New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday praised political satirist and founder-editor of Thuglak magazine Srinivasa Iyer Ramaswamy. Popularly known as Cho Ramaswamy, Srinivasa was a Tamil actor, director, political satirist, comedian and lawyer, who passed away days after Jayalalithaa’s demise last in December 2016.
Praising the Tamil cultural icon, PM Modi said, “I knew Cho personally for many years and it’s a personal loss for me. He had a multifaceted personality. His greatest achievement was that he made Thuglak a weapon against all divisive forces.”
Addressing the 47th Thuglak anniversary event through video conference, PM Modi said, in Cho, we all have lost a friend, he offered invaluable wisdom to whoever came his way, he added to his speech further. The PM also believes that Cho’s satire made his criticism lovable, even to those he criticised.
“Humour brings happiness in our lives, it’s the best healer. Power of a smile or laughter is more than the power of abuse or any weapon,” said PM Modi.
Stressing the need to build bridges between people, communities and societies, PM Modi said, “Humour builds bridges instead of breaking them and this is exactly what we require today.”
Earlier, superstar Rajnikanth also gave a speech at the same event and bestowed his tribute to the veteran journalist. He said, “Ramaswany was a unique man and all politicians used to seek advice from him.”
