CUDDALORE/KALLAKURICHI: As the man with a golden heart was laid to rest on Friday, a deep sense of personal loss gripped the residents of Vriddhachalam and Rishivandhiyam. ‘MLA Vijayakant’, who represented Vriddhachalam constituency from 2006 to 2011 and Rishivandiyam between 2011 and 2016, has left behind an enduring legacy by opening up the doors of opportunity to a multitude of people.
For 45-year-old A Jayamani, who had just settled into her role as a housewife in Vriddhachalam in 2007, Vijayakant’s victory was a personal blessing. The woman, who now runs an online business, credits her journey to the free computer classes that Vijayakant introduced in the constituency in 2007. “Middle-class women like us learning to operate a computer was unheard of at that time. I enrolled in the classes because they were free,” she said. Jayamani also said several initiatives launched by the actor, including free tailoring coaching classes, benefited hundreds of women in the constituency.
The free computer training centres, set up at a cost of Rs 1 crore funded personally by Vijayakant, had nearly 600 computers, sources said. In Vriddhachalam alone, 10 batches were conducted daily, with 200 people attending classes in each centre per day. Local DMDK functionaries said the centres also provided job opportunities to youth with computer knowledge. Vijayakant tasted his maiden victory in Vriddhachalam in 2006, a PMK bastion, in Cuddalore district.
People recall Vijayakant’s generosity, schemes
The seat was considered a stronghold of the Pattali Makkal Katchi. Soon after his victory, the first free computer centre was set up at Periyar Nagar in Virudachalam on October 25, 2006. A Nataraj, a resident and a trainer of the centre, said, “Vijayakant set up two more centres at Mangalampettai and Neyveli in 2007 and 2008.
He also established two centres in each district of Tamil Nadu, offering free computer education to students, degree holders, and housewives.” Noor Deen, a graphic designer from Chennai, said, “Vijayakant’s free computer centre transformed my life in 2009, and offered me the chance to pursue a career in graphic designing.”
The centres, however, were shut down in 2015 due to unspecified reasons, sources said. In the 2011 assembly election, Vijayakant moved to Rishivandhiyam constituency and secured his second victory. As an MLA, he fulfilled the voters’ longstanding demand for a bridge over the South Pennai River.
Though he faced difficulties in fulfilling the scheme due to perceived lack of support from the ruling AIADMK, through his persistent efforts, including meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, he successfully secured a central government grant of Rs 21.89 crore for the project. The bridge was completed and opened for public use in March 2018.
On April 2, 2018, a meeting was organised at Manalurpettai to thank Vijayakant for his efforts in implementing the bridge project though he had moved to Ulundurpet in the 2016 assembly election. “That was the last public meeting where we saw Vijayakant in our constituency. He struggled to speak at the meeting because of his poor health. The Rishivandhiyam constituency and its people will always cherish his memories,” said N Malairaja, a resident of Manalurpettai.
Even before the Tamil Nadu government introduced Pongal gift hampers, Vijayakant distributed essentials, including rice, jaggery, pulses, and sugarcane to every family in Rishivandhiyam constituency during Pongal festivals. L Selvambal, a local resident, said, “Vijayakant’s generosity in providing sewing machines, iron boxes, and household goods to the needy earned him people’s admiration almost on a par with MGR.”