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar for installation in Haridwar.
The programme was held at the Raj Bhawan here on the first day of Tamil new year.
The statue is being installed on the efforts of BJP Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijaywho has contributed Rs 20 lakh from his local area development fund, an official release said.
Unveiling the plaque, the governor said teachings of saints like Thiruvalluvar have shown people the way for hundreds of years.
"Though India is home to diverse cultures, all of them have the same basic ethical system," he said, adding installation of saint Thiruvalluvar's statue in the ancient city of Haridwar was in way a celebration of India's diverse cultural heritage.
He also stressed the need for translating the ancient texts of Hindi, Tamil and other Indian languages to help national integration.
Vijay said Tamil language and writers were being promoted in north India and stressed the need for making people more aware of the works of Thiruvalluvar and other great Tamil writers.
