[1] The inaugural edition of the 'Vaanam' festival took place at St. Ebbas Girls School on RK Salai in Mylapore, Chennai, over a span of three days, commencing with an opening ceremony at the hands of renowned filmmaker Pa Ranjith.
The festival, featuring a diverse range of cultural expressions, including song, dance, drama, and art, aimed to foster discussions and debates on critical societal issues.
'[4] Notable social campaigner Jignesh Mewani, in a spirited speech, emphasized the role of art forms, particularly cinema in the style of Pa Ranjith, as crucial mediums for advancing the war against caste.
[11] Poet and assistant director Viduthalai Sigappi, associated with filmmaker Pa Ranjith, faced legal action for reciting a satirical poem titled 'Malakkuzhi Maranam' (deaths in manholes) during the Vaanam Arts Festival.
Neelam Cultural Centre defended Sigappi, emphasizing that the poem aimed to draw attention to societal ignorance about manual scavenging deaths and was not intended to insult religious beliefs.
The controversy sparked condemnation from various quarters, with support for Sigappi coming from individuals like actor Kalaiyarasan, Sriperumbudur MLA K Selvaperunthagai, filmmaker Lenin Bharathi, writer-activist Shalin Maria Lawrence, and director Shan.