Actor Vijay unveiled the flag and anthem of his political outfit, Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), on 22 August 2024. He hoisted the flag at the TVK secretariat in Panaiyur near Chennai.
The flag, symbolically red and yellow, features two elephants flanking a Vaagai flower. It is an emblem of Tamil victory with deep roots in Tamil Eelam nationalism. The accompanying anthem, crafted by music director Thaman and lyricist Vivek, portrays Vijay as a unifying force challenging dominant Dravidian parties. It has imagery hinting at a call for corruption-free governance and a coalition of diverse Tamil communities.
#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay unveils the party's flag and symbol today.
(Source: ANI/TVK) pic.twitter.com/J2nk2aRmsR
— ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2024
Hidden Details In Flag & Anthem
The flag features two primary colours in alternate bands: red at the top and bottom and yellow at the middle. It also features two elephants on either side of a Vaagai flower. Some believe that ancient Tamil warriors wore garlands of the Vaagai flower as a symbol of victory.
The Vaagai flow also has another connection—Tamil Eelam, thereby positioning TVK as a Tamil Nationalist party. The Vaagai tree (Albizia lebbeck) is also the national tree symbol of Eelam.
The 4.27-minute video anthem of the TVK features music by Thaman and lyrics penned by Vivek. The video begins with two ‘dark-skinned’ elephants wreaking havoc with people running amok. Atop the two dark-skinned elephants are two mahouts. A man holding a flagstaff comes on a white horse flanked by two white elephants. The white elephants hit the two black elephants to the ground. Then they welcome the man holding a flag, who hoists what turns out to be the TVK party’s flag.
As mentioned above, the anthem highlights the flag’s glory in the next few seconds.
TVK Video Symbolisms
If one were to make an inference, the two dark-skinned elephants could be the two Dravidian political mammoths—the DMK and AIADMK. By showing panic-stricken people running helter-skelter with the two dark elephants in rampage mode, one can infer that Vijay is politically targeting the two Dravidian majors for having plundered the state and how he’s here to rescue the people from them.
The white-black symbolism becomes evident as Vijay wears a white shirt in the video.
The video also features a Jallikattu bull whose horns are the colours of the TVK flag. The video also shows how the flag’s colours are a part of Tamil society. Subsequently, the video shows silhouettes of MGR, Vijay and perhaps CN Annadurai with lyrics, “Tamizhan kodi parakkudu, Thalaivan yugam porakkudu, Moondrezhuthu mandhiratha meendum kaalam olikkidu” meaning the flag of Tamils is flying, the era of a leader is born, the three-letter mantra is being heard.
The names of MGR, Anna, and Vijay are each formed by three Tamil letters.
TVK Positioned Against DMK?
The video shows MGR and not Karunanidhi, even though the latter served as the state’s chief minister for five terms. By claiming Anna and MGR’s legacy, Vijay is trying to position TVK as the counterforce against DMK.
It also showcases how children, adults, women, auto drivers, and elders love the leader. The lyrics also call to the Tamilian saying, Tamizha, we are going to thrive, we are going to hold an untainted hand and move forward, indicating a promise of a corruption-free rule.
And then there’s a dash of the typical Indian secularism showing a Hindu, Muslim and Christian holding the TVK flag.
The lyrics describe the flag’s colours and symbols—the colour red from blood, the strengths of two elephants, yellow decoration, and tilaka with blue and green.
The colours seem to be an attempt to indicate the cohorts or the vote bank he wishes to garner: red for the working class, green for Muslims, blue for Dalits, pink for women, and yellow for Hindus.
From the flag and anthem, Vijay’s political ideology seems to be a mix of ADMK and NTK.
The lyrics also project Vijay as the quintessential leader who will be a friend of the public and question the wrongdoers, whoever they may be.
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