Renowned Tamil scholar and spiritual orator Kambavarithi Ilangai Jeyaraj issued a pointed and intellectually rigorous rebuke of #MeToo-accused Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu, following the latter’s controversial comments about Lord Ram at a recent event in Mylapore. Vairamuthu, while speaking on poet Kamban’s Tamil epic Kambaramayanam, claimed that Kamban “saved” Lord Ram by depicting him as having was mentally unsound after being separated from Sita, a state Vairamuthu likened to legal insanity under the Indian Penal Code, which exempts individuals of unsound mind from criminal liability.
Ilangai Jeyaraj, who was present at the event, initially addressed the comment with restraint. However, he later followed up with a more thorough and unmistakably scathing response, published for a wider audience to make his position clear. His intent was not only to defend Hindu tradition but to call out a recurring pattern of disrespect toward Hindu deities by certain intellectuals and ideologues associated with the Dravidianist narrative.
In a social media post that balanced rhetorical civility with sharp criticism, Ilangai Jeyaraj began with the words, “Greetings to my beloved Kaviperarasu Vairamuthu! I pray for your well-being. You are once again embroiled in controversy. Before I get to the matter at hand, I must express my gratitude to you. At the Chennai Kamban Festival, you spoke very highly of me, and I am thankful for that affection. Beyond that sense of gratitude, I regret that I must say a few things. You, too, accept the teachings of Valluvan, and you know well the purpose behind placing the chapter on ‘Impartiality’ after the chapter on ‘Gratitude.’ It is in the spirit of that Valluvan’s wisdom that I attempt to write this letter.”
Jeyaraj’s tone, though outwardly courteous, carried the weight of deep moral indignation. He criticized Vairamuthu’s long-standing habit of intellectual provocation disguised as poetry, accusing him of repeatedly using religious or cultural symbols to generate controversy for personal relevance or ideological signaling. He said, “Perhaps due to your highly imaginative nature, your writing and speeches are often filled with exaggeration. When you praise someone, you elevate them to the heavens, and when you disparage them, you drag them down to the depths. This exaggeration is what constantly lands you in trouble. It has happened again now. It seems as though you always want your writing and speeches to create controversy. That is what it feels like! Is this a manifestation of a desire for society’s attention to always be on you? If my guess is correct, you are making a mistake. Now, I will come to the point. During your speech at the recently concluded Chennai Kamban Festival, your statement that the divine Rama ‘lacked mental stability’ has ignited a firestorm of controversy in newspapers, on the internet, and on television.
Many are severely criticizing you now. These criticisms are escalating day by day. Yet you remain silent, as if nothing has happened. Is this all the respect you have for public opinion? It is a matter of concern. You cannot fault those who criticize you. Rama, whom they have revered as a deity for thousands of years, Rama, who is the reason for righteousness prevailing in this world, Rama, whom many learned scholars have held in high esteem – if you brand him a ‘madman’ with your tongue, who would not get angry?”
He reminded the lyricist that Lord Ram is not merely a literary figure, but a central deity for millions, a moral exemplar, and a symbol of righteousness and dharma.
Ilangai Jeyaraj minced no words when addressing the implications of calling Rama ‘mentally unstable’, “I used the word ‘madman’ with great pain to make others understand the current meaning of the phrase ‘lacked mental stability’ that you used. Even as I write about you saying such a word about Rama, my hands tremble with unbearable pain. Think about it yourself. In a celebration held at your home for you, if someone were to come and call you ‘lacked mental stability,’ could you bear it? Leave aside you, would your family members have allowed that person to leave properly? The Kamban society allowed it – that is a sign of its greatness.”
He pointed out the deep irony of Vairamuthu speaking in such terms at a Kamban festival, a stage meant to honor one of Tamil’s greatest spiritual poets. By doing so, Jeyaraj argued, the lyricist did not merely misinterpret Kamban but he insulted the very spirit of the event, and worse, did so in a manner designed to avoid immediate confrontation while maximizing public outrage afterward.
