SPIRITUAL POLITICS

Rajinikanth heads for Himalaya pilgrimage

rajini-pti Rajinikanth greets his fans after unveiling a statue of former chief minister MG Ramachandran at the Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute in Chennai | PTI

Rajinikanth headed for his annual pilgrimage in the Himalayas on Saturday. He has set up an ashram in the foothills of the mountains, and he will start by visiting saints in Uttarakhand caves in Uttarakhand. Rajinikanth considers his spiritual guru a man named Mahavatar Babaji, and his film Baba is based around the man.

The actor had recently made a political plunge and his movies Kaala and 2.0 are due for release. On December 31, Rajinikanth told fans gathered at the Raghavendra Mandapam in Chennai that he would launch a political party in time to contest all 234 seats in the next assembly polls, due in 2021.

“Ithu kaalathin kattayam [It is the compulsion of time],” said the 67-year-old actor, quoting from the Gita on the importance of doing one’s duty and not worrying about the results. “If I don’t do this now, I would feel guilty till my death.”