Tragedies like Karur pose questions which don’t have easy answers.

What, for instance, is more destructive: the foolhardiness of blind followers or the cruel indifference of the false gods they worship? Is sacrificing reason at the altar of fawning over icons more dangerous than the uncaring narcissism of the ‘heroes’?

It is hard to explain a reported 30,000-60,000 people packing themselves in a narrow road meant for not more than 10,000 in Tamil Nadu’s Karur, waiting for hours for actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay to arrive, only for 40 to be killed and hundreds injured in the stampede which ensued.

It is easier to explain why Vijay, the boss of the new Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party, came over six hours late to address the crowd (he was supposed to arrive around noon, he turned up a little before 7pm), much like he would do for a movie shoot. It is his deep sense of entitlement, honed over years of the producer, director, co-stars, and the crew waiting endlessly for the........

© News18