JUST SPAMMING | Politics, A Modern Day Intrigue

Two contrasting vignettes from Pannaiyur on the East Coast Road on Friday showcased the inherent intrigue that dominates modern politics and fuels its imaginations. In a society that traditionally abhorred politics per se and looked down upon politicians with contempt – children are advised never to evince any interest in that crap called politics and keep off it - spawning a generation of so called apolitical individuals, those visuals from Panniyur presented a paradox. The images, one of the chaos in a residential area and the other of a public outcry, were just two sides of the same coin or two dimensions of the same episode revolving around one of the State’s most talked about person now: Tamil actor Vijay, who is president of the nascent Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam.

Vijay, who has come out of the bounds of the cinema pages of newspapers in the last two years, is now making a flutter in the general pages, particularly the columns dedicated to politics. But on Friday, he was the centre of attraction as his fledgling party’s maiden bid to barge into the humdrum of electoral politics began with a sideshow of public resentment. The outpouring of anger was not from his political rivals, who, as some believe and would like others to believe, are spending sleepless nights over Vijay’s ascendency in the political popularity charts, but his neighbours who are common people representing the modern class of apolitical individuals.

If the people of Pannaiyiur, residing in comfortable environs, made news by coming out to the streets in disgust because the tranquility of their neighborhood was disturbed by the chaos that descended on their roads, leading to traffic blockades and diversions, and too many outsiders invading their privacy, so did those who caused the havoc itself, triggered by a sudden surge of political aspiration gushing through their veins though some may allege that the youth batting for Vijay are too young to even vote or contest elections. Before launching his political party in 2024 without abandoning his cinema career of over four decades, Vijay gave many of his burgeoning supporters, fans and acolytes a dream, a big one at that, with a promise to take the plunge into politics.

So his fans took a fascination to politics – how long will they keep dwelling in their juvenile fantasy by watching the daredevilry of their hero, fighting and triumphing over evil and punishing wrong-doers using his muscle power, firearms and deft strategy on celluloid – that would help them change the world for real. So even if they all did not switch over to the cumbersome dhoti and sari with a specific border, they started wearing the symbolic shawl, quintessential to the political class. In the process they also changed the perception of politics among the film crazy younger generation. The typical image of politics as the hotbed of self-serving, archaic, ideology oriented (whatever that is), corrupt and sleazy individuals changed because the fans of Vijay took to it like fish to water.

Without raising the question if the young men and women by donning the red and yellow shawl on their shoulders became politically conscious or turned socially aware or adopted political ideologies or committed themselves for the development of society, let’s examine the trend of politicizing the youth. Social media might try to expose the political hollowness of the TVK acolytes, who throng in thousands at their events, by asking a young women what she found great in their leader that made her follow him politically and she replying, without batting an eyelid, that it was his dancing skills. If the reply made one wonder whether the woman with the red and yellow shawl had come dressed for a political event or a carnival, the behavior of young men, individually and collectively, in such events have been worse.

So, when they were asked to visit their headquarters for buying forms to apply for party nominations in all the constituencies it was only natural that the TVK ticket aspirants choked the quiet locality with their overwhelming presence and irresponsible behavior, earning the ire of the local residents. Though they were supposed to be standing in a queue to just pay Rs 100 across a counter, collect a form and buzz off, what unfolded on the streets of Pannaiyur was a surging sea of humanity forcing the residents to come out to vent their anger. Though TVK honchos acted quickly and averted a future showdown by urging ticket-seekers to avoid making the trip to Pannaiyur but downloading the form, the public wrath was an indication of the party being filled with greenhorns.

Every political party lures crowds for its events and shows. When something big happens in the DMK, arterial Anna Salai would be choked and when the AIADMK organizes something or the other there would be traffic diversions in and around Lloyds Road but they would be drawing the typical political crowd in the trademark attire of dhoti and white shirt. Now the gathering is of a different kind, a bunch of carefree youth with an aura of invincibility and irresponsibility. They are only wannabe politicians who have not been disciplined or trained in political etiquette. They come from a social culture that had taught them to hate politicians and everything related to politics and admire movie stars and associated paraphernalia. They hope to have come to change the old order and hence the chaos.