Actor-politician Vijay urges youngsters to refrain from drugs, learn fact-checking news

Actor and the leader of Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Vijay, on Friday, hosted a special meet-and-greet to honour students who topped in the recently-held 10th and 12th-grade examinations

Actor and the leader of Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Vijay, on Friday, hosted a special meet-and-greet to honour students who topped in the recently-held 10th and 12th-grade examinations. The event was held at the Ramachandra Convention Center in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai.

Speaking at the event, Vijay congratulated the students and advised them to be mindful of the career path they are about to choose. “Some of you might be a bit anxious or confused in making decisions about your career. To all of them, I would like to say that all vocations are good; all that matters to be successful is choosing a field of work and giving your 100% to it. So, choose wisely; understand the options available, and talk to your parents, teachers and career counsellors to help you make the decision,” said Vijay.

The Greatest of All Time-star also urged students to become leaders in their respective fields. “Many consider only medicine or engineering as viable professional fields; in Tamil Nadu, we already have world-class doctors, engineers and lawyers in abundance. What we are currently lacking is good leaders. By that, I don’t just mean political leaders, but also those who can climb the ladder and become a leader in their respective fields,” he said, while urging students to dream of a future in which politics can become a viable career option for the educated youth. “Don’t you all want to see good, educated people in politics?”

As a major highlight of his speech, Vijay asked the students to get trained in a skill that can help them get indirectly involved in politics — fact-checking news. “All you need to do is read newspapers regularly, and you will realise how the same news story gets reported in different ways in different newspapers. Reporting on facts is different from reporting an opinion. At the same time, you can also see how news portals on social media can create an opinion about somebody, and how they can project a good as a bad or a bad as a good,” said Vijay. He added that such a skill will help the youth understand the underlying issues that plague our society. “You will stop believing in the propaganda and lies that some political parties spread in their campaigns. And only when you do that, you will get the right worldview to choose the leaders. There’s no better contribution to our nation’s growth than this.”

While advising students not to let negative influences from their friends lead them astray, Vijay strongly urged youngsters to refrain from using drugs or other vices and indulging in unethical activities. This comes just a week after the TVK president visited the victims of the Kallakuruchi hooch tragedy.

“Don’t lose your identity at any cost. Of late in Tamil Nadu, there’s been a big spike in the use of drugs among youngsters. As a father and as a leader of a political party, I am scared of this situation. I am not here to accuse the ruling government of being unable to protect youngsters from drug abuse. I am saying that sometimes we need to take care of our lives first. Develop self-control and self-discipline. Say no to temporary pleasures, say no to drugs.”

Further, Vijay ended his speech by urging those who couldn’t clear the examinations not to be deterred. “Success is never-ending. Failure is never final.”