He said, “There is a song in Naladiyar that says: ‘When an unlettered person with empty words speaks in a gathering of scholars, the kind-hearted scholars, feeling pity for him, listen to his words in silence so that he may not be embarrassed in front of many.’ This poem comes to my mind. You thought the Kamban festival gathering was an ordinary one. It has been almost a hundred years since the Kamban societies were started. A great man named ‘Kambanadippodi,’ who loved Kamban as his God, first started the Kamban society in Karaikudi. Later, he paved the way for many Kamban societies to be started in various towns. That seed sown by that great man has now grown into a vast tree, extending beyond Tamil Nadu, beyond India, and into many countries around the world. These are not unknown facts to you. I shudder to think what would have happened if the short-tempered Kambanadippodi had been in that gathering where you spoke.
Following the path laid by Kambanadippodi, countless Kamban festivals have been successfully held. In those festivals, many full-fledged scholars participated and polished the diamond that is Kamban’s epic with their intellect, making it shine. They are still doing so. Even the controversial dark passages within Kamban’s epic were illuminated by their wit, bringing respect to both Kamban and his work. That is the kind of gathering the Kamban festival is. It was due to that integrity that the gathering tolerated your controversial speech. However, without considering it a gathering of scholars, and without understanding the power of your words, you have defiled the Kamban festival gathering by insulting Rama, the ‘flawless hero.’ How great a mistake is that? Should we call this a mistake born of ignorance of tradition? Or a mistake born of ignorance of our land’s nature? Or a mistake born of ignorance of the feelings of the gathering? I do not understand. We have to find an excuse for your action, just as Vali told Rama, ‘You seem confused.’ I want to confirm here that I am not using the word ‘confused’ in the same sense as you did.”
By invoking the legacy of scholars and leaders across religious lines who had shown restraint and reverence at past Kamban events including Muslim judge M.M. Ismail and Dravidian leader R.M. Veerappan, Jeyaraj underscored just how far Vairamuthu had strayed from that legacy of respectful discourse. Instead, he alleged, Vairamuthu had reduced a sacred cultural platform to an ideological stage.
He continued, “You are aware of the history of the Chennai Kamban Society. The late Justice M.M. Ismail, a Muslim, and the late R.M. Veerappan, a ‘blessed man’ deeply immersed in Dravidian movement ideologies, once led this society. They both set aside their personal beliefs, not bringing their religion or ideology into Kamban, and protected the society. You, on the other hand, without understanding the path they showed, and keeping only your ideology in mind, have insulted Rama on Kamban’s stage. Due to your actions, the Chennai Kamban Society itself is now shaken, facing criticism from many. If you had known the difficulty of creating and organizing a society and a festival, you would not have spoken like that.
The current head of the society, ‘Nayavurai Nambi’ Jagathrakshakan, despite being a representative of a non-religious party, stands firm in his own religious beliefs without compromising with anyone. He has immersed himself in the hymns of the Alvars and has even established an organization called ‘Alvars Research Center,’ which holds annual festivals. Similarly, the current secretary of the society, ‘Doctor’ Sarada Nambiyaruran, is a great scholar who cherishes our Saivism and Tamil as her two eyes. She is a woman of dignity who is the daughter-in-law of Maraimalai Adigal. It was in deference to their invitation that the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu graced this year’s Kamban festival. They must have thought of inviting the Chief Minister to grace the festival on the occasion of the society’s golden jubilee, and their good intention is understandable. Some criticize even that, but it is wrong! This is not a new issue for the society’s tradition. ‘Kambanadippodi’ honored the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, ‘Kalaignar,’ by inviting him to the Karaikudi Kamban festival. Similarly, the elder M.M. Ismail also honored ‘Kalaignar’ by inviting him to the Chennai Kamban festival. It is in this line that the Chennai Kamban Society, on the occasion of its golden jubilee, honored ‘Chief Minister’ Stalin this year. It is an act that follows tradition.
Chief Minister Stalin, who attended the festival, not only spent a long time for Kamban but also had his ministers attend the festival. Furthermore, understanding the dignity of the gathering, he spoke in a civilized manner without hurting anyone’s feelings – you did not even take that as a lesson. With your speech, you have even subjected the Chief Minister’s visit to criticism. You have failed to even consider the headache such criticisms can cause the Chief Minister at a time when an election is approaching.
