The Dravidian ecosystem survives on demeaning Hindu gods every now and then, and whoever finds fault with them tends to get closer to receiving DMK blessings. They are often happy to be labelled as anti-Hindu abusers, believing this to be a mark of intellectual boldness much like cutting the very branch of the tree on which one is sitting. This has been the standard template for gaining media attention, and the same strategy appears to have been used again by lyricist Vairamuthu, who, at the Chennai Kamban Kazhagam’s 51st annual celebrations, on August 8, called Bhagwan Ram “mentally unsound” after losing Sita.
Repeating what he had said in 2019, Tamil film lyricist and a Dravidian stock, Vairamuthu, stated that Bhagwan Ram was mentally unsound after losing Sita. Earlier, he had courted controversy by saying that sanyasini Andal was a Devadasi (a female artist who dedicated her life to the worship and service of a deity or temple). That case, thanks to DMK support, has not moved an inch beyond the FIR stage for nearly a decade. DMK MP Jagathrakshakan’s Azhwar Research Centre awarded Vairamuthu the “Kamban Award” (named after Kambar, who wrote the epic Ramayan in Tamil and is considered Kambanattazhvar, one of the twelve Vaishnavaite saints).
Vairamuthu’s award acceptance speech turned out to prove he was the wrong choice for the honour. It is pertinent to note that Vairamuthu, an alleged ‘MeToo’ sexual harassment accused following multiple complaints from victims, was awarded the Kavi Chakravarthy Kamban Award by DMK MP Jagathrakshakan’s Azhwar Research Centre. TN Chief Minister Stalin stated that the Dravidian movement viewed the Kamba Ramayana from a different perspective, praising the work for its poetry and the richness of its Tamil.
Speaking at the Chennai Kamban Kazhagam event during the organisation’s 51st year celebrations on August 8, Vairamuthu discussed at length how the Tamil epic Kamba Ramayanam reshaped the portrayal of Bhagwan Rama, differing from Valmiki’s original version. He said Tamil poet Kamban “saved Rama” by portraying him as having lost mental clarity after being separated from his wife Maa Sita. The Dravidian stock compared this to Section 84 of the IPC, which states that a person of unsound mind cannot be held criminally liable. He also made a reference to Bhagwan Ram killing Vaali to prove his point.
The awarding of the Kamban Award to Vairamuthu was strongly opposed by Tamil scholars and enthusiasts, who expressed outrage and claimed this would tarnish the name of Kamban. They said it was not right to give the award to a person who had earlier said sanyasini Andal was a “Devadasi”.
In Valmiki’s Ramayana, every question Vaali asks is like shooting an arrow from the front and it coming out from the back. He asks, ‘What kind of royal family are you from? You are not from a royal family. You are a sinner disguised as an ascetic. An old well covered with grass, if I step on it thinking it is grass, I will die. I will drown. I will be destroyed. You are that well. Why did you kill me? I am from the monkey family. The sages will not use my skin, and the ascetics will not eat my flesh. Then why are you trying to kill me?” All these questions are not in the Kamba Ramayanam; they are in Valmiki’s Ramayanam.
Vairamuthu said, “Kamban ‘saved Rama’ by portraying him as having lost mental clarity after being separated from Sita. This, he claimed, was akin to the IPC’s provision that a person of unsound mind cannot be held criminally liable. The crime committed by a person who has lost his mind is not a crime. Section 84 of the Indian Penal Code says that a person who has lost his mind due to a mental disorder cannot be held guilty of an act committed by him. The message of Section 84 of the Indian Penal Code is that whether Kamban knows this or not, he does not know the law. He knows society; he knows psychology. With this forgiveness, a criminal named Rama is also freed. He forgives Rama and makes Rama a human being. Rama becomes a human being at that place, while Kamban becomes a god. The character is a human being; the creator is God. This is the difference between a character and a poet.”
BJP President Nainar Nagenthiran condemned Vairamuthu’s remarks against Bhagwan Ram, stating on X, “Not only does he claim to spread Vaishnava devotion by establishing the ‘Alwars Research Centre,’ but DMK MP Mr. Jagathrakshakan, who also says he is researching Kamba Ramayanam, and Chief Minister Mr. MK Stalin, who proudly claims to have donated funds for the construction of the Ram Temple — do they endorse Mr. Vairamuthu’s anti-Hindu stance?”
சமீபத்தில் நடந்த திமுக எம்.பி. திரு. @Jagathofficial அவர்களின் புத்தக வெளியீட்டு விழாவில் கலந்து கொண்ட திரு. @Vairamuthu அவர்கள், இந்துக்கள் போற்றி வணங்கும் பகவான் ஸ்ரீ இராமரை அவதூறாக பேசியிருப்பது கண்டனத்திற்குரியது.
“ஆழ்வார்கள் ஆய்வு மையம்” நிறுவி வைணவ பக்தியைப் பரப்புவதாகக்…
— Nainar Nagenthran (@NainarBJP) August 10, 2025
BJP women’s wing state president Kavitha Srikant, in a statement dated August 9, said, “Vairamuthu, who is leaning towards the DMK for his survival and to show his presence, has made derogatory comments on Bhagwan Sri Ram. The TN BJP women’s wing strongly condemns his remarks. Vairamuthu, realising his mistake, should offer an unconditional apology, failing which appropriate legal action will be initiated against him, holding him responsible for the consequences arising out of it.”
Vairamuthu had made the same comments on Bhagwan Ram in 2019 after releasing a book titled Tamizhatrupadai, in which he wrote about Ram and Kambar. Even some Muslim outfits strongly condemned it. VMS Mustafa, founding president of the Tamil Nadu Muslim League (TNML), said, “Be it any Hindu god, or Jesus, or Allah, no one has the right to abuse the gods. Abusing the gods is abusing the sentiments of the people, and it may result in violence if any fringe group takes up the issue. Legal action should be taken on Vairamuthu for his abusive comments on Bhagwan Ram and Kambar.”
In the book, Vairamuthu had allegedly abused Bhagwan Ram by calling him mentally unstable. Mustafa told the media at that time: “In the book, Vairamuthu has said that Ram had killed Vaali from behind and that Vaali had even asked Ram if he attacked from behind as he was mentally unstable due to separation from his wife Sita. In stating this, Vairamuthu claims that Ram was mentally unstable and so could not be booked for a murder case according to the modern constitution.”
Critics said that had the authorities taken action either in the MeToo cases or over his highly disparaging comments on saint Andal or the claim that “Bhagwan Ram was unsound”, he would not have dared to repeat such unwarranted remarks. “Can he have the guts to comment on other religions? Is this not hate speech for the TN police, who are always after the BJP and Sangh outfits for their posts on social media? Once again, the police have shown their loyalty to the ruling masters, not the public. At least the Centre should step in to rein in such people. He has been abusing Hindu gods repeatedly and constantly,” they said.
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