While felicitating the top three rank holders of Class 10 and 12 board exams at a Chennai event, actor Vijay advised students to read extensively about leaders such as Dr BR Ambedkar, Periyar, and Kamaraj.
“Till the extent possible, read about everything, read about leaders like Ambedkar, Periyar, Kamaraj. Take what’s good and leave the rest,” said one of the finest young actors of the country.
“To your friends who may have failed in exams, talk to them and give them support and courage. There will always be a group that will discourage you from doing things you want. But listen to the voice inside you,” he said.
“My dream was cinema and my journey was on that path. The reason for this event is a recent dialogue that I came across. It said: Everything else can be stolen from you, but not your education! Those lines moved me. It’s the reality. I have been wanting to do something in the field of education for a long time. This is the time for that, I believe,” Vijay said.
He went on to say: “You are the future voters. You are the ones who will select the next good leaders. Today people vote after getting money. Say, Rs 1,000 is given for a vote. If there are around 1.5 lakh voters in a constituency, that’s around 15 lakh rupees.”
“If someone has to spend 15 lakhs, imagine how much that person would have earned earlier. Just think about these things. I wish such things were taught in our education system,” Vijay added.
