Hi guys, welcome back to another episode of Rice with Potato. Today we have a very special guest. I never even dreamed of having this guest on my show.
So thank you so much ma'am for being here. It's our pleasure. I never expected an MP or a member of the parliament to come on my show.
But thank you so much. It's honestly such a pleasure to have this conversation with you. So right off the bat, I want to ask you.
I'm a first time voter. I'm going to vote from now on. Is it? I just got my voters ID. Lovely to be with such a young person.
Thank you. But I wanted to ask you, what was your first voting experience like? In our house, elections and voting is like waiting for a festival when I was young. Election day, because dad used to go for campaigning and you know it was a hectic thing and so on the day used to be quite you know an exciting day that election voting and all that stuff.
So I mean I was actually waiting for you know my first vote. But after you went and voted, it was over in a jiffy. Yeah, that's what I used to think because a lot of people, I too am going to vote. And I keep thinking, the world is going to change only if we vote. Definitely, actually.
Every vote counts. Ask me, I know. So, when I thought about voting, I was like, what am I going to do?
It wouldn't be as big as... It would be for you because you are actually participating in it and your whole family has, you know. No, but it should be as big as it is for anybody to you also, no?
Because your vote can change and that is something which you definitely have to say about what your politics is, what you believe in. I thought it would be interesting to know how it would be for you. We would be waiting for a few years to decide when we would vote for the first time.
It was like that. But of course, it ended after a few twists and turns. I don't think everyone has that.
There was a tension as to whether we would vote correctly or wrongly. Even now, it happens sometimes. I wanted to ask you what you think of the current youth? of the country and like how their political health and vigour is like is it the same as how it used to be? See always when the quite big post population of the youth or people everybody is apolitical they don't want to be part of politics and they don't want to even discuss it and all that stuff.
And there are, there is a section which is very, very political and they have opinions and there are people, you know, who have a, who think they should have a balance. So, I think it is still there. They are people, you know, who are very, very political and who are very active and now I think with social media, you know.
It becomes very easy to express your opinions, have very strong political opinions. But at the same time, it makes you a little irresponsible also, even politically. So I think, you know, the youth today are like, you know, young people, any generation.
And of course, their concerns are also, you know, employment, concerns about the future and the pressures they go through. And definitely, every generation has a different kind of pressure. So that definitely changes. Yeah. So when you're saying that, you know, people are becoming or being apolitical.
Say you were going to talk to someone young who was apolitical, how would you convince them to politically align themselves? See, it is not align themselves. You should be aware of what is happening around you. We all know climate change is for real. If you don't have an awareness about it and if you don't put pressure on whichever government is in power, then the change, the responsibility of the government about climate change, will not come.
So anything for that matter, whether government should be, you know... Should I bring a religion into the government? No.
Should I want a secular state? I should be very clear about it. So only then I can choose who I should vote for and who I shouldn't vote for. And what every party stands for and what I stand for.
Because there is nothing without politics. Even in the air we breathe, there is politics. Because the factory that comes near our house or our home, it's a political decision. So you cannot be saying that I don't need politics, I don't have any concerns about it, I don't want to do it.
Because everything is politics. From your child's education, what you are going to do with your life, what kind of opportunities, what kind of rights you get as a woman, everything is decided by... Government policies. Nobody can afford to be not interested or not aware of politics.
Unless they are complacent with what's already existing. Actually, is anybody complacent? If water came into the house, how can we be complacent? Yeah, then they'll complain. So none of us can actually afford to be complacent.
If we leave everything behind and go to the forest, we need a government that doesn't destroy the forest even then. That's fair enough. So now in social media, there's like a big boom, you know, like information being spread or even misinformation for that matter. Yeah, that happens. Yeah, so it's like that the news goes around.
So, Do you think that social media is changing how politics used to be and how it is right now is being changed by the boom of social media? If I give an example, if we take the Timoka or Dravidian movement, they used theatre, cinema, books, poetry, media speech, all these were a way to communicate. They used everything to give their message to the people. So, they used all of this. But today, the easiest way to reach my people is through social media.
So, people use that. But of course, as you say, it happened to me even a few days ago. Because my father is from Kayalpatnam. He is from Thoothukudi. He was a businessman for a long time.
When I was a Rajya Sabha MP, there was a request from people in Kayalpattam to help them build a PHC, Primary Health Centre. So, I had given them money from the Rajya Sabha MP fund and in 2019, we were in Adikkal Nadu. And we finished it.
The whole thing had to be built. So, after 2021, we inaugurated the thing and it is actually working. But one week before, a friend of mine sent me this message saying that the adikkal was built in 1919 and it has not been built till today. They came and asked about AIMS.
Actually, I was taken aback. Then I had photos of that. Then I sent it back to my friend.
