Tamil movie superstar Kamal Haasan launched his long-awaited political party, the Makkal Needhi Maiam, on Wednesday, February 21, in Madurai, during the course of which he was asked who were the leaders he admired and took inspiration from.


Hassan promptly named them. 'I like Gandhi, Ambedkar, Nehru, Kejriwal, Naidu, Pinarayi and even Obama. All those who work (for the people).' Surprisingly, or maybe not, there was no Tamil leader in his list. No Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo M Karunanidhi, who Haasan has often spoken of highly in the past, no poet Subramaniya Bharati, whose revolutionary songs he has mouthed on screen, no E V R Ramaswamy Naicker, whose Dravida movement is the fount of the rational thought Haasan espouses. No A P J Abdul Kalam either, considering that the former President's home was his first halt on Wednesday morning.   Incidentally, there were no women either in the list.


But why did Kamal Haasan name the leaders he did? Here's a ready reckoner.   Do read