Tamil Nadu CM Steps In As Controversy Over School Speaker Grows

 Chennai: Amidst his hectic schedule, meeting investors in the US, Chief Minister M K Stalin had to issue an order to the State School education department to regulate the organization of school events after an argument that broke out over the address of a religious speaker at a school in Chennai snowballed into a controversy leading to the hashtag ‘#Resign_AnbilMahesh’ trending on X.

Social media users were going for the jocular of State School Education Minister, Anbil Mahesh Poyamozhi, after the video of the brief argument between a differently abled teacher, Sankar, and the 30-year-old standup comedian-turned- religious preacher, Mahavishnu, at the premises of the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Ashoknagar went viral on Thursday.

The teacher had interrupted the speech of the founder of Paramporul Foundation when he said that differently abled persons were born that way because of the sins committed in the previous birth and tried to argue that such views had no scientific basis. Though the speaker was invited by the school authorities to deliver a motivational address, the teacher’s interruption and the argument that ensued created a flutter on social media after the video of the exchange went viral.

With YouTube channels baying for the blood of Poyyamozhi after a photograph of him with Mahavishnu was circulated on social media, the Chief Minister, without referring to the incident, put an end to the controversy by stating that only ideas relating to individual development, integrity and social progress should be sown in the minds of students and that could be done by the teachers themselves.

Making it clear that the scientific path was the way to development and that the essential scientific thoughts were very much part of the quality textbooks prescribed to students, he said teachers alone could convey the lofty ideas to students.

Poyamozhi, in a bid to clear all doubts about his role in the school inviting Mahavishnu for addressing the students, visited the same school for another event on Friday and honoured the teacher Sankar, who had questioned Mahavishnu, by presenting him a shawl and also making him share the dais. Separately, he also clarified that several people called on him regularly and even took photographs with him to drive home the point that he was not friends with Mahavishnu.

However, political leaders and social media activists went to town decrying the invitation to Mahavishnu to a school and also started digging up the past of the spiritual leader, whose Paramporul Foundation is now indulging in charitable activities like serving free lunch to the poor at various places across the State.

Besides being popular through the plethora of videos shared in his Instagram page, Mahavishnu’s LinkedIn profile says ‘Mahvishnu Krishnamoorthy is a writer, spiritual activist, film director, motivational speaker, certified Reiki Healer, standup comedian and mental care counsellor.’

Several media channels and publications have interviewed him over the past few years and he had attended an event organized by the Sri Lankan Air Force commandos and officers in Sri Lanka. Though some channels claimed that he had studied only up to Class ten, he had been awarded certificates by many organizations even when he was a child and had participated in the popular television show, ‘Kallakapovathu Yaru,’ many years ago. It is said that he has even made a film that was due for release.