'Only weapon that can shatter chains of Sanatan and dictatorship': Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan

Addressing the function, the Rajya Sabha MP said education was the sole instrument that could shatter the chains of both dictatorship and Sanatan, likening it to the remarks made by Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin last year that had created a nationwide debate.

Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam leader Kamal Haasan made scathing comments on the importance of education while speaking at a crowd in the Agaram Foundation event in Chennai. "Education alone can shatter the shackles of dictatorship and Sanatan," the Rajya Sabha MP stated on Sunday.

Addressing the event, the Rajya Sabha member termed education as the sole instrument to demolish dictatorship and Sanatan, comparing it with the previous remarks by Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin that have ignited a national discourse a year ago.

Kamal Haasan furthered, "Don't grasp anything else in your hands, except education. We cannot be victorious without it, because the majority may make you lose. Majority Fools (Moodargal) will make u lose; knowledge alone will appear defeated. That's why we should tightly grasp it (Education)."

Haasan lauded the work of the Agaram Foundation, terming its operations one of the few remaining sources of true education and unwavering love. "Other than our mothers, institutions like Agaram Foundation are one of the last places where we can still find them," he stated.

He continued to draw parallels between the character of fame in movies and the difficulties of social work. "In movies, we are crowned for our performances. But in social work, we are crowned with a crown of thorns. It is not easy to embrace that crown. No one else will crown us with this-even we cannot do it for ourselves," he said.

Touching on the effect of NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test), Haasan added the law has restricted the ambit of such organisations as Agaram Foundation. "Even Agaram Foundation, despite its utmost efforts, cannot assist students up to a level because the law does not permit it. To alter the law, we want power, and that power can be brought only by education," he said.