CHENNAI: Showing the youth a neat path to their future, actor-turned Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay urged them to keep their mind democratic. “Only with democracy can every field flourish. If democracy functions properly, everyone can access opportunities equally,” the actor said while encouraging the students to vote wisely.
“Elect those who are clean, not those who’ve been tainted by corruption. Don’t support the culture of buying votes,” he said. Referring to the 2026 Assembly election, Vijay said, “Next year, you will see them (politicians) coming in droves to lure you. But you know what’s right.”
Honouring a group of students from 88 constituencies across 16 districts in TN and Puducherry who excelled in class 10 and 12 board examinations with certificates and cash prizes at Mamallapuram, Vijay also touched upon the contentious issue of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). “Yes, academics do matter.
There’s no need to overstress about one thing over and over,” he said. Cautioning against the narrow focus on NEET, Vijay asked, “Is NEET the whole world? The world is much bigger than NEET.” The actor also appealed to parents not to pressurise their wards (on NEET), and instead allow them the freedom to pursue their interests.
On social issues, he urged people to reject caste and religion-based divisions. “Just as you avoid drugs, keep caste and religious differences away,” he said.
Strongly condemning caste-based questions in Union civil service exam, he concluded, “Let science guide your thinking. AI is the way forward.”
At the function, diamond studs were presented as gifts to two state-level top scorers — Sophia from Ariyalur and Oviyaanjali from Theni. The students who secured the top three ranks at the district level were awarded a cash prize of Rs 5,000 along with certificates.
Following this, differently-abled students who achieved remarkable scores were also given Rs 5,000 prizes and certificates. While presenting the awards to each student, Vijay personally enquired about their future goals and extended his wishes, encouraging them with the message: “If you try, you can achieve anything.”