Then she said, you have to put it out because you know, it's a completely fake news. If we say that something that is not there is not done, or if there is a false information about the fight in the village, or if they have destroyed the church, or the temple, or if they have done something like that, if we keep on saying all these wrong things, everybody can't go back and refer and find out if it is true or not. and you're appealing to emotions so when that happens it's very dangerous but there's also like the good side of social media definitely organizing yourself you know like when the organized funny like like another people who have the same political views or the same like agenda in whatever it is they're able to organize very quickly because they're able to find like-minded people quickly and i don't think that was there as it wasn't as prevalent back in the day you had to actually go out and meet people but now on social media you can find like-minded people very quickly. You can have better debates and even if a disaster people come together much more easily reach out much more easily because of social media.
The flood in England and even Chennai, I think people were able to get much more help from you know anybody who was prepared to help. Yeah, that's true. Earlier you had said, in movies, in poems, in plays, in all of these, you told stories and through this, whatever needs to be told, it was told.
But one question that I constantly keep having is that, in the Indian film industry as a whole, I see a lot of actors becoming politicians. Like there's a very common pipeline for actors becoming politicians. Why is that so common? I feel like, because it's not just in Tamil Nadu as such, but definitely on the whole.
Like when you do notice it, you're just like, this profession goes to this profession. Actually, I don't think anyone in Kerala, except for one or two MPs. Yeah, so in the pipeline, like why is that pipeline so common?
Like, why do you think artists are entering politics? I think it's that popularity and that fan following which you know you've reached people a politician or a journalist or to reach people it's a different kind of journey. For a film star you're already there inside their homes and you're part of their everyday conversation in some way. So you're already you know there in the mind space. So I think it is they find it.
little film personality comes you know to speak you know more people are interested in coming and listening or at least seeing them okay but whereas you bring an economist or something a scientist or something it's not i mean when you see the response it's amazing uh you know if it is good but sometimes you know people are not interested they're not invested in you as much okay so that way i think It gives the confidence for people to get into politics that you're already there, you're already in their homes and you're in their mind space. So I think it gives that kind of confidence and when you're familiar, I think, when a political party is being put on, then I think to take that person and make them popular in that constituency or in that constituency. among people. It takes time, it is time consuming, but for a person who is already popular, maybe even a cricket star or athlete or somebody.
Similarly, in Tamil Nadu, we don't celebrate writers the way others do. But film stars, it's much more easier also. And I think it comes from there. And I think of course, for us, MGR was...
Yeah, that's why. He did so well, so why can't we do it? Yeah, when you take Tamil politics, you can see that a lot of the people who have been in positions of power have been initially in movies.
Yeah. Your father also. Yeah, Anna, my dad. But then their politics started much before the movies. It's not this way.
That's an interesting point. I don't speak Tamil very well. I know how to speak it. But the Tamil you speak is very eloquent. I really like the way you speak.
When I was going through all of your speeches for this interview, I really liked it. You had like that emotion when you were speaking and I also found out that you were a poet and I wanted to know like poems or like which poet is your favorite either written by you or someone else as well. My favorite poem or poet?
Both. I can't name one favorite poet. I like Sangam, Aandal, Bharathi, some of my father's poems.
I like a lot of new poems. One of my favorite poems is... How many people have written me?
I haven't reached the stage yet. I think it's got a lot of depth and meaning. Okay ma'am, I'll definitely read it and let you know how it is. So I asked you the question of how was your first time voting and all of that.
And you said that it obviously must have been a very different experience. But apart from that, I feel like you have made a... name for yourself and you had so many like factors that would sort of Not let you have a self-identity like that's your attribute I think your identity will be made as it is. So how did you manage to break all of that and be like, this is my identity, this is who I am. And because you have created a name for yourself.
So I wanted to know how you are so like steadfast in who you are. If I give up who I am, I'm not who I am. I'm nobody then. This is what I am and I think everybody has an identity and you can't give it up for anything else because you have to be comfortable in your own body.
But I don't know how the world sees you and especially when you are a woman. If you talk about a male politician who has not done or who has not had a career as much as a woman. And who's quite... they always recognize that person as what they've achieved.
But I think not just me, but when you address a woman politician or when you introduce them, you're always somebody's... even after you've established yourself, you're always somebody's wife or somebody's daughter or somebody's sister or somebody's mother. This is what comes to their mind first.
And sometimes that is all they look at you as. So breaking that, I think, is more important than anything else. I think we have to...
it's just not breaking it for me, we have to break it in society also. That's a bigger challenge actually than... I mean, once you recognize who you are and you are comfortable with yourself, you know, holding on to it is not a very difficult thing. But to make society respect and see you that way, right? I think that is a bigger challenge for any woman, not just politics.
No matter what field you are in, it is a bigger challenge for women. But do you think that because you had all of those attributes attached to you, that you had the fight in you to speak for women and trans women across Tamil Nadu? No, I don't think... I mean, there are so many women who... Don't come from a political family, don't come from that so-called background.
