Minister greets North Indians in Hindi

HR&CE Minister P. K. Sekarbabu extended Deepavali greetings in Hindi to a gathering of more than 800 north-Indian families in his Harbour Assembly constituency, signalling a deliberate outreach to the Hindi-speaking migrant community in the city.

- HD Bureau

The event, held on Sunday at the Raja Annamalai Mandram in George Town and organised by the Chennai East unit of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, saw Sekarbabu address the crowd with “N-amaskar, Aajaao Aajaao” and distribute gifts to the assembly of families.

By choosing to speak in Hindi and highlight the contribution of north-Indian residents to Chennai’s economy — referring to Sowcarpet as “undoubtedly the Manchester of Tamil Nadu” — Sekarbabu positioned the gesture as part of the Dravidian model of inclusive governance. He stated, “Even if our languages and cultures differ, we are all children of the same mother,’ affirming the ethos of integration.