Let that sink in.
9,333 kilometers.
Missed flights. Sleepless nights. Chaos.
All just to cast one vote.
I started my journey from Switzerland on April 21st at 10 AM.
One thought in my mind:
I have to vote. No matter what.
But nothing went as planned.
Delayed Flight.
Missed transit.
Unexpected delays.
An unplanned night in Dubai.
Every hour felt like it was slipping away from me.
But I kept going.
I reached Chennai on April 22nd at 8:30 PM completely exhausted, with my 3-year-old toddler.
I had an option: take a 6:55 AM flight.
But I chose an AC sleeper bus, hoping to get at least a few hours of rest.
And that decision had changed everything..!
But before I could even board…
I almost missed it.
Heavy traffic. Crowd everywhere.
I was running with my trolley, trying to cross the road.
I couldn’t.
And then… the bus started moving.
For a second, everything stopped for me.
But I wasn’t alone.
My brother and someone very close to me were running alongside me.
He was holding my baby in his arms, sweating, not stopping for a second.
And then… something I’ll never forget.
A stranger on a bike stopped and said,
“Erunga Akka. Puducharlam”
He was a TVK supporter.
He chased the bus through traffic… and made it stop.
I got in.
I don’t know his name.
But I know why he helped😊
Because he didn’t want me to miss my vote.
Inside the bus, something powerful was happening.
This wasn’t just a journey.
This was coordination. This was responsibility.
We made sure every single person in that bus got their chance to vote.
We planned everything.
At stops, a few people would get down, pack food for everyone, and save 30–40 minutes.
Quick stops. No delays. No wasting time.
Because we all felt it.
Time was running. Fast.
Every minute mattered.
Every second felt heavy.
At different points, we arranged cars to drop people to nearby polling booths just to make sure no one missed the 6 PM deadline.
And then came the final stretch.
People in the bus who had the same polling booth area as mine coordinated together.
We didn’t wait to reach the final stop.
We got down earlier before entering the main city traffic.
We took the faster route, avoided congestion, and rushed.
At one point…
we reached the polling booth in just about 7 minutes from drop-off.
That urgency… that coordination… I will never forget.
Meanwhile, I had another problem.
My voter ID and voter slip were at home, far from my booth.
But again people stepped in.
My college friends were constantly checking on me.
They downloaded my voter slip, kept a printed copy ready.
At the same time, I asked my parents to bring the originals.
Everyone was doing their part…
to make sure I didn’t lose this moment.
And then…
At exactly 5:55 PM, I walked into my polling booth
and I cast my vote.
I was the last person.
The moment I finished… the booth closed.
I just stood there.
After everything…
I actually did it.
And I couldn’t hold back my tears.
Because this wasn’t just about voting.
It was about
people running beside me when I almost gave up…
a stranger chasing a bus for me…
friends helping from miles away…
a bus full of people making sure no vote was left behind…
All of this… for one thing.
The love. The belief.
For one man
Thalapathy Vijay. @TVKVijayHQ
This is not authority.
This is not power.
This is responsibility.
This is public service.
This is empathy.
If this is the kind of force we are…
just imagine what we can build.
Grateful. Emotional. Proud. ❤️
@TVKVijayHQ@Jagadishbliss@VigneshTvkCbe@SriGiriPrasath@GuRuThalaiva@RamVJ2412@Kanimozhi_tvk
People are still stranded and traffic seems to be off the roof
@TNelectionsCEO - please consider extending the poll till 7/8pm
Many of them are still travelling, let’s take this as a model for every state.
We will achieve 90% polling 💪🏻
Dear @ECISVEEP@TNelectionsCEO
I have Casted my vote in Chennai and travelling back to Salem. Started with 1pm from Kilambakkam. Not yet crossed maamantoor paalaaru bridge. People are still traveling to their natives and riding/driving by risking themselves.
Sincerely requesting you to extend the voting timings at least till 8pm tonight.
#TNElections2026
Not every hero in Indian cricket holds a bat.
Some people carry the dream.
Others quietly carry the team.
In cricket, we celebrate the players.
The centuries.
The wickets.
The trophies lifted under bright stadium lights.
But behind those moments… there are people whose names rarely appear in headlines.
One such person is Raghavendra — known to everyone simply as Raghu Bhai.
His journey is extraordinary.
