Gudiyatham is lagging in education and economics, says VIT Chancellor

VIT Chancellor G. Viswanathan expressed concerns over Gudiyatham lagging educational and economic progress at the 'Family Reunion Diamond Celebration' held at Nallur Pettai High School in Vellore district. 
The event marked a 70-year reunion of students from the 1954-1955 batch, with former students and families of past teachers coming together to share memories.
During his speech, Viswanathan highlighted that out of 80 students in his batch, only eight pursued higher education. 
He reminisced about the days when rivers like Palar and Gaundanya Mahanadi had a continuous water supply and acknowledged Gudiyatham’s historical significance, including its role in presenting the first national flag and supporting Kamaraj’s governance. 
However, he lamented that the region still struggles in education and economic growth. 
He urged both central and state governments to allocate more funds to education and emphasised the need to increase female enrollment in higher education, noting that only one-third of VIT's 1 lakh students are women.
Communist Party of India National General Secretary D Raja, the special guest, praised Viswanathan’s contributions to Tamil Nadu’s educational landscape and echoed the call for promoting female education. 
Other notable speakers included retired IAS officer V Selva Raj and Republican Party of India leader SK Tamilarasan, who delivered felicitation speeches. 
The event honored the families of former teachers, and poet V Pathumanar announced that the celebration would be recorded in the Limca Book of Records.
Several dignitaries attended the event, including former Vice-Chancellor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University Vedagiri Shanmugasundaram, Gudiyatham MLA Amulu Vijayan, Municipal Council Chairman Soundar Rajan, and representatives from various educational and cultural organisations.