A day after Bharathiraja and Seeman came out in support of Vairamuthu over his comments on Aandal, the poet himself released a video statement.
He started his message by saying that he is heartbroken and asked, “Is it my mistake that I chose to sing praises of Aandaal?” He went on to explain that he wanted to highlight the works of the path-breakers of Tamil language and bring them to the Internet generation. Aandaal’s verses are powerful and she was the first voice of women empowerment in Tamil culture, he said. “She stood out in the patriarchal, religious and landowning world that she had inhabited.”
He called Aandaal “his mother” and said he was merely quoting a research work and that was not his opinion.
Watch the full video here:
ஆண்டாள் – என் உணர்ச்சியும் உண்மையும்https://t.co/y6ixnaQIEk
— வைரமுத்து (@vairamuthu) January 20, 2018
Meanwhile, the Madras High Court stayed the criminal proceedings against Vairamuthu, following a petition filed by the poet to quash the cases against him.
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Recently, Bharathiraja slammed the poet’s critics and Seeman, while defending Vairamuthu, had lashed out at Rajinikanth. “Vairamuthu’s songs made you (Rajini) what you are with lines like ‘Ennai vaazha vaithathu Tamizh paal‘. He made you a hero. So when he has a problem, you need to stand with him. Vairamuthu considers Rajini his friend, but we now know Rajini doesn’t feel the same way,” he said. A police complaint has been filed against Bharathiraja.
Vairamuthu, in a recent speech, had said that 7th Century saint poet Andal was part of the Devadasi community who lived and died at the Srirangam temple in Tiruchirappalli. He had quoted from the book Indian Movements: Some Aspects of Dissent Protest and Reform. His comments, however, sparked a huge controversy.