Chennai: Actor Suriya today came out with a strongly-worded statement supporting his wife Jyothika’s speech at an award function where she reportedly said people should contribute to hospitals and schools, instead of spending money on temples.
He said in a statement, “A comment made by my wife Jyothika at an award function long ago has been doing the rounds online and has led to debates as well. Jyothika has put forth the thought that as temples are held in high regard, schools and hospitals should be maintained in the same regard. Some people have been offended by this and equated it to a crime.”
The actor added: “Such thoughts have also been esposued by spiritual leaders like Vivekanandha. Serving people is like serving God, and this is a belief that has been held in our society for a long time, even by people like Thirumoolar. But those who don’t folow these writings or learning, won’t even try to understand this.”
Stating that people of all religions have welcomed the idea that schools and hospitals should be treated akin to temples, and were showing their support to Jyothika, even during these times of the coronaviorus pandemic, he added: “My family fully stands with her opinion in the speech, which is inspired by the teachings of spiritual leaders. We wish to teach our children that humanity is more important than religion.”
He concluded, “I thank all those unknown people who supported us, while many were working overtime to malign our image and assassinate our characters online. The media has been reporting the news correctly which gives me the confidence that good intentions will lead to good deed.”