Thalapathy Vijay: “This leader listens to the general public” On this appeal of the activist, CM Vijay set an example overnight.

The new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thalapathy Vijay is currently seen in full form. Ever since he took over as the CM of the state, he has been taking tough and shocking decisions one after the other. Now he has done something which is being praised all around and people have become his admirers.

Thalapathy Vijay has said ‘tata-bye’ forever to the British era VIP culture that has been prevalent in government offices for years. In fact, famous climate activist Lisipriya Kangujam had appealed to Chief Minister Vijay to end the ‘towel culture’ that has been seen for a long time on the VIP chairs of big names in government offices. The action taken by Thalapathy Vijay within just 24 hours of this appeal surprised everyone.

The activist had made this special demand on social media

The whole issue started when climate activist Licypriya Kangujam shared a post on social media platform X on Thursday. Tagging CM Vijay directly, he wrote, “Hello Vijay Sir, can we end this towel culture on VIP chairs in India? The public already knows that Chief Ministers are VIPs in the country. But this towel culture is now being adopted by ministers, bureaucrats and even petty officials. You are a big inspiration for crores of people, Sir. If you want, you can start this big change yourself.”

Langujam believed that this tradition of keeping white towels on government chairs is not limited only to big ministers, but small level officials also use it to show influence. He had appealed to the new CM of Tamil Nadu to set a new example by changing this pattern.

The towel was quietly removed without any noise or publicity.

Usually leaders compete to take big credit for any small change, but here too Thalapathy Vijay won hearts with his simplicity. Neither CM Vijay nor the Tamil Nadu government issued any public statement on this post. But on Friday, when the latest pictures of government meetings came out from the Chief Minister’s Office, this big change was clearly visible.

Earlier, in the photographs of the review meeting of the Department of Industry, Investment Promotion and Commerce held at the Secretariat on May 14, Chief Minister Vijay was seen sitting on a chair covered with his traditional white towel. But on Friday, when the CM met with Mallika Srinivasan (Chairperson and Managing Director of TAFE) and Vice-Chairperson Dr. Lakshmi Venu, the white towel was completely missing from the Chief Minister’s chair in the photographs taken there. This change, made quietly without any official announcement or publicity within just 24 hours of the appeal, has caught everyone’s attention on the internet. People are calling this a big symbolic step to uproot the old VIP culture from Indian politics and bureaucracy.

Climate activist expressed gratitude, said- ‘Change is coming’

Activist Licypriya Kangujam looked extremely upset after seeing the white towel removed from the Chief Minister’s chair. He immediately thanked Thalapathy Vijay on social media and wrote, “Thank you Vijay sir. This immediate step taken by you proves that you are indeed a grassroots leader and are listening deeply to the voice of the common people. Change is coming, whether people like it or not.”

Let us tell you that famous actor turned politician Thalapathy Vijay had taken the oath of secrecy for the post of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10 this month. His party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) had emerged as the largest party in the recent assembly elections, after which he has formed a strong coalition government in the state with the support of Congress, IUML, CPI(M), CPI and VCK.

Know what is the interesting history of this ‘white towel’?

This tradition of putting white towels on the high chairs of the gentlemen in the government departments and offices of India is not new, rather it is an interesting legacy of the days of slavery i.e. colonial history. In today’s times, it may have become a symbol of high-ranking and influence of officers, but it started for very practical reasons during the British rule in the late 19th century.

In fact, at that time, British officers used a special oil named ‘Macassar Oil’ extensively to keep their hair set. To prevent the expensive teak wood and leather chairs kept in the offices from getting spoiled by this oil stain, they used to keep a special cloth called ‘Anti-Macassar’ tied on the upper part of the chairs.

Given the hot and humid climate of India, over time this small cloth transformed into a large white cotton towel. It had two major advantages – firstly, it absorbed sweat easily and secondly, it protected the back from sticking to the chair. Additionally, there were no modern air conditioning (AC) or dry cleaning facilities at that time, so these towels could be easily replaced and washed. However, with the passage of time, this towel became a big symbol of excessive officers’ bullying and VIP culture, which has now been removed by Thalapathy Vijay and made a new beginning.