Raghu left his hometown Kumta with just ₹21 in his pocket, against his father’s wishes, chasing a dream of becoming a cricketer.
There was no hostel.
No family support.
No backup plan.
For some time he slept at a bus stand in Hubli.
Then in a temple.
And later… for four and a half years, a graveyard became his home.
A mat from a cricket ground became his blanket.
Still, every single morning, he showed up at the ground.
Then life changed.
A fracture in his hand ended his dream of playing cricket.
Most people would have taken the train back home.
Raghu stayed.
He began helping other cricketers practice.
Throwing balls. Assisting quietly.
Day after day.
No salary.
No recognition.
Just love for the game.
One day, Sachin Tendulkar noticed him.
And slowly, Raghu became part of the Indian cricket story.
Today he is one of the most trusted people inside the Indian cricket dressing room.
The man who has thrown millions of balls helping players like
Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, KL Rahul and many others prepare for the toughest bowling attacks in the world.
When India lifted the T20 World Cup, Raghu stood right there in the middle of the celebrations.
Not at the edge.
In the middle.
Because the players insisted he belonged there.
I have known Raghu bhai for many years.
I’ve cooked for him many times.
And every time he sits at my table, he is the same person.
Humble.
Grateful.
Full of warmth.
A pure vegetarian who loves Kerala Matta rice with a full sadya spread.
No ego.
No pretence.
Just that quiet smile.
In hospitality, we say something similar.
Guests see the final dish on the table.
But behind that dish are dozens of hands —
working in heat, in silence, with complete dedication.
Raghu is that person for Indian cricket.
He once told me something I will never forget:
“Talent is God — be humble.
Fame is man — be thankful.
Motivation is temporary.
Discipline is permanent.”
Words from a man who has lived every one of them.
The scoreboard never showed his name.
But every score had his fingerprints.
#Leadership #IndianCricket #UnsungHeroes #Discipline #Teamwork #inspiration
இனி தா.வெ.க வால் தமிழக மக்களுக்கு எந்த பயனும் இல்லை .
தலைவன் சரி இல்லாத கட்சி , மக்களுக்கு ஒரு துரும்பை கூட கிள்ளி போடப்போவதில்லை !!
இத்தனை தொண்டர்களின் நம்பிக்கையாக இருக்கும் விஜய் , அவ்வளவு பேரையும் அலட்சியப்படுத்தி , தனக்கு பிடித்ததை மட்டும் செய்கிறார் என்றால் - நாளை நாட்டு மக்களுக்கும் இதையே தான் செய்ய காத்து இருக்கிறார் !
அரசியல் என்பது பொது வாழ்வு , அதை வாழ அவரால் முடியாது என்பதை நேற்று இரவு நிரூபித்து விட்டார் விஜய் !
இவரை நம்பி ஆட்சி அதிகாரத்தை கையில் கொடுக்க இனியும் மக்கள் தயார் இல்லை !
இந்த படத்தை இப்போ இருக்க AI தொழில்நுட்பம் வாயிலாக கொஞ்சம் பட்டி டிங்கரிங் பார்த்து ரிலீஸ் பண்ணா சிறப்பாக இருக்கும் 🔥🔥 @soundaryaarajni அக்கா கொஞ்சம் இத பத்தி தலைவர் ta பேசுங்க 🙏
Video credit - Athithya Eswaran
#Rajinikanth𓃵
Please ask everyone to spend just 24 minutes watching this video. No matter which party you support, this is something everyone should watch.
I watched this speech by @CTR_Nirmalkumar three times, and I genuinely loved how clearly and sensibly he explains the illegal systems running across almost every sector - mining, alcohol, drugs, and more. The clarity, honesty, and calm logic in his words make this one of the most beautiful political speeches I’ve seen in recent times.
He also explains an important truth: the last two generations stayed away from politics because they were afraid to question these systems. Today, with a new leader, many youngsters are beginning to watch politics closely, observe everything, and slowly get politicized and that’s a process.
This is exactly why opposition parties mock TVK by sharing clips of youngsters speaking without full political knowledge. As he rightly says, every youngster is learning.
He further emphasizes how generations that stayed away from politics are now showing interest again, largely because of @TVKVijayHQ.
Once again, please ask everyone to spend 24 minutes on this video and request all TVK supporters to watch and share this Video.
