Chennai: For die-hard fans of Thala, his birthday, which falls on May 1 (today), is as important a day as one of his movie releases. While Ajith has made it a point to disband his fan clubs all over the state, his ‘true’ fans go that extra mile to ensure that their favourite matinee idol’s birthday is not ignored.
Vinodh, who is the Coimbatore District Secretary of Ajith Fans, says that like last year, the celebrations will be kept low key. “This year, we will be celebrating by arranging food for everyone at the Seva Ashram here. Plus, notebooks and text books will be distributed to deserving children in the city,” says Vinodh.
“Sir doesn’t like us advertising the fact that it is his birthday. Sir has always told us not to spend money on promoting him unnecessarily — be it on his movie releases or his birthday. So we do this for our own satisfaction.” In Chennai, Sachin Mani, who used to be the President of the Ajith Fans Associaiton, before it was disbanded, details similar plans. “We are sponsoring food (biriyani) for all the residents of Bharat Mata Trust and sponsoring the education of 10 students. We will also give text books and notebooks to 300 students. We are providing annadhaanam through Samarpana, another charitable organisation,” says Sachin.
Although one of Ajith’s biggest hits, Amar kalam, was supposed to release at Albert Theatre on Friday, this has been called off. Sachin says, “Sir always told us not to celebrate by putting up posters and cut-outs of him — be it during the release of his film or on his birthday. He told us that if we were insistent on celebrating, we must do some sort of service to charity. We are merely honouring his words.”
Sridhar Sivakumar, an ardent fan of Thala’s, will also celebrate Ajith’s birthday by visiting an orphanage at Virugambakkam and serve biriyani to the needy. Although it is a special day for the fans, Sridhar is mildly upset about not being able to watch Amarkalam.
“We wanted to watch the film first. As we are unsure if it is going to release, we shall first go to the orphanage to offer some food. Last year, we cut a huge cake and celebrated on a grand scale. This year, we have planned to celebrate his birthday in a simple manner. Regardless of how we are going to celebrate, we will ensure that we follow his advice forever. Our Thala always says, ‘Live and let live!’ That is our life’s motto too. Happy birthday, Thala. We love you!”
