'Not Knowing Mother Tongue An Insult': Dhanush Urges Students To Learn Tamil

Actor Dhanush has reignited the language debate in Tamil Nadu, saying not knowing your mother tongue is "an insult". Speaking to students at his alma mater, Thaai Sathya Matriculation School, in Chennai on Tuesday, he urged them to learn their native language, saying not knowing Tamil should never be seen as a matter of pride.

"When we were studying here, I couldn't speak English well. I used to speak English like 'Why did he went'. But I could speak Tamil well. But it has changed now. Out of the ten people I meet, eight of them don't know how to read or write Tamil. They speak English; they write English. But they don't know how to read or write Tamil. It is a very frustrating thing," he said while addressing students and teachers in Tamil.

He also recalled an incident from the shoot of a film in Belgium.

"I did a film in French production. I was shooting in Belgium. When I asked them if they knew English, they were very surprised. When they asked me if I knew English, I said, 'Yes, I know,' and they were very surprised. Because, generally, if a person doesn't know English, they will tease him. When I asked them why they were surprised, they said, 'You should know your mother tongue. But English is a bonus'," Dhanush said.

The actor said a person should know the mother tongue first.

"You should learn how to read and write your mother tongue. Saying you don't know Tamil is not something to be proud of. Not knowing your mother tongue is an insult," he said and thanked his Tamil teacher.

He also inaugurated the new three-storey building of the school.  

The school management has named the new building, Dhanush Block, after the actor helped renovate it.

Dhanush reigniting the language debate in Tamil Nadu also comes amid speculation over the actor's possible entry into politics.