Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Women should take up politics: Kanimozhi

— PHOTO: R. Shivaji Rao

TIME TO CELEBRATE: A group of students of M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women after receiving their degrees at the annual convocation in Chennai on Thursday.

CHENNAI: “It is our duty to reach out to the less privileged and the suppressed and sometimes forgo an opportunity, a chance, a job to make up for pains inflicted on people for generations …,” Member of Parliament Kanimozhi said here on Thursday. She was speaking at the annual convocation of M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women.

“In the modern world which values justice and fair play more than any other value, other emotions have been relegated to a second level. Mercy is considered condescending and compassion to be undemocratic. Yes, compassion is unacceptable when the playing ground is level and the players are equal, unfortunately in reality it is never a game among equals,” she stressed.

Ms. Kanimozhi drew attention to that fact that though we live in an age where many of mankind’s problems have been solved, new ones have been created. She said when a student graduates she passes into society and is transformed into a responsible and independent being. “Independent and responsible, however, do not happen together in most cases. Cultural pressures, political systems and social forces obstruct us from achieving this utopian status. Nevertheless every individual, thinker, and leader dreams of this,” she said.

As a final note to the young women who were graduating, Ms. Kanimozhi said: “Politics is not really a bad word. So please girls step in. It is you who can change it.”

She later handed over the degree certificates to the students.

College Principal Nirmala Prasad said that the year was special as it was the first batch graduating under the autonomous tag. College Secretary P. Haridas administered the oath to the students.

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