Chennai: Amid growing speculation about actor Dhanush’s possible entry into politics, his fan club, Dhanush Narpani Mandram, was renamed Dhanush Narpani Iyakkam at a consultative meeting in Coimbatore on Wednesday. The event, held at a private hall, was attended by around 3,000 office-bearers of the organisation.In Tamil, “Iyakkam” means an organisation/movement, and the renaming has drawn attention since chief minister C Joseph Vijay renamed his fan club into All India Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam in 2009, a first step towards politics. Dhanush Fan Club head Subramaniam Siva said the name was changed to expand the organisation’s public-service activities and strengthen its’ connect with people. “We have renamed the Mandram as Iyakkam to intensify our public service and reach out to more people,” Siva told TOI.The logo of the new organisation was also decided at the event. Siva said members had been encouraged to undertake initiatives such as restoring ponds, repairing roads and addressing neighbourhood issues, in addition to their existing welfare activities. The fans club has been organizing blood donation drives. The functionaries were told to maintain discipline while carrying out activities, and “create a situation” so as to encourage more people to join the organisation.The change to Iyakkam has fuelled discussions about the actor’s political ambitions, although there has been no official confirmation from Dhanush regarding such a move. During his birthday celebrations with fans in July, the actor said that his fans were focussed on constructive work on the ground unlike those indulged in online abuse, rumours and negativity.EOM//
