An octogenarian Catholic priest says an award he received from the Tamil Nadu government is the recognition of what Christians have contributed to the growth of Tamil language in the past five centuries.
“I am glad the Christian contribution to Tamil language is being recognized. The larger society has not recognized pro-perly the contribution of Christians in various fields in Tamil Nadu,” Father D Amudhan, the recipient of the 2022 George Uglow Pope (G.U. Pope) Award, told Matters India Feb. 24.
The Tamil Nadu’s Department of Tamil Development awarded Father Amudhan, a well-known academic from Tanjore diocese, at a function on February 22 at the Raja Rathnam Auditorium in Adayar, Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu.
Father Amudhan is the first Catholic priest and the second Christian to receive this award, named after a 19th century British Anglican missionary who had served in Tamil Nadu for 40 years.
The priest, who would turn 81 on April 18, was among 25 people who received the award for their contributions to Tamil language and literature from M P Swaminathan, minister for Tamil Development and Tourism.

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