The podium is familiar. So is the assemblage that comprises students, 6000 to be exact, and elders (around 1000). And all are in awe of the speaker on the dais! In a very short span Sivakumar has carved a niche for himself as an orator whose harangues are pregnant with skilled observations, analyses, research and conclusions. Referring to him as an actor could be obsolete because he has metamorphosed into a public speaker of merit.
Yet his histrionic potential enables him to have the edge over others. By now viewers of his talk shows on television and on stage are familiar with his remarkable memory and fluency. The subjects of Sivakumar’s speeches could be anything from the mundane to the exalted. But his approach is sincere, and style, inimitable.
The latest in this league was his address at Vellalar College of Women, Thindal, near Erode, titled ‘En Chellangalukku,’ which touched on poet Bharatiar’s works and their relevance in today’s scenario, significant health issues, and the family system as we find it now. The continuous two-hour refrain (He doesn’t pause even for a sip of water!) is to be telecast on April 14, 5 p.m., on Vijay TV.
“My job ends with the lecture. The credit of taking it to the channels and thereby to a much larger audience should go to friend Nagarajan of ‘Ramraj Cotton,’” he says. And the topics? “My Q and A column in the vernacular weekly Rani, for 76 weeks now, has helped me return to my past, glean useful info from my experiences and pass it on to readers. The response has been incredible. Also in my speeches at a couple of colleges recently, I mentioned health issues in passing and they were very well received. The result is this speech. My aim is to share worthy ideas with the young and old. Each message drives home a valid point,” he explains. Sivakumar is now working on the ‘Mahabharatham.’ “A mammoth task, by next year I should be ready,” he smiles.
The new-age work culture, thanks to the BPO set-up, and the fallout which is leading to major lifestyle changes, are tabled by a man who keeps a keen eye on the happenings around him, gets to the crux of problems and offers solutions too. This is just one of the many topics he dwells on.
In one of his earlier recordings, Sivakumar had spoken about the inhuman act of children packing parents off to age-old homes. “Studying the current situation I prefer to modify my stand,” he begins. Catch him on the channel this Wednesday to know his exact viewpoint.
“I’m not sermonising. Advice doesn’t go down well with people, I know. I’m just talking about the way I’ve lived life with values intact. Take it or leave it, but just give me a hearing before you decide either way,” he exhorts. And naturally the crowd is all ears!