We've done much more who fought and who had nothing to fall back on. But I think the fight is within you and what you believe. So I don't think...
Somebody can make you believe that. In our house, the ideology, philosophy might be there, the books might be there, whatever it takes. But it is in the hands of the individual to reach out and read what you want or take whatever you want.
Not everybody believes that human beings have to be treated equally or women... are equal to, women are equal and you know when you talk about human rights it also includes the women's rights and it's a life has I mean the world has to be inclusive. It's a choice an individual makes so I think it doesn't come with the You know what, where you come from. Everything you say is so so.
No, it's not like that. Don't get me wrong. You are aligning with what I usually think.
But I do, like you said, many people have done this and that. But it doesn't matter. You should keep doing it.
I agree. I mean, I say that many people have done this before us. And many people will do it after us.
So, I'm saying, without this background, I have done a lot of things. My background might curtail me also. And it can be a strength which I can lean back on also. So I can't deny both. But people who came from a situation where there was nothing, they've had very very strong voices.
I agree. In the very same vein of the question that I previously asked, what was the fight that you had within yourself when you took up? politics actually I was not very keen on getting into politics and always I told you I I liked a very quiet life and like reading literature and things like that and I wanted to be in that world I was not apolitical, I was not interested in politics. I think art is political.
Yeah, definitely. I completely agree with you. If you are interested in art, then you know that it is politically written. So, if you are interested in art, then you will be interested in politics. You are 100% right.
You can't have art or literature or anything without politics. So, that's what I wanted to do. But then there was a situation in the party where my father was very keen that I come into politics at that moment. Then, I suppose, you know, like many daughters who can't say no to their fathers. Yes.
But still you're doing a stellar job. So maybe your father saw something in you. I'd like to believe that.
I definitely think that we know, however hard it is to listen to your parents, if they ask you something, something good will happen. So, we can ask for that. Sometimes, not always.
That's also there. Where are you from? I'm from Chennai. Where did you study? I studied in Stella.
What did you do? B.Com. B.Com to this? Okay. Did you come here when you were bored?
No, I just graduated. And then... Somehow it just started. But look where it led me now.
So, I'm really proud of myself. Pat on the back. Nice. But how was it for you in Ethiraj, ma'am? It was fun.
Fun. What were you like when you were in college? Were you always like quiet or... Because you're saying that you had your nose in the books.
So, I'm guessing... No, no. I used to read.
Why can't I say that so well? Of course, you bunk class, you get taught, you do things. I'm just imagining ma'am bunking class. Running outside the campus. Where was like the favourite spot for you when you bunked class?
Actually, we had a crazy class. When we used to bunk class, the whole class used to bunk. Oh, mass bunk? And we'll all go somewhere together for a movie or...
Once, we had some exam and I really was not up to writing it. So, went for a movie and then we had to come back to college. Correct. My economics teacher would look at me from the bus and wave his hand. Happens every time.
They would come at the moment when we miss something. What was the one movie that you saw with your friends that was like, this is the core memory that you have from bunking? I've gone to quite a few movies. Please know.
When I studied in college, I started associating certain films. Like, shall we bunk and go? After watching that film, we thought, we'll bunk in college and watch this film.
We thought that was a good time. So, yeah, that's why I wanted to ask you. I really don't remember. What song was it? I know that you speak a lot about women's rights, women's liberation, education and all of that.
But I wanted to ask this one question. So, when you take women in politics, it's an obvious minority. Minuscule minority.
Yes. And when you do participate, do you feel like there's a domination? Do you actually feel like...
the amount of people who are there and you don't see yourself as much like people like you like women around you Does it make you feel like you can't say or speak up about certain things? Because you feel like it won't be received well. We know that a lot of things You know when you say it will not be received well, but then as you keep saying it it will Have to be accepted after a point and the more of us start seeing it It has to be accepted.
Sometimes, if you look at it from a stage, it's a big deal to have one woman. Otherwise, it's just only men on stage. And that has to definitely change. Only when you have more women voices, our concerns, what we think is important. It has to be heard.
I am saying this again. Let it be a Sattya Sabha or a Parliament. When a law is being made, when a bill is being passed, it obviously affects half the population which is women. And without our voices being registered, how can you pass a bill without listening to what we want? So I think we have to be represented equally or at least equally.
at least an effort towards it should be done. I've always had this. Question, so I don't know if it's even the right question but you know how government servants have these exams that they have to take and it's one of the toughest exams in the world.
Do you ever think that there's going to be an exam that politicians must write to qualify because before they stand for a Togadi? See actually I'll never be able to answer this question. Sometimes you can say yes. Because administration, how it works, what is... it's not wrong to know.
But can it be changed to an exam? I don't think so. Sometimes, if we talk about Kamarajar, he has passed only the second class.
