A2B (Adyar Ananda Bhavan) finds itself embroiled in one controversy after another after its owner KT Srinivasa Raja glorified controversial Dravidian ideologue E.V. Ramasamy Naicker (hailed as ‘Periyar’ by his followers), who is known for his vicious hatred towards Hindus and Hindu Gods and had even called for the genocide of Tamil Brahmin community.
Film personality-turned-YouTuber Chitra Lakshmanan had interviewed Managing Director of Adyar Ananda Bhavan KT Srinivasa Raja.
In the interview Chitra Lakshmanan asks, “At one point in time, the hotel industry especially the restaurants especially vegetarian ones were run by Iyers and then it started changing, what do you think is the reason for it?” to which the Adyar Ananda Bhavan owner replied “Anyone can do anything – the main reason for this change is Thanthai Periyar. He is the one who brought change to the hereditary profession (kulathozhil). Anyone can do any job/take up any profession. Times were changing, governments were providing loans and banks also supported people. A profession that was done by a particular community is now being done by anyone and everyone. It’s like anyone can go to the sea and fish.”
This comment of the A2B owner glorifying EVR who had spewed venom on Hindus and Hindu Gods did not go well with many calling for the outlet’s boycott.
Always preferred to eat at A2B. Not anymore. Boycotting.
A2B Owner Glorifies EVR Who Abused Hindus And Hindu Gods, Peddles Canards About Brahmins – The Commune https://t.co/ZPYo1j4mkm
— Arun Krishnan 🇮🇳 (@ArunKrishnan_) October 21, 2023
A2B restaurant owner is crediting EVR for "opening up" the field of veg hotel business to all comms which was supposedly "gatekept" by Iyers.
Really? A2B was a small sweet shop started in late 70s or early 80s and expanded rapidly in the last decade. EVR passed away in 1973,… https://t.co/QJgu4WnCah pic.twitter.com/DnkpsLEKdC
— Tamil Labs 2.0 (@labstamil) October 20, 2023
Came to Srirangapatna.. Usually will have breakfast and lunch at Bidadi A2B.. Not today.. #BoycottA2B pic.twitter.com/Eca3T5d5Jw
— Caffeine Addict (@Aatreyaa) October 22, 2023
உணவில் அரசியலையும் சாதியையும் சித்தரித்து வன்மத்தை கக்கும் அடையாறு ஆனந்த பவன் உரிமையாளர் KT சீனிவாச ராஜன்….??#boycottA2B #A2B pic.twitter.com/OtlIY4Ecce
— Lt Col N Thiagarajan Veteran (@NTR_NationFirst) October 21, 2023
வெறும் தயிர் சாதத்த 80 ஓவாக்கு விக்கிறோம்னா அதுக்கு பெரியான்தான் காரணம் –
A2B ஓனர் பெருமிதம் –#boycotta2b pic.twitter.com/9cMx4h6uim
— Kanna Pandiyan SKP (@KannaPandiyaSKP) October 20, 2023
#BoycottA2B @A2BRestaurant
Fraud பயலே
Saravana Bhavan veg,பாப்பானா?
அவங்கிட்ட போட்டி போட துப்பு இல்ல, மொக்கையா ஒரு சாப்பாடு போட்டுகிட்டு, குளிக்காத மூத்திரவாலி கிழவனை தூக்கிட்டு வந்துட்டான். இனிமே அந்த கிழட்டுபய supporters மட்டுமே வந்து சாப்பிட்ட்டும்
pic.twitter.com/6UAxAEhNc7— Devi Uvacha|உவாச| उवाच 🇮🇳 (@Devi_Uvacha) October 20, 2023
Coooking was kulathozhil
Teaching was kulathozhil
Transportation was kulathozhil
Industry was kulathozhilThe so-called Dravdian lie will continue
I have stopped eating in A2B due to their poor quality of food.— தங்கபுஷ்பம் (@thangapushpam03) October 21, 2023
In light of this controversy, an incident has come to light that has made people to call out the virtue-signaling of the A2B owner.
Tamil Facebook channel PoliTalks had embarked on an attempt to do a vlog for their channel when they spotted a poor Narikuravar (Scheduled Tribe) man trying to make ends meet for a meal. One of the person from PoliTalks, Vignesh Vasudev, had gone to the poor man and offered to get him food and a sweet box since it was Navratri. Incidentally, they went to the Adyar Ananda Bhavan outlet at Anna Nagar, Chennai. Apparently, the Narikuravar man refrained himself from coming into the hotel and stood hesitantly at a corner. While Vignesh managed to assure the Narikuravar man that he would be with him and convinced him to enter the hotel, he was stopped by the staff of the A2B outlet.
“As soon as they saw him entering the hotel, A2B staff told him in a threatening tone to stay outside and take whatever was given to him“, Vignesh explained in a video.
Vignesh apparently pitched in and told the A2B staff that he only brought him along to get him a sweet box and said that he won’t bother anyone by sitting inside.
To Vignesh’s appeal, the A2B staff claimed that “not everybody can enter inside” the A2B hotel.
Allegedly, the threatening and rude behaviour of the staff made the Narikuravar man feel vexed. He was about to leave the place without having food or taking anything with him. Despite Vignesh trying to convince him to have lunch with him inside, he felt unwelcomed and was hesitant to climb up the stairs and come to the dining area.
“This is not the stairs of any temple. It is the stairs of a hotel whose owner speaks of ‘Periyarism.‘”, Vignesh said in the video.
“A shop owned by a person who speaks about social justice, seems to be stuck 150 years ago. Treating a fellow human being as an equal is only social justice isn’t it? Or is social justice all about singing paeans about Periyar in front of camera?“, Vignesh asked in the video.
Many on social media have shared this expose by PoliTalks lambasting the A2B owner for not practicing what he preaches.
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