Like for many of us, Surya’s college admission was also fraught with anxiety. Actor Sivakumar was looking back at when he was trying to get his son admitted to the B Com programme in Loyola College.“The then principal was not very keen to admit Surya saying that one more seat will be wasted if he admits a star’s son. I convinced him saying that Surya is not like others and he would complete the course. Till the beginning of the third year, everything was smooth. I was happy that Surya had kept up my promise until one day he gave me a shock. He came and told me that he was not interested in going to college any more. I was literally taken aback. On probing, I realised that he had three arrears from the previous semester. I had to cajole him and finally somehow packed him back to college.”
Sivakumar, father of actors Suriya and Karthi was addressing a huge gathering of more than 5000 at the Velalar College for Women in Thindal near Erode recently. The veteran actor this time around was trying to inculcate values in youngsters through poet Bharathi’s timeless verses.
He used examples from his own personal life, sharing previously unknown facts about how he came to Chennai at the age of 16 and about becoming a yoga expert.
“I lived in a house shared by 25 people and most of them were non vegetarians. We had only two makeshift toilets for the entire bachelor crowd. To avoid the crowd, I used to wake up as early as 4.30 am and go to the restrooms. I had a lot of time left in the morning and that is when I started learning yoga through books, on the terrace of the building. I practice it even today.”
The actor was concerned that the younger generation are under constant stress, especially those working in the IT sector.
“Recently, I was shocked when I came to know through a close source that the Corporation authorities had found a ton of condoms while cleaning the drainage in a large IT hub. I will not blame the boys and girls who work hours together, even on night shifts. Sex is a biological need and safe sex is more important. What I would suggest to these girls working in the IT sector is to get married no sooner than they get into a job.”
