Vairamuthu gets Jnanpith: What does this say about #MeToo?

Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu has been chosen as this year’s Jnanpith award recipient.

The last time a Tamil writer won the award was more than two decades ago, when D Jayakanthan received it in 2002.

But alongside the congratulations, condemnations are pouring in.

The question many people are asking is this: what message does this send to women, especially women in the literary and film industries?

That a man accused by several women of sexual harassment will continue to be celebrated and honoured?

You may wonder why there is such an outpouring of anger. Is it relevant?

And should a man be judged forever based on allegations against him?

In Vairamuthu’s case, this outrage is justified.

I’ll take you through the accusations against him, why several writers themselves are opposing this award, and why critics say the way Vairamuthu handled these allegations sets a troubling example.

Let me explain.

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Produced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Lakshmi Priya, Camera by Ajay R, Edit by Dharini Prabaharan.

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