Most often, fake messages are spread not just to misinform people but with a clear intent to spread hate. Recently, a WhatsApp message in Tamil with Ilaiyaraaja’s photo attached to it was widely circulated. The message was not only untrue, it was also insulting and crude.
The message that began circulating a few months ago quotes Ilaiyaraaja as saying, “Concessions are the rights of the poor. Why should Dalits alone benefit from such concessions and special treatments? Aren’t there poor people in all castes? Only because concessions are awarded to Dalits, the Dalit youths in particular, they tend to be lazy and indulge in anti-social activities.”
The message is written in such a way that it appears as if Ilaiyaraaja had spoken about it somewhere.
Speaking to TNM, Ilaiyaraaja’s advocate Pradeep clarified that there is no truth in the message. “Ilaiyaraaja himself might not be aware that such a message is being circulated under his name. It is absolutely fake,” he tells us.
It is important to understand that such messages only instigate caste tensions and have no truth in them.
When Ilaiayaraaja won the Padma Vibhushan Award in 2018, The New Indian Express headlined the news “Dalit outreach with Ilaiyaraja’s Padma”. A big controversy broke out, with several people objecting to the implication that Ilaiyaraaja won the award only because of his caste and not his achievement. The publication apologised but Ilaiyaraaja himself did not speak about the episode.
Born into a Dalit family, Isaignani Ilaiyaraaja has given Tamil cinema most of its chartbusters since the ’70s. The composer, however, has never spoken about his Dalit identity or about caste in general.
Such fabricated messages don’t just sabotage the person mentioned in it but also polarise people’s views with misinformation. Those who indulge in creating such fake messages use it as a means to spread their own agenda.
If you happen to receive such forwards, first check the facts. Request the sender for the source. If no one knows about this message and if there’s no video source to prove it, then please do not believe it or forward it to others.
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Source: The News Minute