Despite being aware of the previous controversy regarding Andal caused by you, Jagathrakshakan, who reveres the Alvars as deities, out of his love for poetry, Tamil, and you, decided to award you the ‘Kamban Award,’ which the Alvars Research Center gives annually. How many people must have opposed this decision when they made it? How many must have disagreed? The society must have gone beyond all of them to decide to give you that award. They must have thought that through this award, they could bring you, a person of great ability, into a realm of spiritual service. However, without understanding their noble intention, you spoke in a way that has now made them appear as culprits in front of society. After all this, you are not an ordinary person you are Kaviperarasu! Is this title an ordinary one? You have received many high awards for your poetry. As such, I feel compelled to ask you something. If someone were to wrongly interpret a poem you wrote, contrary to your intent, how much would your heart hurt? Think about it. One could forgive a person who does not know poetic tradition for speaking this way. But it is because you, Kaviperarasu, spoke like this that everyone is seething with anger. It has become your job to drag the chariot out into the street. Why this negative tendency?
Kamban was not a poet who wrote for cinema like you. He was a great poet who sang for the establishment of righteousness. That is why our people cherish Kamban’s epic as a source of righteousness, love, culture, devotion, truth, and nobility. If you lay hands on that high treasure, how could they tolerate it? The great poet Kamban describes Rama as the ‘flawless hero’ at the very beginning of the epic. Rama is not just a hero of an epic; he is a hero of righteousness. He is also a divine hero worshipped by a specific religious group. Don’t you know how many temples there are for him in this land? How many hymns are there for him? How many devotees are there for him? Even though you knew all this, how could you say that he lacked mental stability?”
Throughout the post, Jeyaraj exposed Vairamuthu’s ideological opportunism, where Hinduism is regularly used as a soft target, while other faiths are treated with either caution or reverence not out of respect, but out of fear of reprisal. Jeyaraj gave a broader warning, that Hinduism’s tolerance is being mistaken for passivity, and that cultural provocation cloaked in artistry will no longer go unchallenged.
He wrote, “Hinduism is full of tolerance. It is a religion descended from Rama, who even forgave the one who abducted his wife. Many people today mistake the tolerance of such Hinduism for its weakness. It is worrying that even an intellectual like you thought that way. Dear friend! I want to ask you one thing. Can you criticize another religion and its divine figure in such an insulting way as you did with Hinduism? Could you say that a divine figure worshipped by people of another religion lacked mental stability? Forget saying it! Could you even think it? Before you could even think it, you would be punished. You know that yourself. Many people think that Hindus will always tolerate everything. Hindus have now well and truly understood the truth that, ‘a person who bows down every time when he is being hit is a fool, and a person who hits every time someone bows down is also a fool.’ Therefore, it is better for those who want to lay hands on the Hindu religion to think carefully before they act.”
In closing, Jeyaraj urged both restraint and accountability. To the Hindu community, he appealed for dignity in the face of provocation. To Vairamuthu, he extended an olive branch urging him to issue a public clarification and acknowledge the hurt caused.
With this powerful statement, Ilangai Jeyaraj not only defended the honor of Lord Ram and the literary sanctity of Kamban’s work but also drew a sharp line against the cultural relativism and ideological excesses that continue to target Hindu faith under the banner of artistic freedom.
He said, “Through this letter, which I am writing to you, I want to say one thing to those who are criticizing you with harsh words. Friends! I understand the justice of your anger. However, we must first establish the greatness of our culture. We must realize the civilized nature of our language and religion. Some of the words you are using in anger over the poet’s words are grating to the ears. No matter what, he is one of our Tamil poets today. By releasing messages that speak ill of him, the civilized nature of our race will be questioned by others. I ask that you, who wish to fight for the greatness of our race, do not let your stand falter due to the actions of others. If one person steps down, and another also steps down, our culture will end up in the depths. It is your duty to understand this. This is my humble request. “
He added, “Finally, I would like to make one request to the poet as well. A mistake has happened, and it might have happened by accident. A “slip of the tongue” can happen to anyone. Please put an end to this problem by issuing a statement: “I did not intend to demean Rama. I intended to save him. The words I spoke have given a wrong meaning. I sincerely apologize to those whose hearts were hurt by my words.” Accept and act upon Valluvan’s couplet: ‘The mark of greatness is to take a loss even from those who are not worthy of it’ and his idea that ‘greatness always bows down.’ I pray that your poetry and greatness may rise. Thank you. Always happiness, no sorrow”
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