Wednesday, October 17, 2018

WHEN VAIRAMUTHU WENT, ‘UN IDUPPU ORU UDUKKAI...’

Suganth.M@timesgroup.com: 17.10.2018 TOI

Following allegations of sexual harassment against him, lyricist Vairamuthu had sent a video message on Sunday in which he challenged the allegations and said that his accusers can approach the court, where he would prove his innocence. But now, on Monday, a woman identifying herself as Ishwarya on Twitter, has posted an audio claiming that the lyricist behaved improperly with her friend.

In the message, the woman says, “Hello, Mr Vairamuthu, I know that you will easily identify me by my voice, but I’m speaking here on behalf of my friend. I don’t need to know if you are a good or a bad person, but I know that you have done wrong and you are a terrible man. My 24-year-old friend had approached you for an autograph, out of the respect she had for you when you had come to Kalakshetra. You had asked her for her number, and she had shared it with you as you were like a father figure to her. But you did not behave like an elder. You called her at night saying you had written a poem for her and read it out to her. After hearing it, she was heartbroken and dejected, and I know this because I was with her at the time. You might have forgotten the poem, so let me recall it for you… Un iduppu oru udukkai/ Un maarbo oru padukkai (Your hips are like damru/ Your chest is like a bed)! I hope you remember it now as your poem. You are someone who writes poetry to make others happy, and you hold romance in high regard, but your conscience knows how immoral your behaviour was. You know if this is true or not, for I swear on my conscience that this is true. And this is why I’m opening up (on this incident) now. If you deny this incident as being true, and maintain that ‘The girl is lying, this is not my poem,’ I’m ready to prove that this poem is yours and that you had tortured my friend. I know that you know that this is your poem. You can neither hide this nor forget this; neither can you run away nor hide. Do not forget.”

The woman also praised singer Chinmayi, who is one of the many women who have come out with allegations against the lyricist after the #MeToo movement picked up steam in india. “Chinmayi, hats off to you,” she praises, “It is only because of you that I’m now able to speak about this issue. To be frank, I’m ashamed that I did not speak out until now. I’ve become emboldened to open up only after seeing you speaking out. If we, women, all collectively speak of the abuse we have endured, the men cannot even sleep after hearing those. That is the truth. Let’s all fight for truth and for the women who have been harassed. Let’s ensure that justice prevails.”



Vairamuthu

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