October 16, 2025

The recent tragedy at actor-turned-politician Vijay's rally, where a stampede took several fans' lives, is a shocking wake-up call. These were ordinary people, not just voters but true fans, who came to see their hero. Their loss is a painful reminder that loving a leader too much can turn deadly. In Tamil Nadu, mixing politics with cinema is as old as time. Actors like Vijay have long used their huge fan-following to gain votes and power. The lines between movies and politics here are blurred. Fans see their leaders like movie stars, which makes Vijay's political journey feel natural, not strange. But hero worship isn't only a Tamil Nadu or Indian habit—it’s a human trait everywhere and always. Still, India’s long history of respecting spiritual gurus, kings, poets, and stars makes it easy to confuse love for leaders with real democracy. India's freedom fighters warned against this. B.R. Ambedkar famously said in 1949, “Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.” He worried that when people trust a great man too much, democracy suffers. Even famous revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh said blindly trusting leaders stops us from thinking freely. And thinker M.N. Roy warned that blaming a leader for failure misses the truth—it is society’s demand for gods that causes trouble. Independent India saw many powerful leader cults. Indira Gandhi’s rule became a personality-driven saga, summed up by “Indira is India.” The Emergency period proved how dangerous this cult could be. Regional bosses like N.T. Rama Rao and Bal Thackeray also thrived on fan devotion, turning their followers almost into religious devotees. Tamil Nadu’s MGR fans took this to wild extremes. Today, Narendra Modi’s personal image is everywhere in India’s politics, showing how star power rules even national affairs. Modi's huge fan base sometimes blurs the line between the leader and the country. Why do people worship leaders so strongly? Psychologists say our brain likes clear leaders to make group life simple. Sociologists add that in tough lives, leaders represent our hopes. A villager struggling might see Vijay as his hero. This pattern goes deep into human history, where myths replaced facts, and blind faith ruled. Even today, questioning religious or political heroes often invites anger or violence, as with M.F. Husain or Charlie Hebdo cartoonists. The tragic stampede at Vijay’s rally shows the deadly cost of this blind devotion. But the worse damage is political: hero worship kills fairness, stops criticism, makes leaders untouchable, and turns citizens into spectators waiting for their heroes’ next move. Policies become about image, not people’s real needs when they are tied to one leader’s fame. Welfare programs get stamped with faces, while real democracy fades. The cure is not cynicism but wisdom. We should admire leaders for their work—but never worship them blindly. Strong institutions and alert citizens are India’s best hope. We must remember the warnings from Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh and build a politics where love for leaders never crushes democracy. In the end, hero worship is a stubborn problem across religion, politics, and culture. It promises comfort but often delivers loss and pain. Only by choosing reason over blind devotion can India avoid future tragedies and keep its democracy alive and thriving.

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Tags: Vijay, Hero worship, Stampede, Political cult, Tamil nadu politics, Democracy,