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Journalism of Courage
Amid reports of his political entry, Tamil superstar Vijay addressed a massive gathering of school students at the Thalapathy Vijay Education Award Ceremony in Chennai Saturday. The event was organised to honour the highest-scoring students in Grades 10 and 12 state public examinations and is being seen as a prelude to a much bigger gathering that the actor has reportedly planned for college students in the coming months.
His address stressed on the importance of critical thinking and education. While he remained silent on his own political plans, he called the audience members young voters and spoke to them of ethical voting practices.
During his speech, Vijay spoke candidly of his own academic journey, saying he was not a bright student like those in the auditorium. He also spoke of the importance of “lifelong learning” beyond “rigid academic system and textbooks”.
“I used to be one who wouldn’t prefer to read but loved to listen to people who had read books. It has changed now and I am enjoying that process,” he said.
Saying that “real education should not be limited to text books”, Vijay advised students to “learn as much as they can from all sources”. Appealing to students to read about everything, including our leaders, Vijay said they should read about leaders such as (Bhimrao) Ambedkar, Periyar, and (K) Kamaraj. “Take the good, and leave the rest. I think this is the message I have for you to take home for you,” he said.
Vijay also called the audience, which comprised school students and their parents, the “voters of tomorrow”. He went on to speak of “the responsibility of the young voters towards the nation” and the widespread practice of “cash for votes.”
Talking about cash distribution during elections, Vijay said, “Rs 1,000 per vote means that if there are about 1.5 lakh voters in a constituency, a candidate is paying Rs 15 crore to buy votes. How much money would he have earned to bribe Rs 15 crore to voters then?” Vijay said.
He then urged the students to speak against the practice.
“Every student of Tamil Nadu should go to their parents and tell them, ‘Appa, Amma, do not ever cast your votes for the money you get bribed by politicians.’ Just try, I say… I strongly believe that it will work if you try to do it. In fact, your education gains a purpose only when you can do such things,” Vijay said.
He then proceeded to talk of social media and fake news.
“We used to say that your friends reflect your character. Now it is like the social media page you follow reflects your character,” said Vijay. “There’s a section of people on social media with an agenda – to steal our attention with click bait, the majority of them are fake news too,” he said.
After years of teasing around with the idea of joining politics, Vijay may finally be taking the plunge. Sources close to the actor told The Indian Express that he was looking to launch his party following the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and may contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls.