Huge kudos to @CTR_Nirmalkumar—please attend more such events and keep educating people, anna. 🙏
https://t.co/Eh5WdD0JDp
Today, we're releasing Claude Code for marketing.
It does a marketer's work in minutes by browsing, clicking, and posting like a human would.
The marketing hire is now optional:
the AI bubble will accidentally trigger a human renaissance
here's what will happen between now and 2030:
phase 1 (2026-2027):
> everyone automates everything
> productivity goes through the roof
> we celebrate never having to think again
phase 2 (2028-2029):
> mass digital burnout
> people realize they've outsourced their cognitive abilities
> depression rates spike because nothing feels earned anymore
phase 3 (2030+):
> the pendulum swings hard in the opposite direction
> outdoor experiences become the new luxury
> manual skills and human connection become premium
> we start valuing struggle and effort again
the faster we rush toward full automation, the faster we'll crave what makes us fundamentally human
that's what i'm hoping for anyway
Tourist Family is a finalist for Oscar Best Picture nomination! Huge pride for Tamil Cinema. 🎦👌🏻💥
Amazing debut by @Abishanjeevinth!
He chose to direct a film rooted in human emotions, proving that when emotions are portrayed honestly, even the world’s biggest awards connect with it globally. 👏🏻
CENSOR BOARD is OUTDATED
Not in the context of just @Actor_Vijay ‘s #JanaNayagan ‘s censor issues but in an overall manner, it is truly foolish to think that the censor board is still relevant today
It has long outlived it’s purpose, but it’s being kept alive out of laziness to debate it’s relevance now , and it is the film industry as a whole which is mainly responsible for this
We live in a time where a 12-year old with a phone can watch a terrorist execution filmed on a GoPro, a 9-year-old can stumble upon hardcore porn, and a bored retiree can binge extremist propaganda, indulge in conspiracy theories , from anywhere in the world, uncut, uncensored, algorithmically pushed. All of it is available instantly, anonymously, and without a gatekeeper.
At the same time, everybody in every wake of society speak in abusive language from new channels to YouTubers and from other apps ..If you quote that age old belief that cinema is a powerful medium , don’t ignore the fact that the social media has far more reach than cinema .and it is full of political venom, communal poison, character assassinations, live, uncensored shouting matches in the name of debates.
And in this reality, for the honourable censor board to believe that cutting a word in a film, trimming a shot, or blurring a cigarette will “protect society.” is a Joke
The censor board was born in an era of scarcity when images were rare, access was limited, and the state controlled the media . Cinema halls were crowd points. Newspapers had editors. Television had schedules. Control made sense then.
But today, any form of a control is impossible because no one can no longer decide what people should or should not see
In such times as now, censorship doesn’t prevent exposure… it only insults the viewers .
We are supposed to have smartness to decide who should rule us but not what we want to see or hear ???
What the censor board actually does now is not protection, but only theatrics . It’s a ritual of authority in Oscar worthy performances where scissors replace thinking, and moral pretence moves around in a disguise called responsibility.
The same society that freely scrolls through graphic violence on social media suddenly becomes “concerned” when a filmmaker shows something in a theatre
This hypocrisy is dangerous
Censorship assumes people are children forever as if they aren’t even aware what all things children have access to?
Cinema is not meant to be a classroom where lessons are taught . They are mirrors , view points , expressions and opinions meant to entertain
The job of the authorities is not to edit or cut them out, but to trust citizens enough to decide for themselves ,which is the main point of freedom of speech and expression, guaranteed under the constitution
If the argument is “think of the children or adults who are like children “it takes very less intelligence to understand that they cannot be protected by blunt scissors wielded by committees ,whose own personal tastes pass off as public morality also not to forget their bias and agendas .
Age classification makes sense. Warnings of the content makes sense. Censorship does not.
Continuing to defend the relevance of the censor board today is like insisting on a watchman for a building whose walls have already been broken and everyone can see what’s inside
The world has already moved on to so many platforms which are unfiltered and unsupervised and so the painful question is whether the authorities have the courage to admit that they are obsolete, and more than that, whether we as a film industry collectively have the will to question them on the same
So instead of raising this topic once in a while over a particular film , the fight should be with that particular system of thinking which created the censor board
Sir @svembu - please find her . Ask her to draw Kolam in one of your campuses every day and make her your permanent employee and give her a decent life. She deserves to be happy and healthy .