After Dhanush, TN CM Vijay bats for Tamil pride, urges it not to be turned into politics: ‘Not just language, it's love’

Recently, Dhanush had also urged students to find pride in their knowledge of Tamil and the language. In the assembly, CM C Joseph Vijay had similar thoughts.

On Monday, the Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously passed a resolution mandating the rendition of the state song, Tamil Thai Vazhthu, before the commencement of government events. Days after Dhanush urged school students to find Tamil pride, TN CM and actor C Joseph Vijay urged for something similar in the state assembly.

Vijay speaks about Tamil language in assembly

Vijay spoke about the Tamil Thai Vazhthu in the assembly on Monday. (PTI)

On Monday, Vijay spoke about how Tamil isn’t just a language but means much more to Tamilians. “Tamil isn’t just a language. It’s an attitude, a culture, a thought. It’s love, to put it simply. Tamil is not only a language, but also our life and emotions,” he said, stressing that the mother tongue is as pure as one’s mother.

He also added that singing the state song isn’t up for political debate or a threat to the country’s unity. “Singing the Tamil Thai Vazhthu is not against the political system or India's unity,” he said, adding, “On the contrary, it reflects the nation's high principle of unity in diversity. There's no need to make this demand of singing the Tamil Thai Vazhthu first into a political debate.”

Dhanush’s appeal to students about Tamil

Just last week, Dhanush also urged students at a school event in Chennai to prioritise the Tamil language. He recalled how, when he was in school, he was bad in English but fluent in Tamil. But today’s students don’t know how to read or write Tamil, but are very good at English. He called the situation ‘disheartening’.

The actor revealed that when he worked for a French production company, he realised how they viewed the mother tongue versus English. “I did a film, a French production, and the shoots were in Belgium. When they asked me if I knew English, I said, yes, I know, and they were very surprised. Usually, people embarrass you for not knowing English, but they were surprised when I said yes. When I asked why, they responded, you should know your mother tongue well. English is a bonus, right? That is how they perceive language.”

Dhanush told students that not knowing Tamil isn’t something they should be proud of, as it’s ‘shameful’. Dhanush or Vijay aren’t the first Kollywood stars to stress the importance of Tamil pride. Kamal Haasan famously said, “Uyire urave Tamizhe (My life, my kin, my Tamil.),” at a Thug Life event. Other stars have also spoken about it in the past.