Kamal Haasan trolled by Twitterati over stand against caste system
What's the story
Actor-politician Kamal Haasan has come under criticism from a section of Twitterati over his stand against caste system, reminding him of remarks his daughter Shruti made about her caste identity some years back. Haasan's recent tweet about refusing to fill in the caste and religion column in his daughters' school admission-certificate, was questioned by some users, asking if that alone could end caste issues.
Twitter Post
Here's the tweet by the actor-turned-politician
I refused to fill in the castereligion column in both my daughters’ school admission certificate.That’s the only way,it will pass on to the next generation.Every individual shld start contributing fr progress.Kerala started implementing the same.Those who do shld be celebrated https://t.co/DLdTubcfW1
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) June 30, 2018
Shruti's statement
Shruti identified herself as a 'Iyengar' some years back
A Twitter user uploaded a brief-part of a TV interview by Shruti Haasan some years back, where she appears to say she was an "Iyengar" (a Brahmin Vaishnavite sect). Shruti "proudly" identified her father, her sister, and herself to be "Iyengar," another Twitter user said, adding, "Mere removal of the 'poonool' (sacred thread-janevu) or tearing apart the caste certificate will not end caste."
'Poonool'
Haasan says he was most affected by sacred thread 'poonool'
Incidentally, Haasan had made some remarks about the sacred thread also. Replying to a Twitter user's question on the "Nool" (book in Tamil) that impacted him the most, the actor said, "There is one nool (thread) that I was affected most; the poonool. That is why I avoided it." "Nool" in Tamil refers to book, while "sacred thread" is called "poonool" in the language.
Quote
You won't fill caste-column but openly declare caste identity: User
A Twitter user, referring to this tweet, told Haasan, "You won't fill in the caste column in your daughters' school application. But you openly declare your identity," apparently referring to Shruti's comments.