But what he did for education, what he did for the state... and what he did for infrastructure. It is amazing. And you talk about, of course, Anna, he has done his Masters.
My father, Kalengar at the time, he didn't get through his 10th examinations. But his understanding of administration, I think very few people would have. So, I don't know if you can really have a qualifying exam for this.
Because sometimes qualifying exams are to keep people out more than let people in. I wanted to ask this question in particular because a lot of people say that some people aren't deserving to be in certain positions because they don't have the certain qualification or education. I've seen people with amazing qualifications but who lack empathy, compassion you know and they don't even understand the basics of you know administration and politics so I don't think so a degree is the one which has to decide so I wanted to ask this because a lot of people say that and for me I wanted to hear it from you that you know it doesn't really matter how much you studied you like someone who might not have studied more would have more empathy and compassion for you than someone who is Qualified through like the top institutions.
So really isn't about Education but education is important to have a certain level of you know To get through life knowledge understanding everything comes, you know, but I don't think that is the only qualifying thing for Any field actually, except for medicine or something like that. Beyond that, I don't think... So you heard it here guys. I didn't say it. So finally, now we've come to the end of this.
I'm sorry if I bored you with all of my questions. No, not at all. It was a pleasure.
It's called this app called Bireal. So, there will be a notification and all my friends will get it at the same time. So, I have to take a picture of myself and what's in front of me.
So, I wanted to take a Bireal with you and show you how it works. One second, I'll show you how it works. So, this is the app ma'am.
So, only like 5 friends, 6 friends will be there. So, this is the B-real I posted yesterday. I was in an auto. And these are the things my friends did yesterday at the same time. So, I wanted to take a B-real with you so that I'll have this memory for myself.
Oh, sure. Sure? Ready?
Okay guys, it's B-real time with Kanimonyamam. I don't know how many people can say this. Say cheese ma'am.
Got it. Okay ma'am, so as a first time voter, what will you tell me before I go to vote? Think about what you believe in and think about what you want this country to be and vote for the person who will make what this country... according in your mind what this country should be, the closest to that. I think that is the right choice.
It's not just emotions and words which should make us decide. Actions. Actually what reality is, is what...
I think world and life and this country should be a peaceful place. For everyone. Yes, for everyone and everybody's rights intact. I'll definitely do that.
What do you think is going to make you decide who to vote for? I already have an idea of who I want to vote for. No, I'm not asking you that. But I think I've always been like a little...
Politically aware, like because you can't be without having a certain level of political awareness. You have to know certain things because you have to make certain choices. You know, you can't have someone make all the rules.
So only if I cast my vote, I'll be able to, you know, see the change that I want to see. So, yeah, I think knowing the right facts, knowing what you believe in, that is going to, you know... Make me vote for the right person, I think. So, yeah.
I'm really excited actually. I'm going to be like this. I'm going to take a selfie. I voted guys.
But I definitely would encourage everyone to vote. That's that. I have a lot of apolitical friends.
That's why I asked that question to you. Even I have. In my generation, it's like that.
I feel like they are apolitical and they are not contributing. It's like they say, when you oppress, you oppress the oppressors. So, I keep trying to tell them that. That's why I asked you that question. What would you tell an apolitical person?
It's scary for them not to really do anything about it. the vote that they have. But it's also scary that some people, my friends would say this, their parents would vote for whoever they were telling them.
What do you think about that, ma'am? That's very sad. Yeah, when I heard that, I was just like, oh my, then if you're just going to pass on who you're going to vote for, then what change are you going to see? Have you met people who... Yeah, let's decide in the family.
My husband will tell me. We have heard all this. But I think that is not right. It's a little bit scary because they are not really participating in it. Someone else is thinking for you.
You don't even know why you are voting. So that's even scarier than political people. It's like your right is being given to somebody else. That was that. But yeah, I don't want to go too far into politics.
I am still singing. You did something for me. But I had a really nice conversation with Ma'am. I think she answered everything very, as always, very eloquently.
I always thought she is an eloquent speaker. So, thank you so much, Ma'am. Thank you. Thank you so much, Ma'am.
I am really grateful that you gave me this opportunity. I hope that everyone learnt something. I hope everyone learnt something. Usually when we speak with someone, they'll tell something from their life that you can learn from.
So hopefully, you took away something from this. So that's it for today's video guys. I'm really nervous. Thank you so much ma'am.
Thank you. Pleasure and all the best. She also gave me a book. I must mention it. Whole numbers and the half truths.
Once I finish reading it, I will definitely tell you how it is. It's a good book. Yeah?
I know the girl who wrote it also. Okay, ma'am. I'll definitely read it.
Thank you so much, ma'am. And that's it for today's episode. And I'll see you all in the next one. Bye. Bye, Sareena.
Bye. See you.