Ilaiyaraaja, Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi collaborate on song against child sexual abuse
Veteran music composer Ilaiyaraaja has collaborated with filmmaker Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi on a new Tamil music video to create awareness about child sexual abuse. Sung by the music maestro's son Yuvan Shankar Raja, the song is titled Yaar Intha Peigal (who are these demons). It is part of an initiative by Tamil Nadu's School Education Ministry to prevent child sexual abuse across the state.
How did Udhayanidhi come up with this idea?
Yaar Intha Peigal's lyrics are written by Pa Vijay and Raja, while the music video is shot by Padma Shri Santosh Sivan. Speaking to India Today, Kiruthiga said the idea for the music video originated after she interacted with Tulir, an NGO that is working to prevent and rehabilitate children/adults subjected to sexual abuse. Notably, the filmmaker is Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin's daughter-in-law.
Government's measures to deal with child sexual abuse cases
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has been actively working on preventing child sexual abuse. Recently, the government began setting up Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) in all schools, and anti-sexual harassment policies are also being mandated in every educational institution. Here are the TN government's child sexual abuse reporting/helplines: Childline: 1098 and 24x7 Tamil Nadu education guidance center: 14417. Tulir can be reached at 044-43235867/044-26618026.
